Check out this post over at Crafting a Green World — Top 10 Modern, Eco-friendly, Printed Fabrics on Etsy. Image here from pippijoe.
More Soap
I made some more of this soap yesterday (see previous post here). Note to self: do not try to make soap with a three-year-old again.
Green Counter Spray
Here’s a quick and easy recipe for a safe, inexpensive and green counter cleaner. I use a 24 ounce spray bottle to mix mine. I love cleaning with vinegar, but this concoction simply dilutes the vinegar and adds some essential oils to tackle that smell. Any essential oils will likely work well. Works great on glass and stainless steel too. I have soapstone countertops and vinegar works well for me, but you might want to make sure the acid in vinegar will not damage your surface.
- 4 ounces vinegar
- 20 ounces water
- 5-6 drops peppermint oil
- 5-6 drops grapefruit oil
Mass Edit Mode
We’re cleaning out around the house and there is just too much STUFF (reminds me of Georgie Carlin’s stuff routine). My husband took the kids to see WALL-E the other day and I think it scared him a bit. The fact that we are filling up our planet and our bodies to overflow is a pretty frightening thought. Ironically, they were giving out cheap-o plastic watches as promotional items for this movie. It is Disney, after all. It has occurred to me more than once that handmade might be better in some respects, but I am buying lots of fabric and supplies, likely made in an environmentally unfriendly way (in China). Oops, sorry to be a downer. So I’m going to start buying less, making more things myself and I’m finally going to start composting.
While we’re sorting and organizing, we have compiled a large box of kids’ artwork and hate to keep it in a closet.
Saw this idea on Design Mom last month and have been thinking about doing it. You can send your child’s artwork (25-112 pieces) away to turn it into a beautiful custom piece like this. They will be scanned and printed on archival paper. So you don’t have to decide which works to display. The Jan Eleni Collage is available from Love. Of course I would try this project myself in some form, but after I scan in the artwork I still think I won’t be able to put it in the recycling bin! So I’d still have a box of artwork, but oh well.
Simple Soap
This is too easy! Am I doing something wrong? There is lots of soap-making advice out there, but here’s how I made my melt & pour soaps. I got all of my supplies from Brambleberry Soapmaking Supplies. I think having high quality ingredients is essential here. I packaged mine in glassine envelopes and plan to make some nice stickers for the back. Creature Comforts has another lovely way to package your soaps in pretty paper.
Supplies:
- Melting base (clear glycerin, shea, aloe, goat’s milk or any combination of bases)
- Fragrance Oil
- Coloring (optional)
- Mixing Cup (microwave-safe and with pouring spout)
- Small spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
- Chopsticks or whisk for stirring
- Eyedroppers (I used medicine dispensers)
- Sharp knife
- Soap Molds or silicone cupcake tray (that you plan not to use for food again)
Here are the ingredients that I used: for the bee bar I used goat’s milk and honey bases, oatmeal milk & honey oil mixture, ginseng, and yellow coloring. For the blue bars I used aloe and white bases, spearmint eucalyptus fragrance, ginseng, and blue and green colorings.
Step #1: Cut amount of soap base(s) needed and melt in the microwave (try 30 seconds).
Step #2: Add color, fragrance, and any extracts one drop at a time until you get the desired effect.
Step #3: Carefully pour mixture into molds and tap mold gently to release bubbles. If any are on the top, you can spray with the alcohol (I didn’t have any around the house, so I had some tiny little bubbles on the bottom of my bars).
Step #4: Allow to dry for several hours then release from mold by gently bending and tapping. Now go give some soap to all your smelly friends!
Don’t have the time or inclination to make soap? Buy some from one of my favorite Etsy shops, 4th Ave Soap Co.