DIY Cloth Diapers

I have been making my boys' cloth diapers for several years now, and I must confess it's a little addicting.  I originally stumbled upon this new generation of cloth diapers on the internet, and saw that I could make them myself.  Well, before this I had really only ever made a pillow case, so I was a little doubtful.  But, I followed some on-line tutorials and before you know it, I had a diaper made out of t-shirt and kitchen towels.  Boy have I come a long way from that humble beginning!  To anyone out there that's thinking about it, I LOVE cloth diapers.  Not only are they cute, but better on the environment & pocketbook. If you can't sew even a pillowcase, purchase some diapers and give it a try.  :-) The ones I like best are called one size pockets.  They adjust to fit newborn through potty training, and have a separate insert for better and quicker washing/drying.   For more information, visit my Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/rachelbethscreations. To purchase anything, go to my etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/rachelcowlehealy 

Here are a few of my recent favorirtes:

Bath Soak

 

OK, so I'm not a bath person.  But I made some sugar scrubs and bath soaks for a friend in exchange for babysitting... and they are quite nice! If you like baths, or know people who do (GIFT), look up making some! I  basically combined a simple bath salt with a milk bath and came up with what I call a bath soak. :-)  They are so easy, and I adapted several different recipes into my own thing after some research.  I also blended it into a powder for consistency and because I don't like waiting for Epsom salt to dissolve.  The fragrance in combination with the ingredients makes for a relaxing, rejuvenating bath!

Ode to Mama Cloth

I have been sewing "Mama Cloth" or cloth pads for a couple years and have been making a bunch to sell lately, so I thought I would add a blurb on here.  Here is what some of them look like:

Basically, it's what it sounds like only what you probably don't know is that it's more comfortable, healthier, cheaper and better for the environment.  They fold up for on the go and are so cute!

Here's an article in case you are interested to know more:

http://lunapads.com/why-switch

(Incidentally, this particular brand is high priced... contact me if you want something affordable!)

Dishwasher Detergent!

I have heard of people making their own detergent and meaning to try it for probably over a year.  Don't you know, I finally got around to it!  It's as easy as measuring and stirring.  I think next time I will just pour it right into the zip lock bag or canister and shake.  Here's my masterpiece:  ;-)

This is the recipe I used, but I substituted a package of Kool-Aid lemonade for citric acid (which I saw on a different recipe). http://laviediy.blogspot.com/2011/08/diy-all-natural-dishwashing-detergent.html  I have already tried it and it seems to work great; the dishes look clean to me!  I don't know if I will ever buy detergent again, ha ha.

Homemade Sugar Scrub

This is a little belated, but I made sugar scrubs last week with this recipe tutorial:

http://www.maybematilda.com/2011/04/baby-shower-gift-homemade-sugar-scrub.html

I want to try the cute jar decorations sometime, but these work for now.  I went for grapefruit and orange peppermint~ I LOVE orange peppermint!!  I actually got a starter kit with 14 essential oils, so I will be trying more things. Yay!  I like the sugar scrub, though I used a little less oil to sugar in mine.  My SIL says it's just right, too. :-D  My goal is actually to give out a BUNCH of sugar scrub samples as gifts at our ladies meeting (Sisterhood) in 2 weeks using the 4 oz baby food jars. Why? Because it sounds fun!

Oh- I also made a few rice buddies with essential oils.  I like it, but I can't smell it enough.  I'm going to give it to a few guinea pigs to see what they think.

BTW, 15 days of school left... oh how I can't wait for summer!!!

Garden time!

I found this blog posted on Facebook: http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2011/11/winter-sowing-101-6/

Here's my version of it:

It works great!  The milk cartons act as a little greenhouse, protecting the young plants from weather and critters, and they were nice and portable for taking in during a freeze warning.  They came right out of the carton for easy transplanting.  Here's my squash and cucumbers:

 

Here is my pyramid garden, going on its third summer. (Thanks, Mom!):

 

It's great for planting more things in a smaller area by using vertical space.  Right now, I have strawberries, thyme, and green beans in it.  I did green beans in it last year and they are a little large by summer's end but it ends up OK.

I'm excited about my expanding garden!  I even bought heirloom seeds this year off eBay.  This way, I can save my own seeds and keep my garden self sustaining from year to year. (If you don't know, seed packets as well as fruits and vegetables sold in stores are specially designed so that their seeds will not reproduce themselves.  It's so you have to keep buying their product again and again.)  Thanks to Blake and friends for turning over all the soil behind our garage.  It will soon be sporting lettuce, eggplant, pumpkin, corn, and more! :-D

{Lord, help me be consistent with this and get great results!}

DIY Laundry Detergent!

Since I was home with a sick baby today, I decided it was high time to try my hand at making my own laundry detergent for nap time.  It was easy, fun, and I now have 2 GALLONS of detergent for $1.50. The bar soap I used was Coast (because it was 8 bars for $3).  Hopefully the scent & dye won't cause buildup on my diapers.  If so, it would probably be minimal, and that's what original Dawn is for.  (If anyone has experience with this, please post!)

Here's the tutorial I followed so you can do it, too:

http://whynotsew.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent.htmlmake-homemade-laundry-detergent.html

Well, I'm off to go sew before that baby wakes up...