PicnicBasketCrafts Laundry Bar :)

So I officially tried out Tiffany's from picnicbasketcrafts on Etsy's laundry bar today! I have to start by saying that when my 4 year old pulled the envelope out of the mail he yelled "we got a present Mommy!!" That is because it was in a envelope that was absolutely beautiful because it was zig-zagged stitched magazine pages! Then, when we opened our "present," we loved how it was wrapped in pretty butterfly paper! I was already totally impressed, not to mention the eye serum was also in there (love that too!!)

A little known fact about me is that I have been making my own laundry soap for quite a while! It cuts back on all of the packaging that goes into landfills and it will save you a great deal of money! I use a common recipe that I found and it makes nice powder detergent that lasts a long time!
The recipe is:
1 cup grated soap (usually I use Fels Naptha) but I used picnicbasketcrafts today
1/2 cup borax (super easy to find~even at Wal Mart)
1/2 cup washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda~found mine at Martin's)

You just put about 2 table spoons into the laundry for a clean load of laundry! I have read that you only need 1 table spoon for the higher efficiency washers

As for the review:

+ the soap grated very easily
+didn't have a super over powered scent (just smelled clean)
+I could actually read and understand all of the ingredients (I love that!)
+I used it on some of our stinky gym clothes and they smelled super clean
+didn't leave behind any type of soap residue (there was some dark colors in this load)
+++ it quickly dissolved unlike the store bought brand that takes forever to break down in the wash!!! (that's why it got 3 plus signs! That's my favorite part!!)

I really don't think that there is anything that I could tell her to improve upon! I loved it and would buy it from her store! Thanks for the laundry soap sample Tiffany! We loved it!

New Facial Scrubbies

I have been busy crafting, since I actually have time to! I love being a teacher and having the summers off!! I have been making lots of different facial scrubbies and making the sets match! I still use fabric that the majority has been used to make something else! (like quilts, bibs, bags, etc.) They are backed with chenille which make them soft and scrubbie at the same time! They wash up great and I have had mine for over a year and haven't had to throw any away!

Pictures for my wet jet refills

I have been trying to upload these pictures to my etsy convo, but they just don't want to go! Therefore, I am uploading them up to here! Have a looksy!!

Slow week a la Etsy!

Boy, oh boy, things have been pretty slow in my shop for the past week! I'm hoping that it is going to pass soon! However, I have been having some extra time to craft this week! I have plenty of reusable dusters on hand and ready to go! I also have been working on my packaging and getting some new labels together!
Mom and I are going to be going to a craft show in my town on the 18th of July and hopefully I will have lots of goodies to sell at that event! I have even been making some new sandwich/snack bags! I have been using-testing them in my lunch for about 1/2 of a school year and it has withstood a lot! I also keep one in my car for when my little guy wants something to eat but it needs to be put in the bag! (you know, those wonderful groceries that you just paid for and we just CAN'T wait until we get home to eat!) I think that I will post some of them next week at a wonderful introductory price! Well, off to relax before the fireworks! Yeah, I know that it is the 3rd of July, but that is how my town does it! Oh well!! Enjoy the holiday weekend!

New item this week coming up on my etsy shop! I have been selling these for a while at craft shows and I have been making these for myself for even longer! They are reversible hair bands/head bands, which ever you call them! I love them for not so great hair days or for wearing around the house. They can also help to make a nice accessory! They fit almost any size head, due to the elastic in the back! Did I mention that they are going to come at an introductory price? Keep your eyes open this week coming up! I love them and I think that they will be a hit!

New Swiffer Wet Jet Refill In My Etsy Store!!!

I am so excited to finally have my wet jet reusable cloths in my etsy store now! I have been making these for well over a year, but am just now putting them on my etsy store! They take a lot more time to create than the other swiffer products that I make! Check them out and let me know what you think! I can't wait for 8 more days and then I can finally start working on building more inventory for my etsy store! School's almost out! Hooray!!! I think that I might need to have a school's out sale! I love summer!!!

Green Mother's Day!!!

On Friday at school, I was telling my students what I received for Mother's Day! They couldn't help but laugh when I told them that I received a kitchen composting can and finally a real composter! I have been composting for over a year, but my composter was basically a garbage can with holes cut into it for air! Not the greatest by any means! However, now I have the garden gourmet! It is awesome! I actually get excited about throwing the old friuts and veggies into it! Well, at least I am excited! I have attached a pic of what the beast looks like!

My upcycled doggie collar

My somewhat green weekend project! I have been looking at my doggie Izzy's old collar and have been pretty ashamed of it! I was cute back in the day (you know about 2 years ago!) but these days, it has been looking pretty shabby! The hearts have been coming off of it and it's a darker shade of pink, if you know what I mean! Here lies the problem though! As my husband points out we should just go to Walmart and buy another! However, I hate to throw it away only to make more junk and buy another wonderful product from my guess-China! Therefore, after I totally disassembled it, I had my little guy look through my stash of fabric and pick out one. Then, I covered the collar with the fabric and I think that it looks better than new! Have a looksy and the pics! It is an after and then a before! Kinda became backwards!

Green cleaning!!

I absolutely hated spending money on cleaning stuff, just to throw it away! It didn't really make any sense to me that cleaning something meant that garbage would have to be made! While I am sure that lots of people would yell at me to just use a broom, mop and dustpan, I really think that a Swiffer does a better job! It picks up those hairball looking things that a broom just sweeps around the floor! Therefore, I made my own swiffer products. While I am sure that the company does not enjoy people doing this (because they make a lot of money off of refills) I have been disposable-free for about a year~ and proud of it! I make a swiffer hand duster, one for the swiffer (regular style) duster and the wet jet! I have been using the same ones for about a year and they have plenty of life left in them! I hate to admit it but I actually enjoy cleaning with these new products!

Super fab. book marks

As you may already know, I teach 3rd grade to around 22 students! (it changes too often!) Out of all of those students only 6 read all of the minutes that they were supposed to during the school year! I wanted to show them how awesome that I think that they are, so I bought them some crafty stuff and I actually made them bookmarks! They seem to love them, at least I hope so! The best part is that I used up some of my scraps that were screaming out to be used again! Hooray! Of course I had to put their names on them so that I didn't have to hear about who stole what or where it could be!

Birthday Bug Crafting!

I know, I know, you probably shouldn't have a bug birthday party in the middle of winter! I guess snowflakes, sled riding, or my not so favorites to choose from at Walmart (my choices there were so blah- Spiderman, Transformers, and Mickey Mouse). However, my little guy is in love with all creepy/crawly/wiggly things! (and it turns out that a lot of his little friends are too!) I found some awesome fabric with fun looking insects on it and made some "crayon/coloring wallets" as a thank you for all of the kids trudging out in the middle of a freezing rain storm to come to my son's birthday party! My friend Savannah and I made the boxes to look like boxes that would have bugs living in them and filled them with shredded paper. Then, the sewing frenzy began with all of the crayon wallets! I made the little girls out of a cuter butterfly fabric! Well, here they are for the viewing! Let me know what you think!!