Makeover Monday – Homemade Laundry Detergent

So as you now know, I got a new washer and dryer.  This prompted me to beautify my ugly laundry room, and by beautify I mean de-clutter the shelves.

See that green tub up there?  That’s one of my new favorite things.  It’s from the Dollar Tree (because I’m cheap frugal like that) and it makes me happy every time I see it.

Let me start by saying that I am not a ‘green’ person by any means, and I am not a crazy couponer.  I’m pretty middle of the road, but trying to do much better these days to stretch our pennies.  And in that vein, this idea was born.  I’m trying very hard to makeover everyday money-suckers that I don’t usually even stop to consider, and laundry detergent definitely fits that bill.

I’ve been using my homemade detergent for about 3 months now and I love it!  It smells great and it works just as well as the store-bought kind.

If you’d like to try to make your own laundry detergent, here’s my recipe.

Washing Soda and Borax can both be found in the laundry detergent aisle, usually with the stain treatments, and they are very inexpensive.  I also use a bar of Ivory soap, some oxygen cleaner, baking soda, a grater, a container, and a tablespoon.

Grate the bar of soap into your container:

Because I’m me, I bought a grater (also at Dollar Tree) that I use only for this purpose.  I know in my head that a dishwasher could clean it, but honestly I could never again grate cheese on a grater that was used for soap.  I’m weird like that.

For every one bar of soap, add 1 cup of Borax, 1 cup of Washing Soda, 1/2 cup Baking Soda, and 1/4 cup Oxygen cleaner (if desired).  Then I just stir until well combined.  I’ve read that others mix in their blender, but again, I’m me.  I just can’t do that.  Besides, the girls love to make this themselves, so who am I to deny them that pleasure?

The end result:

So easy peasy, it’s cheap, and it works.  In fact, it works really, really well.  And it only takes 2 Tablespoons per load, so it’s very economical.  And yes, I can now attest to it being just fine for front-loaders.  I actually researched this and I found several people online saying they’d been using it for a long time (1+ years) in their front-loaders and all was well, so I felt comfortable in proceeding.

Previously I was buying Arm & Hammer powdered detergent because it was the cheapest brand that I felt still did a good cleaning job.  Comparing the cost, the Arm & Hammer is about 26 cents per load, whereas my homemade batch costs just a penny per load.  I know those pennies don’t sound like much, but to live out my own little version of a Wal-Mart commercial, if your family switched to my detergent that would save you $250 (or more) per year.  I saw someone on my Facebook feed stating that it was great to make a 5-month supply of laundry detergent for $2, and I’d have to agree.

So you’re doing something green, saving some money, and giving your kids a fun project all at the same time.  Now kick back with a cup of coffee and put those little ones to work!

Oh, and the vinegar in that top picture?  My new fabric softener.  It works, no it does not make you smell like vinegar, and it also repels lice - a serious plus for any mom of school-age children who lives in fear of that dreaded note from the school nurse.

Happy laundering!

Paper Love

Wednesday brought us snow day #2 this week, and we put it to good use making homemade Valentines.

Catie’s preschool class even got to decorate a box to collect their cards in, which delighted me to no end.  I felt very nostalgic for my own childhood whilst helping her pick out just the right frills.  I always loved decorating that box, and was so disappointed that Annie didn’t get to do that last year (or this year, either, for that matter). 

Catie opted for pink-on-pink paisley fabric, red ric rack, white fluffy lace, seed pearls, and red ribbon roses.  And her name written in red glitter.  It’s girly fabulous, which suits my little fashionista to a T.

For the cards, we went completely old school as well.  Interestingly enough, the throwback cards are a financial setback, since even though I bought the paper doilies at the dollar store, these cards cost me about 5 times as much as just buying the pre-made ones would.  But ours are cuter.  And certainly more unique, since no one seems to make homemade Valentines anymore.  Such a pity.

Annie was methodical

Catie was creative

and Lilly had a wardrobe malfunction

She also thoroughly impresed me.  While Annie and Catie were writing their names on the back of their cards, Lilly decided to make her own mark on hers – in the form of tracing her little handprints, all by her OWN self.

It was an extremely messy project

but the end result was well worth it.

Another fun project we did was the heart flower suckers from last month’s Family Fun.  (Love that magazine!)

These were super easy and a big hit with the kids (and teachers!) that we gave them to.  Thumbs up!

Mess and all, it was another great snow day.

Very Fun Indeed

If you’re one of my 6 loyal followers you might have clicked on the yummy treats link yesterday.  In which case, you might have seen a website called Making Things Fun.  This blog is the brainchild of my soon-to-be-7-year-old.

It is completely her baby.  She has learned how to click all the right links, answer her emails, and even tweet about her new posts.  She’s worked really hard on her posts, too - since she isn’t a great typist, it takes her forever to get one done.  Occasionally she’ll let me help with something mudane like a hyperlink, but for the most part she wants to do it all herself.  And I love her determination.

She has a couple dozen idea posts saved up in drafts, and every day she writes down a new one.  I’m not sure how this project will pan out, but I admit to having the occasional fantasy that this is the beginning of her child-prodigy entreprenurial career.  She is destined for greatness in one way or another – maybe this is it.

Regardless, I think it’s a worthwhile endeavor.  She’s practicing her writing, spelling, and grammar.  She’s expanding her computer skills and becoming a better typist.  And she’s making her little 6-year-old dream come true. 

She came up with the name herself (and the domain was available – score!).  She sifted through hundreds of templates until she found the perfect design.  And she’s seeing her world in a whole new way.

Instead of just doing her chores, she’s looking for a way to make them fun so she can write about it.  Instead of flying through a craft on her way to the the next activity, she’s slowing down to take pictures of each step.  Instead of going through life on autopilot, she’s pausing to take note of the details.

We all need to appreciate the details.

So check out Making Things Fun when you get a minute.  Follow her on Twitter, too – @MakingThingsFun  And drop her an email or leave a comment if you can - she loves that.  She responds to everyone!  And if you have a family-friendly blog and you’d like to join her blogroll, let her know that too.  We’d be happy to add your button to her sidebar.

As it turns out, doing laundry does not suck

You just have to have the right stuff.  Who knew?

As a few of you have already heard, I got a new washer and dryer last week. It was unexpected and quite thrilling, as these are lovely, swanky, drop-dead-gorgeous front loaders that I’ve drooled over for quite some time.  (When you use a word like ‘thrilling’ to describe a new washing machine, that’s how you know you’re old)  They’re Samsung, in case you’re wondering.  And they’re HUGE.  Reportedly the washer can handle 25 bath towels or a king-sized down comforter, though I’ve not tested that assertion.

Sadly, our laundry room is hideous, so I won’t be posting cute pictures.

Our house is barely 3 years old so we should have much better, but sadly, no. The builder designed this laundry room as a total afterthought and it has 2 walls that are unfinished, pipes from the sump pump running several feet out into the room, and is just generally unsightly. Quite a disappointment for a brand new house, actually, and the only thing I truly dislike about this place. But alas, 4 bedroom homes were hard to come by when we needed to move, so I deal with the inconvenient and unattractive laundry. And it’s never even been important – until now.

Now my pretty appliances deserve better. They deserve a room as pretty as they are…but that ain’t happening anytime soon.

So here ya go – a little peek:

I know, I know, I’m not showing you the good stuff.  (Steam dryer is priceless, by the way)  But what I’m showing you is pretty darn good too.  I wanted them to be elevated but really didn’t want to pay the $400 for 2 pedestals.  We also needed a different height to accommodate my husband’s bad back, so these are 18 inch platforms instead of the 14 inchers you can buy.  And the best part was that they were made easily in one afternoon, for around $40 for the set.  Score!

They’re not perfect, but I think Ana would be proud of my gumption – even if they can’t hold a candle to her bed.

Makeover Monday – built-in desk

I’m deviating from the original plan.  I had intended to show you Lilly’s new room, but I got three several requests for more info on the built-in desk, so I’m going to stick with Annie & Catie’s room for another go-round.

As I said before, the dormer there was small and not terribly useful.  We used to have a small child’s table in it, but that didn’t seem like the best use of space, nor was it the most ideal location for the table.  Even before we purchased this house I thought that area would make the perfect student desk.  Two years ago my parents bought the girls a computer for Christmas, so the desk was really needed.  Lucky for me I have a dad that can do anything, so a project was born and his help was enlisted.

This is actually a pretty simple, straightforward DIY so we didn’t even strain his brain cells.  The work would be much easier with 2 sets of hands, but you honestly don’t have to have a lot of skills for this one – a great beginner project.

This is the only picture of the ‘before’ space I could find:

And here is the ‘after’:

The desk was made simply, in one day.  We used part of a 2×4 (leftover from another project), a piece of MDF (or plywood/pressboard, but you’d need to sand it very smooth), liquid nails, screws, a level, measuring tape, drill, and some decorative molding and paint to finish. 

Measurements are key, so make sure you measure at least twice.  Once you determine the size of the desk you’ll need to cut the MDF or whatever you are using for the work surface.  After that is cut to size, try it in the space to make sure it fits.  Then you’ll want to cut the 2×4.  We ripped ours in half lengthwise so there wasn’t as much bulk, but you could also buy a 1×2 if you aren’t using leftover scraps like we were.  Cut 3 sections of this 2×4, slightly shorter than the MDF, so it won’t show from the room.  You are cutting the 3 sections that will go up against the wall – there won’t be a brace in the front of the desk.

Next you’ll need to determine where your wall studs are.  This definitely MUST be attached to studs – wall anchors won’t do.  You can use a hammer to tap until you find a solid spot, or use a stud finder (relatively inexpensive at any hardware store – around $10).  Studs are typically on a 16 inch center so you should be able to space them out accordingly, but always check to make sure that’s right before drilling.  Now you’ll need to mark the exact location for the desk in heighth and make sure that mark is level all the way around.  You don’t want pencils rolling!  When you mark the wall, mark where you want the desk top to be, and measure down from there.  This will ensure that you don’t have the finished desk higher than you really wanted.

Once the studs are marked you’ll know where your screws need to go.  Measure and mark, then pre-drill holes in your 2x4s, slightly smaller than the size of your screws.  This will prevent the wood from splitting but still allow the screws to get a good grip.  After the holes are drilled in the 2x4s, I like to apply a line of liquid nails for added grip.  Put that on the back of the wood, butting up against the wall, and screw the boards to the wall tightly.  At this point you can stop and allow the liquid nails to set up overnight, if desired.  We did not.

Your next step is attaching the MDF to the 2x4s.  You should be able to lay it down on top and from there it’s a 1 person job to screw it down.  Make sure your screws are very near the edge of the MDF so they can be covered by molding.  Alternatively, if you do not want molding you would counter sink the screws and putty over them, sanding for a clean finish. 

When you’re done with this step, you should have a functional desk, if not yet beautiful.  Here is a picture of the underside of the desk, to better illustrate the bones of the project:

At this point we chose to cut a hole in the top of the desk for all of the cords.  We did this using a drill bit, as it would be nearly impossible to cut a perfectly round, clean hole with a saber saw/ jigsaw.

From there the work is only cosmetic.  I chose 2 decorative moldings; a narrower strip to edge the top of the desk and cover the screw heads, and a wider strip to face the front of the desk.  I think the moldings give the desk a nice finished, custom look.

top molding

front face molding

The angled corners of the molding are the trickiest part of the project, for which you’ll need a miter box or a miter saw to cut the corners…or you could use decorative blocks in the corner of the top molding, so no mitered corners are necessary.  Cutting mitered corners is not hard, but it does take some calculating and practice, so be patient if you choose to go that route.

We used liquid nails to attach the molding, and now you’ll have to allow this to dry overnight before moving on.  From there I did 2 coats of paint and the desk was done!  Be sure to use a roller when painting the surface of the desk, as a brush will leave unsightly streaks that detract from your project.

And since I’m back here, I’ll show you what’s on the walls as well.  On the left is a covered bulletin board I made to hold the girls’ Disney pin collection:

and on the right I have pictures of them on Cinderella’s Golden Carousel:

Annie

Catie

Lilly

Chris snapped these very casually last August, and I was so pleased with how cute they came out I wanted to showcase them a bit.  They are not award-winning photography by any means, but they’re very sweet – just like my girls.

And before anyone asks, yes, one day I will show you how to make the bulletin boards!

So that’s it, the kids built-in desk area.  Now next week I promise we’ll head into Lilly’s room.  And again, I’d love it if you’d join me in showing off a makeover!

Makeover Monday – Kids Bedrooms, part 1

Welcome back to Makeover Monday!  I know you’re excited, right?

This week I’m showing off the older girls’ bedroom.  Some of you might remember that Annie and Catie actually prefer to share a bedroom.  Weird, right?  Anyway, the room was painted a lovely shade for a master bedroom, but not such a lovely shade for a little girls room.  It needed an overhaul, and I decided to do this while they were away so that it was a total surprise to them when they got home. 

Well, not a total surprise since they had picked the paint colors.  But they didn’t know when I was going to do it, or what all I was going to do.  And it was a very nice surprise I think!

This bedroom is actually quite large with a  H-U-G-E walk-in closet (bigger than the one in our MBR!) and it has a great layout for sharing, as there is a very large dormer in the back of the room that makes a second, semi-private area.  We bought Annie a loft bed with storage underneath and put her in the alcove area:

I also painted a picket fence and grass in that area, opposite the bed.  The flowers are little Wallies stickers (from Dollar Tree no less!) and the ladybug, bumblebee, butterfly, and dragonfly on the wall are wooden cutouts that Annie and I had painted one day.

Her bedding is also new, and appropriately enough it was named Annie’s Country Patch!  Unfortunately I couldn’t find the matching valance (still can’t!) so if you’re ever at TJ Maxx and see it please snag one for me – I’d be ever so grateful to reimburse you for the trouble.  If you read about my giveaway a few weeks ago you may have also seen the personalized name pillows that I made the girls which coordinate with their new quilts.

On the other side of the room is Catie’s bed.  Hers isn’t a loft but it does have great storage drawers underneath – 3 of them, the entire depth of the bed, and all three are stuffed to the brim with dress up clothes!

You can’t see her bedding quite as well but it’s called Fancy Frocks and it’s little dresses that are adorable and perfectly suited to my little fashionista.

In the front of the house this room also has a small dormer which we thought was a perfect spot to build in a desk:

The kids loved that as well, since they then got their own computer.  And mommy loves not having to negotiate screen time!

The wall you are seeing above has also been transformed, even since the initial makeover.  The mirror on a stand has found a new home and I mounted one on the wall behind their door instead.  I also relocated that bookcase above to Annie’s side of the room.

The reason?  Their ever-growing assortment of American Girl dolls was taking over the house!  I love these dolls also, but if you’ve ever purchased one you know what the price tag is and I’m not willing to leave that much money laying around for the puppy to chew.  We needed a safe spot and I wanted it to be beautiful to showcase their collection.  The solution I came up with is this:

The top shelf holds trophies, dance awards, soccer medals, etc.  I put a dowel rod underneath the bottom shelf so they could hang some of the doll dresses there.  I think it looks cute, but we need more hangers as most of the clothes are still in the drawers underneath Annie’s bed.  We also need more doll stands, as the brood has expanded!

So there you have it – our all-new girls room!  It’s for a younger girl and I know it won’t last for ages, but frankly we don’t intend to be in this house for ages either, and I think it will suit them as long as we plan to be here.  Surely at some point they’ll see the merit in separate bedrooms, right?

That’s it for this week!  Mr. Linky is ready and waiting if you’d like to play along (and I hope you do!)  Next week I think I’ll continue my kids room tour and show you Lilly’s new room.  I need some wall ideas there so I’ll be picking your brains…

Countdown to Erin

Our countdown chain!

Home Makeover: Flawed Edition

I’ve been intending to blog about my adventures with a paint can (or 10) for quite some time now, but I’ve never quite gotten the homestead neat enough to do it.  (If you’re a regular reader you know I’m a messie.  I make no excuse for this.) 

I finally decided I had to post, neat or not, because otherwise we’d move before I ever got the chance to show off my hard work.  But here’s the catch: I’m doing it one room at a time.  This makes it much easier for me, because I can shift all of the clutter from one room to the next while I take pictures.  That way everything looks  fake beautiful for blogland, and I don’t have to do any actual organizing and de-cluttering.  Genius, right?

Our house is about 2 1/2 years old.  Weird that I felt the need to re-do everything?  Well not if you know me.  First of all, I love to paint.  Love it.  And while the shades the builder selected are quite lovely, there are only two of them.  And that just doesn’t work for me.

It all started with the kids’ playroom, which was quite dull.  The color was builder’s choice, a golden camel-ish color that is attractive in our master bedroom, but looked dull and depressing in the kids’ areas.  We could have had him use different paint colors (we bought the house while it was being built so we chose all of our finishes) but what would be the fun in that?

Much to my husband’s chagrin, I announced I wanted to paint it lime green.  He was not on board with this decision.  And really, he is the only one with a decent paying job which pays for the paint. (Although it’s worth noting that the only reason my stay-at-home-mom gig pays so poorly is because he’s the one underpaying me.  Humph.)  However, unfortunately for him, I am the one who does the actual shopping and painting.  So guess what color we got?

No, I didn’t really buy it against his wishes.  That would be wrong.  I first helped him to understand that his wishes were misguided.  And then he of course realized that he would never win anyway I was right all along.  And when it was all said and done (entirely by me, I might add) he decided he likes it too.  And I didn’t even have to tell him he likes it, he realized that all on his own.

I The girls love VeggieTales so I used the same Veggie decor from the playroom in the old house, and made a new valance for this window.  (Pardon me if it’s picture overload.  I’m kind of a home voyeur and I love to look at pictures of other people’s houses, so I’m assuming you’re the same.  Right?)

And while the end result may not be worthy of posting on ‘Rate My Space’ or anything, I’m pretty happy:

In fact, I love the green even more now that it’s on the walls.  It made me happy the whole time I was painting.  And since our playroom is the bonus room above the garage with only one window, the amount of light is always an issue.  This color made that room 10 times brighter and more cheerful!  It’s a lot more fun to hang out there now.

And if any of you were looking at these pictures and thinking, “Does she seriously think that is a straightened up room?” the answer is yes.  Yes I do.  I have low standards, and it’s a playroom after all.  If the mess is contained within and I can walk through barefoot without injury, then all is well in my book.  So cringe away tidy ladies, I have made peace with my mess.

Next stop, kid’s bedrooms!   Tune in next week for more of my Makeover Mondays!

*Makeover Monday will be a weekly feature, and this is the first installment.  I hope you will consider joining me!  Feel free to snag the button above (Thanks, Nicole!) and link up with pictures of your own projects – painting, room decor, furniture, landscaping, your wardrobe… Shredheads feel free to post the all-new, shredded you!  Any kind of makeover works for me, and it can be an older post too.  Just link back here and sign Mr. Linky!

Oh, and I know there was no advance notice, but just in case you’d like to play along THIS week, here ya go:

Custom Card Giveaway!

I can hardly believe it, but next week my little Catiebug will be 4.  It’s strange because in some ways she seems older – she’s got such a big personality, it seems like she’s been here a lot longer.  But it also seems like it was just yesterday she was snuggled up in her baby blanket, laying beside me and – oh wait.  That was yesterday.  But you get the point.

Anyway, it’s been such a busy time here lately I really hadn’t thought much about her party yet.  But then I got a reminder email from my favorite invitation spot, which I was so excited about!  (Yes, little things like that really do make my day.  I’m a simple girl.)  How easy, yet how genius is it to send out a reminder like that?  Perfect timing too of course, since they know when I ordered last year.

There are hundreds of card designs to choose from, so we looked through all of the girly birthday ones.  The search was over when we found this little beauty though – how perfect for my little bug!

The personalization is awesome too – I did these myself in a matter of minutes!  You have two options for getting the actual cards.  You can purchase a jpeg download and print them out yourself, or you can order them directly from the company.  What’s awesome about the direct order is that you don’t have to wait for the cards to arrive in the mail.  They are sent to the closest photo shop in your zip code!  (From my house that could be Walgreens or Wal-Mart.)  So even when you order them printed, you can have them very quickly.  A last-minute mom like me loves that!

I discovered these great cards last year, also for Catie’s birthday, when I was searching for Strawberry Shortcake themed invites.  Check these out:

And if you love matchy-matchy like I do, you will love that every card on their site has a matching thank-you!

Even cooler, you can get a ton of matching party favors like play-doh wrappers, crayon or bubble wrappers, treat bags, coloring books, edible images for cakes, & much more!

I know I sound like an advertisement, and I suppose that I am, but I am not being paid or receiving anything for free to write this!  I purchased our invitations out of my own pocket, happily.  I am writing this because I use the company, I love them, recommend them, and believe in giving good service its due reward.  Beyond that, though, I knew you would love these too, and I wanted to share the wealth.  I wrote and and asked if they would be willing to donate a design for a giveaway, and lucky you, dear readers, they said yes!  And yes in a big way too, because they are donating not one but three invitations!  So 3 lucky readers will win their choice of design! Woo-hoo!  Cool product and they are generous.  Smart marketing to know the power of a happy mom blogger!

Now you may have noticed I’ve been holding out on the big reveal.  Didn’t want to lose you too soon, because I knew when you saw this awesome website you’d be gone for hours checking out all of the designs.

So now that you have the scoop, go to uPRINT Invitations, pick a favorite, and return to tell me which design tickles your fancy.  If you really want to win, I’ll even give you an extra entry for posting about this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or your own blog (and let me know what you did).  Tweet @hopelessnflawed.  Contest will end at midnight EST on Sunday June 14.  Catie will choose the winner by random (ok, by random.org – but I’ll let her do the typing) on Monday morning – her birthday.

Good luck!

You Can Make This Giveaway

So here it is, the crafty giveaway I promised you.  I know I was supposed to deliver this yesterday, but when I posted I forgot that it was a holiday weekend.  Please pardon my tardiness.  I think the cool factor is worth the wait!

So last year I found a new project that I love to make.  I made these name pillows for my neice:

my nephews:

and all three of my daughters:

for Christmas.  I even made one for the Angel Tree child we shopped for:

I have since sold these in local boutiques, given them as gifts, and made them for friends. 

They are always a huge hit!  They are especially unique because they can be personalized to match the child’s room (as I did for my girls):

You can also use their favorite character, sports team, etc.  And they are the ultimate present for a child whose name isn’t common.  (Don’t we all remember looking through those plastic bike license plates?)

Even better than that, they are honest-to-goodness easy to make.  I promise!  You do not have to have any special equipment or sewing knowledge to make this pillow.  The instructions are easy to read, very clear, and detailed enough that you will not feel lost.

The cost of the project will vary depending on the finishes you choose, but I know you can do these for under $10 per pillow if you buy inexpensive fabric.  An easy and economical project! 

In the interest of honesty, I have to tell you that I was asked to review this item for a giveaway.  However, you should also know that when asked I was able to tell them that I did not need their free instructions to try the pattern out, because I had already bought it!  So I can whole-heartedly tell you that this is a good, high quality product that is worth every penny.

I know some of you are probably thinking that you couldn’t do this.  You are wrong.  You Can Make This is the name of the website, and it ain’t called that for nothin’.  I promise you can do this.  You’ll need your sewing machine, scissors, fabric, thread, wonder-under, pillow stuffing, and a spare hour or two.  The more you make, the faster you will get.  And did I mention that they’re fun?

Now for the goods.  YouCanMakeThis.com is offering two lucky readers a FREE copy of the Pesonalized Name Pillow e-book!  How awesome is that? 

All you have to do is leave me a comment here telling me who you would make a pillow for, and you’re in!  If you really really want to win, you can receive an extra entry each for blogging, tweeting, or linking to this post.  (If you tweet, send it @hopelessnflawed so I can find you!)  All entries must be received by midnight EST next Tuesday, June 2.  The winner will be chosen by random drawing and will be announced on Wednesday, June 3.

Good luck, and happy sewing!