Money Saving Soaps & Lotions

I've been busy saving money the past month! Here are a few ways I did this:

1. I made my own bar soap. I got melt&pour and added essential oils to make custom, non toxic, natural soap! It was super easy& I can customize it with any scent, color, or add a little oatmeal or lavender! Possibilities are endless& it actually saves a little $! I got my ingredients& instructions from Brambleberry.com
I used recycled containers instead of buying molds too and they turned out great!!
I got my recipe from www.soapqueen.com



2. I made my own whipped Shea Butter. I made a TON and did 2 different scents. I used a couple jars& put labels on them for a nice gift too! I didn't even use all the Shea butter I got so ya! It was just coconut oil, Shea butter& essential oil of your choice, whip together & you have a nice lotion that's great for even the driest skin! I got my recipe from the Soap Queen (via Brambleberry.com) and the ingredients from Brambleberry.com ! I got my recipe from www.soapqueen.com
Click HERE for the direct link to the recipe I used

3. I made my own body wash/hand soap! All it takes is a bar of soap ( I used a bar of soap I made but u can use your fav natural bar of soap-Amazon is a great source), vegetable glycerin- liquid (you can get at your local drug store or off amazon. i got mine on amazon for a great price!) and 1 gal distilled water (or boil tap water or use a osmosis system , if you have one great!) Then just gather jugs/containers to store it all in. I used milk Jugs, water jugs& soap dispensers, but you can use glass containers or jars too! This is where I got the recipe: http://www.thefarmersnest.com/2011/11/liquid-hand-soap-diy.html

You can just search Pinterest for recipes too! There's a ton of recipes for homemade soaps, lotions, and even deodorant on there!
If I can do these things so can you! They were fun, easy, had no SLS or harmful chemicals and saved money! Can't go wrong! :)

All of my soaps and lotions

 



Shower Gel & Hand Soap

Above: Melt&Pour Soap in Wipes container--Lemongrass one. Half with Oatmeal on top

 

Below: Bar Soap (Lavender ones). I used old mushroom containers for these (the blue plastic ones) and the round one was just some plastic packaging I found lying around.

You can download labels at www.brambleberry.com

or search Pinterest. I think these were from Pinterest.



A look at the Whipped Shea Butter making process

Note: The higher quality shea butter like the one pictured works better for this project.

Potty Treat Jar

So I've been trying the treat/prize method for potty training my oldest daughter Allison. I was just getting the treats from places in the house, but after seeing my friends super cute one IN the bathroom I took this adorable container her Aunt made for awhile back& filled it up with candy& dollar store toys/party favor toys and put it on the back of the toilet so hopefully she will want to go more often! Even her younger sister thinks its cool& has dragged me to the bathroom to take her potty! Wish me luck that this method works better for me! I've done a chart, timer, putting on just panties, etc. She's just stubborn I guess!

My friend got a big glass jar with lid from Walmart but my daughter can't get this one open & it's just dang cute! She used an old bulk container, modge podged the lid& put some vinyl words on the outside! So perfect& great way to recycle!

Oh! She loves it so much she gives it a hug almost every time she goes in there& says, "I love my treats! They are so wonderful!" :) haha She's so darn cute!

Car Seat Cover Redo

Car Seat Cover

This featured project is by Becky Groll over at I Dream of Quilting 

She totally redid my car seat cover for me! She did a fabulous job! She makes everything look so easy;) I helped take some of it apart but the rest was all her! This is what she said: 

"My big accomplishment for the month of August has been to take apart a car seat cover and put in some new fabric.  The backing is new also.  It needed washed and when we did so, the backing was starting to fall apart.  I put a light green flannel on the back, so when we have to wash it again it will stay together (I hope).  This is not a difficult project.  Start to finish, it takes a couple of hours, but not hard.  The only part that is all new on the top of this is the polka-dot fabric."

Vendor Open House: Holiday Edition

We are going to be hosting a HUGE Vendor Open House! Come check it out if you're in the Rexburg area!

We will also be welcoming a couple other Ladies to our Vendor List so come check it out! :)

Chair Covers

Removable Vinyl Chair Covers made by Becky over at I Dream of Quilting

 My daughter testing out the new covers!

Becky just whipped these out in like less than 30 mins! Cut, sew, and go!

Carmel Apples

 We were craving Caramel Apples and thought it would be a great thing for our kids to experiance! So we picked up some caramel squares, caramel apple sticks and followed the instructions on the package. They turned out GREAT! 

 I know...you want one now huh! ;)

Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!

Jewelry Rolls & Key Fobs

I have a Vendor Open House coming up and I'm making a bunch of Key Fobs and Jewelry Rolls to sell. Thought you all might want to check them out! :)

 (There will be a tutorial for these soon by the way!)

 CUTE RIGHT! Notice I redesigned the inside just a tad on this one :)
HERE's the tutorial for the original one.

Natural Homemade Wipes!

I recently discovered how AMAZING Essential Oils are! I've been looking for a great, all natural baby wipes option that doesn't have rubbing alcohol or other things that can cause diaper rash and other things for my little girls (they are so sensitive!). Now, I have seen some with baby bath wash as an ingredient and I could use the Jordan Essentials baby bath wash and that would work, but I do like the oils because it does end up being a bit cheaper in the long run. 

Now, I got this recipe from the doTerra Essential Oils magazine so they use there oils, but I'm sure it would be ok to use other kinds of essential oils. I find that they are the best quality, 100% pure essential oils so that's what I use. 

So here is the baby wipes recipe I use:

HOMEMADE WIPES

1 roll of premium paper towels (I used Viva)

2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons of fractionated coconut oil

 (I just used Coconut oil from the grocery store. You can get it online, doTerra has it, you can get it all over the place. Just make sure it's room temp or even a little soft/melted is alright because you want it to dissolve in the water)

Essential oils--

3 drops lavender oil

3 drops melaleuca oil

 An airtight storage container.  

I used an empty baby wipe container. 

Instructions:

Cut paper towels in half lengthwise with a serrated or electric knife. Use half the roll now, and half later.

Pour the mixture over the paper towels and then cover with the airtight lid letting the mixture absorb for 10 minutes. Turn the container over and let it sit for another 10 minutes (I just turned over the roll in the wipes container). Remove and discard the cardboard middle, and then when ready to use pull wipes

 from the center.

If you want to make sanitizing wipes just put the following ingredients instead of the above essential oils. 

Sanitizing Wipes Blend:

 3 drops doTerra On Guard

3 drops lemon essential oil

1-2 tablespoons On Guard Foaming Hand Wash

Use them on any surface to clean and sanitize without worrying about harmful chemicals! Can even use them to clean sticky hands!

And now you are one step closer to making your home chemical/toxin free!

Natural House Cleaners!

TOILET BOWL CLEANER

Add these ingredients directly to a partially drained bowl:

1/2 cup of baking soda

10 drops of melaleuca essential oil

1/4 cup of vinegar

As it reacts, scrub the toilet.

This combination is intended for one use at a time. 

For serious rust stains, empty out bowl and scrub with wet pumice stone.

_______________________________

FLOOR CLEANER

1 gallon of hot water

1 tablespoons liquid castile soap 

(substitute Dawn dish soap if needed)

15 drops wild orange essential oil

8 drops lemon essential oil

Combine ingredients in a large bucket. Use a mop to clean the floor. Rinsing optional.

I LOVE this cleaner! We use our refillable Libman spray mop and I just added a like 4 drops of lemon and 5 or 6 of wild orange to the warm soapy water. It is magic I swear!

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SOFT SCRUB for Bath, Tile & Tub

Make in small batches and store in an airtight container. Enough for 2-4 applications.

3/4 rounded cup baking soda

1/4 cup castile soap (substitute: Dawn--but castile is better)

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon vinegar

5-10 drops lemon essential oil

 

In a bowl, combine the baking soda and castile soap. Add the water and stir. Finally, add the vinegar. Consistency should be a soft paste.

 

 

 

Natural Laundry Stain Remover

Laundry Stain Remover

Combine 2 parts hydrogen peroxide with 1 part doTerra On Guard Foaming Hand Wash in a spray bottle. Shake to mix.

This works wonders on laundry stains, rusty water, and mildew stains in bathtubs and showers, as well as bathroom counter tops, sinks, and faucets.

My Travel Solutions!

I know I'm a bit behind on this post so I'll make it quick!

I LOVE my Thirty-one bags! Not only were they a life saver this past couple weeks while we were in L.A. but they were incredible for our family camping trip! 

I can't say enough about my Large Utility Totes! I think I need like 10 to cover all the things I use them for! On our trip to L.A. it was SO HELPFUL to carry all our snacks in the car and to haul groceries to the hotel room AND I flatted one and stuck it in the trunk and used it to put our dirty laundry in at the hotel & to take it to the laundry facilities when the time came. Camping we used them to hold pans, paper goods, cooking supplies, spices, etc. SO MANY uses let me tell ya!

Then the Market Thermal Tote I used as a cooler in the car on our many road trips and the Picnic Thermal when I just needed a lunch for a day trip to the beach. While camping we used the Market Thermal to hold food and Picnic Thermal for our lunch on the beach & fruits. 

 These pictures are a bit of a mess so forgive me:)

The above photo is my Organizing Utility Tote with my All-in-one Organizer and my Large Zipper Pouch inside! This is my diaper bag (messy at the moment). This is another one I can't live without! Although, they are coming out with a new one in Sept that is this one only BIGGER and with a zipper closure! Um, ya, I have to have it! (It's appropriately called the Super Organizing Tote)(:

The All-in-one Organizer is the lime green/grey dot one (Minty Chip). It has a notepad in it with all my lists and to do lists on it as well as a couple pockets to put my business cards, calendar, coupons, pen, etc. in. It's super great! My Large Zipper Pouch I keep diapers, mat, wipes, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, business cards,etc. in! It's my grab and go changing bag. It has a nice vinyl lining so you could put snacks or wet clothes in it with no problem.They also have a small one that is perfect for your grab and go personal care products!

 Above: In this one you can see the Expand-a-tote Day Extender with the yellow flower clip (The black and white one in the back) I used it to put me & my girls clothes in as well as my shower things (which are in the blue Little Carry-All Caddy in the front)! The Little Carry-All Caddy was very handy to go to and from the bathroom! We also have Cosmetic Bags!

 Above: This is my Cinch Sac in Happy Dots! I use this to hold toys & entertainment things for my girls when we are on trips! It works like a dream!

 These show my other Organizing Utility Tote in Lotsa Dots that I used on our trips as a diaper caddy. It was awesome!

 And can't forget the URU Thermal Tote! Which I used to hold bottles and sippy's in the car and at night. Alot of people use them for lunch bags though. It's AWESOME!

 And a couple pictures of our camp site. Note my little girl showing off for the camera:)

L.A. Trip Update!

So I wanted to follow up on my "Fun & Frugal Things to do in L.A. Area" post!I wasn't able to do all the things on my list but I got to explore quite a few places!

We stayed at the Extended Stay America at: 1742 S Clementine St, Anaheim, CA 92802

It was very nice and close to everything! Plus we got a super great deal on a room with a Kitchenette so we could save even more money on food!

We were able to go to:

1. Newport Beach & Oceanside Beach
Newport Beach was very nice and has lots of things around it. It was also the closest to our hotel and pretty much a straight shot on hwy! Here are some pictures from that beach:

And at Oceanside Beach they have a excellent Fish & Chips place, free parking, and a very nice beach. We went here at dusk/night so I don't have pictures of the BEACH but I do of the harbor there:

2. Visited a Park
We visited many parks in the area, but one of our favorites was Irvine Park (1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA 92869). I brought my girls by myself this day so I didn't take any pictures:( But I do have a map of the park and such I will scan onto here later for you to see! Now one thing they don't mention when searching is that it cost $4 to get in/park! Which would have been nice to know so I would have packed a lunch and made more of a day of it. But it was still very nice! They have a trail  you can ride, pony rides, the Zoo, a lake, several playground areas that have a pad under the playground instead of wood chips!, pavilions to eat at, horse back riding lessons, you can rent bikes & boats, and they do have somewhere you can buy food at the trail station. So there was PLENTY to do, but no one was at the main gate when I went in and I had never been there so I had to kind of guess where everything was....then at the train station I found the map which opened up a whole new world!

A little info on the train ride:

• www.irvineparkrailroad.com

• It's a 1/3 scale train that takes both children & adults on a 12 min ride through the park.

• It cost $4 per ticket or

• Book of 15 tickets for $50

• 12 months and younger ride FREE

• Open daily at 10AM ---7 Days a week

We didn't get to ride, but the girls were happy just to watch the train go by:)

We also wanted to check out Santiago Oaks Regional Park but it also cost $4 to get in and I know that you could prob. buy a state park pass and just go to a bunch in that area, but my girls were melting so we went home.It's on Serrano Ave in Orange, CA.

There was also a little playground at the hotel next door and others off Chapman as well as some play areas at the malls around the area (like the one on The City Dr S. and the one on Main Place Dr./N Main St was HUGE, but we didn't have much time to explore it!) I know there was also a Discovery Science Center down the street from there also...so little time! Darn nap time!

3. Crystal Cathedral 
Now, I'm not Catholic but we went by this cool Crystal Cathedral on Chapman Ave several times and it was just cool! (These aren't my pics. Thanks Google!) 



4. Downtown Disney
We didn't go to Disneyland, but we were able to go to Downtown Disney and check out some of the shops there. This was plenty for my little ones and it was nice to go into air conditioning on a hot day:) Alli loved Build-A-Bear & the Disney Store. Her Aunt got her a Pascal Stuffed Animal & a Princess Book that has vinyl stickers you can dress up the princesses. She loves them both! The Lego store is cool for older kids and the Carmel Corn was yummy! You can usually find coupons and discounts for some of the shops like Build-A-Bear and the Disney store online and at the hotels around there. And discounts for other local places. You can also take a shuttle bus right to Downtown Disney from most of the hotels (for a cost), but there's parking right by it for Free for 2 or 3 hrs and then you can get additional hrs for buying things. Anyway, it was easy to find.

5. There were many Targets, Walmarts, Vons, Smart & Finals, Albertsons, Trader Joes, Malls etc.
One of our fav. areas was on N Tustin St. & E Meats Ave.
There was a Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Starbucks, Trader Joe's, and a huge mall that had Old Navy, Sears, Ross, etc. in it (INDOORS!) and they also had Olive Garden and other restaurants close by.
Pretty much between Katella Ave, Main St, Tustin, and Chapman there was everything you really needed.
There was also a Walmart & other stores a couple exits down from where we were.  So we always had something to do.
Between Google and our GPS we pretty much found anything with ease.
You can also find coupons and fliers for different places at your Hotel! Enjoy the adventure! 

If you have a smartphone and use the Shopkicks app this area was a gold mine for walk in kicks and scans! I LOVE Shopkicks! Anytime I'm in an area with lots of shopping (there's not a whole lot in my little town) I whip it out and score kicks that I can redeem for gift cards like Target, Best Buy, Restaurants.com, Chili's, etc. Here's my referral link if you want to check it out!
http://get.shopkick.com/mink8265

Featured on....

Hey! Sorry I'm a bit behind on sharing this with you all but I've been a bit busy! 

Check out my sis in-laws Thirty-one review HERE! I have another review/giveaway coming up soon also! I'll be sure and post that before it ends!:P

I was featured on: