Make-Up Brush Cleaner for $0

I know this isn't something that the average person thinks of cleaning.  But, really, we should do it more often.  Think of all those places your brushes sit.  On the counter. In your make-up bag (because when was the last time you cleaned your make-up bag?) Hotel counters. Not to mention the fact that they're sitting in the BATHROOM.

In the past I've spent a lot of money on brush cleaners.  After deciding I no longer wished to shell out the money any longer, I began using hand soap.  It seemed to work okay, until I realized how harsh the soap was on my brushes.  The bristles started falling out and they felt rough.  Enter my Pinterest find!

What you'll need:
-A small bowl
-Any anti-bacterial soap (I used Dawn dish soap)
-Extra virgin olive oil (to replenish the moisture)
-Water
-Your make-up brushes
-A towel (to lay them out to dry)









I do not have professional brushes. Most of what I have came from Este Lauder, which are decent, but not considered to be professional by any means.

Directions:
-Mix 3 parts soap to 1 part extra virgin olive oil. (I did this quite literally and did 3 squirts of soap and 1 burst of extra virgin olive oil.) It should look like this.

-Dip the brush into the mix, then roll it around in your hand.  You'll see all the excess make-up that's trapped in your brush come out in your hand.

-Rinse under water until there's nothing but clear water coming from the brush.

-Lay out flat to dry

That's it! I've done this several times with my brushes and am pleased with the results.  My bristles seem "healthier".  Best of all, it didn't cost me a dime because I had everything in my kitchen.  It works just as well as any product I paid for.

Pinterest, you've done it again!

Create Your Own Febreze

Remember that fabric softener that you made (or bought)?  Well, not only can you create your own dryer sheets, but you can turn it into your own Febreze by adding just a little baking soda.

I used a recycled Febreze bottle.

Pour 2 TBS of baking soda into the Febreze bottle then fill the rest of the way with the fabric softener you made (or again, purchased).  Don't fill it ALL the way up.  You'll want to leave some room because when you shake, the baking soda and softener will react with one another creating fizz.  I made this mistake my first time and liquid came spewing from every seam of the bottle.

You're ready to use!  Shake before each use. Also, I've never had any issues, but I would test a small area before spraying it on to anything.  I use it on my bed, sofa, stairs, curtains and rugs and absolutely love it!
Enjoy!

How to Make Your Own REUSABLE Dryer Sheets

In the past, we've purchased our dryer sheets from BJ's (our equivalent of Sam's) which cuts us a deal on quantity purchases.  I don't really mind purchasing dryer sheets, but while I was making my own fabric softener I thought "why not go ahead and get more for my money?" There, at a particular moment in time, appeared a pin for DIY Dryer Sheets.  I had an idea! Why not make the dryer sheets with my DIY fabric softener!?  The recipe I found said to purchase fabric softener then soak a washcloth in it.  BUT, if I'm making my own, then I could just as easily use the DIY fabric softener for the DIY fabric sheets yes?  YES!

Using this link, create your own fabric softener.  Then, soak a washcloth in the softener for 24 hours.  Let it air dry completely on its own, then throw it in with your next load of laundry.  Good for up to about a dozen loads of laundry.  Once the scent is gone, simply soak it back in the softener, let air dry, and start again.  

Besides the scent, what I love most about this is that there's no clinging and static happening!  

Easy peasy.  :)

Also see how to make your own laundry detergenty

DIY Fabric Softener

There are 2 things I like to get from my laundry.  1) Softness 2) Yumminess (by that, in this case, I mean scent).

Any laundry "extras" , that do not include the detergent itself,  can be considered unnecessary, not to mention costly.  (Click "detergent" for my recipe).
Let me reiterate that this is not a recipe I came up with myself.  After all, this is a Pinterest blog!

Here's what you'll need:
scented hair conditioner
vinegar
container

I didn't put the amount because it's a 1 to 1 ratio.  So if you use 4 cups of conditioner, then you use 4 cups of vinegar.  I use a cheap conditioner with a pretty scent.  One of my favorite scents is the strawberry V05 conditioner, but I like to mix it up. And admittedly, I pretty much buy what ever is on sale or I have coupons for.  In this case I used Suave Coconut and was able to get it for .96C/bottle.  I don't recall the cost of the vinegar, but I'll update with that later.

Pour both the conditioner and vinegar into a bowl.  You'll notice that it's clumpy.  Mix until it's smooth.  If you have a mixer it would be helpful, but it really doesn't take long to mix it by hand.

As you can see I use a recycled detergent bottle that I've appropriate labeled, so very elegantly with masking tape as "Fabric Softener". You don't want the mixture to smell like vinegar, so if you feel that it does then simply add more conditioner (a little at a time.)

Then pour into a container to use!
I use roughly 1/3 C per load.
This particular load was 100 FL oz for less than $4.  That's about 39 Cups.  But, you can also make dryer sheets and Febreze with it!

Laundry Detergent (Dry)

I'm not opposed to store bought detergents.  I didn't start making my own detergent because it was greener or less toxic, though it certainly is.  I started because a) I wanted to know if I could do it b) It seemed, in theory, to be a lot cheaper.  Truthfully, I haven't done the math yet. (Will update soon).  I KNOW that it's a money saver...it has to be!

The laundry smells amazing!  We don't have any children, so I haven't tested this on kid-like stains, however, I've read many articles online that have said it works well for heavy stains.  This recipe also has an option of adding Oxiclean. This is not a recipe that I came up with myself.  I found quite a few recipes on Pinterest and found one that I thought would work for me.  I chose this one because it was EASY and quick! I have a top loading machine but know that this works just as well on front loaders, although you won't see it bubbling and lathering.  My grandma has a top loader and she now uses this and hasn't had any issues.

My husband thought I was crazy at first.  I'm also certain he thought this wasn't going to work. When he saw me struggling when grating the soap (I clearly need to lift more weights) he wondered why I was putting so much work into this when we could just go out and buy detergent! He chimed in on my most recent batch and grated the last bar for me, and was able to do it in half the time!  I think he's sold! ;)

Here's what you'll need:

-1 4 lb box of Baking Soda. (Some stores may only carry the 2 lb boxes, just purchase 2)
-1 4 lb box of Washing Soda
-1 4 lb box of Borax
-2 bars of Zote Soap (I have 3 pictured here because I bought an extra.  It won't HURT to use 3, but it isn't necessary). You can also use Fels Naptha.
-1 1 lb can of OxiClean (OPTIONAL!) Just to help with stains.

Additional materials:
-Cheese grater
-Large container to store
-a TBS measuring spoon

This makes about 25 cups. And at 2 TBS per load, that's about 200 loads of laundry!


The more laborious part of this is grating the soap.  It's a good arm workout! You can purchase soap that is already grated but it's over double the price.

Combine all ingredients into a container.  I grate my soap into a bowl and then transfer it into a rubbermaid container. Make sure you mix it well to ensure each load has all the ingredients.  I close my rubbermaid container then shake it up.

I keep the rubbermaid container on the top of my laundry room shelf and fill a tea pitcher with the detergent for daily use.  I also keep a TBS measuring cup in the pitcher to measure out for each loud.  Use 2 TBS.

That's it!  Your first load is ready!

Try my recipe for fabric softener

Easy Homemade Hand Scrub

I decided this year to make my Christmas gifts. I wanted to give something personal. I also believe that gift giving has gotten so out of hand that we are losing the true meaning behind what this season is about. Jesus! My attempt at home made gifts is to personalize the season, and to remind everyone that you don't have to spend an entire paycheck to show someone you care about them.  We should be doing that all year long, anyway. I also get to avoid the crowds of people who are frantically searching for the latest trend.  I LOVE this time of year, but it seems that people are careless and rude everywhere I go!Complaints aside, I settled on a hand scrub recipe that I found on...wait for it......... Pinterest! What I loved best about this particular scrub is that I had all of the ingredients in my kitchen! 

You will need: 

Sugar Dawn Hand Renewal dish soap (with Olay) 

Mason jar, size of your choosing. I used the 16oz. 

What to do:

1) Fill the jar about 3/4 full of sugar 

2) Pour the Dawn until it reaches just below the lip of the jar 3) Mix 

4) Add sugar until it's a pasty consistency 

That's it! I tied yarn around mine and put an ingredient tag for anyone who wants to make their own once it's all gone. My hands were amazingly soft!
(Excuse my photo that I labeled 1/3 cup sugar.)

I LOVE CREATING!

Homemade Air Freshener

I spend a lot of money on air fresheners.  Glade, Febreze, Airwick, Bath & Body Works Wallflowers.  You name it and chances are, I have it in my possession.  I do keep a clean house so it isn't as if I'm doing it to mask a smell.  (Well, we do have 2 dogs but they are bathed every other week.) With that said, I still have a fear of being one of those smelly homes.  Oh, you know the kind I mean.  It's the home that as soon as you walk in the door the immediate smell of dog smacks you in the face.  I've been known to ask every person who enters our home to please give me the honest smell test. "Does it smell like dog in here?  PLEASE tell me! You won't hurt my feelings.  I NEED to know!"  No one has ever said "Yes."  Yet. Soooo, after the number of people I've asked, I can't help but believe them. There would have to be an honest person in the bunch somewhere, right?  Right!  

Even still, I LOVE a yummy smelling home.  I came across a DIY air freshener that I  wanted to try immediately.  Unsure of how it would turn out, or how it would smell I decided to put my faith in it.  

Here's what you'll need:

A small jar (I used a 4 oz)

baking soda

your favorite essential oil

drilling tool

EXTRAs that I used:

spray paint

ribbon

I would love to tell you which "drill tool" that I used.  The truth is that I am ignorant when it comes to tools.  I needed something to punch holes in the top of the jar so I went into my husband's tool drawer and saw something that looked like it might work.  And it did!  It looks similar to a screwdriver but is very narrow at the end, like a sewing pin.  (Great description, huh?)

I first spray painted the jar using a Krylon fast drying paint.  10 minutes later, I was ready to make my first air freshener!  I filled the jar 1/4 of the way with baking soda, then placed about 12-13 drops of an apple cinnamon essential oil. (Happy fall!)  I then tied a ribbon around the top to give a decorative look.  *The original recipe called for 8-9 drops of oil but I immediately found that wasn't enough.  Tweak if needed.*

I liked it so much that I made one for my mom and one for my grandma, which I hand delivered this afternoon.  :) 

It smells delicious! However, I don't yet know how long it lasts.  I'll have to get back to you.  

Three things I know. One, it looks cute on my shelf.  Two, It smells nice...for now.  Three, I LOVE CREATING! 

UPDATE: October 15, 2012.  It has been about 24 hours since I made this.  Last night I noticed that I couldn't smell the contents anymore so I decided to move it from the living room to a smaller room, I chose the bathroom.  I'd like to say that I have a cold that is causing my senses to not work properly.  Or that I've gotten used to the smell.  Unfortunately, I do not think either is the case.  I can still smell the scent if I put my nose close to the jar.  Not exactly what I was hoping for. I'm bummed! Maybe I should add more oil?  More baking soda?  I think I'll revisit this another time.  I won't call this a fail because the smell isn't completely gone.   For now I think I may have to give this a C-.