homemade laundry detergent

Making my own laundry detergent is something that I find so much joy in! Its actually fun to do, and it saves SO much money! I have only made it 3 times in a year (5 gallons each time) and the ingredients I bought will last MANY more!!!!

I use a 5 gallon bucket that I bought at Lowe's! 

Ingredients

• 4 cups boiling water
• 1 soap bar (I use Zote, but have seen Fels Naptha or Ivory soap used)
• 1 cup Washing Soda
• 1/4 cup Borax
• 60 drops Lavender essential oil (I've seen recipes where they use lemon oil, grapefruit, clove--Really the possibilities are endless depending on your own personal preference)

What to do: 

• Grate the soap bar using a cheese grater. 
• Slowly add the soap flakes to the boiling water in a saucepan! The slower you add it the quicker it will all melt. Stir until it is all melted.
• Once melted...fill the 5 gallon bucket 3/4ths with hot water.
• Add the melted soap mixture, the washing soda and borax and stir until all is mixed and dissolved.
• Finish filling the bucket with hot water.
• Let it sit over night, the next day stir the mixture then add in the essential oils and stir one last time! 

You are ready to go! For top load washing machines, use 1 cup for front load use 1/2 cup per load! 

I have a smaller container that I use to make it easier. I fill the small container and use that when doing laundry. That way I can shake it before each use and make sure it is all mixed well, plus it is just easier to work with than a 5 gallon bucket! 

laundry made fun (as fun as laundry can be)

I like to do laundry the old fashion way! I make my own laundry detergent {recipe found here} and I like to hang clothes to dry, Our 'laundry room' is in the garage so that means getting creative for where to hang these clothes! I had this marble table, which is perfect for folding clothes, but having 2 drying racks just wasn't cutting it! 

 As you probably know by now, one of my favorite places to find lovely things is in Canton, TX - first monday trade days are so fun and usually full of lots of lovely treasures! I found an old ladder and knew exactly what I would do with it! 

Bought some rope and hooks...

 And there it was....my perfect place to hang clothes! 

 And even though its in the garage... i still wanted it to look cute, so I made a sign out of some wood I pulled out of a trash can at a park! {Gotta be resourceful ;)}

cabinet turned chalkboard

I found this cabinet door in Canton for $4.00 

Took a can of Chalkboard paint

 And voila  

I guess now would be a good time to show how we are currently using this chalkboard :) This was 3 weeks ago...

Baby is expected to arrive December 1, 2012 ~ We are so excited to meet this little one!!! 

Rocking Chair

Talk about a deal:: $5 rocking chair! 

I found this in Canton and because the lady had never finished painting it, she let me have it for $5.00! 

Not that I would have wanted it pink anyways, but every home needs a rocking chair on the front porch!

I had just enough paint left over from our bedroom to change this pink not so lovely rocking chair into a simple beauty! Now time for some iced coffee and good book! (And maybe a little OFF!)

A lovely bar!

When we first saw this house, we loved everything about it, except the fact that the kitchen was very closed off! We always said maybe someday we would open up that space....but that day happened much sooner than we had ever dreamed! 

So this was the view from the dining room into the kitchen before....

And this was the kitchen wall that backed up the the dining room....

With the help of a good friend, my husband began the demolition work....after a lot of time spent 'prepping' so that our entire house did not fill with dust (which I greatly appreciated!)

Then they built the skeleton of our bar! 

I got drug into Ikea to find this butcher block...let me tell you, I had a full on panic attack. I just really don't like that store and feeling trapped in it...but look how beautiful the butcher block bar is going to be :) and super thankful for my sweet husband who calmly and quickly got us out of there! 

I wouldn't say this project was simple...but it sure is lovely! Lots of detail work at the end of the project took a lot longer than we had expected! 

But here is the final result.....

 One of my favorite parts was the open cabinet that they built at the end!!

 Our house feels so much more open now and we use the bar all the time!!! 

Next project - painting the cabinets! Now that they are exposed for the whole house to see, the poop brown cabinets have got to go - darn! Never really cared for them anyways!!!!! 

{and here is that project}