Homemade Lotion

So, I made lotion. And it was so easy that you could do it too. Really. Seriously, if you have basic cooking skills, you could also make your own lotion. The best part is, that it is eco-friendly, cheap, petroleum free, paraben free, and phthalate free.

First, I found this super easy recipe on The Green Phonebooth. Then, I got some beeswax from the Downtown Farmer's Market. The beeswax I got was in brick form, not the handy little pastilles. So I had to grate it.

For those who don't want to click on the link, here is the recipe:

1 cup distilled water
5-20 drops of essential oils ( I used lavender).
3/4 cup oil (I used light olive oil because it is what I have at home. You can also use grapeseed oil, apricot oil, coconut oil, coco butter, or shea butter).
1/4 cup beeswax pastilles or grated beeswax.

First, I placed the water and essential oils is a blender. Then, I mixed the beeswax and olive oil in a Pyrex measuring cup and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time (stirring in between) until the beeswax was completely melted. The beeswax can be melted into the oil over a double boiler, but I thought the microwave method would be faster and more energy efficient.

Then, I turned on the blender to the fastest speed and slowly poured in the oil/wax mixture. The mixture immediately started to emulsify. I continued blending the lotion for a several more minutes, stopping the blender several times to stir an scrape the sides.

The lotion turned out to be thick, creamy and very moisturizing.

No More Wire Hangers

Finding myself with an abundance of wire hangers that really aren't all that useful, I decided to turn them into something I can actually use by pairing them up and covering them with yarn. This is a craft project that I have used since I was a kid. In fact, it is a great project for kids.

With the wire hangers I found in our closets, I was able to make seven cute new hangers. This is how to do it:

1. Select two wire hangers that are the same size and shape. Match the hangers up and tape them together in 5 or 6 places. Match the size and shape of the hangers is a little harder then it sounds. From the wire hangers I found in our closets, I have as many hangers that do not match each other as hangers that do. (If you don't have any wire hangers, your friends and family probably do).

2. Select one or two yarn colors that you want to use. This is a great way to use up remnant yarn from other projects. I purchased a bunch of yarn form a thrift store for this project (25 cents a piece; yeah!). Roll a yarn ball about the size of a golf ball.

3. Secure the yarn to the hanger by tying it on in a double knot at the top of the hanger. If you are using two colors, tie the other color of yarn on just below the first.

4. Take the first ball of yarn and pull out about six inches of yarn and make a loop over the top of the hangers. Pass the yarn ball under the opposite side of the hanger and up through the loop. Then pull the yarn tight to make a knot. Pull the knot snug up against the yarn that is already tied on the hanger.

5. If you are using two colors of yarn, make a loop on the other side of the hangers, pass your yarn ball under the hanger and through the loop, and pull tight.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to tie yarn knots all the way around the hanger. Once you have reached the end, tie off the yarn in a knot and cut.

7. If you want, decorate your new hanger with a bow or pompom.

Your new wire hangers are now sturdy enough to hang a heavy coat. Not only that, but these hangers should last for a long time. My mom has some of these that she made more then 30 years ago that are in great condition.

If you don't need any more hangers, consider donating some to your local homeless or women's shelter. I know that mine are always asking for hanger donations.

Sugar Scrubs - From the Kitchen to the Bath

So, lately I have been looking for safer and cheaper alternatives to the health and beauty products I use every day.

I started using the Basic Sugar Scrub recipe I found on Condo Blues. To that recipe I added a few drops of lavender essential oils and some dried lavender blossoms. Simple enough? Then I packed the scrub into reused glass jars and gave it to family members for birthday gifts.

I also tried some out. Now, I have purchased a lot of different scrubs of various sorts over the years and have used them all. None of them compared to this one. The felt nice to use, not to scratchy for my skin. It rinsed off easily and left my skin silky smooth and very soft. I usually use lotion on my legs after a bath to restore moisture, but after using this sugar scrub, my skin was moist enough that I didn't need any.

The best part is that I exfoliated and moisturized my skin without exposure to parabens, phthalates, or other toxic chemicals and without the use of any petroleum products.

Even More Denium Recycling

Previously, I wrote about my quest to find reuses for denim jeans that have gotten to worn to wear. These are some of my latest creations.

First, I cut to legs off of a pair of jeans and used the top to stitch this fun and funky handbag for my sister, Andrea, for her birthday. I pinned the legs and sewed them together. I then added a magnetic snap for a closure. I used a piece of the inseam from the jeans leg to create a drawstring to gather the top of the bag.

I used a pretty red and white fabric that I found at a thrift store to make a liner for the purse. The red is the perfect complement to the blue of the denim.

I found a chain that we were not using that happened to be the right length for a shoulder strap. I then found a piece of bias tape that had been in my mom's sewing chest unused for at least 20 years. The tape with the right width and length to wind through the chain and make a sash belt.



I also used the cuff of the same pair of jeans to make a fun purse for my niece's 3rd birthday. I cut off the leg about 9 inches above the hem and stitched the cut end closed. I turned over the end to form a cuff. I used scraps of green felt and a scrap for pretty floral fabric to make a flower embellishment for the bag to which I added an old blue button. Lastly, I used a piece of cording that came from a shopping bag to create a handle. I proved the perfect gift for a girly three-year-old.

Halloween Sock Cat

So, this year, finding myself with a pair of Halloween socks that were too holey to wear, and needing a birthday present for my soon to be 3 year old niece, I decided that I would try to make a sock animal for her. First, I searched for some instructions online, and came across these instructions for making a sock monkey.

I quickly realized, that with a few modifications, and some patches over the holes, I could make a sock Halloween cat for my niece. I added pointed ears to the top of the kitty's head and a pointy tail instead of a rounded one. I used yellow buttons for the eyes with a vertical stitch for detail. I used stiff black thread for whiskers and scraps of yellow-orange felt to make a nose and patches to cover the holes.


Since my sewing machine is broken, and my hand sewing skills are a little shabby, my Halloween cat turned out to be more of a Frankenkitty. It's still a little adorable though.

More Denim Recycling

Using additional material from my worn out jeans, I created a Paris themed purse for my niece, Rebecca, for her birthday. This is how I did it:

First, I took the bottom of a leg of my jeans and folded over a cuff. I then cut the bottom of the leg of jeans off about six inches up from the folded bottom. I turned the leg inside out and sewed the leg closed on the non-cuffed side.

I then decorated the purse with Paris themed iron-ons I found at the craft store for a couple of dollars. I added a fluer-de-lis on the back for an extra decorative touch.

I then took a piece of 3 foot piece of chain and wove a yard of ribbon through it to create the strap for the purse. I sewed the strap onto the side seams of the jeans inside the top. Altogether, these items created a fun little girl purse from discarded items, took very little time, and almost no money at all!

Denim Recycling

What do you do with jeans that are too worn to wear? Faced with a couple pairs of jeans that were unwearable, but unwilling to just throw them away, I created a few fun new items. First, I used the top of a pair of my jeans, paired with a broken leather belt, to make a hobo style handbag for myself. I cut off the jeans just above the leg and sewed the bottom closed. I then cut off the bottom hem of the jeans and sewed them together to create a drawstring. I gathered the sides to shape the bag and added my belt that the buckle had broken off of for a strap. The front and back pockets have come in handy for my cell phone, car keys, and lipsticks.

I then used fabric from the leg of my jeans to create a handbag for my 12-year-old niece for her birthday. I selected a strait piece of fabric from the leg of my jeans and stitched the bottom closed. I then stitched around the top opening of the bag leaving room for a frayed edge. I then added the cute Fleur-de-lis iron-on that I had on hand and sewed in a section from a broken belt for a shoulder strap.

I also created a small play purse for my five-year-old niece for her birthday. Wanting something little girly, I selected a smaller segment of fabric from the leg of my jeans. I stitched the bottom closed and hemmed around the top of the bag. I then used a section from the inseam from my jeans to create a strap for the bag. I selected a cute red vintage button and used a fabric scrap to create a button a loop closure. I then hot-glued on a silk flower and leaf as decoration.

Still having a lot of fabric still available from my jeans, I created a book cover for an old poetry book using denim from the leg of my jeans and an old button.

Using the leg from a second pair of jeans, I created a wine bottle gift bag. I cut of the bottom of a leg from the jeans and stitched the top closed. I them folded over a cuff from the bottom of the jeans and had a great gift bag.

I still have a considerable amount for material left over from my old pairs of jeans. So, there will be more fun craft projects to come.