A place to record and share my life as a Christian wife and homeschooling mother to four children. May you be challenged and encouraged by my posts. Be blessed and bless others! Thanks for stopping by! 💗 Joanna Preston
So I really was a bit skeptical that this would actually work. But it did and I was amazed!! I have a set if 100% silver silverware that was given to me by my Grandmother in law. I have been using it along with our other silverware and it was beginning to show some discoloration. So I found this idea online and decided to try it.
We already use organic toothpaste, so I didn't have to buy anything! Yep that's right!! Organic toothpaste and a rag is all you need! And it shines the silver up just nicely!! Rub it good and hard and off it goes, the tooth paste almost disappears and your left with the black coloration transfered to the rag. Try it out!! :)
This recipe I got off the internet works great!! It is so simple to refill! Only three ingredients! I just bought a few foam dispensers and used them up first and then refilled with my new recipe. :)
You need:
-2 Tablespoons Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap
-water
-1/2 teaspoon almond oil (or olive oil)
- a foam dispenser
Now the oil is to keep your foam dispenser working longer and not getting clogged. They say it's best to use distilled water if you want the soap to not go flat within a week, but I have just been using tap water and I haven't had any issues. And I'm pretty sure it's lasted longer than a week.
I got a big 32 oz. bottle of peppermint Castile soap at Trader Joe's for $10. I know Whole Foods Market carries the liquid soap and it is also available online from various websites. Considering the fact you only use a few tablespoons at a time, this bottle is going to last a long time! Score! :)
Instructions:
Fill bottle with water to about one inch from top. You want to leave space for the soap, oil and pump so it won't over flow. Then add the soap and oil and if you desire, a few drops of your favorite essential oil. I stir a bit with a knife and then screw on pump. Give it a little shake and your ready to start pumping and washing your hands!!
I keep my bottle of Castile soap near my kitchen sink and the almond oil near by as well. I have refilled probably 3 or 4 times now and it takes me less than a minute! Love it! I don't add essential just because the peppermint smells great by itself! :)
Go on over to shanty-2-chic.com and check out how to make the cutest curtains ever and for a great price! She used canvas drop cloths from your local hardware store to make two panels! No way! I love getting ideas like this!! This will be how I plan to make all the curtains for my home! I will post pics of my finished curtains... when that happens. :)
Here is my dollar tree homemade door wreath. I used an old shirt and a placemat for the rosettes and made the letter by cutting it out from the thicker backing to an old ruled notebook and wrapping it with hemp string. And yes, all from dollar tree! Even the woven wreath frame! (or whatever you call it!) Lol!
Here is what I purchased from dollar tree:
woven wreath frame
mini glue sticks for my glue gun :)
hemp string
straw twine stuff... can't remember what its called exactly, but its what I used to tie a bow at the top of the letter.
And you just assemble as shown with a glue gun. A glue gun really is a necessity if you are a crafty momma!
Ok, so there are a few tutorials out there on how to do this, but to be honest they were pretty cheesy and not that easy to follow. You could though, still google how to make these and watch them anyhow. I'm just warning yah! :o) Which is why I decided to go ahead and just take photos while I made it. I didn't want to put a link to any of the videos I was finding. (I also couldn't find the video tutorial I had originally watched, which was really pretty good.)
I had a fall wreath on my door, but wanted to hang something up that represented the winter season. Well a huge snowflake sounded perfect. I just didn't know how I was going to do it, until I saw this! Hope this tutorial is easy to follow! Note: I used a glue stick which did great for the most part. I have seen these made with different colored paper too. You could add all kinds of embellishments to make these really sparkle! :o)
What you need. (Also a stapler and/or tape.)
1. Fold to form a square
2. Cut excess paper and
leave square folded as triangle
3. Fold triangle in half
5. Cut six 1 cm thick diagonal slits,
stopping 1/4" from edge. Open paper up carefully.
Here is a simple tutorial for making 3D paper snowflakes. These are used to make a card, but I used them to hang instead. I just love how beautiful they turned out! They make for a lovely winter decor for your home and are easy to do! Try them out and get creative! I recently watched a lady make a paper snowflake out of recycled paper from a book. The added font print made them look so unique and added a vintage flavor to it. :)
Here is a great clip from Food, Inc. explaining the way farming should be done! We have toured Polyface Farms and eaten their meat! It is super delicious and I know that it is 100% Organic, grass fed meat! I have read two of Joel Salatin's books on farming, and if the Lord allows us to farm one day, we will be following Salatin's model of farming. He is a Christian and a super smart farmer. Enjoy and be inspired!
Ok so I was watching these videos a little bit ago and just had to share them! I learned things I didn't know and really want to make some myself now! They are so easy to make! These would be nice to use after I give birth to Liberty! I am sure you girls will love watching these as much as I have! Hope you decide to make some of them too! They would be a great replacement for any store bought face wash/cleanse/scrub!
Blessings and enjoy!
For my Sewing Showcase part 2, I have quite a variety of selections. I decided to put all of them in just one post. The list is as follows:
Maternity Skirt made from some "too small" maternity pants and print fabric.
Jean skirt made from jean flared Bermuda shorts and some left over denim fabric.
A tiered skirt made from some pretty green fabric.
A rag quilt.
A nursing cover I made from one of my previous posts.
I have posted photos for each piece. I will give very short instructions, if any, but if any one wants a more detailed version, just comment and let me know. For the rag quilt I have given pretty good instructions, but if you are confused about anything just comment and let me know. In my previous post on the nursing cover, I gave the link for the instructions. I followed those same instructions and it turned out great!
Front of maternity tiered skirt
Here is a maternity tiered skirt I made from some pretty khaki with light green flowers fabric and the waist/ top part of some khaki maternity pants that were too small. I basically just did a gather stitch on two tiers of fabric and sewed one to the waist/ top and the second to the other tier. (Below and right)
Back of maternity tiered skirt
This jean skirt I made from a pair of jean Bermuda shorts that had a bit of a flare to them. The flare is excellent for making skirts!!I made this skirt the same way I did the long jean skirts in my last showcase post. (Below)
My husband and I have greatly enjoyed receiving the NGJ ministries magazine this past spring.
Inside you will find their catalog of books, CD's,, and MP3's that they offer and a variety of articles to read. Some are written by Mike and Debi Pearl and some written by their children and friends. The articles are so encouraging, uplifting and convicting. They all have been beneficial to us in some way or another! There are recipes, fun things for kids to do and more. They send an issue every two months. You have the option of receiving it via email or in the mail. And it is totally free!! Click here to sign up to receive the NGJ magazine mailed to your home. You can also read some of the articles on their website here.
Here is their own description of their magazine:
"No Greater Joy Magazine is a free, bi-monthly publication dedicated to successful child training, strengthening marriages and families, and supporting home schooling."
Hope you all enjoy the magazine as much as we have!
I just recently watched a few episodes from Shoshanna's Kitchen and absolutely loved them!!! Shoshanna is one of the daughters of Debi Pearl, (whom I posted about recently). Shoshanna has given me tons of things I want to do, but most importantly to start using more herbs in my diet!! Her smoothies look so yummy and quite simple to put together. I am glad she does offer herb mixes already made up at her store called, Bulk Herb Store. I hope of course to soon be growing some of my own herbs. Enjoy watching her videos!
This nursing cover looks really easy to make.
I just bought some fabric to make me a few skirts
and I think I am going to use the left over to make
me one of these nursing covers. I don't have any boning, but I found the handle on my son's sand bucket will work perfect! ;o)
Learn how to make it at Passionate Homemaking: Nursing Cover
Check out this tutorial on how to make a salve! I haven't tried it yet myself, but plan on doing so.
I used to burn essential oils instead of candles. Most candles have harmful chemicals in them that they give off when burned. If I did burn candles, they were from PartyLite , because they didn't have anything harmful in them and are 100% natural. Try out this Natural Rituals Aromatherapy Journey , at PartyLite.
Mountain Rose Herbs has a huge variety of essential oils. I hope to make my own diaper salve as well, which I found here at Passionate Homemaking. Yes, I do check her website quite often. :o)
Sewing has become something I love to do. I find it quite relaxing and exciting as I watch my finished product unfold. I am thankful for my Mother's influence in my love for sewing. I remember watching her sewing away on various projects. From fixing our clothes to making new outfits. I definitely get my craftiness from her! Thanks Mom! What's funny is that I thread my needle the same way my Mom does, wet the thread with my mouth and then slide it through the eye of the needle. I also stop and trim the threads after sewing the same way she does too. I remember when the thought came to me. I was starting this peasant blouse and did a sample stitch on some scrap fabric just to get into the groove of sewing again. (The last time I had sewn I'm pretty sure was 6 grade Home EC.) As I stopped the machine, pulled the needle up and down while at the same time slightly pulling the threads until they pulled smoothly, then trimmed the threads, it dawned on me that I had just repeated what I had watched my Mother do so many times. I had to smile. It's like I did it without even thinking!
A while back my husband bought me the Homestead Blessings DVD set, just because he loves me and wants to help me in my homemaking skills. :o) I have to say that I have loved it!!! I've watched probably every DVD at least a couple times. I thought I would post about what I have learned and enjoyed from the West Ladies. (I have posted the trailer for their DVD set down below.)
The DVD set includes the following; The Art of Sewing, The Art of Bread Making, The Art of Candle Making, The Art of Soap Making, The Art of Cooking, The Art of Dairy Delights, The Art of Gardening, The Art of Herbs, & The Art of Canning.
The Art of Sewing: I really like the rag quilt they show you how to make and I also like their pattern for a tiered skirt. It looks SO comfortable. I plan on making both during this next fall and winter. The Art of Canning:This was a fun DVD to watch! Their canning set up outdoors looked so cool and fun! I love how they always have green beans and tomato sauce ready to use at anytime! Even in the winter! I hope to have my own system of canning from garden left overs to store up for the cold months. The Art of Bread Making: On this DVD, they show you how to make bread from scratch along with a different types of bread. This is something I have been wanting to do, but just haven't taken the time too. :o) I love the taste of home made bread and hope to make some of my own soon! The Art of Candle Making: I really enjoyed this DVD! Candle making looks so fun and easy! I hope to do this someday with friends. The Art of Soap Making: This also was a fun one to watch. They give great ideas for gifts. Soap making now days is much easier to do. The Art of Dairy Delights: Here they show you how to make homemade butter, ice cream, yogurt and mozzarella cheese with other ideas and tips. The Art of Herbs: I really like how they made their own herbal tea. I plan on growing some herbs this summer, hopefully! The Art of Gardening: I so hope to have a garden like theirs someday! It was beautiful! And big too! They give great gardening tips and ways to be frugal with what you have. One big thing is saving your food scraps! They make great fertilizer! They show you how to make your own compost too. One tip that I thought was hilarious and cool too, was that you can collect the bugs that are attacking your garden and blend them up to make bug juice and then spray it back on your garden and the bugs won't come back!! Crazy huh! Who would have thought? Bug juice! I love it! The Art of Cooking: I have made their peach cobbler, pot roast, homemade gravy (the best gravy ever!), and biscuits (easier to do than I thought). Very yummy! They have some more recipes on their website that aren't in the DVD's.
Watch this trailer for the Homestead Blessings - 9 pack.
There are two new DVD's, The Art of Quilting and The Art of Crafting. You can watch their trailers on the Homestead Blessings website here.
Hope you have enjoyed hearing about the the West Ladies at Homestead Blessings!
