This amazing Eyelash and Age Spot serum not only helps eyelashes grow thicker and longer, but it helps to reduce age spots
After removing makeup at night and washing your face, close your eyes and use roller bottle over the top of eyelashes. Use your finger to massage the oil into the lashes. Be careful to not get the serum directly eyes. Use the bottle and put serum on age spots.
Supplies Needed and Instructions: (People always asks me where I buy my products so I have provided the links to answer those kinds of questions. I do not make a profit to endorse the products)
1 Rollerball Bottle: Any size of rollerball bottle can be used but for this demonstration I used one that was 10ML in size. I found these on Amazon at a really good price. CLICK HERE
Printable Label Click Here
Castor oil is found to be effective in growing and thickening eyelashes and is also good in helping with age spots.
Fractionated Coconut Oil has a natural pulling action that draws out impurities and enters the eyelash follicles. Coconut oil helps to fade Age Spots.
With the regular use of Aloe Vera on eyelashes you can feel the change in growth and volume within a week. It also repairs the damages of eyelashes. Using Aloe on age spots encourages the skin to regenerate new skin cells. As the new skin cells form, the old ones are sloughed off, leaving a fresh, new area free of the unsightly dark spots. Additionally, it adds moisturizing and cleansing properties that leave the skin looking and feeling fresh and rejuvenated
Lemon essential oil enhances the oil’s cleansing and stimulating properties. Lemon also lightens age spots
Lavender essential oil will nourish your lashes and follicles and increases hair growth. It helps get rid of harmful free radicals that can cause damage to skin.
Grapefruit Seed Extract possesses antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties so bacteria won’t grow in the serum. You can leave this ingredient out of the bottle but you will need to keep the bottle in the refrigerator.
Bewitching in the kitchen is a series of classes that teach serums and potions that are great to make around Halloween time. The first class is about winter skin care recipes that use natural ingredients such as Witch Hazel, Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil and Calendula Oil. We teach about these amazing ingredients and show you how to make recipes that will moisturize dry skin and help heal skin conditions such as Psoriasis or Eczema, Bug Bits, Sunburn, Diaper Rash, and even give a Facial Toner recipe that will help with acne.
We will be posting YouTube videos until the class is ready to be release on DVD and a downloadable file. We will also have printable files with labels to put on the bottles, and a handout with all of the recipes. To come will be a printable file for a poster & invitations for a homemaking teacher to advertise the class along with easy refreshment ideas for the class.
Facial Toner and 2 bottles of the Healing Skin Care Spray
The Youtube demonstrate shows how to make a bottle of Facial Toner and 2 bottles of the Healing Skin Care Spray. The same recipe is used for both but we have found that it’s more convenient to have two different types of containers. Shopping List: 2 empty 8 ounce spray bottles, 1 – 16 ounce bottle Witch Hazel, 16 ounces of Liquid Aloe Vera (make sure to buy a brand that doesn’t need to be refrigerated after opening) and you need Lavender Essential oil.
In each of the empty 8 ounce spray bottles put: 1/2 Cup Witch Hazel, 1/2 Cup Liquid Aloe Vera and 20-30 drops Lavender Essential Oil
At this point half of the witch hazel has been removed and you can use the container with the remaining 8 ounces of Witch Hazel to make the Facial Toner. To this bottle add 1 cup of liquid Aloe Vera and 50-60 drops of Lavender Essential Oil.
The Facial Toner is a natural remedy for acne. Applying the toner to acne-prone skin can help slow down inflammation, redness, oiliness and bleeding. As a natural cleanser, it’s capable of reducing bacteria growth on the skin and speeds up the time needed to heal infections or scabs.
Another benefit is that this toner reduces the look of pores and helps stop excess oil production, sweating, and development of blackheads or whiteheads, which can contribute to breakouts. Instead of opening up a pimple and making the problem worse, apply the toner directly to the skin wherever you notice a zit forming or tend to break out.
Apply the facial toner to discolored skin, bruises, old acne marks and bites to help fade their appearance and reverse damage.
Recipe and Printable Labels for the Healing Skin Care Spray
The Printable Labels can either be printed on Avery 6873 or a full page sticker sheet. I purchased some expensive water proof labels at one point and even though they work better than a regular label I still had ink smear when they got wet. I started putting contact paper over the top of the label on the spray bottle to help solve this problem. I cut around the label design so a full page sticker sheet works well for this project.
The Printable files has a label for each of the 5 sprays mentioned on this webpage plus the Facial Toner. On the label to be placed on the back side of the bottle there is instructions how to refill the bottle when its empty. I’ve enjoyed the recipe being on the bottle so that I don’t have to get the handout every time the bottle runs dry.
Healing Skin Care Spray
The Healing Skin Care Spray is very simple to make! In an 8 ounce spray bottle put: 1/2 Cup Witch Hazel, 1/2 Cup Liquid Aloe Vera and 20-30 drops Lavender Essential Oil
kills bacteria that lives within skin’s pores
It is one of the most effective natural acne treatments — and it’s even been shown to stop cellular damage that can lead to skin cancer
Prevents signs of aging
and speeds up the healing process
We use this spray for 6 different purposes: Facial Toner and Acne, Diaper Rash, Bug Bites, Sunburn, Hair and Irritated scalp, Hand Sanitizer
This spray isn’t limited to those 6 purposes but the list of skin conditions will help much more than that! It is good to use for Minor Cuts and Burns, Skin Sores, Bruises, Redness and swelling, Ingrown hairs, Psoriasis or Eczema, Oily skin, Excess sweating, Varicose veins, Cracked or blistered skin, Poison ivy, Razor burn, and Hemorrhoids
Healing Burns with the Skin Care Spray and Calendula Healing Balm
Another example of the effectiveness of the Healing Skin Care spray was when Shirley used it on her 2nd degree burns from her oven. The picture on the right was taken three weeks after using the spray and some Calendula Healing Balm.
Healing Diaper Rash Spray
The Healing Diaper Rash Spray is easy to make. In a 8 ounce spray bottle put: 1/2 Cup Witch Hazel, 1/2 Cup Liquid Aloe Vera and 20-30 drops Lavender Essential Oil
The Anti-inflammatory properties of witch hazel makes it an effective and safe remedy for soothing pain from diaper rash. Regular application will also assist in healing damaged skin faster, further reducing your baby’s discomfort.
Adding Aloe Vera helps heal skin faster. It moisturizes the skin and prevents skin from drying.
Lavender Essential Oil is one of the few essential oils that is safe for your baby’s skin if the baby is older than 3 months old. It will help soothe a baby’s bottom and it will also help clam and relax them. Witches also like to add this oil to help the potion smell great.
Hand Sanitizer
A lot of homemade recipes for Hand Sanitizer are similar to brands that can be purchased. They contain 60% to 95% alcohol because it kills bacteria. Hand Sanitizer that contains alcohol, not only is flammable but it stings when put on cuts and chapped hands. Alcohol dries out skin so if you have chapped hands it makes it even worse. Alcohol can also seep into the pores of the skin and can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
Did you know that a few squirts of Hand Sanitizer can be equal a couple of shots of hard liquor? If the Hand Sanitizer is ingested it could lead to alcohol poisoning.
One advantage of making this recipe of Hand Sanitizer is because it contains Witch Hazel and it reduces the amount of alcohol from 60-95% to only 4%. Witch Hazel is not a hazardous chemical. If someone were to ingest Witch Hazel it may cause nausea but it’s not a health hazard. If ingested you should drink lots of water to dilute it and seek medical attention.
Instead of drying skin the way alcohol does, Witch Hazel helps heal chapped and dry skin. Another amazing ingredient in this recipe that helps moisturize skin is Aloe Vera.
This cleaning class helps women of all ages. The young gals like this class because they can save a lot of money on cleaning products and the recipes do not use harsh chemicals. The participants learn about “Green Cleaning” and recipes taught are better for sensitive skin and for the environment. Cleaning tips help women of all ages to be able to clean their home faster and easier. The recipes have been tried and truly work better than expensive products.
The poster adverting the class is so dang cute! You can buy mini clothes pins and string a clothes line (jute cord) on the top of the poster to hang the printed pieces of clothing (Pictured above). The printable PDF file has poster pieces that fit on 8 x 11 size paper and can be printed on any color printer. The file has a sign up sheet and a page with 4 invitations for participants to take home. (the invites look like the poster).
Plan to send the participants home with a spray bottle of glass cleaner. It will be a reminder about the video every time they use it. A month before the class start passing around a sign up sheet so that you will have a count of how many people will be attending. Start making the spray bottles early so that you won’t be too busy preparing for the class. The file has the sign up sheet and the labels that can be printed for the glass cleaner bottles along with instructions how to prepare for the class.
To prepare for the class quart sized spray bottles can be purchased from the dollar store. The labels on the file are printed on sticker sheets and then placed on the bottle. If you don’t have waterproof labels, you can use regular Avery labels and place clear contact paper over the label so that the label will be water proof if it gets wet. Put 1 Tablespoon of Rubbing Alcohol in the bottle and fill the bottle with water. Make a batch of the homemade laundry detergent and place 2 tablespoons of detergent in a baggie and tie the baggie to the bottle with a ribbon or jute cord. For my demonstration I made the laundry soap into flower shaped tablets (Instructions are on this weblink) If you are going to purchase the mold to make these then you can also do a short demonstration on the class how to make the tablets. When I did this everyone wanted to make tablets in a super saturday activity after they saw the demonstration.
Start the class by watching the video “Looking Through Windows”
You will need to work with your Relief Society Presidency to get permission to show the video and to ask for help to set up the equipment to show the video. Our ward has a special person who brings the projector and will hook the projector up to your laptop. After the projector is set up test the video to make sure you will be able to view it in class.
The Powerpoint slide show has this video embedded in the first slide. You will need to be connected to the internet in order to view this video so after the projector is hooked up to your laptop start the slide show and make sure you are logged on to the internet and can view the video.
As a back up plan, downloaded the video to your computer in case you have problems with the internet the night of the class. You can find the video on this weblink. click to download on the bottom right hand side as pictured below.
The Powerpoint has pictures so that you won’t have to do a lot of demonstrations during the class. While teaching the class you just can read the slides as you teach. Towards the end of the powerpoint presentation you will do a demonstration on how to make the homemade laundry soap and you will need to take those supplies.
The Relief Society is the organization in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints where women come together to strengthen, serve, and teach each other. It’s Motto is “Charity Never Faileth” which women of the Church live by to bring relief to the weary and down trodden. The Relief Society Sisters try to not be judgmental and critical, but try to have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life. Women meet to hold Relief Society Service Projects where women share skills and do service for those in their community as well as victims of disasters around the world.
Most of the ideas and contacts on this webpage are in the Salt Lake City Utah area but if you live outside of Utah you can still get awesome service ideas to do in your community. If you have a good service idea in your area please write about it in the review section below or you can send an email and pictures to stacy@homemakingdivas.com
Service Project making Hygiene Kits
Service Project making Hygiene Kits
Relief Society groups have made Hygiene Kits in past years and donated them to the Humanitarian Center of the church. However, the Humanitarian center no longer needs or accepts donations or kits of any kind. One of the reasons behind that change in policy is because shipping goods internationally is not efficient, cost-effective, or timely, and sometimes the items are not culturally appropriate. The Humanitarian Service section of LDS.org, under “What You Can Do,” suggests that those interested in doing humanitarian service look around their communities. As an example I want to give you the link for a website telling about a service project the Spokane Stake Relief Society did in Aug 2014. Click Here They contacted “Our Place Community Ministries”, which is a Christian-based nonprofit agency in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood, and planned a service project to help them.
Items to place in a Hygiene Kit
As part of the service they involved The Spokane Stake Young Women who contributed to the project by collecting and organizing items for over 400 hygiene kits. Most of the items were donated by contacting local dentists and pharmacies. Items to place in Hygiene Kits could include a wash cloth, towel, a bar of soap, tooth brush and tooth paste, a comb. Other items can be added to the kit like a bottle of water and food items. The United Way can help you find a project in your area. Click this link and enter your zip code The United Way
Service Project Making Quilts
Anytime you want to do quilts for a Relief Society Service Project you can contact an amazing group in Salt Lake called Sweet Charity Sisters and they will give the supplies to make the quilts. The finished quilts the Relief Society makes will be returned to the Sweet Charity Sisters to give away. The quilts go to Shriners hospital, Hospice and to nursing homes. Feb 2015 their project is to sending 30 blankets to a national guard so they can take a blanket with them while they are deployed. They also give the quilts to “The Road Home” and they have been known to pass out blankets to homeless on the street. They will take donations, fabric, batting, and yarn and they will also furnish those supplies to your group. Contact: Claudeen Luckart 801-969-9576
The LDS Humanitarian Services in Salt Lake still accept donations of any size of quilt. You can not ask the Sweet Charity Sisters to donate supplies and then give the quilts to the Humanitarian Services so you need to furnish your own quilt supplies if you plan to donate them to the LDS Humanitarian Services. The contact phone number is 801-240-5954
Service Project making Bears for the Police Officers
Police Officers Give A Bear Service Project
This was a fun Relief Society Service Project to participate in and can be done any time of the year. The Police Officers in the Salt Lake area keep a stuffed bear in the trunk of their car. When they are involved in a case where a child is involved the officer gives the bear to the child to help calm them. The supplies were furnished by “Sweet Charity Sisters” and the “Telephone Pioneers” Group. Contact: Claudeen Luckart 801-969-9576 You will need to provide enough tables for the sisters to cut out the fabric and set up sewing machines. Some sisters can cut out the bear pattern from the fabric. 1 sister can attach the eyes and nose. Some sisters can bring their sewing machines and sew the bears. Some sisters can stuff bears and other sisters can hand sew the bears closed. If you are not in the Salt Lake area you can contact me and I can help you plan the project. The fabric used for the bears is old chenille bedspreads died pink or blue, fur and other fabric that will look good for a bear. One bedspread makes 13-15 bears. Packages with eyes and noses can be purchased at the craft store. Call your Police Dept or Homeless Shelter before starting your service to make sure they will accept the donation. You will want to tell the sisters where the bears will be donated. I’m sure the Police Offices in your area will appreciate your service!
Service Project helping the YWCA
YWCA Service Projects
The YWCA has strengthened the safety, health and well-being of women and their families for over 100 years. They have developed an integrated range of programs in the area of family violence, including shelter and transitional housing for homeless women and children I have a soft spot in my heart for the YWCA because they helped me get a protective order against my abusive husband and taught me how to get out of an abusive marriage and to be independent. I will be eternally grateful and always give back to their programs. Donations are essential in keeping their organization in full operation. They accept donations of cash, new or gently used clothing for women and children along with bedding, household items and other necessities. Your generosity can provide needed aid to women and children they serve and help them regain confidence and strength to move forward. To get an idea what types of items they need click this list for the Salt Lake area. Salt Lake City YWCA Wish list If you are located outside of Utah Click here To Find a YWCA in your area
Stuff The Bus Community Service Project
Click here for the Utah Project contact Information
A great summer time Relief Society Service Project is help gather school supplies and donate them to the Stuff the Bus Community Project that is held Aug-Sept. Contact the United Way to see when they will be stuffing the back packs. You could also plan to take the sisters to the community project to stuff the back packs. The above link is the Utah United Way contact information for 2014 so look for the current contact information when you click into the page. If you are not located in Utah do a Google search with the words “Stuff the bus” to see if your community has a program or call your local united way. If you find a project in your area you can add that information in the review comments at the bottom of this page.
Have an Extraordinary Relief Society by holding a Super Service Soiree
This activity is a fun Relief Society Birthday Party or Activity
Do Something Extraordinary in Relief Society
At the first meeting of the Relief Society, President Emma Smith stated, with no small amount of vision: “We are going to do something extraordinary.”What has transpired through the past years has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Start the evening with refreshments of Cupcakes and an Ice Cream bar. When everyone is seated you can watch the YouTube video CLICK HERE
You will need to work with the Relief Society Presidency to get permission to show the video and to ask for help with the equipment to show the video.
If you want to download the video to your computer so you won’t need an internet connection you can find instructions on this weblink
Pass out the service cards and pencils. Explain to the sisters they should think of a service they can give to another sister. Write that service on the card on the left side. Tell them to tear the paper on the perforated line and place the left side of the service card in the basket. The right hand side of the card is for them to keep so they can write the name of the person they will be doing the service for.
When everyone has finished the refreshments ask them to put their chairs in a large circle. Extraordinary Relief Society Service Game
Explain to the sisters they can either draw a service card out of the basket or they can take a service card from someone who has already pulled a card. Have them read the card as they pull it from the basket. Ask the sister who filled out the service card to raise her hand so the person who is receiving the service will know who is giving the serving. Start the basket going around the circle with the Relief Society Presidency so the other sisters will have a few cards to pick from in the beginning of the game. When all the cards have been pulled from the basket have the sisters mingle so they can fill out the right side of the card and get the information from the sister they will be providing service for.
After the Service Game the sisters can break into groups and pick the type of service they want to do.
When we had this Extraordinary Relief Society Service Soiree the service projects we held were:
Letters to Missionaries, We made kits for the Primary Children’s Hospital and We made quilts. For service project ideas click on the link below.
Doing a comparison of homemade laundry detergent has been an interesting experience. I decided to do a comparison because I wanted to know if the homemade recipes cleaned as well as brand name laundry detergent and I also wanted to compare the cost to see if it would be worth my time to make it. Tide is a top performing laundry soap in the consumer reports annual laundry detergent study so I include Tide in my comparison.
Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe #1
I remember my grandmother sitting at a table in her laundry room grating up a bar of soap but I didn’t follow in her foot steps until 2015. Buying laundry soap was convenient for me but I started noticing Tide wasn’t getting my clothes clean. I was using the Tide Pods when an interesting thing happened. I purchased an off brand of drier sheets and after a couple of batches of laundry the clothing didn’t smell clean. That’s when I realized the bounce drier sheets, that I usually buy, had been masking the unclean laundry smell when I was washing cloths with Tide Pods. I had to start using 2 Tide pods to get my clothes clean.
Tide Does Not Measure Up
I also had a new box of Tide Ultra powder that I needed to use up. The scoop has three different measurements on it and I usually do a large load so I was filling the scoop to the second line. It seemed I was going thru the detergent fast so I started my investigation.
If a 143 ounce box does 102 batches of laundry, as the box advertises it should, my question was “how many ounces was I supposed to use in a batch?” I got my calculator and figured out that I was supposed to use 1.4 ounces each medium sized load. I measured 3 tablespoons of Tide in the Tide scoop (that is 1.5 ounces) and to my disappointment 3 Tablespoons didn’t even come up to the first line on the measuring scoop. The first line is 5 Tablespoons. That means Tide’s advertising is misleading people about how many loads you will get out of the box.
The Tide box says for a medium sized load you should fill the cup to the first line. The first line is 5 tablespoons of laundry soap = 2.5 ounces of soap. A 143 ounce box will only give you 57.2 medium sized batches of laundry, NOT 102 as the box advertises.
Feb 2015 you can buy a box of Tide Ultra Powder at Walmart for $17.97. It costs $.31 cents per medium batch. The second line on the scoop is for large loads and I measured 7 tablespoons of laundry soap. 7 Tablespoons = 3.5 ounces which is 41 batches of laundry from the box of Tide soap. It costs $0.43 cents per large load.
It was that day I decided I would never buy Tide laundry soap again and I started experimenting with homemade laundry detergent recipes.
Laundry Detergent Comparison
I cut some white cotton towel fabric into test swatches and started drawing circles with a sharpie marker. When I explained to the local butcher why I needed a cup of blood he didn’t think I was weird, but after doing 28 laundry swatch tests and getting a second cup of blood ..I admit I turned into a laundry weirdo. The butcher gave us a tip that day.. if you want to take blood out of white fabric spray it with Peroxide before you throw it into the washer. (Yes, I did stain remover comparisons too).
Laundry Detergent Comparison Test Swatches
Swatches Stained With
1) Blood
2) Grease. In the beginning I was melting cheddar cheese and used the grease at the top of the circle because it had an orange color that would show up in the pictures better. I then put bacon grease on the bottom half . I stopped using the cheese grease because when the soap removed the grease it didn’t remove the orange color and I didn’t want my test result pictures to be misleading.
3) Dirt from my garden has cow manure in it. I wet the dirt and rubbed the it down in the fabric so it would stick and then I let the dirt dry
4) Children’s Crayola Washable Markers. These markers came out of every laundry test without using stain remover. Washable markers weren’t a great test for the soap. The problem I found with them is when they got wet the marker color ran everywhere. I got a drip of wet marker on the fabric of my dining room chair and now I can’t remove it. That will be one of my next challenges to conquer.
5) Spicy Brown Mustard. Nothing got these stains clean, not even using stain remover products
6) Ketchup I made up a bunch of stained swatches and to Tide’s advantage I started washing the swatches with Tide first and those stains sat on the fabric overnight before washing. The homemade recipes had been setting on the swatches for 2 days to 2 weeks because I would throw a swatch in the laundry I was washing at the time. All of the homemade recipes I tested had been sitting longer and cleaned better than Tide.
Tide Laundry Detergent Comparison
I started with the 3 Tablespoons of Tide because wanted to see what the laundry would look like if we got 102 batches out of the box. It still frustrates me I bought into Tide’s advertising.
Both of the Tide test results had a faint blood and dirt stains and mustard after being washed. (sorry the dirt and blood stains don’t show up very good in the pictures) Both of the swatches still smell like bacon grease. The swatch washed with 3 tablespoons of detergent felt greasy but I couldn’t feel grease on the swatch washed in 5 tablespoons of Tide.
After I had the Tide laundry completed I started making homemade laundry detergent recipes.
Homemade Laundry Detergent comparison recipe #1
Recipe #1 was the recipe I was given in the class that I took at Honeyville Grains in Salt Lake City, UT. I love this recipe. It makes the laundry smell really clean and I was really happy the fabric didn’t smell like bacon grease. The first swatch I washed with this recipe I only used 1 tablespoon for a large batch so it costs $.03-04 cents per batch. This test looked a little better then Tide so I was happy it cleaned as good as the leading name brand of soap. The good smell of the soap doesn’t linger and the fabric becomes orderless. Because I wanted to try and get the laundry cleaner than the job that Tide does I decided to do another batch with 2 Tablespoons of Recipe #1. It was a lot cleaner than the Tide swatch and I didn’t pretreat the stains with stain remover. Also keep in mind.. I did 5 Tbl Tide in a Medium batch = 7 Tablespoon for a large batch of laundry and this Recipe #1 only took 2 Tablespoons for a large batch.
Recipe #1
This recipe is very easy to make and only costs $.03-$.04 cents per batch. The recipe makes 56 Tablespoons and 1-2 Tablespoons is used per large batch of laundry. Use one tablespoon, if you have a high-efficiency (HE) machine. 2 Tablespoons for top loader machine
Ingredients
1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap grated $.97
1 cup washing soda $.66 per cup
1 cup borax $.40 per cup
Instructions
Grate the Fels-Naptha soap until it is in a granule form. Mix with the other two ingredients. Use 1-2 Tablespoons of the soap mixture per batch of laundry.
Recipe #1 has more Fels-Naptha Soap in it than the other recipes so it is more concentrated. Fels-Naptha bar of soap can also be rubbed on stains to help remove them. In my laundry comparison experiment I used 1 Tablespoon of soap in a full batch of laundry with warm water. Recipe #1 makes 56 tablespoons. The Soap can be grated on a cheese grater or it can be chopped in the food processor. One of the reviews I found on the internet was negative about making homemade laundry soap because she couldn’t get the soap off the food processor/grater. I didn’t have a problem with that but I used hot water and when I couldn’t get the soap off easily around the grater slots I used some vinegar on a scrub brush.
3.2.2925
1 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap is $.97 per bar at Walmart One box of washing soda has 6 cups $3.97 per box at Walmart One box of borax has 10 cups $3.97 per box at Walmart
Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe #2
I found Recipe #2 on the website How Does She I was excited to try something that had OxyClean. I felt this recipe needed a little bit of the scent booster because I didn’t care for the smell of the Zote Soap. The Zote smell is ok but I like the scent of the Fels-Naptha Soap better. The Website How does she recommends 1 to 2 55 ounce bottles of the Purex Crystals Fabric Softener and I only used1 – 18 ounce bottle. The laundry did smell wonderful but the good smell didn’t stay in the clothing after laundry day. I used 2 Tablespoons of this recipe in each batch of laundry. If you put more Scent booster you will need to add more laundry soap to the batch.
Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe #2
1 (4 LB 12 OZ) box of Borax
1 (3 LB 7 OZ) box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 (4 LB) box of baking soda (found in the baking aisle)
3 bars of Zote Soap
1 (3 LB) container of Oxy-clean
Optional: 1-2 Bottles of fabric enhancer, also called scent booster. I used 1 -18 Oz bottle of Purex Crystals
Instructions: Grate Zote Soap with cheese grater or food processor Mix all ingredients together in a large bucket lined with a good quality garbage bag. I found it was easier to remove the bag and mix the soap by moving the bag around and stirring the powders with my hand. Pour the powder from the bag to a storage container. Use 2-4 Tablespoons per laundry load. Cost: I paid $20.84 (plus tax) for 272 ounces. I used 2 tablespoons per batch (1 ounce) so I got 272 batches from this recipe, costing $.08 per batch
I like the website One Good Think by Jullie and I posted her Youtube video about how she makes laundry soap because I really liked her idea about mixing it in the garbage bags. I mixed Recipe #2 this way but I put the garbage bags in a clean bucket first so I would have something to hold the bags open while I added ingredients. Recipe #3 that I tested is her recipe in this video.
Homemade Laundry Detergent Comparison Recipe #2
Recipe #2 cleans about the same as Recipe #1. More detergent is needed because of the Scent Boost that was added. I didn’t want to add a lot of Purex Crystals because I knew it would drive up the cost. When I first washed the fabric swatch it seems I added the right amount, however, the good smell faded and then I noticed a faint smell of the bacon grease. Even though the stains came out good with this recipe it needs scent booster to hide the smell that didn’t come out of the fabric.
2 bars of Zote Soap is $1.94 at Walmart
1 box of washing soda is $3.97 at Walmart
1 box of borax is $3.97 at Walmart
1 box of baking Soda is $2.00 at Walmart
Purex Crystals 18 ounce bottle is $4.76 at Walmart
OxyClean – I found an 11.7 pound box cheaper at Sam’s Club $15.98. (I used $4.20 in my recipe) Walmart 3 pound container was $7.52
Homemade Laundry Tablets
Homemade Laundry Tablets
Another reason why I wanted to try this recipe is because I was inspired to make pink heart shaped laundry tables to give to my friends for Valentines day.
The tablets were so easy to make!
First I purchased a Wilton Petite Silicone 12 Cavity Heart Pan. An Ice cube tray can be used also.
I mixed 1 cup of laundry detergent (any detergent will work also) I used Recipe #2 with Pint Zote Soap and Pink Purex Crystals.
Put the cup of soap in a mixing bowl and add 3 Tablespoons of white vinegar. Mix well until the powder is moist.
Pack mixture into 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon and then put the mixture into a mold cavity and press the mixture with a spoon, packing it evenly. Fill each cavity with one tablespoon of soap. If you have a little extra damp soap left in the bowl you can add a little bit of soap to the cavities until it is gone.
Let the tablets completely dry before removing them from the mold.
A pint sized jar will hold 12-14 tablets.
The printable file has a “To-From” jar topper and the tag for the jar. It also has a pattern to cut a circle of fabric. I placed the fabric over the metal lid and then screwed the metal band on the jar. Tie some jute cord around the jar and tie a bow. I found some mini clothes pins in the scrapbook section of the craft store and pinned the tag on the jute cord around the jar. (clothes pins optional and are not pictured)
The cute gifts were a big Valentine’s hit! This gift can be given any time of the year
Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe 3
Recipe #3 soon to come. Also watch for the comparison results
3 bars Fels Naptha, grated $.97 x 3
1 box – 76 ounce box Borax $3.97
1 box – 55 ounces Washing Soda $3.97
2 cups or 1 -16 ounce box of Baking Soda $.59 cents
2 – 3 pound containers of Sun Brand Oxyclean is cheaper and can be found at Walmart of the dollar store $6.00
1-2 containers of Purex fabric softener crystals $6.97
Use 2 tablespoons per load. Put it right in the barrel if you have an HE washer.
All of the activities listed are great to do for a Relief Society Super Saturday or a Midweek Activity. Some of the activities offer an inexpensive kit that can be purchased saving the Relief Society leaders time and save participants money.
Smart Gloves Click Here
Smart Gloves
When our fingers meet the touchscreen on our phones/tablets, it completes the circuit necessary for the screen to react and function as we intend it to. When we are wearing gloves the electric current does not get passed through the glove to the touchscreen. Superior Conductive Thread is an innovative thread that carries electricity and completes electrical circuits. It bridges the gap between glove and skin and allows electric current to flow through its fibers. Smart Gloves can be purchased at the store for $15-40 but participants that sign up for this class can purchase a kit that has Conductive Thread and a sewing needle for only $3.00. Participants bring their favorite pair of gloves to class. The Instructor should be able to demonstrate how to hand sew the thread in the finger tips of the gloves. Click here to read and print instructions for the class
Etched Dish Soap Dispenser Relief Society Activity
Etched Dish Soap Dispenser
Etching on glass is easy and fun. Years ago stencils were made with contact paper and a xacto knife but now the Cricut machine makes it very easy. The Lesson plan teaches how to cut the stencil with the Cricut machine but if you don’t have a machine you can purchase the stencils and kits for this class.
This Raisin Bread in a jar is easy to make and the end product looks like you spent the day in the kitchen. The Raisin Bread recipe can be stored in a regular mouth canning jar in food storage and then easily mixed by hand or the dough can be made in the bread maker. I use to measure the ingredients every time I made a loaf and I made this recipe by hand but I am extremely busy now and need to manage my time so having bread recipes in a jar saves me a lot of time. Jar recipes also save a lot of money because you can buy the ingredients in bulk. Click this link to learn the basics instructions for making bread recipes in a jar. LINK TO BE ADDED
Saf-instant yeast is used in this recipe. It has a two year shelf life but when you purchase the yeast pay attention to the expiration date because you don’t want to purchase yeast that has been sitting on the store shelf for a long time. The expiration date of the yeast will become the shelf life for the Raisin Bread in the jar. When the yeast is the first ingredient placed in the jar it will be the last ingredient to go in the bread maker pan. Because the flour will separate the yeast from the water you can put the ingredients in the bread maker early in the day and set the timer so the machine will start later in the day.
To make the raisin bread you will remove the baggie of raisins and the baggie with the cinnamon and sugar from the jar and sit them aside. Put 1 1/4 cup of warm water in the bread machine pan and then dump the jar ingredients into the pan. Set the bread machine on the dough cycle. (you will not be baking the bread in the bread machine).
When the dough is completed in the bread maker remove the pan from the bread maker. Spray the counter top with non-stick cooking spray and then place the dough on the counter. Add the baggie of raisins on top of the dough and knead the raisins into the dough until they are evenly disbursed. Spray the rolling pin with non-stick cooking spray and use your hand to smear the stray evenly around the rolling pin. Roll the dough so that its the width of the bread pan and then 12-18 inches length. Place the baggie of cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and stir to mix well and then sprinkle the mixture over the dough.
Roll the dough into a loaf. Spray the bread loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and place the loaf of bread dough in the pan, placing the seam side down in the bottom of pan. Spray the dough with the cooking spray and then cover the pan with plastic wrap (to hold in the heat and moisture of the dough). Let the dough rise in the pan for about 30 minutes until it is double in size.
Remove the plastic wrap and bake the bread at 375 degrees for 35-50 minutes, until golden brown. When you use bread pans that are darker in color, like the pans that are pictured, the bread will bake faster than if it was baked in pans that are a silver in color. I usually bake the bread in the darker pans for about 35-40 minutes.
Cinnamon Swirled Raisin Bread in a Jar
Recipe Type: Bread
Author: Homemaking Divas
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 loaf/12 slices
[img src=”http://homemakingdivas.com/app/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Raisin-bread-jar.jpg” width=”300″ height=”298″class=”alignleft”] Ingredients can be put in a canning jar and sealed so that it can be stored in food storage for about 2 years. Making the bread dough in the bread maker makes this recipe fast and easy to make.
Ingredients
Place the ingredients in a clean and dry canning jar in the following order
2 teaspoon Saf-instant yeast
3 cups bread flour
1/8 cup Augason brand whole powdered egg
1/8 cup powdered shortening
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon salt
in a small baggie place 2/3 cup of raisins. Tie a knot on the baggie and place the baggie inside the jar on top of the powdered ingredients
In another small baggie place 1/4 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Tie a knot in the baggie and place inside of the jar on top of the baggie of raisins
1 1/4 cup of warm water is added to the jar of ingredients at cooking time
Instructions
After you have filled the jar clean the glass rim of the jar with a damp clean cloth to remove any powdered ingredients.
Remove the oxygen from the jar by either placing an oxygen absorber in the jar or by using a food saver to remove the oxygen from the jar. Detailed instructions are on the food saver webpage [url href=”http://homemakingdivas.com/foodsaver_meals/” target=”_blank” title=”Sealing Jars with a FoodSaver”]CLICK THIS LINK[/url]
Tags with cooking instructions can be printed and attached to the jar. A PDF Tag file can be purchased [url href=”http://homemakingdivas.com/raisin-bread-in-a-jar/” target=”_blank” title=”Cinnamon Swirled Raisin Bread in a Jar”]CLICK THIS LINK[/url]
Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 140 Fat: 2 g Saturated fat: trace Carbohydrates: 28 g Sodium: 153 mg Fiber: 1 g Protein: 3 g Cholesterol: 13 mg
Make Smart Gloves to use on a smart phone or tablet using Superior Conductive Thread
Smart phones and tablet computers have revolutionized the gadget industry. Convenience for emails, browsing the web, online shopping, is literally at our fingertips. However, there is a common inconvenience that comes with the smart phone and tablet industry when matched with cold weather. We can’t navigate through the touchscreen with our gloves on. Having to remove our gloves each time to access an app or to take a phone call becomes a big hassle during the cold months. The smart phones and tablets of today no longer operate with pressure-sensitive touchscreens. Today’s touchscreen technology works from electric current. Our bodies carry electric current very well. Fibers such as cotton, wool, polyester, rayon, leather, etc. don’t conduct electricity. When our fingers meet the touchscreen on our phones/tablets, it completes the circuit necessary for the screen to react and function as we intend it to but when we are wearing gloves, the electric current does not get passed through the glove to the touchscreen. Superior Conductive Thread is an innovative thread that carries electricity and completes electrical circuits. It is made from stainless steel fiber and bridges the gap between glove and skin and allows electric current to flow through its fibers.
Here are the simple steps to creating Smart Phone or Tablet Gloves.
Step 1. Get a pair of gloves that you often wear and would like to stitch some conductive thread into the fingertips, hand sewing needle (a needle with a blunt end is better than a sharp pointed needle. I like to use a needle called “Yarn Darner”), and 18 inches of Superior Conductive Thread for each fingertip you want to sew. Caution: On Ebay and Etsy some people advertise conductive thread at a cheap price but it is not made from stainless steel fiber and will not carry electrical circuits. Superior brand is the only brand I’ve found that is actually stainless steel fiber. Because I didn’t trust merchants on ebay and etsy I decided to sell sewing kits with the stainless steel thread with a yarn darner sewing needle. Step 2. Take 18″ of Superior Conductive Thread, thread through the eye of a hand-sewing needle with, equal amounts on both sides and tie a knot in the end. (Doubled up, you will have 9″ of thread from the needle’s eye) Step 3. Turn your glove inside out and put your glove on. Step 4. Stitch Superior Conductive Thread into the fingertips of the index finger and thumb. Please be careful not to prick your finger! (These two digits are the main digits used for phones. Please stitch the Conductive Thread on all fingers if you expect to use your tablet’s touch-screen keyboard.) Step 5. The goal to achieve when stitching is to make sure that the conductive thread is touching your skin and touching the screen at the same time. For each section of stitch on the outside of the glove, stitch an equal length on the inside. This does not require many stitches, 4-5 sections will do the trick. (See above image for suggested stitch pattern) Step 6 – Remove the glove and tie off the thread end. Snip off the tails and you’re all done!
Sewing Kit for one pair of gloves comes with 2 yards of Superior Conductive Thread and a Yarn Darning Sewing needle. This is enough thread to do 4 fingers. Cost for the kit includes free shipping $3.00
Sewing Kit to make 2 pairs of gloves comes with 4 years of Superior Conductive Thread and a Yarn Darning Sewing needle. This is enough thread to do 8 fingers. Cost for the kit includes free shipping $5.00
Quinoa is a unique grain with an earthy flavor, making it perfect for salads. Quinoa is one of the most nutritious grains you can find. Not only is it an excellent source of protein, but is also a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, iron and phosphorous. This Quinoa Salad in a Jar recipe has a non-fat Lime vinaigrette with a perfect blend of coriander, jalapeno and cumin. Each jar is a meal for 1 person or can be served as 4 side dish servings. This salad has been one of the favorites among participants in the classes I teach.
I buy Freeze Dried Apricots and Organic Quinoa at Honeyville. I also like to buy Quinoa from the bulk section at Winco Foods. The website link for Honeyville can be found at the bottom of this webpage.
Quinoa Salad with Apricots and Pistachios
Makes 4 Salads in a Jar
If this salad is served as a side salad it will make 4 servings we jar
Shopping List
1 package Lime Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
2/3 cup uncooked Quinoa
1 large head Romaine Lettuce (8 cups greens)
Golden Raisins (1/2 cup is needed)
1 bunch green onions chopped, or 1 purple onion diced
Shelled salted pistachios (1/2 cup is needed)
1/2 cup Freeze Dried or Dehydrated Apricot pieces
Instructions
2 cups water 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa 1/3 teaspoon salt
Combine water, quinoa, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. I usually cook the quinoa until the water is absorbed but if there is water left it should be drained off the quinoa. Set aside to let it cool.
Layer 1: 1/8 cup golden raisins
Layer 2: Divide the Vinaigrette between the 4 jars (2-3 Tablespoons in each jar)
Layer 3: 1/3 cup cooked quinoa
Layer 4: 1 TBL chopped green onion or purple onion
Layer 5: 2 cups Lettuce or salad greens
In a baggie on top: 1/8 cup freeze dried apricots or dehydrated apricot pieces and 1/8 cup shelled dry roasted pistachios
Meal – 1 Jar (405 calories): remove baggie from the jar. Put the lid back on the jar and shake the ingredients in the jar to mix the salad ingredients. Pour the salad on a plate and then sprinkle the apricots and pistachios over the salad. The salad can also be mixed on the plate instead of shaking the ingredients in the jar.
Salad can be served as a side dish. Each jar makes 4 side dish servings (101 calories per serving). Pour the salad jar into a large bowl and stir the ingredients. Sprinkle apricots and pistachios on the salad. When the bowl is almost empty add another jar to the bowl. If all of the salad jars are not served the jars can be stored in the fridge for a week.
