What to Do With Leftover Roses & Petals

My birthday was this week, and a friend gave me a dozen stunning red roses that morning.  They looked gorgeous and smelled divine, but after a few days, I wondered (as I often do) how I can utilize them in the best possible way.

Some people say that if you want to preserve them, you can hang them upside down to preserve the color while they dry.  I've tried that before.  While the color of the petals does fade into a more dead-looking color, it's usually a deep pretty brownish-purple.  However, the leaves all stuck right up and looked stupid whenever I did it.  So next time I decide to try that, I'll figure out a way to keep those leaves from looking like they got stuck in an electrical socket.

One of my favorite things to do with roses is to make homemade potpourri, and of course, I love using my homemade incense recipe.   But this time... I have a few other tricks up my sleeves, so keep coming back and checking up on my developments. ;)

With this batch so far, I've begun preparing the roses for use in crafts.  First, I took off the rubber bands and saved them for another use.  Floral rubber bands are awesome, by the way; they're very strong, and usually you get a couple of different sizes in each bouquet.

My next step was to separate the roses from their petals.  I put the petals of eleven roses into my metal mixing bowl, and pressed the petals from the twelfth rose into the pages of an absolutely terrible hardback book (Here Kitty Kitty by Jardine Libaire).  Some of the random leaves were pressed into Make Your Own Luck: 12 Practical Steps to Taking Smarter Risks in Business.

I'm going to be washing the petals in the bowl.  They need to be as clean as possible for a cooking project that I'll be doing.  And the stuff in the book will probably be used to accent something that I want to frame, so we'll see how it goes!

Febreze For People

The downside to having an awesome Body & Soul party was that I seem to have contracted some form of plague from one of our party guests.  I guess that the fun of that wonderful cooking and being psychic came with a price!

Anyway, this morning I'm off to our local clinic to get myself tested.  I've got a VIP houseguest in a few days, and I don't want to pass along the plague!

Sometimes, when you get sick and you're taking antibiotics OR you're reluctant to hop into the shower first thing in the morning because you worry about going outside with a wet head, you may want to hold off showering until later in the day.  Or, maybe you have some emergency errands that needs to be done PFQ.  Perhaps you've just finished a yoga class, but forgot about that important meeting which starts in (uh oh!) just 15 minutes!  Mayhaps you've woken up to no power or hot water (holy crap-oly!!)... Whatever the situation, there may just come a day where you're in need of some alternative solutions.  Don't worry, I'm way ahead of you.  It is in this spirit that I bring you my recipe for "Febreze for People."


INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup of your favorite lotion, preferably clean-smelling! Think citrus and/or minty!
2 tablespoons of denatured alcohol (rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer works fine)
3/8 cup of water
OPTIONAL: 1-2 drops of citrusy, tea tree, or mint essential oil

Mix everything together, except for the water.  Pour into an 8-oz(ish) spray bottle, top off with the water, and shake well.  Whenever you don't have time for a shower or bath, use this solution as a quick refresher.  Just spray it onto your body, wipe with any soft cloth, and rub in the excess.

Depending on the lotion, you can use it on your face (don't get in eyes) as an emergency makeup remover.  Don't use in your hair or it'll get way greasy -- if your hair feels icky, just use a bit of baby powder to freshen it before your important event.

Review: Karma Naturals Cosmetics

I apologize for not posting more within the past several weeks -- believe me, you have not been far from my mind! :)

Unfortunately, the cell phone that I keep with me to document all of my awesome projects -- a Motorola Cliq that I had finally gotten used to using -- has died a sudden and untimely death.  Currently I'm back to using the first cellphone I ever had, a Samsung r225, from around 2002.  All of the phones since then I've donated or thrown away, but I always keep my durable old r225 for "just in case."  Although the technology is primitive, and there's a lot less to keep me occupied while I'm on the toilet, it's a durable and serviceable phone.  I am rather enjoying my bout with involuntary simplicity, at least as far as phone usage goes.

Because I don't have any cute pictures to share, I figured I'd just do a fast review on a company that I've recently done some business with.  I needed some new mineral foundation, so I bought a few samples from "Karma Naturals" through eBay.  Although I had ordered a "White Mousse" shade, they were out of that -- so I wound up getting colors called "Almond Latte" and "Vanilla Creme," which I mixed together and added a bit of baby powder to lighten.  (I have very pale skin, so it's not an uncommon thing for me to have to do.)  Despite the substitutions, I still liked the foundation.  It covered smoothly and evenly, and definitely made my skin look prettier in a natural way, rather than a corpse-y way -- which is good, since I've been needing to be a little more in the public eye lately.

Added benefits of doing business with Karma Naturals: The items shipped fast, and they even included a free vegan lip balm in pina colada, which I enjoyed even more than the foundation itself!  The foundation has stayed in the makeup kit in my purse, though the lovely moisturizing lip balm has a place by my bedside; I tend to use it in the morning and at night.

I was also given a coupon code to use at the website as well, which I definitely intend to do once I run out of stuff.  I am sooooo getting another lip balm -- with flavors like Devil's Food or Clover Honey, how can you resist? -- and the African Red Tea (rooibos) face cream sounds like something I'd like to give a whirl as well.  Their presentation is just the way I like things to be -- practical and effective, yet luxurious and fun, all at the same time. Karma Naturals makes all kinds of very interesting things, from organic lip balms and vegan makeup products, to soaps, fragrances, lotions, and other interesting body products.  Their website can be found at http://shop.karma-naturals.com, so check 'em out -- and hopefully they won't be too mad at me for borrowing photos from their website for this post! ;)

Easiest Candle Making Technique Ever!

I love, love, love making candles!  It's one of the funnest and easiest crafts that I know of.  I mean, how can you go wrong?  Just melt a bit of candle wax, position your wick, add whatever colors or scents you like (crayons and essential oils or even perfume will work just fine), pour the whole thing together, and wait 'til it's firm.  I've been making my own candles since the 1990s and just love the entire process.  It makes me feel so creative and clever to use up my leftover waxes this way!  I also get the added satisfaction of knowing that my candle is unique; no one has quite the same color or scent that I do!

That said, pouring candles can be a real pain in the ass if you don't get it right.  The wax can form ugly lumps and bumps, you can find bubbles inside that compromise the burning smoothness, and sometimes the best-laid shapes will go awry.  And long, skinny candles -- well, forget pouring those!  Dipping takes too long (though admittedly, I have not tried it very thoroughly: maybe I'll do it sometime).

If you're a first-timer or you're in the market for an easy candle project, you can buy yourself some rolls of beeswax at your local craft store.  They also come in candle-making kits that couldn't be simpler.  Place your wick on one side of the wax sheet, roll it up, and Bob's your uncle.  It's lovely and takes only a few minutes.

In the same spirit as the roll-your-own-beeswax candle, I have created a terribly easy candle recipe that would make any star of the most recent episode of "Hoarders" stand and applaud vigorously. ;)

INGREDIENTS:
* Something for a wick (natural fiber string, rope, kitchen string, or buy yourself some commercial wick from the craft store.)
* One bag of your favorite wax-covered Laughing Cow cheese. (Bonbel and Babybel Light use red wax, and their Cheddar variety is coated in yellow wax.)

These candles are romantic and decadent,
not at all cheesy! Available in classic Babybel, or Cheddar.

Step 1.  Eat the cheese as you normally would, storing up all of the awesome wax!  Resist the urge to play with the wax... it's hard, but you need to restrain yourself.  Pick the wax apart so that it's in half-circles or anything flat.

Step 2.  [If you're very anal about germs: wash the wax in cold, slightly soapy water. Soak for a bit, rinse, then allow to air dry undisturbed over the course of a few days.  If you don't care about getting cheese particles in your candle -- and trust me, it's not all that much anyway -- read on...]

Step 3.  Cut your wax into strips and wind it around your wick.  After you've made a nice long, tall strip, wind more wax strips around your first coat.  (It is this step where you can rub a bit of scented oil over your wax strips if you like -- I did roses on mine, and now they smell like roses dipped in cheese.)

Step 4.  Repeat until all of your wax is gone, or your candle is sized and shaped the way you want it.

Step 5.  Put in a candleholder (or a glass filled with pretty stones, as shown) and light, enjoying the dark romantic ambience of your super-easy craft!

Swiffer Stuffs

As most people who know me are well aware, I love to make things.  Cooking is one of my true passions for this very reason: It's quick, most endeavors are relatively inexpensive, and the end result can be used in practical, smart ways that don't end up in a lot of clutter.  You eat it, you poop it out, and Bob's your uncle -- creativity recycled!  

I don't like projects that take forever, or that clutter up the house.  As a serious fan of the Swiffer from when it first came out (and yes, I still have the 1999 Swiffer, which is more sturdy than my 2006 version), I've always considered the replacement covers something of a luxury... if I am dusting, I'm not above twisting them over so that the dust-free side can get its share of use as well. ;)  I've also used things like socks and washcloths for covers when wiping floors that need a bit of wet attention -- and for the most part, these have been successful undertakings.

But I've also wanted to try making a cover that was specifically designed JUST for the Swiffer.  And even though I'm capable of knitting only a simple garter stitch, knitting reusable Swiffer covers out of yarn is just about the easiest thing anyone can do.  Here's how! :)

1.  Choose your medium.  You can see from this picture that I used two different kinds of standard acryllic yarn -- the pretty lavender kind was the last of a soft skein of nicer stuff from JoAnn fabrics, and the burgundy was from a 99-cent store in NYC.  Just use whatever you have; after all, it's not a beauty contest if it's just going to be scrubbing the scum around your toilet.

2.  Knit!  Cast on about 33 rows.  (I used this number because it was my age when these pictures were taken... yeah, these sat around awhile!)  Knit a plain ol' garter stitch until you have a rectangle that pretty much covers your Swiffer.  Your mileage may vary, depending on how tightly you make your stitches and on what size needle you like (I used a size 10), but mine are generally somewhere within the neighborhood of 50 and 70 rows.  It is OK if you knit it to be just a tiny bit too small... keeps the cover on even better, in fact.

3.  Take your rectangle, and fold it into thirds.  The Swiffer will fit into the opening between the thirds.

 4.  Stitch the sides together.  Use anything you want -- more yarn, thread, whatever.  (I used a hideous baby-weight rainbow yarn that I have noooooo idea what other uses I can find for it!)  You could probably even glue or staple them, but that seems like a hell of a lot of trouble, and would likely require many goings-over.

5.  Put the business end of your Swiffer into the horizontal opening.  You can punch the cover down into those annoying little tabs if you want, but honestly I never do, and my Swiffer covers never go anywhere.

6.  If you're dusting, flip it over!  If you're washing something hard-core, flip it over! (Unless the dirty item in question is way too nasty to handle.)

7.  Mine are machine-washable (depends on the yarn you use) and durable.  See the lavender ones in this picture?  They were made about 2 years ago, and are just beginning to get old.

You can also use these without the Swiffer, but it's not quite as much fun.

Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

Trent over at The Simple Dollar wrote a really interesting article on how to make your own laundry detergent.  His formula was remarkably similar to my own "washing slime" that I used to use on my delicate hand-washables which I'd clean in the bathroom sink.  Like mine, his formula starts out with a bar of soap processed with water.  Mine added scented linen water to the mix, whereas his includes washing soda and Borax.  My mother used to keep a MASSIVE box of Borax in our basement laundry room.  I never had any idea what it was for, but I do now!  I guess people used to use it back in the day for removing stains, or adding it into laundry that was particularly dirty.  It can be harsh on clothes, but effective.  It also makes a great base for all sorts of natural cleaning agents.

Fuzzband used to find my washing slime to be rather gross, but when I explained the cost saving in Trent's formula, he was intrigued to find out if the DIY laundry soap could really clean as Trent claims, comparable to liquid Tide!  We decided that it'd be an interesting weekend project and set about gathering supplies.



Homemade Laundry Detergent Ingredients:
1 bar of your favorite soap
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
3 gallons of water (plus a little extra)

Equipment:  Big ol' pot (or smaller pot and bucket, big enough to hold about 3 gallons), knife or grater for demolishing soap, spoon for stirring, containers for storing the final product.

The first thing we did was to get our shit together.  We bought the Borax and the washing soda (there's plenty left over to do other projects).  I'd had a cake of unscented Dove in my kitchen ever since my mother-in-law included it with the late, great Aunt Pearl's hand-crocheted afghan to pretty up the musty in-storage smell.  The soap still smelled good, and I knew it'd be perfect for this project.  (The Sidekick is an optional ingredient!)

My husband started a couple cups of water boiling in our big ol' pot while I chopped up the bar of soap.  Originally, I wanted to shave it with a vegetable peeler, but after about 10 seconds of futile scraping, I gave up and hacked the darn thing to bits and pieces.

Into the pot our soap shavings went!  We boiled the whole thing, until it turned into...

... a big, foamy blob o' fun!  Then it was time to add the Borax and the washing soda.

Then Fuzzband poured in about three gallons of water.   We almost used Hawaiian Punch, but we got thirsty.  So yeah, in went the water.  Then we stirred the mix until it was thoroughly blended, covered it (to keep out the dust), and left it to "cure" until the following day.  (Trent's directions say to leave it for about 24 hours -- I think we left it for somewhere around 16 and it was just fine.)

You can tell it was a day later, 'cause our kitchen got a bit cleaner. ;)  The final product, Trent's website says, may be slimy or watery or thick or something completely different.  Ours was nearly perfect liquid detergent consistency -- it was only a slimy, but no big deal.  I broke it up with a wooden spoon before we poured it into our leftover detergent bottles.  (OK, actually I rolled up my sleeves and played in it for awhile first.  My hands were very dry afterward, so I wouldn't recommend using this formula on skin.  Keep it in the washing machine, people!)

The batch yielded enough detergent to fill up this many bottles!  We'll probably use a capful or two per load, so we don't need to worry about getting/making new detergent for months and months!

You might ask how the homemade detergent cleans.  To tell you the truth, I don't notice much difference between our DIY stuff and the usual laundry detergents that we use -- BUT, just to let you know, most of my clothes are black.  So I didn't try any white shirt/mustard tests. ;)    It smells vaguely like the unscented Dove bar that we used, so it gave our clothes a very subtly, yet comforting fragrance of my in-laws' house.  In the interest of keepin' it real, I tried my best to stick with Trent's recipe.  I don't think I'd change anything about the ingredients or instructions -- maybe next time I'll add a bit of essential oil if I try a different soap.  

This was a super fun project!  If you're on the fence about trying it, I'd say that you should go for it.  The basic ingredients will cost you less than $10, and you'll have them for a lot longer than that store-bought bottle of detergent.  Give it a shot!