Pickling

I think it would be fun to try pickling someday!

DIY Photo Backdrops

LOVED these ideas from Laci Davis on Studio 5! Now if only I could convince my husband we need an SLR camera...

Find a Fun Background

Look for a background that you love. This can be anything from wallpaper, fabric or even your favorite blanket. It's as easy as just taping it up on the wall.

Get Molding

Simply adding molding on the ground is a great way to make your backdrop look like a real studio. It's something you can pick up for under $10 at a home improvement store, and it makes a huge difference.

Use Natural Light

You need to find a space that has great natural light, but is still in the shade. I have use my garage to make my backdrops, but any place that has room and natural light is a great photo spot.

Find Good Flooring

Flooring really gives a finishing touch to your photo backdrop, and there are so many great options out there. You can buy small already cut portions of vinyl flooring at the home improvement store, or you can buy rugs that look like flooring at photography stores.

Make it at Home

All-Purpose Cleaner

1/4 c, white vinegar
22 tbsp. baking soda
1/2 gallon (1 liter) hot water
a few drops of essential oil (optional)
Combine in bucket, stir and let cool for a few minutes before pouring into a spray bottle.

Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
Equal parts white vinegar and water
a few drops of essential oil (optional)
combine in spray bottle and shake

Carpet Cleaner, Heavy Duty
Equal parts salt, white vinegar, and borax.
Mix ingredients into a paste, rub on affected area and let sit for a few hours. Then scrub away with a brush or damp cloth. Make only what you need each time because doesn't store well.

Dishwasher Soap
Equal parts borax and washing soda
Mis and store in labeled conainer. Use amount nromalley called for in your dishwasher. If your water is hard, might want to increase proportion of washing soda.

Furniture Polish
1/4 c. oilve oil
4 tbsp. white vinegar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Combine in spray bottle, shake well before each use. Store in fridge because lemon huie will sour. Should only be used on unvarnished wood furniture.

Glass Cleaner
2 stp. white vingar
1/4 gallon (1 liter) water
few drops essential oil optional
combine in aspray bottle and shake. Works best by wiping surface with crumpled newspaper.

Laundry Soap
1 c. unscented dye-free soap (such as Ivory), grated or ground with a food processor.
1/2 c. washing soda
1/2 c. borax
few drops essential oil optional
combine and store in labeled container. Use 1 TBLS for lighter loads, 2 TBLS for heavy loads.

Mold Remover
1 part hydrogen peroxide
2 parts water
few drops tea tree oil optional
mix in spray bottle. Let cleaner sit on stain for about an hour before scrubbing off.

Oven Cleaner
3/4 c. baking soda
1/4 c. salt
1/4 c. water
mix into paste and spread over a dampened area. Let sit overnight and scrape off and rinse clean.

Toilet BOwl Cleaner
1/4 c. baking soda
1 c. white vinegar
combing and pout into toilet. Let sit fo a few minutes then scrub with toilet brush and rinse.

Homemade Toothpaste
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 to 3 tbsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. Stevia powder
few drops of pure peppermint extract or essential oils lemon,clove, lime, cinnamon, peppermint, eucalyptus, or licorice. (not all safe to ingest, these are fine)
Mix until resembles toothpaste. Sotre at room temp in small lidded jar, use a small teaspoon to scoop out a small bit onto your toothbrush. Or store in empty squeeze tube found in camping section of sporting goods stores. Coconut oil has melting point of 76 F, doesn't change it's effectiveness if more liquidy. Stevia provides natural sweetness as does the oils.

Homemade Deoderant
1/4 c. baking soda
1/4 c. cornstarch
4 to 6 tbsp. coconut oil
essential oil optional
empty deoderant container
Mix soda and cornstarch in small bowl, add coconut oil tablespoon at a time until all have been mixed in. Add oil for scent. Pack deoderant into clean, empty deoderant container by twisting down the inside and filling with new deoderant. Shape into curve with spoon and apply as usual. Make sure coconut oil is in solid form, you may need to refrigerate it for a short time if it's warmer than 76 in your house. Simplemom.net search homemade deoderant

dealseekingmom.com
moneysavingmom.com
madebyjoel.blogspot.com
laundrytree.com (soapnuts)

Color Me Beautifful by Carole JAckson

All of the above from Organized sImplicity.

Homemade Yogurt

Homemade yogurt? I've been skeptical but this video clip shows how and it looks good! Make your own cream cheese even? I think this is great to know for food storage. If I ever get my year supply--I'll be trying this out!

Substitutions

I just found this awesome list of ingredient substitutions. I was looking for a substitute for sherry...and found this great resource! If you're missing an ingredient...check this out! It might help!

amaretto: use ½ tsp almond extract in water for every ¼ cup called for
brandy: use in fruit juice in equal amounts called for;
cognac: peach, pear, or apricot juice in equal amounts called for;
red wine: cranberry juice, grape juice, tomato juice, even beef or vegetable broth can be used; sherry: apple, pineapple, and orange juices all make good sherry substitutions.

Shutterfly Christmas Cards!

Since we have moved away from friends and family this year, I am really anxious to send out Christmas cards! I guess hoping they will be returned, and that a little bit of my lonesomeness from missing Utah will be eased. Plus it is so exciting and fun to send and receive Christmas cards! It helps you feel the Christmas spirit when you send cards to friends and family.
I have found that Shutterfly has some great options at great prices! I'm not sure how I'm going to choose just one!
No matter what style you are going for--they have it. I'm more of a simple yet elegant sort of person, but they have more trendy, fun designs too. They even have options for you to include more than one picture in your card.

I love how the stars frame the picture in this card! Love it!
Shimmering Stars
I love the simplicity of this card--mainly a picture on the front with space inside for you to write whatever you want!
Holly Frame

I love red, and I love snowflakes. This makes a beautiful combination!
Elegant Lace Snowflakes

This one to me is elegant--maybe because of the black and white. I also love the "oh holy night" script since that is a great Christmas carol.
O Holy Night

This one is beautiful! Red, stars, belief...there is so much to believe in that we are reminded of at Christmastime.
Believe in Magic

The best part about Shutterfly Christmas cards is that they have an amazing offer for bloggers to get 50 free holiday cards! For information on signing up, go here! Thanks Shutterfly for a great Christmas gift!

Condensed Milk

Do you know that part on the Winnie the Pooh where he gets stuck in Rabbit's house? Rabbit asks him "Would you like condensed milk or honey with your bread?" Writing this post reminded me of that...hehehe. :)

I recently tried this recipe for homemade sweetened condensed milk and was really skeptical because powdered milk is gross. I used this recipe in a Brazilian Lemonade recipe and couldn't tell a difference whatsoever in the taste. It was amazing. I think I will be making my condensed milk from now on considering how expensive it is at the store! I also love that it makes it so much more likely that I will know how to use my food storage!

You've got to try it for yourself!

* 1/2 C. hot water
* 1 C. sugar
* 1 C. non-instant dry milk powder* or 2 C. instant dry milk powder*
* 1 T. butter

Method:

Blend in blender very well. Use in any recipe calling for sweetened condensed milk.

*Must be REAL powdered milk not a milk alternative!

this recipe is from Crystal Godfrey:everydayfoodstorage.net

You can save leftovers in the fridge or freezer...sorry I don't know how much this recipe makes exactly!

Excited for what?

Yes it's true, I am so excited about food storage! Lately I have just felt like we really need to make it a priority...but we could barely afford the essentials each month. Until now! My husband graduated and got a full time job that started today...and I got this awesome book (and another book) for $1.52 thanks to Swagbucks!
And now...I can't wait to start gathering food storage and actually using it for our meals! I've already started using powdered milk in cooking--amazing. Saves so much money too! I highly recommend this book, and I'm so happy we now have enough money to have a food storage budget!

Laundry Soap

Lately I have been discovering all these things you can make from home that I never knew you could make from home before! It is definitely a lot easier on your pocketbook to do so. This is one of those things I never would have thought about making myself. Laundry soap. Here are two recipes, I can't wait to try! You can also watch a video about it here.
Image found here.
GEL LAUNDRY SOAP

• 1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap.
• ½ cup washing soda
• ½ cup borax powder
• You will also need a small bucket (about 2-gallon size)

Grate the soap and put it in a saucepan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Tips:

• The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel that has been accurately described as an "egg noodle soup" look.

• The soap is a low-suds soap. So, if you don't see suds, that is okay. Suds do not do the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.

Optional: If you want your soap to have some sort of scent, you can scent this with ½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice. My favorite scent is orange essential oil.

(Source: ww.thefamilyhomestead.com)

POWDERED LAUNDRY DETERGENT

• 2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated - you could also try the other bar soap—Zote, etc.)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax

• Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.

• Use 2 tablespoons per full load.

(Source: ww.tipnut.com)

Commonly Asked Questions:

Can these two be used on colored clothes as well as whites?

Yes, if you are careful…I have found that my bright colored cotton fabrics do seem to fade color faster with these detergents, to make them more mild for bright colors, back off the soap amount used in the original recipe.

Homemade Bread

Recently I have heard frequently that making your own bread saves money...and so I have been wanting to dive into the world of making my own bread, since we have peanut butter sandwiches for lunch everyday around my house, and consequently go through bread very quickly.
I have only made my own bread once before, and it was successful. I was pleased with how easy it was as well as the results, except that the bread was really crumbly and not good for making sandwiches.
Well there is a local TV show that I like to watch and they had a segment about making your own bread. Ever since that day, I have wanted to try this recipe! Since we were out of bread, and I don't have a car to go to the grocery store until around 10 tonight...I made it! I think it's great! I just successfully spread peanut butter on a slice of bread, without everything going crumbly and falling apart. Of course, I would rather that it was wheat bread than white...but you have to work with what you have. I also only made a third of the recipe since I didn't have enough yeast for three loaves, or three bread pans either. Luckily it divides rather nicely. So here is the recipe from Studio 5!

Basic Homemade Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups warm milk*
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 8-10 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Additional butter for brushing loaves

Method:

Place warm milk and sugar in mixing bowl, stir in yeast and allow yeast to dissolve and form a head.

Beat in softened butter, 3 cups flour and salt. Gradually beat in enough more flour to make soft dough. Knead by hand or by mixer.

Kneading by hand: place dough on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (lift edges of dough, fold over and press down); add additional flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking to surface and hands (caution, do not add too much flour, dough should be soft and pliable with just enough flour on the surface to prevent sticking). Knead 10-12 minutes.

Kneading by mixer: use dough hook on mixer; knead on low speed, gradually sprinkle in additional flour to prevent dough from sticking to sides of pan (caution, to not add too much flour, dough should be soft and pliable); knead approximately 5-7 minutes.

Place dough in clean buttered bowl. Brush top of dough with melted butter, cover and allow to rise until double in bulk (about 30-90 minutes).

Punch down or knead out excess air. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. Knead each piece until smooth; shape or roll each piece of dough into 9-inch long log; butter bottom and sides of 3 loaf pans (9x5x3); place bread in prepared loaf pans and brush top with melted butter. Cover and allow to rise until double in bulk (when dough is pressed with a little finger the indent will remain); approximately 30-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cover from bread and bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when thumped. Remove bread from pans, brush tops with butter and allow to cool.

Use 9x5x3 loaf pans. Makes 3 loaves

* Milk should be the temperature of a baby's bottle.

Whole Wheat Bread: reduce milk to 2 3/4 cup; reduce sugar to 1/3 cup; substitute 3-5 cups whole wheat flour for white flour; add 1/2 cup honey or molasses at the same time as butter and salt. Follow directions above.