Salt Dough Hand Ornaments - ON THE FENCE

My good friend Octavia Zuniga tested this Pin on making Salt Dough Hand Ornaments that look like Santa Claus.  I think it's an excellent idea and I am so glad she shared it with me along with the photos and her experience with this crafty project.

I have had great experience with the Salt Dough Footprint Keepsake so I knew this would be an easy and fun craft to do with kids.

Her main grievance is that once the ornaments are completed, they are far too heavy to hang on a Christmas tree so the term "ornament" should be used loosely here. Also, that is why I have labeled this pin as "on the fence."  It was a great and fun project to do with her kiddos, but at the same time it wasn't the same as the pin suggested and the use of the "ornament" on a tree is out of the question.

She did say that if you were to add some string and use a suction cup they would look very cute hanging on a window or using a nail on the wall.  Her idea now is to do this every year and hang them up as a sort of "growth chart" for each child which I think is a fantastic idea!

What you will need (along with paint)

This project did turn out awesome and I think very cute, they will just be used in a different way than the site suggested.

All done and very cute!!

Wall Art from Christmas Tree Ornaments - ON THE FENCE

I saw this awesome idea on Pinterest to put cheap dollar store ornaments into a shadow box and ta-da you have yourself some pretty neat wall art.

I went to Dollar General that very day and purchased some multi-colored--but mostly pink and purple--small ornaments, since they were to be used as a wall decoration in my daughter's room.

When I got home I discovered that I had grossly overestimated the depth of my shadow box and the ornaments were too large, even though I purchased the smallest round ones available.  This is my fault and why I have labeled this post as "on the fence."  If I am able to find an alternative shadow box I will definitely try this again. 

For now, I stuck the ornaments in a glass boot and some mason jars with little battery operated candles, which is cute enough for now, it adds a nice splash of color to the counter and when the lights are off in the kitchen the candles create a nice warm glow.

I will try the shadow box idea if I can get my hands on one with more depth and for a reasonable price!

If you have tried this idea, please share your results with me!  I would love to hear your story!

Heavenly Smelling House - ON THE FENCE

We were having company over a few months ago and I am always using those Scentsy wax warmers, candles and plug-ins.  Seems like I need one in every room, the scent just never carries the way I would like.

I saw this on Pinterest and thought, hey I have oranges and cinnamon, might as well give this a try.

The recipe for a Heavenly Smelling House is very simple.  Boil orange peels with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon on Medium heat.

This did make my house smell nice, mostly in the kitchen and living room, which are connected, but even faintly in our bedroom.  I was pleased with the results. 

However, I must not have used enough water and after an hour of the peels boiling most of the water had evaporated and caused a sticky mess in the bottom of the pan.  Burning cinnamon doesn't really smell that grand.

That was my error though, and I want make sure you all have the information that I didn't. 

I suggest using a large pan with plenty of water and perhaps more cinnamon for a more concentrated scent since more water will dilute the smell-good effects this really does have.

Sparkling Clean Dishwasher - ON THE FENCE

First of all, I am really upset that somehow my before and after photos have disappeared.  So, I apologize for not having any hard evidence here, but you will just have to trust me on this one. 

Unfortunately the before and after photos look exactly alike, I probably would have had a hard time labeling them as "before" or "after"

Although this once again proclaimed "miracle" did NOT get my dishwasher "sparkling clean" I think it has more to due with built up rust stains from our periodically hard water than anything else.  I will say this, my dishwasher certainly had a fresh scent and I have used the baking soda cycle several times since to keep it smelling fresh.

I probably should give it a try with bleach, and if I do I will post those results.  Since I didn't have any on hand when I tried this, I omitted it (it was optional, anyway)

You might want to give this one a try on your own dishwasher, but for me, the appearance of the inside of mine is still the same.

You can find the pin here: Sparking Clean Dishwasher

Ink Stain - ON THE FENCE

So, my ink pen exploded in my beloved John Deere purse. You can see the picture of the disaster below. I found on Pinterest that you can get out ink stains, even set in ones, with Hair Spray or Hand Sanitizer. So I put that theory to the test!

Before-Outside of Purse

Before-Inside of Purse

I soaked the stain inside and out with Hair Spray, rubbed it in, a lot and let it set just a few minutes before I washed it with my regular laundry degergent.

Below you can see the results after the first wash. The stain was still pretty noticable so I decided to let the hair spray soak longer this time....

After 1st Wash

I waited about 4 hrs before I ran it through the wash again, this time adding some hand sanitizer to the stain and rubbed it again quite a bit. I knew some of the stain was coming out because it was all over my hands....still is!

After the second wash it was much better than the first and I decided not to use the washer to wash this one item for a third time, I have other laundry to do. So I let it dry by hanging it out and the stain is almost not even noticeable anymore. But, if you look closely you can tell it's still there.
I am happy with the results since the before and after pics are a complete 180 from each other, but if you are looking to get a set in ink stain out of a white shirt, I don't know if hand sanitizer and hair spray will be your answer, but its worth a try!

After 2nd Wash