Homemade Febreze - PROVEN

I recently wrote a status on Facebook saying how I really wish someone would create a candle, oil warmer or spray that smelled as good as my fabric softener.

I got a lot of responses and most of them included making my own Homemade Febreze!

I have had this pinned on my Pinterest DIY board for a while now and I had completely forgotten about it! 

I have used Febreze before, all the different types and scents and I like them, especially the "seasonal" ones, but not so much that it's worth spending the $4 a can/bottle on, even at the dollar store.  So, when I found out that I could make my own and I could determine the scent, I was sold.

I happened to have an empty spray bottle in the basement (which I just happened to find when we deep cleaned down there...yuck.)

Beth helped me and we had to use a make-shift funnel...but hey, whatever works!

 

I doubled the recipe because I use a cheap-o fabric softener (I had a coupon) and I wanted the scent to be more concentrated.  It smells amazing!!!!

The one and only complaint I have, is that the scent doesn't seem to stick around long enough for my liking, but I believe that has to do with the Purex I was using.  If I would spring for Downy I am sure it would last a lot longer, but I don't see that happening in my near future.

Get on this one people, saves a lot of money and smells SO good....it really does work!

Wish you could give this a whiff! Haha!

Quick Egg Salad - PROVEN

This is a tip my sister, Ann found.  She was kind enough to share her photos and results with me.

She found this great idea on Pinterest to make a Quick and Easy Egg Salad using a cooling rack to "cut" the eggs.

It's easy to say that this was a winner in her book and it was a fun activity for one of her boys to help her with.

Josiah is 3 and loves helping in the kitchen!  Have I mentioned before that I have the cutest and smartest nephews in the world?

Ann said: It's really easy for an adult to do, but [Josiah's] hands got kind of tired of pushing (I make egg salad with a dozen eggs). So, I did the pushing and then he did the "pounding," which is pounding on the rack to get the bits to fall that didn't get pushed through the first time.

Below are the photos she shared with me, makes me hungry!

Oxygen Bleach to Clean Grout - PROVEN

My husband came up with this idea actually, and I later found it on Pinterest.

He used AJAX Oxygen Bleach, Vinegar and Water to clean our bathroom grout.

The online version I found did not include white vinegar, but he used it anyway and the results were amazing.  He decided on the Oxygen Bleach because it is safe for kids and pets and we have both :)

I am embarrassed about the condition of our grout in the before photos, so please don't judge.

I knew this item needed to be crossed off our to-do list, we just never seemed to get around to it.  I came home to my husband on his hands and knees in the bathroom with a scrub brush and the stinky smell of vinegar.  The results were beyond what I could have imagined and I am so happy that this is done.

Our tiles look brand new and the vinegar smell only lingered while he was scrubbing, airing it out was a breeze ;)

Can you tell which area has been scrubbed??

Chicken Quesadillas - PROVEN

Nick and I bought a lot of chicken breasts and we wanted to try a new recipe for Chicken Quesadillas I found on Pinterest.

http://pinterest.com/pin/43839796344518481/

Of course, I changed it up some to make it our own but I followed the basic principles outlined in the recipe.

Here are some changes I made:

We used boiled and shredded chicken instead of a rotisserie chicken.
We sautéed the chicken with taco seasoning
I used minced garlic from a jar instead of fresh garlic
I added sour cream mixed with hot sauce to the bottom shell before adding the cheese
I added more cheese to the quesadilla once the chicken was added
We used a quesadilla maker instead of a pan as they did in the recipe

They turned out great! They were filling and delicious and not all that unhealthy.....

Enjoy!

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!!

DIY No Sew Tutu - PROVEN

Madison has a photo shoot coming up for her 1st Birthday (don't even get me started on how my tiny infant morphed into a toddler)

Although I am already nostalgic about her first year with us, I am very excited to watch her grow up and to mark the occasion I decided to make her a tutu to wear in her photo shoot!

I used 2 separate guides from Pinterest to make this "No Sew Tutu."  They were both rather confusing in their own ways so I used them both and came upon my method using a combination of the two!

Link 1
Link 2

I went to Joann Fabric and purchased a total of 2 yards of tulle (net) fabric.  I realize now I should have probably had extra for those "just in case" moments, and to be honest I didn't read how much of it I would need before I went to the store...oops!

I ended up having just enough, I would have had extras if I hadn't cut it incorrectly to begin with.

Following Link 1's directions I decided that I would measure Madison's waist (18"), add 2 inches and cut my elastic (20") and tie it together.

After that I laid the tulle out and determined I wanted each strip to be about 8" long (following the guide on Link 2) I doubled that because when you tie the knots you lose length because they are folded in half.  I didn't measure the width of the strips exactly.  I figured 2-2 1/2" would be close enough (and it really made no difference in my opinion)

I had more purple tulle than pink so I used a pattern that I thought would work best to utilize all of my cut pieces.  I would use 2 purple in one knot and a purple/pink combination on the next knot.  I continued that pattern all the way around.

One tutorial tells you to use a chair back to hold the elastic while you tie on the knots.  The skirt I am making is for a tiny person and the chair back would have really stretched out the elastic so I used her walk and play toy handle instead!  Mom's learn how to improvise!!

When it came time to actually tie the knots, I was very confused as to how either tutorial did it but I believe the photo guide on Link 2 was best.  You want to fold the pieces in half, making a loop at the top.  Use your index finger and thumb to open the loop while holding the tails in your other hand.  Put your hand with the loops under the elastic and grab the tails with the same hand that is holding the loop and pull the tails through.  I hope that makes sense.  You do want all of your knots facing the same direction so do this method for the remainder of your tutu.

Half Done!

When I first started I was concerned, to be honest.  I didn't think that the material I got would be enough, I didn't think it would look good together for some reason and I thought that the tutu would be too flat. 

I could not have been more wrong.  As you add to the skirt with more and more knots the full effect of the tutu begins to form and I am so pleased with my results I will definitely do this a lot more throughout her life!

I really hope you try this one, it would make a great gift and I only spent $7.99 total for this project, and for my first time doing this and reading the directions as I went.....it only took me about 25 minutes!!

Reindeer Cupcakes - PROVEN

My good friend, Amanda Benn found this super cute recipe online and sent it to me.  From the first time I saw it I knew we would have to try it as soon as possible.

These reindeer cupcakes were very easy and really fun to make!!

We doubled the batch so we would each have 2 dozen to share with friends and family, or to devour ourselves!

Okay, hold on to your hats and get ready to laugh at me, but I have never made cupcakes before, ever.  Not that I recall anyway, I am sure I have watched and "helped" my mom when I was a child but not in my adult life. 

We used Sixlets for the Reindeer eyes

I was no expert on filling the cups, I got cake mix everywhere at which point Amanda took over for me.  I was just making too much of a mess!!

I recommend making sure that ALL the cupcakes are completely done cooking.  When it came time to frost them, there were about 8 (out of 48) that were crumbling and falling apart, so we decided just to eat those and not decorate them! DARN! :)

We used red peanut butter M&Ms for the noses!

 

I think that they turned out amazing!  It was an awesome time with my great friend, Amanda and we got these delicious and adorable treats!!

 



We liked them better as Rudolphs!