My Favorite Homemade Cleaners

 Hi friends!  I hope youre having a nice weekend so far.

Since I have cleaning on my mind lately (trust me, most of the time more talk than action), I thought Id share some of my favorite homemade cleaners with you.  I used to be the type that had a specific store-bought cleaner for each room, until the past couple years when I started realizing that I really only needed a few basic supplies for everything and I could make the majority of them too. 

I love using as natural products as I can in our home, but they do have to be effective.  I dont make every cleaning product in our house (I have yet to try making laundry detergent), but I enjoy putting together a few combinations that are effective and also very easy and quick. 

 Distilled white vinegar is like your best friend when it comes to homemade natural cleaners.  It is a great safe alternative to chemical cleaners, does an amazing job, plus its affordable.  I buy a huge container of it at Costco to store and decant it into Ball jars (which sit on my open shelves in the laundry room) and bottles.  There are so many uses for vinegar it amazes me.  Here are some ways I use it:

Floor Cleaner 

 (I use this on our non-waxed wood floors, laminate wood floors and tile)

1 quart water

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

3 drops pure essential oil, such as lemon (optional)

Note: I use a mop with a washable microfiber pad and a refillable bottle that I can pour the solution into

Window Cleaner

equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle 

Fabric Softener

I add 1/4 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle in the washing machine

Mildew Remover + Stainless Steel Cleaner

Undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Pour a few cups of vinegar into the toilet bowl and let it sit for an hour before scrubbing

 Mild dish soap can also be used for more that just washing dishes!  I always use Mrs. Meyers as I love the scents and effectiveness. 

Bathroom Cleaner

(I learned this from reading Martha Stewart and it works fabulous for scrubbing)

Pour a little baking soda and dish soap into a bowl and mix until a paste is formed

All Purpose Cleaner

1 quart water

1/4 cup dish soap

 A friend of mine got me hooked on having a couple pure essential oils in the house.  I have both lavender and lemon and I use them all the time.  I add them to my floor cleaner occasionally to mask the smell of vinegar, but probably my favorite way to use them is in the dryer.  I cut a lint-free towel into little squares and pour a few drops of lavender oil onto the towel square to add with wet clothes in the dryer.  Because I use a laundry detergent that is free of scents and the vinegar in the rinse cycle works as a fabric softener, this is a way I can add just a little natural scent to our clothing. 

I also want to tell you about an amazing natural homemade silver cleaner.  Recently my friend Ann over at On Sutton Place posted her recipe for removing tarnish from silver.  I decided to give it a try one day on our silverware and I could not believe how well it worked (and how easy it was!).  I immediately threw out my silver cleaner!  You can find the recipe here, but it consists of using only water, salt, baking soda and foil.

Im sure many of you have some fabulous ways of using these ingredients for cleaners and probably know a lot more than I do about it.  I just love that there are so many ways to use natural, affordable ingredients that do just as good a job at cleaning...if you havent had a chance to try homemade cleaners yet, I hope you enjoy the recipes!

Have a great weekend.

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Wood Working Store Wooden Ideas

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Thrift Chair Redo

Hey there!  Its Friday!  Without a doubt, the best day of the week, yes?

A few weeks ago, I picked up this chair at a yard sale for 8 bucks.  It was marked $10, but I did a little bargaining...... :)

I dont know why, but I was really drawn to it.  Then when I got it home, I had no idea what I wanted to do with it, so, it sat outside, neglected, for a couple weeks.  And then finally, I had an idea. 

Because I sometimes get ahead of myself, I painted it white BEFORE removing all the fabric.  I knew I wanted it white, so, I thought if I got that done, I could figure out what direction I wanted to go in for the rest of the chair.

Because the wood was so old and porous, it sucked up the white spray paint like crazy, so it took A LOT of coats before it finally looked good.

THEN, I completely stripped the chair to find the upholstery webbing in pretty sad shape.

So, I removed all of it and replaced it with new jute webbing, available at any fabric store.  I used carpet tacks to attach it to the chair.  Why?  Because thats what was there before.  I am no expert on upholstering a chair. :)

During this time, the ideas were comin and I decided I wanted to use light gray linen to upholster the chair, so I ordered it here.  I ordered two yards for this project.

When it was delivered, I was so happy because it was exactly what I wanted and you know how ordering fabric online can be a little iffy sometimes.  But it was perfect, so I got to work. 

I replaced the cardboard strip that was across the webbing originally because it was still in good shape. 

And over that, I added some low loft quilt batting to give a little extra cushion.

To make the slipcover for the chair, I used a piece of newspaper to create the pattern, making sure to leave at least a 3 inch overhang to allow for the fabric to be attached under the seat.

Then pinned the newspaper pattern to my fabric to cut it out.  I attached it to the chair by simply pulling and stapling with a staple gun underneath the chair.

That part is done!

Originally, I was going to stop here, but, that would be a pretty boring chair.  So, because ruffles are big right now and Im a girl, I decided to keep it very similar to the original chair and attach a ruffle around the edge. 

However, I have never sewed or made ruffles before.  So, I guessed my way throught that part and cut 4 inch strips of fabric and hemmed one side.  Then hand threaded a piece of strong thread through the top and bunched up the fabric to create the ruffle.   I have no idea if that is the correct way to do it but thats what I did.

After that, I attached the ruffle strips with tacks around the edge and covered with a piece of trim.  I attached the trim with a hot glue gun.  Then I cut out 1 inch strips of linen to make ties for around the arms.  To make it easy, I just left them rough and didnt hem em or anything. 

It still needed a little something so I made a cushion to place on top of that by measuring the inside of the chair and cutting out two pieces of fabric accordingly, sewed it, stuffed it, and threw it in the chair.  To give the chair a special touch, I stenciled three very meaningful numbers on the top with some vintage stencils hubby brought home and gray craft paint.  Heres what it looks like all spiffed up.

This chair is a bit of a departure from what I usually go for but I. AM. LOVING IT!  Its super fun and I like to mix something unexpected with the expected every now and then.  And besides, I really believe if something makes you happy and smile when youre decorating your home, you should go for it and not worry too much about decorating "rules".

And I love the way it plays with the rustic bench we made.  What do you think?

Stay tuned for lots of fun things next week!  Have a great weekend my lovely friends!

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Wood Working Hand Tools Wooden Ideas

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Coffee Sack Ottoman How To

Hey there, Happy Monday to you.  First, Id like to say that I hope any of our readers who were/are in Hurricane Irene areas are all doing okay.  Youve all been in my thoughts and prayers....

Remember all those coffee sacks I picked up at the farm supply store?  Well, I decided to use some of them to make a slipcover for an ottoman I built and I am so stinkin happy with the results!

I love this thing!  And considering I didnt really have a plan and just kinda created as I went along, Im so happy that the end result was the way I saw it in my head and not a big pile of junk.

I wanted to make it as inexpensively as possible so the only thing I bought was two 2 x 4s for the frame and 4 castors.  I started out by making the frame with the 2 x 4s.  This is the frame I came up with.

I ran out of 2 x 4s during the process, so, I used some scrap wood we had in our shed.  My frame measurements were 24" width and length, and 18" high.  After finishing the frame, I needed to find something to attach to the sides.  I didnt want to buy anything, so again, I used something we already had, which happened to be these wood strips that I had purchased for my Fathers Day gift for my hubby.  Plywood would work just as well.  The goal here was to spend as little as possible to make this and use things I already had.

I attached those all around the frame with a nail gun leaving about an inch space between each one.  There was no reason for that, I was just trying to make sure I had plenty to cover the entire frame.

Next up was the top.  Since this was an ottoman, the top needed to be strong enough to sit on and those lattice strips arent strong enough to hold a person, so, I used some thick maple scraps I had laying around from making bread boards.  I attached those with a nail gun, as well.  Im actually starting to be able to use the nail gun by myself without being terrified uncomfortable.

 

I really wanted to put castor wheels on this because, well, I love castors and being able to easily move a piece of heavy furniture around if I need to is a bonus.  So, I headed to Lowes and found these.

I really liked the copper/bronze look and thought they would pair nicely with the coffee sack that I was planning to use.  And they only cost 5.69 for a pair. 

After attaching the castors, I brought it inside to finish.  I wanted the ottoman to have some cushion to it, so, I wrapped it in medium loft batting.

Next I measured out the sides and top and cut the appropriate pieces from the coffee sacks.  For the top, I used canvas drop cloth instead of burlap coffee sack.  Burlap isnt soft and I wanted the top to be comfy in case we wanted to rest our feet and legs up there.

After measuring and cutting all the fabric for each section, I placed the fabric on the ottoman, inside out and pinned.  Then I removed it and sewed and then gave it a good ironing.  Sorry, I didnt get a photo of the sewing part, I was trying to get it done before it was time to start dinner.  

And thats it!  I cant tell you how excited I was when I slipped the slipcover over the frame and it fit!!  Im still new to sewing my own slipcovers. :)  I chose to make a loose slipcover, instead of actually attaching the fabric to the frame with a staple gun, because I preferred the loose casual slipcover look for this project better.  I am LOVING this ottoman!  And the castors peeking out from the bottom are a fun addition.

Im not the best at tutorials, but I hope these instructions are clear enough should you want to make one for yourself.  :)  And if I just confused you, you can always contact me with questions and I will help as best I can! 

I am huntin for some pretty fabrics for fall to change out the pillows on the couch for the fall season.  I cant wait!

Hope you have a great day!

P.S.  More mini bread boards sets are listed in my Etsy Shop!  And Ive designed and made a new large one.  Ill be sharing that with you later this week.  It is the perfect companion to the mini sets!  Take care and be safe! :)

Linking up with TLC today!  Come join the fun!  Its a party!

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7 Tips For Selling Furniture and Home Goods at a Vendor Fair

Some of my goods for sale at the fair and on Etsy.
 My man has the Miami Dolphins hat on... but hes not for sale:)

For anyone out there who is ready to turn a passion for "upstyling" furniture into a business, one of the first things to consider is where to sell your goods. There really are a lot of different ways to choose to market your goods. You can sell online, by word of mouth, in your own brick and mortar store, you can rent space in a shop, or you can try doing craft and home fairs.

I have chosen to have an online store at Etsy.com (Ill post about selling on Etsy soon).

But, recently I thought I would try fairs, at least occasionally, to develop a more local following. 

So this past Saturday, I did my first vendor fair with Tamara, my roommate from college, read more about that here. And now since I am an expert... well, an expert on the FIRST time selling at a fair, I put together some tips (below) on how to sell furniture and home goods at a vendor fair for your first time. The fair I participated in was the Fall Festival at my sons school and it is the biggest event that they have.  However, it was really not very big and it was certainly no Country Living Fair,

 but it was successful and I it got my feet wet!

With my new found expertise from my one day selling, I thought it would be helpful to share some tips I learned at the fair, but first...

Heres a little of our day in pictures:

With the trucks loaded, our first stop? Dunkin Donuts for coffee!

See this, this is why you bring help. Im taking the pictures and Tamara is doing the work..haha!

Almost ready to start.

Merchandising for Halloween.

And now, what I learned...

1. Be Prepared the Night Before
Layout all your supplies and make a reminder list for the am for “Must Not Forget Items” such as your credit card reader and business cards.

Price your items and use pretty tags. I have a business card that doubles as a price tage. I simply hole punch them and attach with ribbon. When an item is sold, I mark sold across the front.

Load at least some of your items to save time in the morning.

      2. Bring Enough Sellable Goods

      I brought enough goods to fit in at least two trucks or SUV’s and that worked well.  I included three small to medium size dressers and some smaller goods like benches, tables, mirrors and signs. 

      This was the perfect amount of furniture to create a nice storefront.

*For my next fair, I would also include some smaller accessories, like towels, candles, glasses, etc. But, that was just too much for me to worry about this first time!

3. Be Prepared With These Must Have Supplies

Business cards, scissors, tape, safety pins, water, snacks, first aid kit, handy wipes, sanding block and soft rag (in case you have to remove marks or make a small repair), pens, sharpie, trash bags and a tape measure in case people need to know sizes of items.

     4. Create a Pretty Store Front That Reflects Your Image

I used a drop cloth as a table cloth with a burlap runner…. inexpensive, yet pretty. I also pinched the cloth with yellow flowers, which are in my logo. I also brought along extra props to merchandise smaller items. Link here to visit one of my boards in Pinterest to see more craft booth ideas.

5. Market Your Goods

Along with your business sign, add some extra signage. I placed small chalk boards around and I used them to tell customers extras like, this piece has “vintage pulls and casters”, “ we can help you load your purchase”, etc.

6.  Have a Payment System That  Accepts Debit/Cedit Cards and Test it Out the Night Before

I used Pay Pal Here with the card reader to accept credit card payments. I tested it the night before and sometimes the app on my phone shut down in mid payment!! So, I also had my friend load the app on her phone. This saved the day, because my phone was still having issues the next day!

7. Connect with Your Customers

Welcome them with a smile and a hello! Also, I like to lure people in with strategically placed bowls of hershey kisses. They will come!

Some More Facts:

• I rented two spaces to fit all my goods and I asked for an end space. The second space cost less after the first.
• For two spots, I paid $120, I paid Tamara $100 to help and I had the cost of the goods and materials. I was able to cover all my costs and make a profit.
• Next time I would bring: more smaller goods, more signage, a tarp in case it rains and offer 10% off for those the Facebook friend me at the time of purchase.

Find beauty in your day!

Debbie

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