Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap - Face Wash

For years, as long as I can remember actually, I've had problem skin. When I was younger, we couldn't afford a dermatologist, and now, as an adult, I wanted to avoid one because I knew the "solution" would be in a pill. I prefer to take a more natural approach when it comes to my body. With that being said, I am sooo excited to share this with all of you!

As a last ditch effort I decided to give a pure castile soap a try in hopes it would clear up my sensitive acne prone skin. I had tried every product imaginable from drug stores and department stores, as well as proactive (don't even get me started on that one - ugh!). Nothing worked. I told myself if this last method didn't work, then it was time to make a dermatologist appointment. Oh my gosh am I glad I gave this a try! It's super simple, costs hardly anything and my skin has not been this clear since I was a child.

All I do is mix a small bottle with a 50% castile soap solution and 50% filtered water. I put 2-3 drops in my hand and rub my hands together quickly to form a good lather. I wash my face twice a day this way, and after a month, I am pimple-free. That's it, seriously! Now that my skin is adapting to this method, it has dry days, and I use a handmade face cream (more on that later!).

I use Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap, the mild baby formula. You can buy it online here or go to your local Vitamin Shoppe.

I love that this works because I also use Dr. Bronner's to make my own laundry detergent (for less than $4 for 64 washes), homemade body wash (I actually use the same solution I use for my face, and have since needed far less body lotion), baby wash, dishwasher detergent, and dog shampoo. I'm sure I'll find plenty of other uses for it in the future, and I'll be sure to share.

And, an even better bonus to Dr. Bronner's is that it's completely natural, and biodegradable. I won't harm our water system, or our skin and is produced in a fair way. Because it is free from harsh detergents, it doesn't wreak havoc on my skin (sodium laurel sulfate is a major skin irritant for me).

Let me know if you have questions by leaving a comment below. I'm always happy help!

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

I brought this dressing to work with me, and everyone raved over it and has been asking for the recipe. This is sooo good, and healthy too!

1 C Cultured Buttermilk
2/3 C Mayo
2/3 C Plain Yogurt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Chopped Chives (or dried)
2 tsp Chopped Dill (or dried)
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together quickly until evenly mixed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to serving. This will last as long as the expiration date on your buttermilk.

Enjoy!

Grow Your Own Seedlings

**This a post from my other blog - Clearing Out The Stuff, that I felt could be carried over to this site as well**

This was a huge step for me! If you know me personally, then you probably know just how un-green my thumb really is. I have never been able to keep a plant alive - even the easy ones. This is a difficult area for me, and I know it's silly - so I'm trying super hard :)
As a fun project, my 5 year old son Austin and I decided to try and grow our own seedlings using an inexpensive greenhouse kit (to a more experienced gardener I'm sure this seems wastefull - but I've never done this before, and I wanted my son to see something, lol). This was so easy, we just poured water over the soil packets to make them expand, planted 2-3 seeds in each soil packet, and covered it with the lid - I didn't even have to water it the first week because it stayed so moist.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but everything sprouted, and quickly at that. This photo was taken 1 week after we planted everything. We have six different varieties, and 12 of each, leaving us with 72 plants, and no where to put them, lol. That issue led to me to container gardening and garden beds - but more on those later! We are three weeks out, and so far everything is thriving. It's my hope to have a bunch of fresh veggies this summer for my family. Knowing where my food is coming from, and the soil it's grown in is important to me - not to mention it will save us a lot of money over time if I freeze (or, imagine, learn how to can/preserve!) the food.

Spring Butterfly

Welcome Back!

We're counting down the days until Spring arrives - and I know we're not alone! :) We decided to make butterfly's today. This is an easy and fun project for the kids.

What you need:

Pipe cleaners

Scissors

Coffee filters

1) Fold a coffee filter in half and cut out the shape of half of a butterfly wing. Open it up and cut a small hole in the center to slide the pipe cleaner threw.

2) Fold the pipe cleaner in half, and grip the un-joined ends about half an inch down and twist to form antennas

3) Slide the wings onto the body of the butterfly, and there you have it!

Come back soon for more crafty fun!

-Lisa :)

Clothes Pin Alligators

Welcome Back!

We just got back from a vacation in Florida where we visited a crocodile park. I thought the kids would enjoy this project a lot.

What you need:

Wooden Clothes Pins

Markers or paint

Pipe cleaner

Googly eyes or a black marker

Craft glue

1) Paint or color the clothes pins your desired color (Austin wanted his brown and green). To make the inside of the mouth for the gator, color or paint pink on the inside gripping points (see the photo above)

2) Fold the pipe cleaner in half, and then in half again and separate into the "legs", so it will sort of look like an X - glue this inside the gator's mouth and then shape into feet

3) Glue on googly eyes, or color them on with a black marker.

Thanks for Visiting!

I hope you enjoyed this craft. I will be posting another later this week.

-Lisa :)

Easy Wall Art

Welcome Back!

This was a fun project for my son. He's fascinated with reptiles, so we flipped threw some National Geographic magazines (super old ones, lol), and tore out the pictures he liked best.

The frames were in packs of two from the dollar store, and were unfinished.

What you need:

Photos or Magazine pictures cut to the size needed to fit the frame

Lightweight unfinished frames

Acrylic Paint

Paint brushes

1) Paint your frames in the desired color (Austin's room is based around the primary colors, so we plan on hanging these on the blue wall to follow the theme). Gather your photos or cut out the magazine pictures while the frames dry.

2) Insert the photos and you're done!

I hope you enjoyed this one!

Come back soon for more projects for you and your children.

Take care,

Lisa :)

Sensory "Table"

Welcome Back!



Or maybe I should say "I'm Back!!"



I've been very distracted over the last few weeks, and have jumped into a bunch of projects (I'll post more on that later ;)



So I'd like to jump right back into this one. I will be doing my best to post at least 2-3 new projects each week. I actually started a new blog that focuses on simplifying, gaining health, and living in more sustainable lifestyle. If you'd like to take a peek click here.



Now onto the project....



What you need:

Large plastic storage container w/lid (I used an under the bed version that I already had)

3-4 large bags of uncooked rice (I found these for $1 a piece at the supermarket)

Any extra kitchen "tools" and toys you have - we used measuring cups, Popsicle sticks, funnels, foam pieces and old die-cast trains.


1) Empty all of the bags of uncooked rice into the storage bin and add your "tools" and toys - that's it!



My children will spend a good 30-40 minutes playing in the rice. They pour it from funnels and cups, and make birthday cakes with measuring cups and Popsicle sticks. They like making designs in the rice with their fingers and pushing the die cast cars and trains around in it. I have to stay close by my little one to make sure she doesn't throw the rice all over the place.


Make sure that you close up the rice to avoid small pests.


Thanks for visiting my site and please come back soon! I will be adding a few projects each week.


Take care!

-Lisa :)

King Cake - Fat Tuesday

Hi Everyone!
We're making a king cake tonight to celebrate fat tuesday. Here's a super simple way to make this complicated cake.
Buy pre-made cinnamon roll dough with frosting. Take out all of the roll segments and shape them into snake like shapes then attach them together to form a circle. Bake according to directions on the package. While that's baking, separate 3 piles of sugar and place in small bowls. Use food coloring to dye the sugar (I used 3 drops per bowl with about 1/4 cup of sugar in each one - traditional colors are purple, green and yellow ( we didn't have yellow, lol). When the cake is done, frost then add the colored sugar in three segments. You can also include a trinket before baking (plastic baby, bean, and so on) - we won't because my children are still too little.
I'll post a pic tonight.
Happy baking!
Lisa

Fuzzy Felt Spider

Welcome Back!

Everyone is finely feeling better in our house, thank goodness! We got back to our crafts this afternoon, but the last few days got me thinking. I'm changing the dynamics of this blog. I still intend to do a craft everyday with my children, but I won't be posting daily - it's just too much right now. I'm limiting my blogging to 2-3 days a week - so you'll still get plenty of crafty ideas :)

My son's 5th birthday is next weekend, and a friend of mine gave him a craft DVD that was completly geared toward his age - I love it! The DVD gives you a few different crafts to complete, and then goes on to tell a story involving the character's your child just created. Thank you Mar! This spider was one of the crafts in the video.

What you need:

2 Sheets of felt in different colors

4 pipe cleaners

Scissors

Fabric Glue

Tape

1) Cut out 1 large circle, 2 smaller ovals for the eyeballs, and 2 tiny circles for the pupils.

2) Glue together the eyeball pieces to create finished eye, and then glue those to the large circle to create your spider base.

3) Hold the 4 pipe cleaners together in your hand so that they are even, and then twist from the ceneter to secure them, you can also take one end and wrap it around the center and then pull it back over to line up the legs. About an inch and a half from each grouped end (4 ends in a group) hold your hand straight, and bend the legs down, then do the same to the tips of that section, but pull them up a bit. Repeat on the other side. Now it should look like cartoon spider legs with feet.

4) Attach the legs to the back of the spider face with tape, and then you're done!

That's it!

My son had a great time making his spider climb the walls of our house this afternoon.

Thanks for visiting, please come back often!

-Lisa

Some Links

Welcome Back!

Everyone in our house is sick now, and none of us really want to do much, lol. If you're looking for some fun craft ideas for you and your children, here's a few links to some sites I enjoy. Hopefully we'll all be up and moving soon, and back on track with our projects.

Nick Jr. Games

Easy Child Crafts

Family Fun

Take care everyone!
-Lisa

Groundhog Day!

Welcome Back!

Well, both kids are still sick, and Austin had no desire to do much of anything today, so I went online to look for a cartoon groundhog for Hannah to scribble on. I found this, and it looks a lot like the one I did when I was little for the movie Groundhog's Day staring Bill Murray. It was filmed in the town we live in, and it's a huge deal over here, lol. Our little theater plays the movie for free the entire week, and people can take tours of the town's square where it was filmed and see the spot where Bill Murray tripped and fell into the street - seriously. So, that being said, I just couldn't let the day go by with out doing something festive :)

Please be sure to check back tomorrow - hopefully my little artist will be feeling better.
-Lisa

Make A Face

Welcome Back!

Austin is still a little under the weather, but he said he wanted to do a project, so we did this, and he had a great time. He thought making his own people, or aliens as he put it, was hilarious.

What you need:

Construstion paper for the base

Magazines

Scissors

Glue stick

1) Depending on your child's age, either cut out a bunch of body parts from the magazine, or have them do it.

2) Let your child glue the parts together however they want.

3) Talk about what you see in the finished image and what the new characters are doing.

That's it! This is so simple and inexpensive, and so far I'd have to say this was one of Austin's favorites.

Be sure to sign up for the daily emails so you don't miss a project.

Come back again soon!

-Lisa

DIY Memory Board

Welcome Back!

It's a Momma Craft day!

I'm always looking for ways to use the odds and ends around my house, so I'm delighted that this turned out as well as it did. I didn't have to purchase a single thing to make this, and it's going to look great in Hannah's room! This picture really does not do it justice.

What you need:

Cardboard (or any sturdy solid lightweight piece - I used foam core, I've also heard of people using styrofoam)

Fabric large enough to cover the entire surface of the board and wrap to the back (I used one of Hannah's old baby blankets)

Various ribbons

Scissors

Glue Gun

1) Cut your board down to desired size (you can make these small for inside of lockers and attach magnetic tape to the back)

2) Using the hot glue gun, glue one entire side and let set. Pull the fabric taught, and glue the opposite end, repeat with the other sides so that the fabric is pulled and there are no wrinkles or bumps.

3) Glue on the ribbon strips in whatever fashion you'd like. I did one entire angled row, and then did the opposite angles so I could see where everything was going to intersect.

4) Find a few intersecting points, and glue them down, but don't do all of them, that way you can slip in different sized photos and momentos. I glued on iron on appliques to these spots to cover the glue and give it more personality.

That's it! If you used styrofoam, you can put nails in the wall, and then push the board into it. If it's a small locker board, attach some magnetic tape to the back. I don't plan on mounting mine to the wall, but instead resting it against the wall on top of her short but long dresser.

If you have any questions on this project or any others, just let me know by using the comment boxes.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit often!

-Lisa

DIY Straw Toppers

Welcome Back!

This is a fun, easy and inexpensive project that your children will love!

What you need:
Straws
Scissors
Small Printed images - (we did an image search on Google for one of Austin's favorite character's)
Hole punch

1. Find and print out your images - square and rectangle shapes seem to be easy, but get creative here

2. Cut out your images, leaving enough room along the top and bottome to put holes

3. Put a hole at the top and the bottom of each piece, and then insert the straw threw each hole starting at the bottom of the straw (you will probably have to squeeze the straw at the bottom to make it fit), and then push to the top.

That's it!

I hope you enjoyed this project!

-Lisa

Why Children Need Art Education

Welcome Back!

Everyone in our house is sick right now, and no one wants to do much but sleep :)

That being said, I thought it would be a good time to cover the art education topic. This is under a lot of debate right now, as more and more schools across the country are eliminating the arts in school in order to save money. This is a topic I feel very strongly about for a number of reasons, and was shocked when it sparked a debate between my husband and myself. He didn't feel it was an important part of the educational system "at least for little kids" to use his words exactly. So I started looking up information on the topic (becuase for some reason he can't take what I have to say about the subject as truth because I'm "too emotionally involved with it" to use his exact words again, lol).

Well, I came across this article and I think it does a great job of explaining exactly why children thrive from art education in grade school.

Here's a small portion from the National Arts Education Public Awareness Campaign talking about some of the benefits of art education in grade school:

(your child is) "4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement


3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools

4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair

3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance"
 
Please visit the site for a more compelling list of reasons your child needs an art education: http://www.artsusa.org/public_awareness/

This is what my site is all about, and part of the reason I upload a new project each day. I hope that this can be used as a resource for many.

Would you like to share something on this topic? Please feel free to leave a comment below.

-Lisa

ABC Valentine

Welcome Back!

This is a great way to practice begining reading skills with younger children. Just write someone's name vertically, and then horizontally next to each letter, find an adjective that describes that person. Austin and I had a great time coming up with words that describe his "Nana".

What you need:

Construction paper
Scissors
Marker
Any extras you'd like to use to decorate the heart

1. Fold the sheet of construction paper in half, and cut out half of a heart along the fold so that when you open it up, you'll have a symetrical heart.

2. Write the person's name vertically, then you and your child can think of adjectives for that person that start with the begining letter.

3. Decorate!

That's it, and I'm sure the recipient of this Valentine will absolutely love it :)

Thanks for stopping by! Please be sure to come back soon, I publish a new craft or art project every day.

-Lisa

DIY Wooden Bookmark

Welcome Back!

Sometimes when I'm flipping threw a magazine, I come across something that catches my eye because I have one of those "I could do that!" moments. That's where this project came from, and I thought it was a cute idea - the real ones sell for about $6 I think. This one set me back about $.82 with tax because I had everything else on hand. This project is definetly for older children, and would make for a really cute gift too.

What you need:

Stamp
Ink pad
Thin rectangular sheet of wood (I didn't do a thing to this piece execpt sand the edges)
Ultra-fine sand paper
Ultra-thin tip black pen/marker (I used Micron at 0.2 cm)
Markers

1. Sand away any rough edges.

2. Choose your stamp, and then stamp the image onto the wood lightly. Take your thin tip marker and outline anything you want to show up black.

3. Color in any areas you want to have color in with marker.

That's it! You can also free-form draw your image - I did that with the heart in mine. Don't be afraid to improvise, and be creative. If you're going to give one away as a gift, you could also write a poem or note on the other side.

Don't forget to sign up for a free daily email subscription to this blog so you don't miss a thing!

Let me know how yours turns out, leave me a comment :)

Have a great day everyone!
-Lisa

Primary Color Mixing

Welcome Back!

This is a great project for learning about color mixing, and how combining colors creates new colors. My son loved it, and kept singing that he was a "fantastic artist", lol.

What you need:
Acrylic Paint in Red, Blue and Yellow (the primary colors)
Paintbrush
Dixi cups or plate
Paper sheets
Water to clean the brush

1. Put each color of paint in a seperate cup or in seperate piles on a plate

2. Allow your child to mix and experiment with colors on the paper - explain what different colors are made by mixing.

Did you try this one? Let me know, I love to hear that our projects are being done! Don't forget to subscribe to my free daily emails so you don't miss a thing.

Thanks for stopping by!
-Lisa

Valentine Cones

Welcome Back!

Happy Monday everyone! This afternoon we put together these Valentine's Day cones to hold candy or treats. They are super simple to assemble.

What you need:

1 sheet of construction paper

2 pipe cleaners

Hole punch

Tape

Stickers, markers, paint, and/or glitter

1. Make a cone shape out of the construction paper by rolling it up at a diangle and taping it down to secure.

2. Trim any jagged edges at the top with the scissors, and puch two holes directly across from each other.

3. Twist together the pipe cleaners and then attach each end to each hole in the cone by looping and twisting it threw.

4. Have your child decorate however they please.

That's it!

Thank you so much for stopping by! Don't forget to subscribe to daily emails so you don't miss a thing!

Have a great day,

Lisa :)

DIY Baby Pants

Welcome Back Everyone!

It's Sunday, which means it's a Momma Craft day! I love this one, but can not claim it as mine :) Not too long ago I stumbled upon a great site called makebabystuff.com that's filled with lots of fun ideas. One of them is a super simple, free project to make baby pants. I tried it out and was done in 30 minutes start to finish. You can try it out for yourself here.

I'm putting this up here for two reasons, one because I think it's a great find, and two, because I put my own spin on it. Instead of buying new fabric, I used an old pair of my husband's jeans and added my own details to make it girly for my daughter. For this example, I used one of Hannah's baby blankets (she never grew attached to them, but did fall in love with her raggy pig). I love some of the blankets she has, and I just can't bear to get rid of them. I had left over fabric from her blanket that I'll be turning into a heat/ice pack. Come back again for that project!

The picture at the top was one of Hannah's old blankets, I just finished this tonight and love it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Did you like this post? If so, please share it. And don't forget to subscribe to the daily emails so you don't miss a thing.

Have a great night!
-Lisa