craft challenge

In between the daily tasks and client care at work (I swear I'm not neglecting my job duties!), I find myself perusing blogs here and there and bookmarking interesting finds. I wanted to share what I found with you today:

Yep, those flowers are made out of shredded cotton t-shirts. So delicate and lovely. I'm a big fan of hydrangeas and chrysanthemums, so this makes me want to drop everything I'm doing and make a dozen of these beauties. But the bad news? Not a single tutorial to be found! The Cotton brand website used to have one, but they took it down. How rude -- what a tease, right? So my challenge, when I'm done with a couple of pending projects, is to find out how to craft these lovelies. And if it's successful, I will post a tutorial and share the wealth!

For real. I am in love.

so fresh and so clean, clean

Friends, I am so ashamed that I have neglected this blog for over a month! A deadly combination of laziness and lack of new projects had me at a standstill. But I am back and with a long list of goals and projects for 2011; I can't wait to share them.

While I regain my bearings, though, I will make a post or two about old projects. First up: homemade laundry soap!

I discovered a recipe for homemade laundry soap a few years ago and haven't given store-bought detergent a second glance since. I L-O-V-E this stuff. Three ingredients. Each load of laundry costs me pennies. Specifically, about 8-10 cents per load. Cuh-razy, right?! Those are numbers I like to see. And if you're worried about if the homemade stuff delivers, don't be! With tried and true ingredients like Borax and Washing Soda, you cannot go wrong. This is a no brainer for me. I get to store my concoction in cute, reusable glass containers and pair it with vintage spoons for measuring - instead of bulky and unappealing plastic bottles. The only thing that might be a deterrent for some is that the grating of the bar soap takes a bit of elbow grease. But turn on your favorite show and in no time you will have a pile of grated soapy goodness.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2 cups grated Fels-Naptha soap*

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing soda

2 tbsp for a light load, 3 tbsp for a heavy load.

*One bar yields about 2 cups. You could use other bar soap, but I've always stuck with Fels-Naptha.