I'm trying to minimize my consumption of items in my house, as well as how many things I discard to the dump and thrift store. So I have been trying to find new uses for things before getting rid of it. It goes along with one of my favorite sayings that I could practice more:
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
So I made my old T-shirts into coasters. Here's how:
1. Cut up one side of the shirt.
2. Spread it out and cut 1/2"-1" strips length wise (the longest side).
3. Once you've done that with 3 shirts, put them together...
4. And make a knot.
5. Then braid them together.
6. Cut out a circle made from felt. The scale of my circle was just based on the widest glasses that I own. Then with a hot glue gun, wrap the braid around the felt starting in the middle out. I first took the knot out so that the coaster lays flat.
Voilà! A coaster.
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Wow, what a process it is moving into a house. It has been so great having our own place to call home. I still find myself shirking when I'm loud, worrying that I'm bothering the neighbors below me, then realizing that I don't have neighbors below me! It's awesome! Now, the houses that were in our price range were ones that needed a lot of work, so we spent a lot of time and effort in getting our house just livable before moving in. I want to thank those that helped us with this process. Those in my ward, my sister and her husband for letting us stay at their house for a week, my niece Kirsten for watching my baby a lot, and of course, my parents! They helped us with so so SO many things, from the process of finding a house, to getting into this house, and from turning this house into our home. We still have a lot of work that needs to be done, but the upstairs is at least livable, and we have been enjoying every moment of transforming the place. Here are a few pictures to show some of the work that we have done.
Now I know it may not seem like it's been a lot of work but what you don't see in pictures is the dirt on the walls, the awful smell of dog urine that was embedded in the floors, and the dog hair that was in every cupboard, etc.
Originally quilts were made from scraps of fabric that were used for something else. Like when someone's dress was worn out they then would cut it up to use it to make a quilt out of. People lived more with the notion of "fix it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Now quilting is a hobby, but I like the idea of taking something that was once used as something else and when it no longer is needed for that purpose, instead of throwing it away, finding another purpose for it. Example: I use torn socks as rags to clean with. I was taking a sewing class earlier this year and my teacher was getting rid of a sample fabric book that came from a home fabric store. So I decided to make a quilt for my little girl. It's still more glamorous than what original quilts were I'm sure. Thank you mom for helping me finish the quilt after Brigitte was born!
I can't believe that's I had my baby a month ago now! It has been hard trying to find a juggle between everything while trying to figure out being a new mom. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it now. There are so many things I've wanted to blog about but could never find the time to do so. I'm now finally feeling like I can set the time aside though. Right before I had my baby girl I had been reading about how people have been able to re-mineralize their teeth and reverse tooth decay (cavities) and gum disease. There are even books on it! So before you think it's impossible to do so and you have a cavity that needs filling, look at all your options before you drill a hole in your tooth and fill it with a foreign substance, think of it this way: if you have low bone density doctors say you can rebuild the density right? Well the same should be with our teeth too. Our teeth aren't dead, they're living. So I did some research of my own as to what I should and shouldn't be doing for the health of my teeth. I found a great tooth powder recipe and Ora Wellness. My husband and I have our own container of the tooth powder.
4 Tablespoons Bentonite Clay
3 Tablespoons Calcium Magnesium Powder
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda (optional)
2 Tablespoons Powdered Mint Leaf (optional, or can use essential oil)- Powder in blender, food processor or coffee grinder.
1 tablespoon Cinnamon Powder
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of Cloves Powder
1 Tablespoon (or more to taste) Xylitol Powder
Essential oils for taste- completely optional but Peppermint, Spearmint and Cinnamon are good. I buy mine from Mountain Rose Herbs.
I get my toothbrush wet and dab a little of my tooth powder on the top bristles. I then swish a couple of drops of Ora Wellness in my mouth with water as a mouth wash. Since I've been using it, my teeth feel cleaner when I wake up in the morning than it normally did, and I've noticed that my teeth have gotten whiter! All the ingredients can be found either on Amazon and grocery store (like baking soda, duh). There
are so many things i normally would put links to but I don't have the time for. Look up about flouride dangers, and the ingredients in my tooth powder. Also remember that decreasing your sugar intake is a must to re-mineralize your teeth. And keep in mind that doctors and dentists, yes have their place, but that they are also in business. Many things our bodies can heal itself if we give it the chance with proper nutrition so asking your dentist if you can re-mineralize your teeth, he isn't in the business to say "yes you can" he didn't go to school to do that.
*I'm not saying don't go to your dentist, you still should get a deep clean every 6 months, etc.
Do you think that your beauty products are safe because it has the word 'pure' or 'natural' on it? Think again! Many of our products have toxic chemicals in them that pollute our environment and are absorbed into our skin. When I say toxic, I mean things that are linked to cancer! And since only about 10-15% of cancer is genetic, the rest being environmental reasons, it's so so SO important that we are careful what we are putting on our bodies. Our skin is our biggest organ and absorbs everything we put on it, I learned this out when I was putting progesterone cream on my skin to help balance my hormones. I have a hard time trusting products so for the most part, I just choose to make my own.
If you don't believe me, check out this website: Skin Deep
And please take a few moments to watch this YouTube video: The Story of Cosmetics
So if you are looking for a great alternative to lotion, and if you're like me, with dry skin living where there isn't much humidity, try this recipe that I have found from the book: My Home Pharmacy: How Foods and Herbs Can Be Your Medicine
Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon emulsifying wax or beeswax
1/8 teaspoon lecithin (I don't put this in because I don't have it, but it helps with emulsifying too)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup aloe vera gel (don't just buy what ever is on the shelf because it's not pure aloe vera gel)
a few drops of an essential oil (I use lavender)
Directions:
Blend the coconut oil, olive oil, wax and lecithin in a double boiler, heating just enough to melt and mix the ingredients. Add 1/2 cup boiling water and stir thorougly. When the mixture cools to room temperature, add 1/2 cup aloe vera gel. Mix well by hand or with a hand blender, then add the essential oils.
Don't stress about the cost of ingredients, this lotion lasts a good while, plus nothing in here is toxic and won't make you ill over time.
(Click on this picture so you can actually read everything on it!)
If you are looking for something more convenient, or are looking for some of these ingredients and don't have a natural foods store near you, check out: Vita Cost it's a discount online store for natural products.
Many of our cleaners contain petrochemicals components that are harmful to people, animals, and the environment. Not to mention that the production of these products requires a massive amount of energy. Living a simple life, means doing what is right for our bodies, homes, and the environment. It means using basic products that are not harmful. This means ditching the bleach. Why? Chlorine bleach is poisonous gas. If cleaner can irritate the skin, eyes, and lungs just by it being in the air, stay away from it! Here are the top 8 best things to be using that are effective cleaners and not harmful:
White vinegar-can be used as window cleaner, drain cleaner, bathroom cleaner, the list goes on. Not to mention you can drink it, in other words, it's very safe.
Baking soda-eliminates odors and is good to use as scrubbing powder, an alternative to Comet cleaner.
Borax-removes dirt, is antifungal
Hydrogen peroxide-nontoxic bleach, antibacterial agent, and stain remover.
Lemon juice-cuts grease and a good stain remover as well.
Liquid castile soap-all-purpose cleaner, grease cutter, and disinfectant. Castile soap is vegetable based soap, not animal fat-based. Can be used as shampoo too!
Olive oil-can be used as furniture and wood cutting-board polish.
Essential oils of lavender, geranium, and tea tree oil-antibacterial and adds a nice smell. Tea tree oil is a natural solvent, cuts grease, and excellent at killing germs and bacteria.
So instead of using toxic, costly cleaners, (costly on your wallet and the environment), try this all-purpose cleaner. You will need:
16-ounce spray bottle
1 cup water
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 tsp pure castile soap (I used lavender but peppermint is really nice too)
little less than 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
10 drops tea tree oil
10 drops lavender or lemon oil
Mix all the ingredients in the bottle and you're ready to go! Can be used for acrylic, ceramic tile, wood, marble, and granite. It's my main cleaner.
Have you ever heard of photographer Gabriele Galimberti's project Toy Stories? Over an 18 month period of time shooting, Galimberti noticed the difference in children and how they interacted with their toys. Those that were from wealthier countries were more possessive with their toys vs. children in poorer countries who had hardly anything but were more willing to share their most prized possessions, their toys, with Galimberti.
Some of these photos are very moving to me and it's interesting to see the difference between these children and what they valued the most. As I am coming to the end of pregnancy (5 more weeks!), I have thought a lot about what I want my little girl to value, and I hope to bring her up appreciating the simple things and not finding too much value on material possessions. I also wanted to make her something special and unique. So I made her her very first teddy bear. Using my resources, I checked out from the library One-Yard Wonders by Patricia Hoskins & Rebecca Yaker and spent a Saturday making her this.
Article by: Amanda Gorence
Photos of children by: Gabriele Galimberti
Photos of teddy bear by: Natalie Ayama
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