Doesn’t look like that is the case today, the schools called a 2 hour snow delay and we had to scrape snow from the car before I could take N to work. I am sure it will melt away throughout the day. It is May for crying out loud, snow in May is not the norm!

We got back from visiting my mother yesterday and were exhausted. N had been on the road for 2 days prior to us visiting family then we stayed with my mom for 3 days.. Basically he was on the road for 5 days straight.

We always have some temperature shock and allergy issues when visiting family down in phoenix.. It is generally 30 degrees warmer where they live and about 6000 feet in elevation change.. it kicks our butts! So, when we got home in addition to being beat I had to put the house back together (the cats usually freak out when we are gone).. That is why I posted a meme yesterday instead of telling you all about our trip.

You guys know that my mom and I set out to make soap for mothers day, my mom was really excited about it. She saw this particular recipe on Martha Stuart for goat’s milk soap that was all natural. The one thing my mom was not able to pick up before we got to her home was the lye needed for the soap. We went on a quest for lye, which is said to be sold at any hardware store. We went by home depot, lowes, ace hardware and even frys.

After hitting every store we could think of we did not find the lye, we headed back home to make some phone calls to track down the lye.

Nobody knew what lye was or carried it and the process of trying to get help over the phone was enough to make your blood boil. One place had us on hold forever (6 minutes) and then it turned out the phone was in an employees locker, that is why it took so long for someone to help us!

Lye is sodium chloride which is used in pool chemicals, drain cleaner, to make soap and a number of other things. Apparently it is also used to make meth (seen the movie Fight Club?) so commercial sale has practically been stopped and sales associates have no clue what lye is or which products contain it.

Many products contain Lye (like Draino, which also contains metal shavings) but finding pure lye turned out to be impossible in Phoenix. You can buy lye online but that wasn’t going to help us to make the goats milk soap that day.. So we decided to make the soap another day, when we can order lye online and have it shipped in.

So, we weren’t able to make the soap but we had plenty to keep us busy! I’ll post more about the trip tomorrow, lets just say it involves snakes, chickens and baby chicks.. It is way too much for one post!

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Every effort is helpful whether you are making it on for one day or if you are setting out to try and do something differently for the entire year. Some of the things we are doing year round are rain water harvesting and grey water harvesting. I take baths often and am always feeling bad about sending the perfectly good water down the drain afterwards. Since I use biodegradable shampoo and soap I have been eager to siphon my bath water out into the garden. We life in the desert so sometimes rain water is limited.. If I can take my bath water and store it for use in the garden that would reduce the amount of water we waste and it is good for the plants! We rigged up our low tech bath water harvesting system yesterday and it worked well last night!

We also have a compost bin and are able to greatly reduce the amount of waste we contribute to the landfill by composting and recycling our waste. Our compost goes right back into the soil to replenish it and provide nutrients and our recycled stuff gets reused also.

What things do you do to tread lighter on the earth?

Anther great way to celebrate earth day is with the kiddies. After all one day tis earth will be theirs and we need to teach them to respect and value it. Crafts are great ways to teach kids things with a hands on approach. Consider doing some earth day crafts with your kids today if you can, it is a great opportunity to bond with them and teach them. Here are some ideas for parents who want to craft with their kids:

Making Earth Day meaningful for children of all ages

Recycling craft ideas

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I have been wanting to make one of these for our home for quite sometime and I am finally making it happen this week. I like the idea of the braided rug because it is made from recycled material that I would otherwise throw away. Plus the rug has a unique, primitive charm about it!

Making a braided rug is actually not as much work as I thought it would be, you should try making one too! Here are the easy instructions followed by a helpful video tutorial:

Braided rugs are not only useful around the home but they are also a great way to recycle fabrics. You can make your own braided rug using old t-shirts, boxers, linen and even scrap fabric from sewing projects! These are sometimes referred to as “rag rugs” they have great character and are a wonderful way to recycle and reuse.

I have been wanting to make one of these for our home for quite sometime and I am finally making it happen this week. I like the idea of the braided rug because it is made from recycled material that I would otherwise throw away. Plus the rug has a unique, primitive charm about it thtat is extra special because it is 100% homemade!

Making a braided rug is actually not as much work as I thought it would be. The instructions I read were sort of confusing but eventually I was able to make it all come together. With these simple instructions you will be able to make your own braided rug now too! Here are the easy instructions followed by a helpful video tutorial I just put together:

Gather scrap fabric & old clothes, you can color coordinate them based upon the desired color scheme of your rug. I like using dark fabric colors. Using white or lighter colored fabric will only show dirt and look dirty faster.

Next cut the fabric into strips that are about 1 inch wide, the longer your strips the less sewing you will need to do later. Just get as many strips as you can from the scrap fabric you have rounded up. Also, the accuracy of the strip width is not really a huge deal it is just a guideline. I am not good a cutting straight lines so my strips weren’t perfect. It didn’t impact the result of my rug.

The condition of your strips will greatly impact the look and feel of your rug. If you don’t mind a rustic rag look then hack those strips up but if you want a neater look take care when cutting your strips so they are not jagged.

Now sew a few of your fabric strips together to form 3 longer strips. Each strip should be about 12 – 18 inches long for optimal braiding ease. Strips that are too long will tangle while you braid and that is pretty annoying, you’ll see this in the demonstration video.

Now tie a knot at the top edge of the strips to secure the three fabric strips together. You can rubber band the strips to a door handle, coat rack or whatever is convenient for you.

You can begin braiding the three strips together like you would braid hair. When you get to the edges of the fabric strips (leave about 1-2 inches from the edge) pin the braid so it doesn’t come undone and sew additional strips on to the braided strips so you can braid more.

Continue braiding and sewing strips on till the cows come home! Seriously though you should continue till your braid is long enough to make the size rug you desire. This is lots of braiding and sewing! Every now and then do a test wind to see how much rug your braid huge braid will make. Use a clothes pin to secure your braided fabric while you do your test wind.

Add more fabric strips and continue braiding if necessary. When your braid is the desired length tie it off and get some thread and a needle. You will now begin sewing your braid in the shape you want it. Sew each braid coil till you have a rug in your desired shape!

Trim excess string and fabric and you are done sewing and you’ll have your very own homemade braided rug! I made an instructional video that demonstrates the process and also shows my braided rug throughout the process. Give it a try, its super easy and rewarding!

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The most popular topic for this edition of make it from scratch is food, these ideas are mouthwatering and I can’t wait to try some of them out! If you are looking for creative recipes you have come to the right place.

One of the best ways to enjoy the food you eat is the raise it/ grow it yourself. This is the ultimate in self sufficiency and it’s easier than ever to Get Started Growing Vegetables. Home grown veggies are not old delicious but they are also very rewarding!

I know I enjoy freshly grown zucchini, green beans and perhaps some salad from my own garden and nothing goes better with freshly grown vegetables than some homemade Salad Dressings. Over at Funny about Money you will find six easy salad dressing recipes that are easy, delicious and addicting.

You could take your freshly grown green beans and onions to make Melissa’s Green Beans With Caramelized Onions recipe.

If you are looking for a creative sweet recipe head over at changing seasons you can find a creative recipe for Papaya Pie, it’s a great unique make it from scratch dessert recipe. If you like more traditional desserts you might consider making your own from scratch cake mix for a sweet treat.

Over at cheaphealthygood you can find a very inexpensive and delicious recipe that is great for entertaining… A Tale of Two Salsas. I love a good salsa and for about $.04 per serving the recipe is great for the pocket book too!

If you are like me you enjoy cooking enjoy making a meal for your loved one. Valentines day is just around the corner and you create a romantic home cooked meal for you and your loved one. Consider a quite evening at home by making Turkey Ragout with Rigatoni for you and your honey! Katy outlined the recipe so clearly and it seems very easy to try.

Or you could bring delicious Baked French Toast to your loved one in bed on valentines day with a single rose, a great way to start the day off and show you care!

Another delightful sweet recipe you could consider is making Quick and Easy Cream Scones recipe is courtesy of our red house and is one of the easiest and quickest make it from scratch recipes I have seen! Enjoying scones with jam and some coffee or tea is a great way to start your morning.

Making something from scratch can be very enjoyable and it’s also a great expression of love so give it a try for valentines day!

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of make it from scratch, next weeks edition of make it from scratch will be hosted by It’s all for the best and you can submit your own articles to the make it from scratch blog carnival

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I have included a brief excerpt from each of the articles, if you click the excerpt it will take you to the article.

Make your own braided rug/ rag rug – Braided rugs are not only useful around the home but they are also a great way to recycle fabrics. You can make your own braided rug using old t-shirts…

How to make a t-shirt quilt – Everyone has a pile of t shirts that have sentimental value, you may never wear them again but you hold on to them because they remind you of where you have been and all you have been through…

How to make a cell phone cozy – These days everyone has a cell phone and they take it everywhere with them! Unfortunately, having your phone with you all the time can result in it…

How to make a duvet cover – Making your own duvet cover is great, it allows you to create exactly what youwant how you want it. You can add Velcro inside the duvet cover …

Recycling craft ideas – Crafting is a great hobby for both young and old but as with any hobby it canget expensive. If you have to run out and buy tons of supplies for your…

Creative do-it-yourself Christmas gift ideas - Whether you are trying to save money or if you just want to give a sentimental gift often times handmade/ homemade gifts are best. My favorite gift…

Autumn craft ideas for kids - What is more profuse in autumn then leaves? I love using items found in nature for my crafts! I have many craft projects that use autumn leaves so …

Origami projects for kids – Origami is great for kids because it improves hand eye coordination and it helps them feel comfortable reading and following written or visual inst…

Spring crafts for kids and families - Spring is a wonderful time of year because it symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings. Plants are springing back to life after the long, harsh winter…

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I had planned to publish the instructions for the cozy sweater purse in my previous post titled Homemade Christmas gift ideas, to-go boxes and purses… Oh my but the post became rather long and for the sake of the sanity of my readers I put the instructions here in a separate post so it could be found more easily.

All you need to do to make this nifty little sweater gift bag/ purse is find an old knitted sweater or perhaps a nice wool seater that has been felted (or if you are like me it was mistakenly shrunk).

Take your favorite purse pattern or draw your own. I’ll post a my own free pattern here for your to print and use, please don’t repost it though, link to this blog post if you wish to share the pattern/ instructions with your own readers.

Place the top edge of the pattern along the bottom part of the sweater so that the decorative ribbing/ edge of the sweater becomes the top portion of the purse.

Place right sides together and stitch the sides and bottom of the purse. Note do not stitch the top sides of the bag that this time!

Turn right side out, clip and and press the edges so that the purse has the desired shape.
With right sides out you will now sew the top sides of the bag (the seam you are sewing should be on the outside of the bag, opposite of the rest of the bags seams).

Next cut two 8 inch strips from the sweater for the straps. Mine were 1 inch wide. If you prefer you can use cording or belting inside the strap.

If using belting or cording wrap the sweater fabric around it press with iron and hand stitch.
If you are not using belting you can sew the pieces together (wrong side out) and then turn the strips right side out after sewing them.

Place the sewed straps into the strap slits and hand sew the slits back together with the straps inserted. Fold the top portion of the bag down and you are done!

This homemade gift bag/ purse is very customizable and can be made into any shape or pattern you like. You can sew buttons or beads onto the purse for decoration or you can even iron on some decorative patches to customize the purse even more.

I found some cheap bath items that I plan to fill the homemade purses with, then I’ll give these as hostess/ host gifts this holiday!

At last the pattern I used is available for download! Simply click the link and when the photo displays righ click it and choose “save image as” – sweater-purse-pattern.jpg Print out he pattern an cut the blue outside away and your ready to begin crafting. Enjoy!

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Anyway, I have also been exploding with gift giving ideas this holiday season! I just taught myself how to fold little “Chinese food” type to-go boxes that I plan to stuff with goodies (maybe pecan buds and cookies or some homemade fudge) and give away this holiday. I’ll share how to make your own below.

I also read about making little handbags from old wool sweaters and thought I would give it a try. I went to the local thrift store and bought all the fun knit and wool sweaters I could find, they sell clothes by the pound there soI go lots of sweaters! These sweater purses are super cute, you can out gifts in them like bath sets or an assortment of fluffy socks or whatever else you can think of. You can also make matching gloves to go with this purse out of the sleeves of the sweater! These look so cute an cozy and are super easy to make!

To make the origami box with fold down lid follow these instructions: I am also planning to make a video of this fold because it’s difficult to explain and is easier to show, besides I am a visual learner so videos help me. This craft can be done with card stock, origami paper or just plain old computer paper (or old catalogs if you want to recycle). I used computer paper in the video.

1. Start out with a perfect square piece of paper.
2. Fold the lower left corner up to the upper right corner, repeat this for the lower right and upper left corners. This will leave you with an X running through the center of your square piece of paper.
3. Next fold the trip of your lower left corner into the center so that the point is just touching the center of the X you just created. Repeat this for each of the 4 corners.
4. Now unfold all the corners, you will see 4 squares inside on the inside of the paper and 2 triangles on each corner of the paper.
5. Now fold the tip of your lower left corner to the newly formed line just under the opposing corner. Repeat this for each of the 4 corners.
6. Keeping the 4 center boxes flat fold each side of the box up and crease the square box in between so the sides flap folds out. Repeat this for each of the 4 sides.
7. Fold the side box flaps and glue
8. Fold the top box flaps in an hole punch them so they can be tied with ribbon.
9. Decorate your box and fill with goodies!

I had planned to publish the instructions for the cozy sweater purse but this post became rather long and for the sake of the sanity of my readers I put the instructions in a separate post so they could be found more easily.

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