Heat Press

So I've been working with my heat press finally and got some shirts done. I did one for Mattison with Softball on it. I made one for Keltie that says Daddy's Girl. Blake got one that says I got these guns from my dad.  They all loved their shirts.  I've got me a shirt but I can't decide on a design.  I have started 2 cups. One is mine and I put Beach Hair Don't Care on it. I've also done one with a Pirate on it. Those 2 are still in the works as I am going to add some more design on them.  Hopefully I will soon be able to get a larger variety of heat transfer paper and start doing more designs.

Laundry update

I wanted to update everyone on the liquid laundry post I had previously done.  While I love using my own laundry soap that I have made (and alot cheaper than buying it) the previous recipe was taking too long to do for me after having our son December 2017.  I now use a powder recipe that is quicker and just as cheap to make.  I also now have a front load washing machine and I have continued to use my powder, detergent with no issues.  The recipe is really easy:

1 cup EACH
Borax, Arm and Hammer washing powder, scent beads of your choice and oxi clean (or store brand). Mix together and store in container.

I use a round, tall plastic container I got at Dollar Tree.  I normally double my recipe since I do laundry for a family of 5.  I don't have to make it as often that way.  The last time I bought my detergent supplies I was at Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.  I didn't want to pay for brand Oxi-Clean and they didn't have a Wal-Mart brand.  I was looking through the other stain/whiteners, etc they had and found Purex 2 Stain Fighter for a couple bucks. I figured I'd give that a shot.  So far it has been working well.  I have a scoop from a previous box of Oxi-Clean and I normally use about a half of that scoop (Maybe 1-2 tablespoons depending on size of load).  Another note you don't HAVE to use the stain fighter, however, I have a husband who always drops food on his clothes and I have 3 kids so I always use it.

I would love feedback if you use this recipe.  Let me know how it works for you!!

Back in action!

Hi!  It's Michelle Cooper.  Just letting you know that we are back in action and ready to get this blog going. My sweet hubby bought me a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas which I used to make Christmas gifts for family members.  I am hoping to make it into a business to help contribute to our household income.  Chris accepted a new position with his job at their Rocky Mount, NC location. We moved to Ayden, NC in the middle of March this year. I am now a stay home mom to our son.  So stay tuned for more to come.  I plan on doing vinyl decals, cups, mugs, T shirts and hats.  I also look forward to being able to utilize all the various items we have collected over the past few years to re-purpose into custom items.

Container Gardening

 Container Gardening is very simple to do.  When you do not have space for a contemporary garden you can use any pot, bucket, planter, etc to grow your own fresh vegetables.  A corner of your deck can serve as a spot for your own tomato plant like this: 

Want to grow your own leaf lettuce?  Stick a couple plants in a large flower pot and set on your front porch. 










Fresh herbs can be grown in small pots in your window sill or setting around your deck.  This is a fresh sprig of parsley coming up.  It needs very little maintenance and produces excellent results!





So take a small space and turn it into a productive space!  Start Container Gardening today!  Don't let the lack of land stop you from produce your own healthier produce fresh from your back porch!

Beekeeping

Well the wife is right.  I have been a little slack updating the blog, but I have been extremely busy between work and trying to get ready for our new additions to the family.  Nooooooo it's not a baby,  well it is 12,000 baby bees.  That's right 12,000!  And they will grow to more than 50,000 by the time summer gets here.  I am getting into the world of beekeeping to help increase our garden and flower productions.  Also, as a by-product we will sell the honey and I will make beeswax candles and other products from the hive.  Here is a picture of our first hive!   Below you will see that I made our first batch of 5 votive beeswax candles and they turned out wonderful!  I will blog about how easy that is next and the next mold that I will use has EVERYTHING to do with our new beekeeping adventure!
Stay tuned for more adventures from the hive!





Chris

Update

I've been a little slack in adding anything (of course..I think hubby has too lol). Here it is 6 weeks after my 1st batch of laundry detergent. I have now made my second batch.  I read on the website I found it on there were some complaints of not cleaning really dirty clothes.  The writer said you can add more washing powder and borax so I tried it. Wellllll.....I had a bucket of congealed soap the next day lol! I added some hot water and stirred it alot and funneled it into my bottles.  I just shake the bottle real good before I pour my detergent and it's fine.  Since hubby loves to work outside and doesn't really care what gets dirty. I have pants and shirts with mud, potting soil, grass, paint etc from him, not to mention 2 girls who roll all over the ground, go outside in their socks and one of them always seems to come home from daycare with mulch in her shoes. So I have taken the writers advice and also started adding a 1/2 scoop of OxiClean.  So far I am enjoying using the homemade laundry detergent.  I have also made a natural multipurpose cleaner from water and vinegar.  We bought a dry erase/chalk board easel from the Goodwill store. It had marker all over it and not dry erase marker on the board lol.  I used my multipurpose solution and the marker came right off!  Stay tuned for upcoming projects.  I have several things I want to try such as make my own fabric softener sheets, hair detangler, natural weed killer and I want to dive into Fake It Frugal!  More on that next time!

Making a Rain Barrel in 30 minutes!

It is true!  I made a very nice functioning rain barrel and it took no more than 30 minutes to complete.  Here is the parts list you need and links to the items from Lowes.com.

1) 55 gallon plastic drum barrel  (You can find these for FREE if you ask around..  I did!)
2) NDS 8 inch Black Round Gate  Round Gate $4.67
3) 3/4 inch T-handle hose bib  Hose Bib (spigot) $5.33
4) 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch x 1/2 inch Male Garden Hose to MIP adapter  Overflow attachment $3.46
5) pipe thread tape

THAT'S ALL THE MATERIALS YOU NEED TO BUY!  ALL UNDER $15!

Here are the steps I took to make the rain barrel.

1) Take the round gate and put it on top of the barrel where you want the downspout to go.  Trace the circle that you need to cut out for the round gate.  Next, drill a pilot hole in the center of the circle you just drew.  Next step is to cut out the circle with a saber, jig, or another similar saw.  Make sure you hold onto the plastic piece so it doesn't fall into the bottom of the barrel when you finish the cut.

You may need to take a file and shave a little more plastic off the edges to make sure you have a good fit.  You can use silicone to seal it up tight around the edges or do what I did and just tap it in nice and tight.









2) Using a 1 inch spade wood bit or hole saw drill a hold about 6 to 8 inches from the top of the barrel where you will want your overflow spout to go.  This needs to be on the left or right side of your rain barrel as you are facing it.  Take some plumbers tape and wrap it around the threads of the over and simply screw the overflow into the barrel with a wrench until it is tight.

As you can see to your left, I used large rubber washers as extra precautions between the connectors and the plastic barrels.  You simply glue or silicone these in place once the connections are tight.










3) With the same 1 inch bit drill a hole about 6 inches from the bottom of the barrel where you will want your spigot.  Once you have the hole drilled, as above, wrap plumbers tape around the spigot threads and screw it into the barrel with a wrench.

And that is it as far as making the rain barrel!  Simple huh?

















4) Now the final step is fitting your rain barrel to your downspout.  I set the rain barrel in front of the downspout up on bricks where it would be sitting normally and cut the existing downspout off a few inches above the barrel to allow me enough room to put the curved downspout back on into the top of the barrel.

I used a marker and a hacksaw to cut the downspout off.  It took about a minute to cut the downspout off and get the curved piece in the right spot.  I reattached all the metal clamps etc on the shorted downspout.





DONE!  Nothing else to do but collect the free water and use it on your plants, lawn, or anywhere else you may need it.

Here is the way my finished barrel looks. I plan on painting it in a subtle grey or brown color to blend into the house. 

Very quick easy and rewarding project!


Chris