INTENSITY²
Start here => What's your crime? Basic Discussion => Topic started by: MissKitty on June 28, 2012, 05:23:54 PM
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Here to exchange tips, new ideas, and knowledge.
I'm hoping to make the orange candles with the kids sometime soon:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/426119_436742389691985_1678511588_n.jpg)
Make Your Own Homemade Orange or Lemon Beeswax Candles
You can easily make your own naturally scented votive candles from hollowed-out lemon skins or orange skins and beeswax. When pouring the wax, make sure it's at just the right temperature (180 degrees): If it's too hot, it will draw all the moisture from the lemon; if it's too cold, it won't cool and set well. These candles are best used within a day or two after making them.
Tools and Materials:
lemon or orange
knife
melon baller or tool to scoop out the flesh
candy thermometer
lemon oil or other natural oils
wicks
wick holder
beeswax
small paintbrush
1. Cut the lemon lengthwise or just the top of the orange. Squeeze out as much of the juice as possible without tearing the skin. Hollow out the halves with a melon baller or other tool.
2. In a double boiler, heat beeswax until melted, about 180 degrees. Check temperature with a candy thermometer. Turn off the heat and add lemon oil or other oils if you wish.
3. Cut 3 inches of wick; tie a knot at one end. Thread the loose end through a wick holder, and pull so the knot is secure under the holder.
4. Dip the wick and holder with wax until coated; this will stiffen and straighten the wick. Press the wick holder into the bottom of the lemon or orange half to affix. Let the wick dry.
5. Pour the wax into the lemon or orange half, and fill to the edge. Use a small paintbrush to coat the rim of the lemon or orange with wax. Let the candle dry for about 4 hours.
6. Enjoy your natural candles!
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When life gives you lemons... :orly:
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When life gives you lemons... :orly:
:laugh:
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No, when life hands you lemons, make lemon meringue pie. :mischief:
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Cool idea to re-use an old crib
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/282618_382468468484455_2026101155_n.jpg)
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I am taking care not to eat GMO shit.
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I am taking care not to eat GMO shit.
That's hard to do. It's involved in nearly every major name brand on the market. :-\ But it's relief that people are finally becoming so aware. Buying at your local farmers market is a great start though. You're getting good food that's not involved with GMO and you're helping farmers put food on the table for their families. Win-win :)
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Sadly even the most local of farmers use something dodgy along the line. Just because it's not modified, doesn't mean it's instantly better than the stuff found in supermarkets. Some ways, it could actually be worse. All determined by the ability of the farmer though.
An example is the issue of contamination getting on vegetables and meat, which can be common. Things like this caused the widespread Foot and Mouth disease outbreak over here a few years back, which caused most meat to be taken off the shelves and even people being quarantined in order to stop the spread. Most of it was not caused by chemicals or any other forms of modification, except for the matter of aerosol usage in some instances.
(Living in a country where it's pretty much 80% agriculture has it's uses. :laugh: )
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Yeah it's not surprising. If a chemical is used in soil, it takes 7 years for it to clear the earth of its residue. That's why to be truly "organic" is a difficult title to come by. Takes forever for the land to heal and for the farmer to get a true organic status.
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Agreed. Some use the "organic" title as a way to make extra money. Can't blame them though, at these times a lot of farmers have a harder time making money.
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(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/389682_10150656058310679_1914945126_n.jpg)
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I am taking care not to eat GMO shit.
That's hard to do. It's involved in nearly every major name brand on the market. :-\ But it's relief that people are finally becoming so aware. Buying at your local farmers market is a great start though. You're getting good food that's not involved with GMO and you're helping farmers put food on the table for their families. Win-win :)
Me too. It helps that I don't buy anything that is a major brand of any kind except Silk, which is always non-GMO. Almost 80% of my diet is organic now. It's expensive, but even if you remove the health aspect it's worth it because everything tastes so much better
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I'd like to live in one of these:
http://www.woohome.com/architecture/domespaces-rotating-house (http://www.woohome.com/architecture/domespaces-rotating-house)
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I'd like to live in one of these:
http://www.woohome.com/architecture/domespaces-rotating-house (http://www.woohome.com/architecture/domespaces-rotating-house)
I want one! :plus:
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one day when I go out to British Columbia to visit my best friend, I want to stay here:
http://www.freespiritspheres.com/ (http://www.freespiritspheres.com/)
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Here to exchange tips, new ideas, and knowledge.
I'm hoping to make the orange candles with the kids sometime soon:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/426119_436742389691985_1678511588_n.jpg)
Make Your Own Homemade Orange or Lemon Beeswax Candles
You can easily make your own naturally scented votive candles from hollowed-out lemon skins or orange skins and beeswax. When pouring the wax, make sure it's at just the right temperature (180 degrees): If it's too hot, it will draw all the moisture from the lemon; if it's too cold, it won't cool and set well. These candles are best used within a day or two after making them.
Tools and Materials:
lemon or orange
knife
melon baller or tool to scoop out the flesh
candy thermometer
lemon oil or other natural oils
wicks
wick holder
beeswax
small paintbrush
1. Cut the lemon lengthwise or just the top of the orange. Squeeze out as much of the juice as possible without tearing the skin. Hollow out the halves with a melon baller or other tool.
2. In a double boiler, heat beeswax until melted, about 180 degrees. Check temperature with a candy thermometer. Turn off the heat and add lemon oil or other oils if you wish.
3. Cut 3 inches of wick; tie a knot at one end. Thread the loose end through a wick holder, and pull so the knot is secure under the holder.
4. Dip the wick and holder with wax until coated; this will stiffen and straighten the wick. Press the wick holder into the bottom of the lemon or orange half to affix. Let the wick dry.
5. Pour the wax into the lemon or orange half, and fill to the edge. Use a small paintbrush to coat the rim of the lemon or orange with wax. Let the candle dry for about 4 hours.
6. Enjoy your natural candles!
I like this idea. :thumbup:
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I'm all pro do-it-yourself, going green(-er) and ja, not anti-hippie too. Well, I'm not growing my own marijuana but I do grow my own herbs on the balcony. Parsley, chives and basil.
(http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-NH7AXLED.jpg)
In garden, one floor down, there's more herbs and eatable stuff though. 3 diff. varieties of thyme, St Johns' wort, more chives, Japanese wineberries, blackberries, 3 tomato plants (pic later, I reckon), a fig and plum tree and some not really going well strawberry plants as well.
Wish I could be a small farmer (when I'm grown up).. (with a greenhouse).
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I'd like to live in one of these:
http://www.woohome.com/architecture/domespaces-rotating-house (http://www.woohome.com/architecture/domespaces-rotating-house)
I want one! :plus:
It's lovely, but wouldn't the rotation feel like bed spins? I think I'd be dizzy! :autism:
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I don't want anything that moves. :sick:
I want one of these:
http://earthship.com/ (http://earthship.com/)
...or an abandoned missle silo. :thumbup:
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I'm all pro do-it-yourself, going green(-er) and ja, not anti-hippie too. Well, I'm not growing my own marijuana but I do grow my own herbs on the balcony. Parsley, chives and basil.
(http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-NH7AXLED.jpg)
In garden, one floor down, there's more herbs and eatable stuff though. 3 diff. varieties of thyme, St Johns' wort, more chives, Japanese wineberries, blackberries, 3 tomato plants (pic later, I reckon), a fig and plum tree and some not really going well strawberry plants as well.
Wish I could be a small farmer (when I'm grown up).. (with a greenhouse).
I would have a hobby farm if I could. But I couldn't have animals I eat. Just alpacas and donkeys. But a good sized vegetable and herb garden and a few fruit trees. I've got a lot of work to do on my house inside, but next year I'll add a small garden food garden.
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I don't want anything that moves. :sick:
I want one of these:
http://earthship.com/ (http://earthship.com/)
...or an abandoned missle silo. :thumbup:
Green living and cool as hell!! :plus:
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Fun with food:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/309411_358783760857783_1869005654_n.jpg)
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:hyke: :thumbup:
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From the Thrift Fun newsletter I get.
Reduce Soap Waste Using Cord Ties (Zip Ties)
In this economy, I am reworking all the closets in my home and trying to organize and be more frugal. Using my cord ties to bind up long computer cords etc., I came across an idea that actually works in my bathroom.
In the past, I've watered down my soaps to save money. My son likes to use a lot more than he needs, don't we all? I decided to use a cord tie on my liquid soap dispenser to eliminate waste of the hand soap.
I just attatched one to the pump where the dispenser pumps the soap out. You can use a smaller one if you think you want more soap. Works great and saves money!
(http://images.thriftyfun.com/img/017/550/reduce_soap_waste_using_cord_ties_s.jpg)
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That's smart!
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I'm going to make my own laundry detergent next month:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/549018_447972945235596_1699833986_n.jpg)
Homemade Lavender Laundry Detergent
Ingredients:
4- 4oz. bars of grated Castile soap
1- 78 oz. box of Borax
8- 16 oz. boxes of baking soda
3 tblsp. lavender essential oil
Directions:
1. Grate the soap using a cheese grater or food processor.
2. Once the soap is all grated, throw it into a large plastic pail with the remaining ingredients and mix it all together. Each load only takes 2 tablespoons of detergent, so this one batch will cover 288 loads of laundry.
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Double check other sites. Most recipes call for washing soda, not baking soda. Also, if it's not grated finely enough it might take longer to dissolve, particularly in cold water.
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Insulate your windows. Clean the window insides. While still damp, cover with bubble wrap, flat side to the window. Makes a significant difference in the temp. I roughly cut the wrap to fit inside the metal frames, then made final cuts to fit. It's been up for over 9 months now. I wouldn't put it where it could be dislodged, but other than that it lets is light, keeps privacy and is fairly cheap.
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I've been making my own laundry det for over 2 years now. I make the liquid type, but have been meaning to try the dry. I'll second the advice on washing soda. My recipe uses fels naptha, washing soda, & borax. Zote works good too.
Took the recipe off the dugger's site. I think the woman is a fruitcake, but with that many kids she should know how to wash clothes. :P
Can't copy and paste with this damn cell though.
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You can get washing soda, which is sodium carbonate, as a very fine powder that will dissolve almost immediately in the pool isle where it's sold as ph booster. It's very cheep at the end of the season when it's all on clearance. I use it for electrolytic rust removal
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Walmart sells washing soda in the laundry aisle.
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I know Walmart sell it but they don't always have it near me and the pool stuff is extremely fine powder and 99% sodium carbonate with no scents or anything added
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Thanks Parts.
Picked up a whole case of liquid sanitizer in one gallon jugs once. Bleach, just a little stronger than my cheap generic stuff.
Diluted it a bit and didn't buy bleach for quite awhile. :laugh:
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I know Walmart sell it but they don't always have it near me and the pool stuff is extremely fine powder and 99% sodium carbonate with no scents or anything added
I just assumed that the pool stuff came in extra large sizes.
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I know Walmart sell it but they don't always have it near me and the pool stuff is extremely fine powder and 99% sodium carbonate with no scents or anything added
I've never seen scented washing soda. It's available in almost every supermarket here. The size of the crystals differs per brand, but bigger crystals dissolve very quickly too.
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I read through all the comments for the recipe and although I knew that it should be washing soda, people have done it with the baking soda and had good results. If you think about it, adding baking soda to the bathtub when you have a soak is a natural water softener. I'll probably use washing soda though.
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Reading the same. Seems like the difference is one may be just more alkaline than the other. Some sites say you can make your own washing soda by heating baking soda.
Might try your recipe found a couple bars of castile cleaning. I'm not sure I'll go with the lav though. I'm safe with mint & citrus fragrances in small doses, and thats about it. ::)
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You could just skip the scent all together. If you make it, let me know how it turns out
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Okay ended up going with this recipe that I found in a dozen or so places on the web. Wanted to make a smaller quanity in the event it doesn't work out well, and stumbled on this...the peppermint won me over.
Homemade Peppermint Laundry Soap Powder
1 bar (finely) grated peppermint soap (try the Dr. Bronner’s castile brand or Lush, the more natural, the better)
1 cup Borax (Sodium Borate, found in the laundry aisle)
1/2 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda (found in the laundry aisle)
I used 1 bar of Kirk's castile (what I had lurking in the cabinet), and added 10 drops of peppermint oil. My big grater/zester turned the soap to almost dust but it was a PITA to use...I think next time I'll grate it more coarsly and put it in my old food processor that is hiding around here packed away (somewhere). :apondering:
Will test drive this Tues at the latest.
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yeah the only thing I didn't like about the quantity of the first recipe was that it was so much. I'd have to get through 288 loads so I don't waste it. :P :
Although yours will make your clothes smell like peppermint?? I like peppermint but I'm not sure I want to smell like peppermint. I suppose one could supplement for the oil of ones choice though. :laugh:
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Minty fresh. :LOL:
The fragrance isn't really that strong in the powder (all I smell basically is the castile), I'll have to see what it's like on the clothes.
I'll keep you posted as to whether 10 drops is overkill or not. :zombiefuck: You can always make it with lavender. :thumbup:
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Did 2 loads, 1 dark, 1 white.
Both came out of the dryer clean and "fresh" smelling, with no discernable odor or fragrance. I did use a cheaper fragrance oil I had on hand made for candles and soap, so it may be that my oil is not very stronge, but I acheived basically what I wanted and won't be smelling like a breathmint.
As of now, I like this much better than the liquid I make :thumbup: so after I test this more I think I'll be using up that and making more of this.
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Yay! So happy to hear that. Okay, I'm going to use your recipe. Just need to finish up the store bought liquid first. :thumbup:
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For those who wear underwire bras:
When the underwire pokes out the fabric, simply glue the fabric shut with super glue.
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For those who wear underwire bras:
When the underwire pokes out the fabric, simply glue the fabric shut with super glue.
I had one of those once. In less than 5 min I was taking it off and snipping the ends to pull out the wires.
All I could think was how the hell do other women wear these things?
I am hopeless. :LOL:
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For those who wear underwire bras:
When the underwire pokes out the fabric, simply glue the fabric shut with super glue.
I've never thought of that. :facepalm2: To think of all the bras I could have saved. :laugh:
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While doing the laundry one day, I got to thinking that if cotton shrinks it probably stretches, too. I decided to experiment on my kids’ jeans, thinking that if I could make the legs longer we could squeak out more wear. After washing, I folded a pair of wet jeans in half lengthwise and laid them on a beach towel on the floor. Then I stood on the jeans and grabbed the hem of one of the legs. I carefully, but forcefully, began to pull up. I could feel the fabric stretching compared to the other leg. I flipped the pants over and did the same thing to the other leg. When I was done stretching the legs, I hung them up to dry. After they were dry I tossed them in the dryer for a couple of minutes to take away the stiffness. Jeans come out a couple of inches longer with this method than if I simply toss them in the dryer. Sandy, Minnesota
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While doing the laundry one day, I got to thinking that if cotton shrinks it probably stretches, too. I decided to experiment on my kids’ jeans, thinking that if I could make the legs longer we could squeak out more wear. After washing, I folded a pair of wet jeans in half lengthwise and laid them on a beach towel on the floor. Then I stood on the jeans and grabbed the hem of one of the legs. I carefully, but forcefully, began to pull up. I could feel the fabric stretching compared to the other leg. I flipped the pants over and did the same thing to the other leg. When I was done stretching the legs, I hung them up to dry. After they were dry I tossed them in the dryer for a couple of minutes to take away the stiffness. Jeans come out a couple of inches longer with this method than if I simply toss them in the dryer. Sandy, Minnesota
They sell several products to help you do this. Usually the other direction though ;)
http://jeanstretcher.com/ (http://jeanstretcher.com/)