laundry detergent

image via joy ever after

We ran out of laundry detergent this past weekend....not exactly a newsworthy statement but it did inspire me to want to make my own which I have been meaning to do for quite some time. I did not have a preference whether it was liquid or dry so I researched both. For dry detergents, I basically came across the same recipe over and over again - some variation of a shaved bar of soap, borax and washing soda. For liquid, it was a similar set of ingredients with additions of white vinegar, castille soap, boiling water and essential oils. I was about to just go with a standard dry recipe (seemed easier than the liquid) but then realized I wasn't sure what borax was and should probably look into it if I was trying to be more eco and health friendly. What I learned was that the use of Borax is rather controversial - some sources say totally safe, others say not so much. So I decided I would rather be safe than sorry and find a recipe that didn't call for Borax. Here is the one I found via Thank Your Body

1 bar castille soap (shaved) 
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/4 coarse sea salt

Unfortunately, the ingredients were not as easy to find as I had hoped. I found the castille soap at Trader Joe's and the sea salt and baking soda at my local grocery but was not able to find the washing soda or citric acid. This means that I will have to order the supplies online and consequently, did not end up making my homemade laundry detergent. However, I plan on ordering the necessary supplies this week and making my attempt as soon as they arrive so keep an eye out for a follow up post. 

Any readers make their own detergent? Suggestions for me?

garden maintenance

On Monday, I gave the garden some much needed maintenance. I weeded, picked off any yellow leaves or those that were too close to the base of the plant and removed a few spots of soil where it looked like some fungus was starting to grow.  

I also tripped off some flowering buds from the basil as I was told that the flowering will change the taste. Finally, I rotated my flower pots as the amount of afternoon sunlight varies a good amount from the left to right side of the front porch.

I am still concerned about inadequate drainage so I might try to create more holes rather than just expand the ones we already have. Otherwise, I think the plants are doing pretty well. Fingers crossed! Any other tips for me?

closet makeover

This past Friday, I spent the day with my good friend, Jenn, reorganizing her closet. Jenn is a clothes person and she has some great pieces but they were getting lost (to say the least) in her closet. I will just say it how it is or rather was - her closet was a disaster. But I am very happy to say that after a few hours of work and a couple of purchases, it is a beautifully, organized space for her fantastic collection of clothing. Here is the play by play:

We began by taking everything out of the closet and removing the hangers. We needed to get rid of all the dry cleaner hangers as they are not intended for long term storage and tend to get stuck on things. I also wanted to dispose of all the color hangers and just use white ones. White hangers fade into the background allowing her clothes to stand out while color hangers tend to create more clutter (for men's clothes I would recommend using black or wooden hangers). 

After removing all the clothes and shoes, we vacuumed, cleaned the shelves and sorted out the white hangers. I did a quick sketch with measurements and then we headed to Target and The Container Store to get a few key organizing pieces.  

The main area in Jenn's closet that wasn't being utilized was the tall space to the left and right of the built in drawers. I wanted to find something that would allow her to store her accessories (purses, belts etc.) but was narrow as the space is only 11" deep. We ended up finding stackable open bins and pairing them with a wireframe basket (both white). We also bought 180 white hangers (not that I was counting or anything). 

We returned to the house and began filling the closet. Clothes and purses were organized by color while shoes were sort and placed by frequency of use. When organizing heels, we discovered it is much more space efficient to put one shoe facing out and one shoe facing in. We also decided to store some of her winter items. Here is how it turned out!