Shopping, a lemonade recipe, and the purge.

 Yesterday, I went on a shopping trip with my father and Mark (happy Father's Day, by the way!). It wasn't the type of shopping trip I'd go on with my mom. Instead, we went to Strawberry Fields (a natural food store with great selection and not-so-great prices), Am-Ko (an Asian food store--highly authentic and awesome prices), and World Harvest (a store with tons of food from around the world, as well as gourmet and unusual foods). If you are ever in the Champaign, IL area, all of these stores are located very close to the U of I campus, and are definitely worth checking out.

At World Harvest, I got these "If You Care" gloves--just to check them out. I love wearing gloves while cleaning and washing dishes, and these gloves seemed like a pretty awesome investment. They are fair trade, ethically-sourced, and biodegradable. All of that sounded pretty great to me. They seem to be of very good quality, which is great, because they were five dollars. I like to spend my money well.

Unfortunately, they are bright green, which doesn't exactly match my kitchen!

Also purchased yesterday:
- Peanut oil
- Textured vegetable protein
- Arrowroot powder
- seaweed sheets (for making sushi!)
- washcloths
- rice noodles
- soba noodles
- and more!

Overall, it was a great shopping trip, and a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. And did I mention that we went to the Golden Wok Thai/Chinese Restaurant, too? We got vegetables and tofu. Yum.

Let's see. I've been doing some other interesting stuff lately, right? Oh, right, I made some delicious lemonade the other day. The old fashioned way, of course. Here's the recipe I used from the book, Back to Basics:

1 quart water

4 lemons

1 cup raw sugar (I used a little less)

First, juice the lemons. Then, put the peels on a bowl, and cover with the raw sugar. I only did these with half of the peels, because I used to other half to infuse vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes, then pour one quart of boiling water over the sugar and peels. Let cool. Combine with lemon juice. Taste, and water down as necessary. I probably added at least a cup and a half of water, because it was so sweet. But either way, it is absolutely delicious.

Now, for the purge.

I really don't wear makeup often. Mostly because it's expensive (I won't buy products that have been tested on animals, which is difficult and guilt-inducing, because many of the products within these products have been tested), and adds a lot of time to my morning routine. Still, I own a lot of makeup that has been gathered through the years (pretty gross, now that I think about it). Same with hair supplies. Having been no-'poo for almost seven weeks now, I have not been using any products (hairspray, mousse, etc.) whatsoever. And lotions, creams, powders, etc. with gross ingredients just freak me out. It's time to purge. In favor of more natural alternatives (I've been looking up homemade versions of these things!), I am attempting to rid myself of most of these products. The problem I'm facing is, what on earth do I do with all these stuff? I'll let you know how it turns out...

Two Green Cleaning Books: A Review.

Working at a library certainly has its benefits, and one of my favorite parts is how often I hear about interesting books, from patrons and other librarians alike. Librarians, generally speaking, seem to be pretty green people, which is awesome, because I get to hear about books such as these:








I love the idea of green cleaning, and if you do, too, then you may enjoy these books. However, these books are helpful for different things.

Green This! is not only informative, but also an interesting read. All profits of this book go to Imus Ranch, which helps and empowers kids with cancer, which is pretty awesome in itself. If you are on the fence about whether or not to switch to green cleaning methods, reading this book will almost certainly convince you to go green. Reading about all the chemicals used gave me an eerie feeling, and I am more ready than ever to switch pretty much everything for a more green alternative. However, if you want recipes for homemade cleaners, this is not the book for you. The author makes a lot of recommendations for eco-friendly and non-toxic products, but does not give recipes. Some of the information regarding essential oils is interesting, but often unclear of how much to use. Over all, I would say this book is more informative and convincing--definitely worth reading, and especially helpful if you are looking for where to buy eco-friendly cleaners.

Green Cleaning for Dummies is full of green alternatives to the toxic ways we are used to cleaning. Not only does it give several recipes, but it also gives short, sweet, easy to understand alternatives to how you may be cleaning your home. Here is an example recipe:

Minty Fresh All-Purpose Cleaner

2 tbs peppermint liquid castile soap

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup vinegar

water to fill 1 quart spray bottle

*mix all ingredients in bottle. Spray on cloth, mop, or directly on surface

It is not only incredibly informative on how to clean, but it also delves into an equally important issue of keeping your home free of dust mites, stress, etc., as opposed to just getting rid of the toxins.

Both of these books have been interesting to read, and I look forward to utilizing their tips and tricks.

All-Natural Disinfectant.

I love all the recipes I find on Pinterest for natural cleaning solutions! I've been using infused vinegar for some time now (I even got my skeptical boyfriend to love the stuff!). Now I am finding myself branching out a little with the homemade cleaners. This recipe is a little more in-depth than some you'll find, but it really works well!

You will need:

A spray bottle (I got the one pictured at Big Lots for a few bucks, and I love it)
1/2 cup lavender-infused vinegar--see below (or, alternatively, use white vinegar and 10 - 20 drops of lavender essential oil)
1 tsp washing soda
2 cups hot, distilled water
10 drops tea tree oil (or more!)

To do:

If you choose to infuse the vinegar with lavender, simply combine a tablespoon of lavender buds with hot vinegar in a jar, and let sit for a week or so. Strain. Easy as that!

Combine the vinegar and washing soda together (there will be some fizzing/bubbling), next add the castile soap and hot water (not boiling). Let cool, and if desired, add a few more drops of essential oils of your choice (I'd recommend tea tree or lavender).

This disinfectant works well on most surfaces, but due to the vinegar, do not use it on granite or marble. The washing soda makes it very effective against grease, so I especially like to use it on my stove top. Enjoy your homemade disinfectant!

Thrift Store Curtain, or Cloth Napkins?

Yesterday, while looking around at our local thrift store, I found a valance-type curtain for 75 cents. My boyfriend Mark was in need of some place mats and cloth napkins for his place, so I hoped there would be enough material to meet those needs.

For the cloth napkins, I followed this tutorial. They turned out great.

For the place mats, I used the same concept to sew the napkins, but used one of my own place mats as a guide for measurements. They are a little thin, as I didn't have a nice fabric to line them with (in the future, I will definitely do that), but I am pleased with how they turned out. I had enough leftover material to make a nice little lavender sachet, too.

All of this for 75 cents? Thrift stores are the way to go.

Now, for an update. It has been a week since I transitioned to the "no shampoo method." It isn't easy, when you're used to shampooing daily. However, I am getting better at it, I think. I've been using a solution of water, baking soda, and a drop of tea tree oil every few days, then rinsing with apple cider vinegar. My hair is really long, so I don't think the ends are getting quite enough hydration. They are feeling very, very dry. I am looking to see if I can find any alternative solutions.

As for my face, the oil cleansing method, so far, is going well. I have not noticed a big change in my skin, other than not having to moisturize as often. More updates to come.

A more natural cleansing routine...

Today is May 1st, and today is the day that I am officially changing my personal cleansing routine.

I've been experimenting for a while, and I have settled on my decision:

1. For my face, I will be using the oil cleansing method.
2. For my hair, I am going shampoo-free.

Why try these methods, you ask? Look here and here.

Wish me luck!

All-Natural Shoe Deodorizer.

A moment of honesty: my feet smell pretty bad... sometimes. Mom has always told me, "If you would just wear socks, then your feet wouldn't smell."

Wearing socks isn't always practical. One of my favorite pairs of shoes is from the Green Toe line made by Simple. Unfortunately, this brand went out of business about a year ago, so they are no longer made. Bummer.

But either way, I love these shoes, and I will do whatever it takes to keep them smelling fresh. Here's my recipe for a natural deodorizer. I put it in a mason jar with a parmesan cheese shaker lid. Saw that on Pinterest once, so I had to find a clever use for it.

What you need:

Lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree essential oils (or whatever)
3/4 cup baking soda
1/2 cup organic cornstarch (arrowroot powder would work well, too)

To do:

Mix the above ingredients until there are no clumps. Shake into offensive shoes. Leave for a few hours or overnight. Voila.

Valentine's Day Inspiration: Muffins

 For Valentine's Day this year, I was a little busy spending time with Mark. We fried up some tofu and had a wonderful (and spicy) meal. Maybe I'll post the recipe for it at some point. But for now, here is some Valentine's Day fun, although a little belated.

 I love Earl Grey tea. And I love muffins. And I love making cards. All of these things combine into one sweet little idea: Earl Grey muffins and muffin cup cards. Save this one for years to come! Notice anything similar about the heart on the card and the muffin cups? Yep, I used a muffin cup to make a card. I cut a heart out of it and glued it into some red cardstock. Fun and cheap, right?

 Now, as for the inside of the card, it's lined with some light grey (think Earl Grey) cardstock, and a cute skinny heart is placed right in the center. Just for some added love.

 I highly recommend serving these with a cute heart-shaped bit of butter to keep the Valentine's Day spirit coming all day long. Speaking of these muffins, here's the recipe:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 Earl Grey tea bag (I used Tazo full leaf and crushed it up so that the pieces would be manageable)
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
2 eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla

Combine the sugar and butter, add the egg. Add flour and ear grey tea. Add everything else. Mix. Bake at 350 for about 24 minutes.

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day!

Destructed TOMS Shoes

 TOMS shoes are gaining popularity. They have all sorts of styles and colors, and people love to help out causes by purchasing things that they can actually wear. However, I don't know know about you, but after about six months, my TOMS start to look pretty pathetic. Take this pair that I've had for about two years, for example.

 Pretty beat up, as you can see...

 Also smell really bad, but let's avoid mentioning that for now.

 My toes are escaping...

 The solution?

 Let's make sandals!

 Outline and snip. Easy enough.

 I saw this idea on Flickr, and I thought I'd try it myself.

 Maybe not the most attractive sandals ever.

 Comfortable, though.

 And yes, they are functional. I've been wearing them.

 Better than the old holey TOMS that were just chilling in my closet.

 I can actually wear these!

Result? A functional project that isn't a waste of time and materials. And I'm all for DIY's that are actually worth it. Enjoy!