Simply Altered

Can you feel my excitement????

Just published March 2009, so I obviously do not have one in my possession (yet!!)   but the I am safe to say this is a MUST read!!!!   it just HAS to be…right???   the title alone, and also the fact that it is endorsed by my favorite magazine of ALL times!!!   “Real Simple”.      I am excited!!!   I will get my hands on my own copy as soon as I possibly can, until then, if you want to read the reviews, go to www.bn.com  and check it out for yourself.    If you struggle to find “fifty things” in your own home  (although I can not imagine!!)  give me a call, I will be more than glad to HELP  !!!!!  I am highly motivated by the thought of flinging other peoples “stuff”  , just as much as my own !!!!!!!    :)

Not as pristine as one I own and used  for my blog  header  / banner, but none the less, USEFUL !!!!!   A friend of mine nabbed this VERY vintage typewriter as it was landfill bound!!!!  can you imagine???   I think she maybe paid $2 for it.  Look at those AWESOME keys alone!!!   not to mention my son took this beauty completely apart, and we found some VERY interesting teeny “parts” inside that have been used on a variety of Simply Altered items!!!!

Some people may have a jigsaw puzzle laying around to work on…..not us.  We have vintage machines and plenty of tools.  He and his friends had a great time.  What boys do not LOVE to disassemble thing???   and within a few days, I have a pile of “spare parts” to get creative with!!!!!!

Just another way we try to be “green”    :)

Streamlined......

Here it is, since you asked.     as well as a picture of the Simply Wonderful homemade laundry soap !!!   I took it to show, it is the ONLY thing I am using.  No more wasteful huge plastic jugs to end up in the landfill, no more fabric softener and no more ripped open boxes of dryer sheets.  None.  This is it and it is Simply Wonderful!!!    and makes the top of my laundry area, MUCH less “cluttered”  and all who know me well, know how much I hate clutter!!!!

1 bar Fels Naptha

1/2 cup Borax

1/2 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda.   (there are alot of products containing A & H, in different varieties.  Be SURE you get SIMPLY the item stated)  I have found it a challenge to find it, but look hard, it is worth it.  

Chop up the bar of Fels Naptha into chunks and put through a food processer.   You want to be it as close to a powder as you can possibly get it. 

Add to the Borax and Arm & Hammer washing soda.  

Stir well and keep in a covered container. 

Use about 2 Tbsp per load.  I just use the handy little scoop (thanks Kim) and eyeball it now.  

Simple as that.   I usually make about 3 or 4 batches at a time since I do SO much laundry and have the mess less often, but oh, it makes the kitchen smell WONDERFUL, fresh and clean while you are preparing it!!!!  ahhhhhhh

One more note that works best for me…..I use WARM water setting and add the laundry soap straight into the running water.  It does suds well if you add it this way, but not being a commercial “detergent” might not make mounds of suds, but that is fine.  Trust me, it is still getting your clothes CLEAN in alot better way!!!  

I would love to know how many of you are trying this, and of course, how much you LOVE it!!!  let me know if you have any questions, or want to me to make some FOR you!!!  I am also doing that for some of my customers.    :)

Simply WONDERFUL !!!!!

Gotta share this with you.   Seems like with 2 teenager and a salon, I could own stock in Tide and Downey.   ON a good week, I am doing more laundry than I can even fathom!!!!  So, along with this comes MANY purchases of laundry detergent!!!!!!   and softener…..and softener sheets, etc etc etc…..you get the picture!!   $$$$$$$$$    I had heard of “Soaps Gone Buy” long ago, but dismissed the idea of homemade laundry soap recipes as something I would not like anyway.  Afterall, competing with Tide???  and all their wonderful scents!!  how could I handle that???   well, my neice and I ordered the ingredients on-line  (although I buy them local now)  and whipped up a few “batches” of our own.  She crunched the numbers, and given you only need one TABLESPOON per load???  this seemed too good to be true.   Oh my, I am certain I will never purchase commercial laundry soap again!!!  NEVER!!!  

and the VERY best part???   I no longer use ANY fabric softener, OR Fabric softener sheets!!!  My clothes smell nothing but FRESHNESS, a crisp clean scent, and possibly SOFTER than when I was using all those items!!!  honestly, no lie.    I continue to be amazed at each load I fold  !!!!!!!

Three items, a food processor, and a mixing bowl and one large spoon to stir.  

It is just SIMPLY wonderful  !!!!!!

awwww…..such bitter sweet reason for making this special ATC.   

My neices family will be moving ACROSS the globe this week as they relocate to Dubai for one year.  Her husbands job (Musco lighting) will take them there as they have many many big projects going on in that location.   Along with that, her little 18 month  old son Linus will be gone from his home  (and of course, all his aunts)   !!!  :)     I had originally made him his very own little ATC collection for his 1st birthday , focusing on his name  ”Linus”  using the charachter Linus in different milestones of his life.    {you can find this collection on my gallery in Split Coast Stampers as well}   so. keeping with the theme of things, I clearly thought this HUGE move in his little life deserves another ATC.  Don’t ya think???   

The shaker card was made mostly from finding the right images on google.  The image was from the nativity scene of Charlie Brown, but I now consider  the headwrap as arabic attire.  The map is obviously from the new area they will live in and the thermometer?? well, after I took this pic, I amped it up with a red Sharpie to make the temp about 120, since that is the average temp they will be living in.  YIKES!!!  hot hot hot  !!!!!!   

Notice how the sand part of the shaker is now sticking a little into his turbun bling??…..funny as I am sure there will be lots of sand in his hair as they spend plenty of time on the beach.  :)     but we will miss them all SO much until they return safely.  

Interested in following their travels???   www.bejes.wordpress.com       they will be leaving on March 22nd.  

Peace out Van Morrisons, and may God keep you all safe and sound  (and sane!!)    :).  

Welcome to my new, and hopefully improved blog location!!!  after realizing that blogspot was not as user friendly as I had hoped, I found a new home with wordpress.   This will allow viewers to post comments MUCH easier, and for myself to add new posts on a regular basis.  I will continue to post my favorite creations, and on occasion, I  will slip in a small glimpse of my SIMPLE life as well.  

Enjoy, leave comments, and be sure to check back often!!

~~Kelli