DIY SCENT SATCHELS

I was cleaning out my dresser drawers the other night I discovered an old scent satchel that had lost its power so to speak. Also it cost me about $7 for the particular brand I like. (Not saying any names here)

I had all these Downy Unstopables leftover from my laundry soap making fiasco that I had an epiphany. I can make my own satchels and they will be WAY CUTE and cost a whole lot less!!! BRILLIANT!!

Now, I do own a sewing machine, but I am not one for acts of patience or learning new things so I just broke out "Old Trusty" (HOT GLUE GUN) and neatly glued together 3 sides of pretty fabric, added the scent pellets, and then glued the top. I made several of these.

Then I decided I could glue all 4 sides and cut slits in the top for a ribbon to tie them together so that the fabric pouch could be reused when the scent wears off. I made a bunch of these.

BEST PART! It's cheap. 

What you will need:

Either sewing machine or glue gun(your choice)

Scrap fabric

Downy Unstopables or whatever brand you have or like

Ribbon(optional)

I happened to have all this on hand so I spent zero dollars. 

This is the hot glue method. If you're sewing, you're on your own. (Maybe you can send me a link with a sewing tutorial cause I am very sewing challenged)

PLEASE USE COMMON SENSE. HOT GLUE IS HOT. DON'T LET CHILDREN DO THIS UNSUPERVISED. ALSO I WOULD NOT USE THESE POUCHES TO REPLACE THE ONES MADE FOR CHILDREN'S AREAS OR TOYS CAUSE I DO NOT KNOW THE TOXICITY OR SAFETY OF THEM. 

 Glue all 4 sides down just inside so that it looks hemmed.

 You may have to trim the corners

 Glue half way down each side and fold in half pressing down the sides.

 This part is kinda tricky. Fold over the top edge that is left open and snip about 4 holes in each side, this is for the ribbon.

 Then you can weave some ribbon thru.

 Then just pour in however many pellets you want and tie it up.

 Here is a pic of one I didn't tie at the top, just glue.

 Any of these are WAY CUTER and CHEAPER THAN the other brands that I won't speak of and the scent is very powerful.

It was a fun, crafty, and good smelling project. And I am sure I could actually sew some bags that could be re-used and I will attempt this in the future.

Also I think these would be great little gifts. 

And here is a picture of Hershey begging me to throw his rock(he's obsessed with rocks) while I was working on writing this post.

I am having some serious difficulty linking the "Pin It" button. SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PIN THIS CAUSE WHO DOESN'T LOVE BLOG TRAFFIC??? Happy Crafting!!

IMPORTANT UPDATE. I put one of these in my daughters car and the heat melted it and made a huge mess!!! Don't do that! I guess I didn't really think since they melt in the washer that obviously heat would melt them too.

I am linking this post up at:

  http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2012/08/transformation-thursday-no-166.htmlhttp://www.momnivores-dilemma.com/2012/08/creative-juice-thursday-features-link-up_22.html


http://www.skiptomylou.org/2012/08/27/made-by-you-monday-116/
http://weliketolearnaswego.blogspot.com/2012/08/what-i-learned-wednesday-22.html

DIY LAUNDRY SOAP=CHEAP!!

I finally caved in and started pinching my pennies from everything to actually cooking at home and now making my own detergent for laundry. This is so much fun. I just feel like I've "beat the system" by saving so much money here. Plus there is nothing but real pure ingrediants in this soap.

There are a million recipes for homemade laundry soap and I am currently looking for a liquid recipe but for now I have tons of the powdered version which will take forever to run out of so it will be a while before I make liquid.

This is what I used:
1 cup Borax(Mule team-found in laundry isle)
1 cup Washing Soda(Arm and Hammer-found in laundry isle)
1/2 cup OxyClean
1/3 bar grated Fels Naptha soap
desired amount of Downy Unstoppables Pellets

Crush up part of the pellets and leave some intact.
Grate the soap
Mix it all together.
Store in closed container. Avoid moisture areas.
USE 1-2 TBSP per load

TESTIMONY- I used it on the dog's bedding that hadn't been washed in months and was not only very stinky, but dingy(dingie?) and discolored. IT CAME OUT CLEAN AND FRESH. I used about 4 TBSP on that since it was so dirty. For all of our everday laundry just 1-2 is fine and dandy. Even my daughter was excited about doing laundry. And if any product homemade or not can make you want to clean, then it is a miracle!!!

It all cost me under $20 and I've made 2 batches and estimate I can make several more. I'll have to buy more Fels Naptha soap but it was only $1 at Walmart. It is safe for HE washers with the exception of putting in the dispenser. The downy pellets are not to go in a dispenser so I would just throw it in the tub when I start the wash. ALSO IT DOES NOT MAKE SUDS. SUDS ARENT NEEDED TO GET STUFF CLEAN. I AM STILL TRYING TO GRASP THIS CONCEPT. :)

I do not recommend using Ivory soap as some recipes call for. It is too soft and doesn't grate well.

HAPPY CLEANING AND SAVING!!! I also have bought a table and 4 chairs at a yard sale all for $20 that I am planning to start working on in the near future. Can't wait to get started. So be expecting a post soon!

UPDATE: I added quite a few of the fabric softener crystals(Purex)to this mix cause they actually soften not just add fragrance. And I like it much better. It dilutes the soap ratio though so an extra scoop of the mix is needed. You dont have to add the crystals you can do them seperate but I just like mixing the stuff lol.

Lexi

  http://weliketolearnaswego.blogspot.com/2012/08/what-i-learned-wednesday-21.html

This is what it looks like after I added the softener crystals and I just love the giant pickle jar being reused.

SWEATSHIRT PILLOW

If I can sew a straight line, I can make a pillow!

Ha! Well, it's mostly straight!! Anyway my sister and her soon to be husband are major big time hunters and I had this old hoodie laying around that was worn out and didnt fit right anymore, so voila! new pillow for my sister's house. The fabric flower was made out of strips of fabric sewn on one side and drawn up into a flower shape with a cute button in the middle! This was an easy project!

baby changing table converted to laundry station

I had this old and ugly baby changing table that I purchased for $10 at a flea market. Well I saw this awesome laundry room storage idea a while back at http://mattjessicapope.blogspot.com/2011/04/laundry-room-makeover.html  and at http://ana-white.com/2011/01/saushas-washerdryer-pedestals.html
 So I did what I do best. I took the shelf I already had and modified it to be a laundry room sorting station. It was really easy. I took the 2 bottom shelves off and moved the trim piece up. The trick here is to use a flat black paint after a white primer. Then sand and distress, then clear coat spray.I wanted to be able to change the labels if I ever decided to move the piece to another room so I chalkboard painted to one of the larger trim pieces that came off the original shelf. I already had the tall skinny sorting baskets so it worked perfect!

And don't worry~! I am using the leftover shelving pieces on some other projects, I am not letting it go to waste!

HERE IS THE BEFORE:

AND AFTER:

 DISTRESSING IS FUN!