diy laundry detergent

Yesterday Kristi and I were hanging out in the kitchen making dinner and pie, talking about making household and body products and we were amazed at how many things you can make yourself.  We felt silly being amazed because of course you can make them yourself, at some point, before the big companies fed us the lie that we need them to make all our products, people all over were hand making their soaps, deodorants, detergents, make up, and more!  And the cool part is that you don't have to wonder what's in your products when you make them yourself, you just made it!  While I haven't personally dealt with allergies from store bought soaps and detergents, I know that plenty of people have had problems with skin irritation and allergies due to chemicals in home products.  Commercially made detergents contain many synthetic chemicals such as chlorine bleach and EDTA that are harmful.

It's awesome how easy it is to make your own detergent, and another bonus?  It's cheap!  If you make a large batch it comes out to about 19 cups of detergent, and since you use 1 tablespoon of detergent per load, that means you get over 300 loads of laundry out of your detergent!  After researching different price per load break downs comparing homemade vs. store bought I was pretty happy about saving money on top of everything else:

Arm & Hammer® liquid 100 ounce detergent – $6.79 = $0.21 per load

Ultra Tide powder 143 oz. detergent = $17.97 = $0.12 per load

Tide with Bleach powder 267 ounce detergent – $20.32  = $0.21 per load

Homemade powder 32 ounce detergent – $2.98 = $0.05 per load



Ingredients:
2.5 cups Borax
2.5 cups Super Washing Soda
1 5.5oz bar Fels Naptha, grated
30 drops essential oils (I get mine here)

Using a cheese grater, grate the Fels Naptha bar.  Once you grate the Fels Naptha, you can either mix all the ingredients together, or if you want a finer texture, throw it in a food processor.  I only have a small food processor so I did mine in batches.

Once everything was processed and mixed I put in my essential oils.  I wanted a zesty, fresh scent so I used Lemon and Orange, and then Purification (an essential oil blend of citronella, lemongrass, rosemary, melaleuca, lavandin, and myrtle.  It helps remove odors and freshen your clothes).  You could also use other oils depending on the scents you enjoy, such as lavender, cedar, pine, geranium, jasmine, or peppermint.  I'm not big into floral scents, but I do love woodsy scents so for my next batch I might try using some cedar, pine, and spruce oils!

Use 1 Tbsp per load (or 2 -3 Tbsp for large or heavily soiled loads).

This recipe makes about 6-ish cups, but you could also make a large batch using the entire box of borax and super washing soda and a few bars of Fels Naptha.  I want to try some different scents, though, so I just made a small batch for this first time.  I tested it on a load of laundry and it seemed to work great!  I haven't tried it on a load of really dirty laundry yet, but after reading other people's reviews of their homemade laundry soap, I'm pretty confident I'll have no desire to go back to the store bought stuff.

Since this soap is a low-suds type of detergent it can also work in HE front loading washers, so you don't need to buy fancy soap for those washers either!

It's really easy to make your own detergent (and if you prefer liquid detergent there are plenty of recipes for that as well, if you do a quick google search), but if you're not up to it, you can always buy an unscented organic, non-toxic detergent and add your own essential oils for a personalized scent!

a delightful giveaway from chandler smith photography

Hi guys!  Today I'm partnering up with Chandler Smith Photography to give all you engaged ladies a chance at an awesome prize!  Chandler is an amazing photographer and she's offering a chance for not one but THREE lucky gals to win a wedding photography package from her!  I've shared a few of my favorite images of hers here in this post, but if you're not already convinced that she's got an incredible eye and skill behind a lens (or, you know, if you just want more eye-candy), you can definitely check out her portfolio.  Chandler's located in Jacksonville, FL, so if you're further than 30miles from Jacksonville you'll need to pay for her travel expenses, but that's still a crazy great deal when you're getting the whole wedding photography package free!
To enter, head over to Chandler Smith Photography's facebook and click "like," then follow the directions below to email your entry to chandlersmithphotography@gmail.com!



 

cleaning up

This past week has flown by.  I seriously can't believe it's Monday again.  I've been working like crazy to get the Winne ready for Kristi to move into, and finally got (most) everything done yesterday just before she had to move out of her apartment.  I've got a few more repairs/updates to finish up, but it's livable!  Once I finish everything up and all of Kristi's stuff is organized (moving in always makes a place look like a mini hurricane blew through) I'll have to share the updates!  In the midst of the week, in which I was mostly wearing dirty jeans and a sawdust covered hoodie, I was invited to be a part of a fun mother/daughter event that a photographer friend was putting on at her studio.  I figured I should probably not look like I just walked off the set of This Old House, so I threw on a maxi dress and disguised my not-washed hair with a giant succulent crown and called it good.  Later that day I had a wedding rehearsal dinner to go to, so it worked well as a double duty outfit.  After being dirty and unkempt for days it was nice to get fancy and clean up a bit.

 
dress/courtesy of lulu's :: necklace + succulent crown/handmade
 

getting mocha back

I met Kristina almost 15 years ago in 8th grade.  We both played clarinet in band and became fast friends, passing notes between our music stands in the clarinet section.  We quickly learned that we both had a hot and heavy love affair with horses and had even been at the same barn for a short while.  We both had big bay geldings, her horse was named Mocha, mine was named Taco.  Apparently we had a thing for food named horses.  
After graduating high school, both of us ended up having to sell our horses and give up the equestrian lifestyle in exchange for college.  Last August Kristina realized that Mocha was probably nearby, since she'd sold him to a family in Oregon.  She began the process of trying to track him down, finding out that those folks had sold him, and after months of phone calls and emails she eventually tracked him down in Albany, Oregon.  Finally in February she got to drive down and visit him.  What she found was devastating.  His ribs were showing, he was living in a tiny stall, and was clearly neglected and treated extremely poorly.  She immediately decided then and there that she would do whatever she could do to get him back.  More months of negotiating with his owners passed and finally was able to buy him back.  She found a barn near Tacoma where she could board him, and this Sunday he was shipped up.  I hadn't seen him yet and was there when he arrived.  His condition took my breath away. 

The photo above is what Mocha looked like during our Senior year of high school.  The photo above that?  That's what Mocha looks like now.  His previous owners claim they fed him a ton and he just wouldn't put on weight.  Well, surprise surprise, he has a ton of worms that are consuming all the food he eats and barely gets any nutrition from his food.  How someone can let an animal get to that point of malnutrition without even thinking of having a vet come out and see him is beyond me.  Kristina and I spent hours brushing him and it looked like he hadn't been brushed in a year.  He had only two shoes left, was lame in one leg, and one of his hooves is so overgrown I can't imagine he's seen a farrier in far too long.  And to make matters worse, his previous owner, a very large man, told us that he rode Mocha in this condition (and was confused at why Mocha didn't seem to want to do anything when he rode him, I wonder why...).  Mocha's tail was a solid mass of matted hair.  One giant dreadlock.  His mane also had tons of mats.  We soaked his mane and tail in detangler and Kristina spent hours detangling his entire tail.
She had a vet scheduled to come out the next day to assess his situation and see what needed to be done to bring him back to health.  This is the vet's assessment:

"Physical exam and observations:

Mocha is Underweight. A body score of one out of five is appropriate. He has severe atrophy of gluteal muscles, His ribs are prominent.  His top line has minimal coverage with very prominent dorsal spinous processes. His withers are similarly prominent with lack of muscular coverage.
Mocha's right front and left rear feet are highly overgrown. The toes are 3-4 inches too long. These Feet are shod with uneven aluminum shoes. His left front and right rear have more normal angles, walls and toe length. However there is evidence of chipping and wall damage. These feet are unshod.

Mocha has uneven teeth with a mild wave, sharp lateral edges and shear.  Although these teeth need dental work, I do not feel they are so severe to be entirely responsible for the dramatic weight loss.

Mocha has minimal inflammation in his fetlock joints in the front, but range of motion is normal. There is a minimal amount of inflamation in his knees as well, again he has normal range of motion and does not appear painful.

Mocha has a grade 2/5 lameness on his left front.  This lameness has not been accurately investigated due to his poor body development.  However flexion tests of his fetlock and knee aggravated the lameness.  There is no apparent increased vasculature (pulse) to his foot, although the foot remains suspect as a cause of pain and lameness.

At this time nutrition is paramount.  I would advise a good quality hay offered free choice or at a minimum of 2% of his body weight (approx 20 lbs per day divided into 3 feedings).  I would suggest a high calorie grain feed.  I would feed at 2 times maintenance until optimal weight is obtained and then reduce intake to maintenance levels.   It is important to increase feed gradually over 1-2 weeks to avoid possible overload complications."

 

  Mocha in Kristina's senior portrait :: Mocha now
The dedication and tenacity with which Kris has pursued getting Mocha back is unrivaled.  In order to afford buying him back and paying for his board, she's moved out of her apartment and into my Winnebago.  Still, the vet bills, supplements, farrier fees, dental fees, and feed to get Mocha back to a healthy place are bleeding her dry (and to add to her stress, her car broke down while driving out to the barn yesterday and needs hundreds of dollars in repair work done.  When it rains it pours, right?  Ugh).  It breaks my heart to see her precious Mocha in such a horrific condition.  Seeing the photos of him back when she owned him in high school next to the ones of him now make me sick to my stomach. 
Kristina's heart is huge and she's poured her whole self into getting Mocha back in order to save him from spending one more day with people who would let him get to such a deplorable state of health. We've started a fundraiser to hopefully help pay for some of Mocha's vet and farrier fees, dewormer meds, supplements, and other costs to get him healthy.  As of now, the costs have totaled about $1000 and any small donation would help cover the costs to help Mocha get healthy.  He's got a ways to go, but I can't imagine anyone who could love him more and pour more of herself into giving him the life he deserves than Kris.  Thankfully Mocha's bloodwork came back and it looks good, which means that other than the malnutrition and other problems mentioned, he doesn't have any serious health issues.  In just a few days she's noticed that he's already put on some weight and his demeanor is happy, which is great.

If you feel like donating, or sharing on social media, any help would be amazing.  Here's the link to the fundraiser page, and you can also link to this blog post.  Every little bit helps, even just ten bucks or a retweet.  

lichtenstein

A few years ago when I first had transitioned from my natural dark hair to being a redhead I bought this black wig in order to quell my desire to go dark again.  Wearing orange while having red hair feels a little bit clashy so I was inspired to drag out the wig for this look to give it some contrast.  The white and orange dress is such a bold, graphic look, so I felt like I needed some contrast with my hair.  I love having the option of wearing a wig.  Now that I've been doing more burlesque and stage performance stuff lately I've been inspired by stage hair and make up.  I haven't worn my pink wig in a long time, but I think it needs to make an appearance.  I love that wigs and make up give you the option for more dramatic transformation without needing to do something permanent.  It's fun to be able to play around with your appearance without the threat of permanency.  Now that I'm delving into stage performance and burlesque, I've decided that I need like ten more wigs and way more fun colors of make up. 
After I took these photos and was looking at them, I felt like the were very Roy Lichtenstein.  I did my senior thesis paper on pop art, so I have soft spot in my artist's heart for Pop Art.  Lichtenstein was never my favorite artist, but I do like his work quite a bit.  Still I think my favorite period of art is between the 40's and 70's.  I have two artists in me, one that adores a graphic, bold, pop art look, and one that is very maximalist, hippie, bohemian, and natural.  I think my personal style also tends to alternate between those two extremes.  Part of me wishes I could go "all in" with one style, but I love being able to pick and choose which style I want to express on any given day, whether it's with artwork or personal style.

 

dress + shoes(similar)/courtesy of modcloth :: necklace(similar)/francesca's collection  shades(similar)/courtesy of lulu's :: photos by Dan