Homemade??? Oh Yes You Can!

Make It Yourself...OH YES YOU CAN!

Have you ever taken a store bought bucket of chicken to a church dinner or party in your own

dish lined with a nice kitchen towel?  Did you smile and simply say thank you as the dinner guests commented on how wonderful your chicken was?  Are you chuckling on the inside as you read this?  Yep, been there done that!  The dinner guests were all warm and fuzzy as they pictured you slaving over a frying pan and placing each piece of chicken gingerly into the dish.  As if you fried each piece individually just for them.  Not knowing that 30 minutes prior you were at the Wal-Mart deli counter ordering an "8 piece" and scrambling in the church parking lot to arrange your dish. 

There's just something about homemade isn't there?  I have learned that homemade not only makes others feel good, but it gives me a great sense of pride and that same warm and fuzzy when I've made something myself.  There have been many things over the last few years that I've procrastinated in making just because I felt intimidated by the process.  Usually, once I just make up my mind that I'm going to just "go for it", it's not as complicated as I had built it up to be.

A few recent examples for me have been making homemade yogurt and sewing a pillow case dress.  I've wanted to make yogurt for about a year now.  I also have wanted to sew for 20 years.  I have tackled both of these life's to do items in the last week.  I feel really stupid that it was so much easier than I thought and that I had waited so long to give myself such joy from a project well done.

My encouragement for you today...in the words of the NIKE...JUST DO IT! 

To ease you into the process, I'm including a few ideas for easy projects that might inspire you to move onto bigger ones.  HAVE FUN! 

Repurpose with Spray Paint
Take any item you want to repurpose and spray paint it or distress to give it a totally NEW look.  Many items will not require sanding, but you can if you feel the item needs it.  Be sure to wipe down the item first with a damp cloth and then allow to dry completely.  Follow instructions on the can for  how to spray the item.  Add a few coats and then finish with a coat of spray poly.  The side table pictured below was a piece I have had for 15 years.  It sat outside on our porch and was extremely weathered.  A little sanding, a few coats of paint, a little sanding on the edges to distress, a final coat of poly and VOILA!  A brand new piece of furniture.

Also pictured is a purple mirror I repurposed for Sophie's nursery.  I found this mirror on a Facebook trading site for $10.  It was large, gold and heavy.  Okay, down right ugly.  I simply wiped it down with a wet cloth, place printer paper over the mirror to protect it and then sprayed away.  This mirror goes perfectly above her changing table.

Homemade Laundry Detergent
This recipe came from one of our Red Gate Farm CSA Members, Thanks Melanie!  You can use these ingredients for liquid or powder soap.  I like to use the powder version and it seems to work well in our high efficiency washer  I know lots of folks who love the liquid version too.  Visit www.wellnessmama.com for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
1 bar of soap (any kind you want), I like Castille or Zote (as pictured and available at Wally World)
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of washing soda
a big pot ( that holds more than 2 gallons)
a grater
a funnel
a long spoon
2 empty gallon jugs/containers

 

Homemade Glass Cleaner (YES!)

 

This is my new favorite window/mirror cleaner.  Equal parts of alcohol and water.  DONE!  This cleans so much better than the Windex brand.  I even use it on our black appliances in the kitchen.

 

Homemade Soft Scrub (Yes! and YES!)

 

A few tablespoons of liquid castille soap, a little water, a little baking soda...mix to a paste and scrub away!

 

Now...go make something today!  ; )