I normally make my own carpet freshener but due to a time constraint, I purchased one from the store. I was sitting one day getting ready to use the one I purchased when I looked on the back to check out the ingredients. I was looking because I wanted to make a batch and I wanted to see if I could replicate the one I purchased. I often wonder why products don’t list their exact ingredients. Makes me wonder if they have something to hide? I don’t know what their “Carrier” ingredient is and I have never heard of a “flow agent.” Those are the two first ingredients so I am assuming those are the main ingredients in their carpet freshener. I can imagine the fragrance and odor eliminator but I really don’t know what is in this store bought carpet freshener. Makes me both nervous and frustrated that I don’t know!
Anyways, I think reading the back of this container confirmed to me that I should always make my own household products. At least this way I know what is being used and that my family is safe from unknown and possible toxic chemicals!
So let’s get to it!
You need 3 simple ingredients and a fragrance of your choice.
Materials Needed:
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Cornstrach
1 1/2 Cups Baking Soda
Fragrance of choice (I am using lavender)
Instructions: measure out all of the ingredients. Add to a bowl. Make sure to remove any clumps. Add your fragrance (as much as you like). Add to your container. Sprinkle on carpet and let stand for 1 hour. Vacuum.
Start with any container. Remove the lid.
Using 1 cup of borax, 1 cup of cornstarch and 1 1/2 cups of baking soda and fragrance of choice.
All of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Make sure to remove any clumps.
Add the ingredients to your container.
Add all ingredients to your container and use to freshen your carpet.
Fill your container up and you have a full 32 oz of carpet freshener!
About a year ago I started my homemade soap. I started out with melt and pour soap to give myself some basic experience in handling soap, fragrances and soap molds. I got a little melt and pour kit for my birthday and decided to give soap making a try. I have to say, at first I wasn’t sure about making soap. Melt and pour is not difficult but it is a test of patience. The thing with melt and pour is, it is just that–melt and pour. You simply cut the M&P in chunks, stick it in the microwave at 30 second intervals until it has completely melted, add your fragrance and color and pour it into your soap molds. There is no cure time and the soap can be used right away. Easy Peasy!
I have used M&P twice in the last year of my soap making. This tutorial is my second go at it and I have to say it is a simple process and I enjoyed making this melt and pour soap for my family and to share with you.
Here is what you need:
Melt and Pour Soap
Any 2lb M&P soap batch
fragrance of choice (optional)
soap molds of choice
spray bottled filled with rubbing alcohol
colorants of choice (optional)
Whisk
large plastic bowl
Instructions:
1. Open M&P batch and cut soap into chunks
2. Put chunks into large plastic bowl.
3. Microwave at 30 second intervals until completely melted. About 3 1/2-4 mins total.
4. Soap will be hot so keep stirring to avoid soap film. Let soap slightly cool so that it does not burn through soap mold (I have first hand experience!)
5. Once soap is slightly cooled add fragrance and colorants.
6. Pour soap into molds and let cool for 2 hours.
This M&P is from Michael’s Craft Store
I am using Plumeria Fragrance I bought from Hobby Lobby.
Some of the Soap Molds I’ve collected in the last year.
Chunk the M&P and place in a large bowl.
Microwave 30 seconds at a time.
This is at 1.5 mins.
This is at 3 mins
This is at 4 mins.
Pour M&P into soap molds. Spray alcohol to remove air bubbles.
Soap after 2 hours of cooling.
I used a crinkle cutter to remove the rough edges.
Completed soap! I will let soap sit over night before using. Enjoy!
Here is a nice block of soap! It is beautiful to look at and smells so good!
Nice block of soap.
Bonus:
To start you on your soap making path, Angela’s Homemade is giving away a $25 Gift Card to Michael’s Craft Store. Enter to win below!
Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner! Summer starts the travel season. According to Money Crashers, in 2012 45% of Americans traveled last summer. There was a 9% increase in air travel, with a whopping 906, 179 air travels in July 2012 alone. 2012 also saw 35.5 million people travel via car on Independence Day alone.
It is safe to say, people love to travel during the Summer season! Angela’s Homemade along with Travel is My Religion is here to provide you with some eco-friendly travel tips for both car and air travel.
No matter how you travel, most people love to eat during their trip. I know I do! I especially, like to take with me snacks that are healthy and nutritious. Here are a few great tips on eating healthy on the go and a few things I am doing for my road trip this week.
Pack your own meals. This works well when you are taking a road trip, flying on an airplane, taking the bus or train. Make your own breakfast sandwiches, lunches and yummy dinners ahead of time. This will save you money and you can avoid eating fast food while on the road. Make sure to store your food in reusable containers!
Pick fruits and veggies. Eating fruit will help curb sugar cravings and veggies are just simply good for you!
Instead of eating high fat potato chips take Veggie or pita chips to snack on!
4. Drink organic teas and juices and of course lots of water. If you have a water filter at home, make sure to fill up a few of your reusable water containers! Make your own refreshing cleansing water to keep you refreshed during your trip.
This past Saturday, I had the great opportunity to participate in a local Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup event. I have to say I had a really good time! I am not by any means a gardener. I really kill plants. But this weekend I had a great time getting my hands dirty digging and planting aloe vera plants at my local State park.
Earth Day is April 20th, so if you have a free day Saturday/Sunday check your local area and make it a family day to give back to mother nature!
Here is a little snippet of video of the group I was with planting aloe vera!
For the past 16 years California State Parks Foundation has held an Earth Day-Restoration and Cleanup event at over 24 state parks throughout California. One of those parks included California Citrus State Historic Park, located in Riverside California. This year’s event was held on April 13, 2013 from 9:30am-12:30pm. According to the CSPF brochure, The Earth Day, Restoration and Cleanup event is a great opportunity to volunteer locally and to “lend a hand with projects and programs that help improve” state parks. One of the parks that held this event was California Citrus State Park. There were many volunteers to help plant trees and aloe vera plants and to help cleanup the fallen citrus fruits and garden areas. It is a great event for adults and children. For more information on the California State Parks Foundation and for membership, visit their website CSPF.
P.S. I am starting a new website www.myohsogreenlife.com that will focus solely on green living. Check it out periodically as I am getting it up with lots of great green living tips, Eco-friendly DIY, Eco-Issues, Eco-Friendly Product Reviews and Giveaways.
I have to say, this recipe is one of my absolute favorite! The fact that it is vegan is an added bonus but don’t let that fool you. These little cream pies are sweet! OMG. I really thought I was going to go into a sugar conniption. They are sure to cure any sweet tooth you and your loved ones have! They are super simple to make and a great snack to make with kids. Take these bad boys to any office or family gathering and they are sure to be a hit. And when you tell them, they are vegan, they are not going to believe you. They taste just that delicious!
I enjoy making vegan and vegetarian meals. It motivates me to get a little close to living a meatless life. Taking each day and in this case Monday helps me broaden myself to think outside the box. I always thought being a vegan or vegetarian would be awful but finding different foods and making them for the fam is so fun. I’m going to try to find some yummy and healthy vegan or vegetarian main dishes that are sure to please your palate! Enjoy this recipe and let me know how you like it!
Let’s get to it!
Oatmeal Cream Pie
2013-03-11 00:04:18
Similar to Little Debbie's Oatmeal Cream Pie
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
1 cup butter (Earth Balance)
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon flaxseed
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups uncooked quick cooking oats
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream together the butter, raw sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract using an electric mixer.
In a separate small bowl, whip together water and flax seed using a fork.
Add the flax seed mixture to the creamed butter and mix.
In another large mixing bowl, whisk together, all purpose baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves until everything is evenly distributed. Whisk in the oats.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
It should form a thick batter. Use your hands to make dough balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes in the oven until they are golden brown around the edges.
Trying to eat healthy is not so easy. Especially, when you are carb and processed food addicted like I am. This year, I have given myself the goal to eat healthier foods, to live a natural life, and to be kind to mother earth. Eating healthy as an adult is a challenge! Especially, when you work outside the home or addicted to fast food. But, there are some simple ways to overcome this.
According to Eating Well website, “eating enough fiber is important for helping to prevent chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Research also suggests that consuming fiber-rich foods might boost weight loss by helping you to feel fuller after you eat. But most of us eat only about half as much fiber as we should. Nutrition guidelines recommend 25 to 38 grams per day; the average American consumes only about 14 grams. It’s not hard to boost your fiber intake.”
So let’s tackle first things first!
10 Easy Ways to Eat More Fiber
1. Eat Fruit
2. Read food labels to determine fiber amounts
3. Make Vegetables, especially green vegetables a part of every meal.
4. Eat the skin from fruits and vegetables
5. Eat beans, lentils and split peas
6. Sprinkle flax seed on your food or baked goods
7. Skip the fruit and vegetable juices. There is more fiber in the whole fruit than in the processed juices.
8. Make smoothies full of fresh or frozen fruit, add in kale or broccoli for added fiber.
9. Eat whole grain breads and pastas
10. Add fiber slowly to your diet
11. Start with breakfast. Try to eat 5-10 grams of fiber for breakfast.
12. Eat more nuts
13. Eat less processed foods
14. Avoid foods made with white flour
15. Choose snacks that are high in fiber. Eat raw carrots or celery or low salt popcorn.
I am a Southern California Girl to the heart! I love the sunny weather and the beaches and wearing flip flops most of the time.
I love to create--to make things with my hands. I use to be a busy worker bee with no time for anything. Fast, fast, fast was my life. I was given the awesome opportunity to be a stay at home wife (and hopefully soon to be mother). I didn't know what to do with myself so I starting cooking a lot, baking is my favorite (that's why you see a lot of baked goods), I started crafting again, and I started learning how to make things. I decided to start this blog to share with you--All the wonderful ways to be creative!
Angela is my name and making things homemade is what I love to do!
I am a Southern California Girl to the heart! I love the sunny weather and the beaches and wearing flip flops most of the time.
I love to create--to make things with my hands. I use to be a busy worker bee with no time for anything. Fast, fast, fast was my life. I was given the awesome opportunity to be a stay at home wife (and hopefully soon to be mother). I didn't know what to do with myself so I starting cooking a lot, baking is my favorite (that's why you see a lot of baked goods), I started crafting again, and I started learning how to make things. I decided to start this blog to share with you--All the wonderful ways to be creative!
Angela is my name and making things homemade is what I love to do!
