Update on Deoderant

Last time I posted I wrote about how I was trying out some homemade deodorant that consisted of baking soda, cornstarch, and coconut oil. After trying it out for a few weeks and using it off and on I have come to my verdict. I do like the deodorant, I cannot use it full time though. The cost aspect of it keeps me using it as often as possible because it is super cheap to make and very little goes a long way. My only issue with it is, it just can't keep up with me. I don't want to get too graphic but on a normal basis, I use prescription strength deodorant, if not I smell like a bag of onions. I use this deodorant full time on the weekends but when I am at work and running around a whole lot, I use my regular deodorant. If you are not like me and do not sweat like an Olympian, then I say you should give this deodorant a try. It smells like sweet coconuts and is a very light scent. Its also easy on your wallet, and easy to apply if you melt the coconut oil down and add your other ingredients to it to form a soft paste to transfer to an deodorant stick. You have to let the mixture sit for a bit to harden before you can use it though, so just keep that mind.

Keep Moving

I have been beyond busy. I have been so busy that I worked out with my boss to only work 4 days a week instead of 5. I work longer days on the 4, only by an hour each, and I get Mondays off. I REALLY need it though. I have SO much on my to do list.

I have been stocking some things on my HC here and there, its going well. I am happy with the pace that it is moving. By the time summer roles around, I will be able to focus alot more time on my business. Right now though, school is #1, or at least it is suppose to be.

Anyways, on a frugal and crunchy side, tomorrow I will be trying out some homemade deodorant I mixed up. I only made a VERY small batch to try it out. I am trying to eat healthy and cut unnessary chemicals from my daily diet. I have been eating 3x as many fruits and veggies in the past 4 days then I have in months and it feels great. Keeping on that note, this is what I did:
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch OR Arrowroot powder
1 Tablespoon (melted) coconut oil
1 drop Tea Tree Oil
And MIX!

I put it in an old baby food jar. It seems like enough for up too 3 days by looking at it, maybe more. I will update tomorrow, wish me luck!

Crafty Sewing Mama Challenge Week 3

Ok, ok, so I skipped week two. I really wanted to participate but with my new store opening, it was a hectic week. So without further procrastination, here are my week 3 sewing challenge items. One of the themes chosen was, "Picture Perfect."

What are these, you ask? Well they are camera strap covers. They are padded with fusible fleece so they are oh-so squishy. I use this tutorial to make them. They are very simple to make and only take about 15 minutes each. I am gifting these to my best friend and boyfriend, they are both art majors and huge photography buffs. I made them each coffee cozies with these fabrics, and so I used the leftovers to make the straps. 

Oh and next week, Friday the 25th of February, I will be having my first REAL and OFFICIAL stocking. I will have some premade diapers along with some custom slots, so be sure to check it out. 

Testers

So I know I never got around too doing last weeks sewing challenge, so this week I am definitely going to be getting too it. I was a little overwhelmed this weekend with the tester orders, I didn't expect them to sell so quickly. I was also really bogged down with homework and that is more important than anything else. But here is a sample of some of my testers, I made two more, I just wanted to give you a peak!

First Stocking!

Okay so I posted my first stocking on HyenaCart just a few moments ago. I am looking for testers for my sized side snapping diaper. I will be stocking other items this weekend too! Check it out!

Giving Back

Okay so no projects to report at the moment. I probably won't get to doing my sewing challenge project until this weekend but I will post it as soon as I am finished so no worries. I have been diligently working on getting my ducks in a row so that I may open up my tester slots on Friday and get them posted on my Hyena-Cart.

Today I am heading to the post office to mail a package. In this package there will be two diapers and a diaper cover and I am mailing them in to donate to the Cloth Diaper Foundation. Ever heard of em? Well they are a great little foundation, they provide cloth diapers to those that cannot afford their own stashes. Buying a starter stash can be a small investment from $150 to $600 depending on which route you go when purchasing diapers. I spent about $300 on mine.

If you feel like you would like to donate to this foundation, check out their website. They take any cloth diapers that are in working condition and are not in need of repair. Here is their address if you would like to mail in a donation.

The Cloth Diaper Foundation, Inc.
16107 Kensington Drive #259
Sugar Land, Texas 77479

The Plunge

I have decide to take the plunge and open a Hyenacart account. I will be selling my side snapping AI2 cloth diapers, along with other creations like coffee cozies and upcycled wool soakers. I will start taking testers as of Friday, February 11th. On Thursday I will give out the link to the store, until then, you will just have to wait :) I am in the process of getting prepared over the next couple of days. I will also be completing my Sew Crafty Mama Week 2 challenge later this week, I can't wait to share that with you guys also. In the mean time to keep you guessing, her is a creation I made yesterday afternoon.

Isn't it just SO adorable???
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Cloth Diapers

Yesterday I made two cloth diapers, yes, we cloth diaper :) I really have enjoyed my adventures using cloth diapers. We started using cloth exclusively when Riley was a month old and I knew before Riley was born that we would use cloth. There are so many benefits to cloth that I won't go into detail and bore you at this moment. What I will point out about them is how cute they are, just look at my creations from yesterday.

In this photo, they weren't quite finished, they still needed some snaps. I made two of the same print because one is for my cloth diaper swap partner for this from babycenter.com.

 

Here is the close up. I don't know why the image is flipped, it isn't on my computer. Oh well. But you can see how nicely it turned out along with all its cuteness!

Sew Crafty Mamas

I am apart of group called Sew Crafty Mamas on babycenter.com and we are doing a sewalong! I mentioned this in my previous post and I am happy to share my completed project for this week, a sewing machine cover. I used this tutorial from Spool.

I know that this isn't the prettiest fabric but I bought a 5 yd bolt of this fabric at Walmart for $5, how can you beat that?? I am a sucker for good deals. I figured this sewing machine cover was also appropriate because underneath that not-so-pretty fabric is an oh so pretty NEW sewing machine!!

 It is a Janome DC10510 and I am in LOVE with this machine. This machine has so much bang for the buck but I will discuss more about this in a later post.

Fail

How was your run yesterday, you ask? Well it never happened. I think I was being a little overly excited saying I was going to start running, it is still snowing where I live. I suppose I will be unpacking the Wii Active and actually doing something with it. I really need to stop making excuses and just do it. Working out is oh so painful though, you sweat, it makes you stink, and it can be very hard. I actually use to go to the gym before I had my son and it wasn't terrible, I enjoyed it and I need to get back in that mind set.

On another note, I am joining a sew along called the Crafty Sewing Mama's Sew Along.  There will be a weekly challenge with two projects to choose from. We do the project, post our finished projects, our thoughts on the project and any tutorial that we used.The sew along is really meant to help motive us mamas to get some sewing done and learn some new things. I am excited about it. I will be doing my challenge this weekend and making a sewing machine cover.

Beginning Over

This past Tuesday, my family and I moved into a larger home. Each time that we move, I feel as if we are starting over. You clean out the old and bring in the new kinda deal. With each new beginning there is adjustment and I know this all too well have a 9 month old little boy. The move has seemed to be hard on him. He has been nothing but upset and grumpy since we moved and I know its because he doesn't know what is going on. Each day he is getting better and enjoying himself more, which makes me happy.

Yesterday I went out to Joann's and bought a ton of fabric to make curtains for all of the rooms. I actually made one of the curtains yesterday and is now covering my back door window. I will added pictures tomorrow. My camera is out of commission until I go buy it some new batteries.

On another note of beginnings, tomorrow I will be waking up extra early to start running. After having my son, I am currently 3 pants sizes bigger than what I was before I had my son. I will be making an attempt to lose 12 lbs and be 2 pant sizes smaller. I have already started watching what I eat over the past two weeks and let me tell you, restraint is hard. Running in the mornings before work will be even harder, I am so outta shape. Lets see if I can keep it up : ) 

So you may be wondering, why is this lady writing in a blog? What does she have to say? Well honestly, probably not much. With moving into a new home, my son growing so fast, and wanting to lose some weight I figured blogging would be a great way to journal about my progress of decorating, my son growing, and my weight loss goals. It will make me more accountable, hopefully...lol.  

And for good measure, here is a picture of my cutie with my grandmother about 3 weeks ago when we visited North Carolina. He is the love of my life and the reason I taught myself to sew!