Repurposing: Craft By Using What You've Got

Sparky and I are still very much in the furnishing and decorating phase of the renovation (not to mention the painting phase...ahem) and we're on the look out for quirky bits and pieces to adorn the walls. Proviso: we don't have a lot of cash to spend on this stuff at the moment, so we've been looking at what we already have and ways to reuse and repurpose it into wall 'art'(?).

I subscribe to frankie, and every issue they include a pretty wall poster by an emerging artist. Last issue was a world map, which I loved. I'm kind of past the whole "stick posters to the wall with Blutac" thing - it just reminds me of my high school days way too much (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, I'm talking about you in particular) but I wanted to see it on the wall somehow.

I dug around in my project box (where I keep odd photo frames, cardboard, paper and fabric offcuts etc) and found some old white frames that I've lost the glass for. Perfect! I cut the map to fit and presto! I already had another white frame decorated with felt offcuts, which coincidentally matched the map colours well, so I think I'll hang these three together somewhere.

From these...

...to these!

I did something similar with more felt offcuts a few weeks ago, and while the photo is craptacular, I'm actually really happy with the result. I showed the mirror repurpose a few weeks ago, and these pieces are just continuing the theme.

Isy helped me with the top right-hand piece, hence the reason it's much more beautiful than the others.

I really love being able to pull things together from scrap and leftovers. Sure, it's not high art. It's probably not even art at all. But I love it nonetheless.

In the Garden: How to Make Leaf Mould

image via Self Sufficient UK

While today is actually the first day of winter (boo!) the majority of deciduous trees around us have still yet to lose all their leaves, which means two things: Mess and the opportunity to make leaf mould.

Sounds Gross. What is it?

It's basically the term used for rotted down autumn leaves. The gardening nerd in me knows that this stuff is beeeyootiful for your garden - it can be used as a soil conditioner (to improve the overall health of your soil) or as a gentle, rich mulch to help retain water and keep weeds at bay, and gardeners often refer to it as "precious gold". It's perfect for ferns and rainforest plants in particular, but will help enrich any soil in your garden by improving the water retention and overall health of the garden.

How do I Make it?

Super simple. Just rake up all your fallen leaves and give them a spray with the garden hose. You want them to be fairly wet, to help speed up the decomposition. Then fill some heavy-duty black plastic bin bags with your leaves, adding a handful of blood and bone every 30cm or so (this appears to be optional, but I trust the word of Gardening Australia!) Close your bags up, poke some holes in it with a garden fork and leave in a sheltered place, preferably on soil/grass, for at least a year.

So, this isn't an activity for those who are after instant gratification, but it is worthwhile. If nothing else, it gets me outside in the chilly winter air for a while, and gives me something for my garden for basically no cost.

How do I Know When it's Ready?

It will be crumbly and sweet-smelling, and resemble the look of regular compost. (Just a side note: you can't add many autumn leaves to your regular compost bin, as they don't easily break down in those conditions. Too many and it will slow your pile down.)

Sounds Good. Any Tips?

If you want the process to go a little quicker, try dumping all your leaves on the lawn and mowing over them. This will break them up, meaning they'll break down quicker. Also, there are special leaf mould compost bins available, which compress the leaves, apparently speeding the process up some more, so perhaps try keeping a weight of some sort on top of your pile. Maybe some timber or corrugated iron would do the trick.

So, if this ridiculous sinus infection goes away some time soon, this is what I plan on doing over the weekend. And, funnily enough, it makes me not dislike winter quite so much!

3 Quickie Green Cleaning Tips

Print by The Gently Unfurling Sneak on Georgie Love

I have two bathrooms to clean before the kidlets wake up, so it'll be a quick one today. Although hopefully still helpful!

1. Put down the bottle of Mr Sheen!! To do all your household dusting, just buy a microfibre cloth and dampen it with a little water. Or, as I sometimes do, a few drops of tea-tree oil. (Just steer clear of your TV screens if you use the oil option.)

2. Open your doors and windows for ten minutes. It may seem insignificant, but creating cross-ventilation can help rid your home of toxic emissions from our lounges, carpets, cleaning products, paint, etc. Plus, having stale air in your house causes intensely frizzy hair. (Or something.)

3. Potplants are amazing indoor air filters. Check out this post for a list of the top five indoor plants.

And in other news, Sparky managed to score our new across-the-road neighbours' chook shed last weekend, so it will soon be free-range, (very) local eggs in our house! Yay!

Play Time! The Useful Box.

Strainers are way fun, but a useful box is better

I'm guessing most people grew up watching Play School. I know I did. And in fact, I remember pulling out my first tooth watching Play School. I was trying to pull my green flanelette nightie over my knees, using my teeth (as you do) when POP! out came my tooth. I freaked out. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I have always associated Big Ted and Jemima with my teeth ever since.

Weird anecdotes aside, I've started to put together a Useful Box for Isla, when we get our craft on. It's a great way to recycle bits and pieces from around the house, and it means we can replicate lots of the crafts they make on Play School. (Almost all the crafts on Play School are made with toilet rolls, masking tape, crepe paper and paddle pop sticks. Totes inventive!) Not all of it is recycled, but some are party leftovers and others are from cheapy shops, like The Reject Shop.

So far I've got:

• egg cartons
• toilet rolls
• glad wrap/foil rolls and boxes
• pasta boxes
• ribbon and fabric scraps
• pegs
• wool
• pipe cleaners
• googley eyes
• mini pom poms
• paddle pop sticks
• plastic cups
• paper plates
• stickers
• newspaper
• tissue paper
• old magazines
• butchers twine
• balloons
• felt
• rubber bands (from our newspapers)
• crepe paper

It's a work in progress, but I love that I can look at our recycling or "rubbish" and find fun, creative uses for a lot of it. Plus I totally love making things out of crepe paper!

If you're looking for a humongous list of creative play time activities for your little ones, nieces, nephews or neighbours' kids, or if you're just keen on making puppets out of toilet rolls, check out the Play School activities listed here. Many a winters day will be had...

Repurpose Me: Framed Chalkboard Tutorial

When I saw this bear print at our combined garage sale a while back I managed to look past the freaky-looking bear and saw the big, solid timber frame around it. I knew I could do something with it so took it off my sister's hands.

It's only been this week that I had time to actually do anything with the frame, and I'm pretty chuffed with the results. So chuffed that I think I might have to do it again sometime!

So here's a quick how-to to turn a fugly print into a sweet little chalkboard.

You need:

- an old framed print, glass removed (you won't need the glass for this project)
- a can of spray paint in any colour (I used High Gloss Cherry Red in the Squirts range from White Knight - I bought it at Bunnings for about $7)
- a can of chalkboard spray paint (White Knight too)
- an old sheet or a plastic drop sheet
- newspaper (I didn't use it and it was annoying)
 

One creepy bear print.

Seriously...

1. Remove the print from your frame and give the wood a quick wipe over with a clean cloth to remove any dust or dirt. If it's particularly dirty you may need to wipe it with warm, soapy water and give it a thorough dry after.

2. Lay your drop sheet down and newspaper down and put your frame on top. Be careful not to spray near anything precious or white. Time for the first coat of spray paint. I followed these tips and was really happy with the result:

• shake the can of spray paint really, really, really well. for longer than they suggest on the can. this stops any flat or super shiny spots and gives even colour coverage.
• start your spraying off the piece and finish off the piece. this stops any big chunky splotches of spray paint where you first begin
• keep the can about 15-20cm away from the piece you're painting
• keep your paint strokes even
• apply a light, misting coat first and then follow up straight after with a fuller coat (though not too heavy, otherwise it will drip and look splotchy)

3. Check the results of your first coat, get really excited and grab other objects to coat in paint.

After the first coat

I grabbed a heap of frames from our bedroom cause I got so excited!

4. Leave these all to dry for at least 30 minutes before applying a second full coat.

5. Meanwhile, take the print and turn it over, exposing the bare board at the back. (If your print is constructed differently, you may need to use a sheet of thick cardboard here). Give it a wipe over with a clean cloth.

6. I totally forgot to get a shot of this, but, using the same tips as above, spray the board with a misting coat of chalkboard paint, followed immediately by a good, full coat. The can suggested two coats, but I found I only needed one to get really good coverage.

7. Let the frame and the board completely dry (I left mine overnight) and then, with the help of your trusty assistant, put them back together with the chalkboard facing out and the print at the back. You know, in case you ever want to use the print again. Not likely in this case.

Best assistant going round.

Marvel.

8. I think different brands of chalkboard paint vary here, but the White Knight suggested conditioning the board before using it, which means covering the entire surface with chalk and then rubbing it off. I did this, not too sure if it helped anything or not. Also, try to avoid using dirty chalk like I did, as it left some ugly scratches in the paint.

Finite!

For about an hour's work all up, and only a few dollars (I only used half of the can of red paint and maybe one-tenth of the blackboard paint) this was a fun little repurposing project!

I'll be back later with some happy-making!

Homemade, Handmade, Vintage or Repurposed - My Gift Challenge

Last weekend I received one of the most thoughtful and unique presents from my lovely brother- and sister-in-law. I loooove cheese, so they gifted me with this cute-as print above and a small wheel of the most delicious French cheese. Ever.

It stunk out their car on the way to our house, but seriously, it was worth it. Particularly for me, because I wasn't actually in the car. And admittedly, when they first handed me the package I thought, "Why are they buying me manure?"

Anyway, these guys give really thoughtful presents all the time and it has inspired me to a challenge. Every gift I buy for the rest of the year needs to be either:

Homemade (by me or someone in this family)

Handmade (by an independent maker/fair trade/market stall)

Vintage (pretty self-explanatory)

Repurposed/Recycled (either by me or someone else)

I think it's actually going to prove quite difficult, but I'm hoping it will also be super fun and allow me to get creative. Only drawback is it really requires organisation on my part, and when it comes to gifts, that is something I sorely lack.

Case in point: I had the idea to do a cross-stitch for Sparky for Christmas. It's the logo of one of his old favourite bands from back in the day (Swedish punk - super fun!) and while I started back in October, this is where it currently stands:

Wonky and only half finished. And it's not through lack of trying - I spend a couple of nights a week stitching away on this thing, it's just so. time. consuming. Maybe it will be finished for next Christmas.

So I have tonnes of ideas, I just have to, you know, act on them.

And first things first, we have Easter coming up. So I'm going to brainstorm some sweet handmade/homemade Easter gifts for my nieces and nephews. I'll let you know what I come up with.

3 Quick Things To Do This Weekend

Recycle aluminium foil, or, you know, make an elephant out of your scraps.

As you know, I'm all about the "do what you can do, when you can do it" mentality. So here's 3 quick tips you can try this weekend, that actually do make a big difference over time:

1. If you take money out at the ATM, say no to a receipt. Over a year, this really adds up. (Just look at the contents of my purse for proof!)

2. Clean your dryer's lint filter. Apparently a clean filter means it takes 30% less power for your dryer to run (and if you've had damp and humid weather like us recently, that is very good news.)

3. Use al-foil instead of cling wrap. You can recycle al-foil in your council pick-up (just make sure it's relatively clean of food scraps and squish it into a ball so the sorters can find it.) If you want to know what else you can recycle in your council area, check this site out.

Easy-peasy!

Simpler Living 101: Single-Tasking, Not Multi-Tasking

Simple via Lougan Manzke on flickr

As you know, my aim with this blog is to document the ways I am trying to make our life simpler. After a period of huge emotional upheaval and anxiety, I'm (slowly) learning to value simplicity over busyness. It's a daily effort to remind myself that simple is OK. Busy isn't always better and crazy busy is almost never better.

In that vein, I've come across the idea of single-tasking, and I'm really making an effort to do that for at least some part of my day. It's where you commit your mind to the task at hand and only do that task. Sounds silly, but it means no checking emails on my phone when I'm pushing Isla on the swing, or no planning the night's dinner while I'm eating my lunch or having a cup of tea.

It just means I can really be in those moments, and really enjoy them. Then I can step back on the merry-go-round feeling a little fresher.

I like it because it tends to get me out of my own head for a bit, give me a break and provide much-needed perspective. Because stressing out about the ironing not being done is productive to no-one.

Handy Hints: Beauty Ingredients to Avoid

This weekend's homework: Find something delicious and eat it. Lots of it.

Sorry for the lateness of today's post - some days just get crazy before you know it!

I was perusing the interwebs the other day and came upon this really handy downloadable guide of beauty ingredients to avoid. It's US-centric, so some ingredients may go by different names here, but it is a super handy little reference to keep if you're on the hunt for some greener/more natural beauty products.

via Going Home to Roost.

And in other news, it's Friday! We've got a few fun things lined up for the weekend, and for once the list doesn't include painting! We may do some second-hand furniture hunting tomorrow and hopefully eat an enormous ice cream somewhere along the way. Fabbo!

Project Compost: Do's and Don'ts

Because a photo of compost is boring. Huge earthworm found here.

In follow-up to last week's post on restarting the compost bins, I've put together a list of compost do's and don'ts that may make the whole process a little easier.

Again, I am no composting expert and much of what I say is probably quite unscientific, but it is a record of things that have/have not worked for us.

DO:

• compost most vegie scraps, egg shells, tea bags and coffee grounds
• take a sniff of your bins occasionally - there should not be a rotten smell at all. if there is, the heap may be too wet or you may need to add some dry hay/garden waste to the bin
• look out for insects in your pile - a good pile is squirming with worms and other helpers
• ensure you keep the lid on tight - not only to keep possums, cats, dogs etc out of the bin but also to keep the heat generated in the bin, in the bin. this helps speed up the composting process

DON'T:

• compost corn, breads, rice or pasta - these can attract rodents
• compost meat or fish - these types of bins don't reach sufficiently high temperatures to kill any potentially harmful bacteria
• compost human waste or dog/cat poo. for basically the same reason as above.
• add water to the heap unless it's totally dry - the scraps and garden waste should provide enough moisture

If I think of anything else that's similarly important, I'll be sure to add it to the site. And if you've got any questions let me know - I may not know the answer but I could likely find out.

Project Compost: Restart

Our sad compost bins.

 So the garden has been roundly neglected of late (more on this and what I'm doing to rectify the situation in a later post) and the poor old compost heap has seen many better days too. It was really flourishing pre-renovation, as I'd been working on it for about six months and had two big bins worth of garden gold almost ready to go. The little fairy wrens in the yard loved all the bugs that scattered every time I opened the lid and the willy wagtails were well pleased when I'd share some of the insects with them.

Then the builders came in and knocked both bins down, spreading my compost all over the backyard, on day one of the reno.

I get a really awful, wasteful feeling in the pit of my tummy every time I throw away food scraps (similar to the feeling I get using disposable nappies, truth be told) and I think about restarting the ol' compost bins - stat. Then life gets in the way, as usual, and the next time I think about it is when I'm tossing tonight's salad scraps in the bin.

But no more. This week fortnight-ish I will buy some manures, chop some garden waste and start the bins again.

I thought I could offer a very very basic rundown of how I build our compost bins, in case this is something you're interested in. Once it's set up, it really is a super simple way to cut down on your rubbish dramatically, and as a bonus you get the most beautiful plant food imaginable - for free!

*NB There is a huge amount of information out there on composting. There are books and blogs and websites all dedicated to the science of it. I'm not offering any scientific advice here, just a basic overview of what I do at home. This is likely not best practice. Probably not even close.

You need to get yourself two or three bins. Bunnings sell simple compost bins for around $30 each. These have a flip-top lid and an open bottom (the bottom needs to be open to allow worms and insects in, as well as allowing you to turn your heap easily). Place the bins somewhere they will stay pretty dry, and somewhere that makes depositing your scraps easy.

To start, I buy a couple of bags of manure from a farm nearby. Any type will do really, but chook poo is good. I add a layer of this to the bottom of the bin, followed by some grass clippings, some garden cuttings (if these are in large pieces, try breaking them up or running the mower over them first), some hay and a bucket of kitchen scraps. I generally keep these layers to around 10cm deep each, with the exception of the dense grass clippings, 3-5cm will do there. I also make sure not to compact the layers down as composting requires lots of air.

The compost bin has officially begun! I now add our kitchen scraps over the week, occasionally covering them with a handful of hay or leaves. Once the layer of scraps reaches around 10cm I start the layering all over again.

After around a month or so I lift the whole bin off the pile and move it to one side, leaving the entire pile exposed. I then use my shovel and garden fork to work through the pile, separating any big chunks and aerating the whole lot. Then I shovel it all back into the bin. I keep adding, layering, moving and aerating until the bin is pretty much full, then I leave it alone for a while. Depending on the weather it may be three months, it may be more. Occasionally, if I remember, I may turn the pile to help speed things along and get an idea of how the compost is cooking.

Once bin #1 is cooking, I start bin #2 using the same method. The theory being that once the compost in bin #1 is ready to use in the garden, bin #2 will be ready to cook. Then bin #3 is used for depositing scraps etc, while bin #1 stores the usable compost and bin #2 cooks away. In reality, the length of each stage varies and there will be times where you have two bins cooking and no usable compost.

At this early stage in my gardening career I can't worry about that so much, only take pleasure in the knowledge that my scraps will be fertilising my garden sometime in the near future. Hopefully yours will too!!

To stop this post from becoming any lengthier, I'll put together another post for later in the week that outlines the things you should and shouldn't compost in this type of pile.

Green Cleaning: Lemon + Baking Soda = Sparkly McGee!

Lemons are nature's zesty cleaning power-bombs and this green cleaning recipe uses that to its fullest advantage.

All you need is one dirty sink (or any metal surface in your kitchen, or porcelain, enamel or fibreglass in your bathroom), half a lemon, some bicarb soda and about five minutes.

Before. Ugh.

Sprinkle the lemon half with some bicarb, and also sprinkle the sink with a little of the powder too - this works best if the sink is pretty dry before cleaning. Use the flesh side of the lemon to scrub the sink. It takes a couple of minutes for the sherberty fizz to take all the grime away, but it absolutely works and smells citrus fresh too!

If you have some tougher grime or stains then use the skin side as a scrubbing brush. I was surprised by how well this actually works, but the skin really does pick up the stains.

After. The plug hole needs a vinegar soak to bring out the stains but its totally clean. Honest!

I actually used the skin and some extra bicarb to scrub some rust spots on the knife I used and they came out straight away. Lovely!

Ol' Rusty Before.

'Ol Rusty no more.

Super easy and super useful. I like this recipe because it gives me a way of using up the shrivelly lemon halves I sometimes collect in the fruit bowl. Plus it smells so good!

As for the rest of the week, we're busy preparing for Isy's second birthday on the weekend. It's a bubble party so should be awesome!

Hope you're having a good week! X

Things You Can Do

I was just ordering Toby's fabric nappies from Bambooty (the boy likes his food - he's outgrown the small size already!!) and it reminded me of this program I've seen on Facebook.

The Change 3 Things challenge has a similar philosophy to The Lavender Experiment, in that if we all changed the things we could (in this case, swapping three disposable nappies a day for three fabric nappies), the change we'd see in the world would be far greater than the small effort it takes. Like I've said before: baby steps.

Nappies, cleaning products, growing herbs, repurposing furniture, recycling - whatever your baby step is today, or this week, or this month - just know it all makes a difference.
 

Chunky monkey.

Green Cleaning Tip: Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Pom pom progress!

In between garage sale preparation, trips to the doctors, crumb duty (seriously! where do they all come from??!) laundry, ironing and cooking it's been craft mayhem here. The weather's been a bit sucky so Isy and I are getting messy. It's fun. And I'm pretty sure Isla likes it too.


GREEN CLEANING TIP:

Love me some fresh-smelling eucalyptus oil, I really do. It's also a pretty handy addition to your green cleaning stash as it's a super-duper oil. It's antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and good for your immune system. It can be mixed with water in a spray bottle (try around 20 drops to one cup of water) and applied to any areas that need disinfecting, such as table tops, door knobs, bathrooms etc. It gives such a beautiful, fresh scent too. Bonus!

You can buy it at most supermarkets (just make sure it's pure eucalyptus oil) or health food stores.

Handy tip: Lavender oil has very similar disinfecting qualities, so you could try the above spray using essential lavender oil instead.

Meanwhile, it's back to sorting through books and CDs here. The countdown to G Day is on!

K.I.S.S: Decisions

Chucks by Nan Lawson on Etsy

One of my dearest friends is moving to London today, indefinitely. We had dinner last week (such a pleasure, let me tell you! Great company, amazing Italian food, delicious wine...) and I was struck by how calm and committed to the move she was - no nerves or cold feet or second guesses. Not that it would be warranted mind you, I think this is going to be amazing for her, but you could be forgiven for feeling a little jittery about such a massive shift.

It got me thinking though about keeping decisions simple and owning your choices. Sparky and I have made a lot of big decisions in a seemingly short amount of time - the decision to sell our house in the city and move to the mountains was made early one morning and we were looking for property the same day. We also decided very quickly to close down Trove, just as it was becoming very successful. Both of these decisions have been life-changers and choices we've never once regretted. We made the best decision for ourselves and committed to it. There's no benefit in second guessing after the fact because the alternatives were never an option.

It's such a welcome relief when you commit to a decision and then simply move forward.

I once read an article on happiness, and one of the suggestions to creating more happiness was to simplify our decision-making process. If you need new shoes you should visit just two shoe stores and make your choice. More options doesn't mean you're going to feel more satisfied once your decision is made, it just means that making that decision will take longer and likely be more stressful.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'd quite like to spend a day shoe shopping, so I don't think that that was the best example but I do like the thinking behind it!

Remedy for a Bad Day

Ever had one of those days?

The kids don't sleep well, you have a headache, there's six loads of washing to do and it starts to rain, you forgot to pick up the milk for breakfast, your jeans are too tight, your favourite plant is dying, the neighbours' dog barks incessantly and you discover a huge crayon scrawl on your fridge...

Wine often helps.

But if not, try this for a relaxing, pre-bed lavender shower:

Sprinkle/spray a few drops of pure lavender oil in the shower before you turn on the water. Once the hot water hits the oil it releases the scent and creates a beautiful, relaxing, aromatherapeutic (if it wasn't before, that is so a word now) lavender steam that helps soothe frayed nerves and calm frantic minds.

It really does help quieten the mind. Big fan, right here.

K.I.S.S: Garage Sale Tips

Our, ahem, "spare" room.

Since we moved back into the house after the renovation, we've been steadily working through each room, decluttering and sorting out all the things we no longer need. Some of these attempts have been more successful than others - like when Isy rediscovered all the toys I had squirelled away in the hopes of rotating them out every few weeks to cut down both on clutter and over-stimulation. It was messy and joyous.

The biggest job by far was clearing out and sorting through our garage and the huge amount of stuff we'd accumulated in there over the past few years. In fact, I'm currently surrounded by a lot of it, as it's now taking up every spare inch of the spare room, until we replace our garage with a smaller storage studio some time in the future.

Anyway, all this decluttering has left us with a LOT of stuff we no longer need, so we've decided to have a garage sale in a couple of weeks time. To make it a substantial one we're combining forces with one of my sisters and selling off furniture, toys, books, CDs, homewares, knick knacks and random pieces of sporting equipment.

I can't tell you what a huge relief it is to be rid of some of the extraneous crap we've surrounded ourselves with. There is still so much more I could do away with, being a reformed hoarder of useless things like old school assignments, uni books, ticket stubs, newspapers, odds, ends and tidbits, but it's a start.

And it's seriously addictive. I now find myself looking for things to sell. Nothing is safe!

In preparation for the big garage sale I've been reading up on how best to run the day and have come across some tips that I'll be following:

• $1-$50 is generally the price bracket people are willing to pay at a garage sale.
• Group items of the same value together (all items selling for $5 placed in a basket, for example)
• Use colour-coded sticker dots to show the price of items
• Toys, clothes, books, CDs and music sell well. Show them prominently.
• Be prepared to bargain. I know I'd prefer to sell everything rather than lug it back inside the house at the end of the day.

I'll be sure to take some shots on the day and share any crazy early bird stories with you in a couple of weeks time. Is it weird that I'm nervous about holding a garage sale??

Natural Body Products: Coconut Oil

Hehe. From here.

I'm a relatively new convert to using coconut oil as a body product (or at all, really) as I used to associate it with that nasty coconut-scented tanning oil that people use to bake themselves in the sun. In reality, it's nothing like that and I'm super glad I stumbled across the recommendation online.

Pure, extra virgin coconut oil is generally produced in the South Pacific where the coconuts are harvested and the oil extracted within one hour of the nut being open - super fresh! It's a funny substance in that it is actually a milky-coloured solid oil when the room temp is 26C or under and becomes softer and clearer as the temp rises. In summer when it's around 30C+, it's a clear oil.

I use it as a body moisturiser, but it can be used in a heap of different ways. (None of which I've actually tried yet, but I like multi-use products. It keeps things simple!)

Use it as:
 
• Cooking oil (much like peanut or vege oil)
• Raw and fresh bread spread
• Skin moisturiser
• Massage Oil
• Baby Oil
• Hair Oil (massage into your hair at night and shampoo it out in the morning)
• Base ingredient for organic cosmetics

• Head lice and hair nit control (see here for directions)
• Tooth Paste (weird maybe, but there's a recipe here)



It's super economical and smells tasty too! (Not too coconutty though - that would be weird and tropical). I've found some interesting recipes that use the oil, so I'll try some out and get back to you.

Hope you're having a fabulous Monday!

Top Five Indoor Plants

Image from HomeLife

Well, the heatwave hasn't yet broken (40C+ here again today - eugh) so I have packed up the kidlets and spent the past two days at my parents' air-conditioned house. We're all feeling much better and the kids have managed to have a decent sleep each day, so I'm certainly feeling much happier!

My mum is keen on indoor plants, and has a few beautiful peace lilies throughout the house. Looking at them reminded me of a really interesting article I read a while ago on indoor plants and how they have a dramatic purifying effect on our indoor air. Studies have shown that the air we breathe indoors is actually more heavily polluted than the air we breathe outside and that indoor plants help filter the air of these toxins, which are released from our furniture, cabinetry, carpet, paints, cleaning products (not mine anymore though!) and even cosmetics.

I'm a bit of a gardening nerd myself and can't wait to get my green thumbs dirty once the renovations are finished, but in the meantime, perhaps some beautiful indoor plants could help ease my need-to-plant-something angst?

These are the top five indoor plants most effective at filtering the air we breathe inside:

Dracaena (There are over 50 varieties of dracaena and all have excellent air-cleaning properties)
Peace/Madonna lilies (Spathyphyllum)
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Weeping Fig/Ficus (Ficus benjamina)
Bamboo/Reed Palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)


If you're a gardening beginner, or new to the specific needs of potted indoor plants, here are some quick tips to get you started:

• Leave your new plants in their plastic pots and simply place in a decorative pot once you're home. This means you're able to change out your plants and pots without having to re-pot every time.
• Spend some time being kind to your new plants, watering and feeding them well for the first few months. Slowly ease back on the TLC, allowing the plant to "harden off" and acclimatise to its new environment.
• To clean the leaves of your plants (something you should do monthly to allow the plant to photosynthesise effectively) simply wipe over the leaves with a solution of one part water to one part milk. This cleans the leaves of any dust that may accumulate, leaves them shiny and glossy, and also keeps the leaves free of dust for longer.
• A granule-based slow release fertiliser should be applied to your plants every six months, in spring and autumn. (I'm an AFL fan and find it easiest to remember this by applying the fertisiler at the beginning of the season and then finals time. Lame but handy.)
• In summer the plants will probably need watering 2-3 times a week, while in winter this will dial back to once every 2-3 weeks.

I'm keen to get some green action over the next few weeks (the middle of a heatwave is not the best time to buy and plant plants, so I may hold off for a little bit) and once I do I'll share some photos of the new additions. I love me some maiden hair ferns and some bamboo palms, but we'll see what we end up with.

Off to jump in the kids' paddle pool now!

Top Ten Vinegar Uses - Cleaning

Vinegar Street by Mykal Shaw

Vinegar (white distilled vinegar - available by the bottle at the supermarket) is pretty cool. I use it in all my green cleaning recipes and clean my bathroom most weeks with nothing more than vinegar, water and elbow grease.

There's about 50,000 recipes that use vinegar, but it can be used on its own for so many different things. Try one of these next time the need arises:

1. Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave and let it sit for a few minutes. The steam will soften any baked-on food and the vinegar gets rid of smells. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.

2. For stained/smelly plastic food containers, wipe them with a cloth dampened with white distilled vinegar.

3. Discourage ants by spraying straight vinegar outside doorways and windows.

4. To remove a sticky label or price tag, cover with a cloth soaked in vinegar. Leave overnight and the label should easily come away.

5. Clean grout by letting full-strength vinegar sit on it for a few minutes and scrubbing with an old toothbrush.

6. Kill germs around the bathroom with a spray of full-strength vinegar. Rinse and wipe clean with a damp cloth.

7. Remove wallpaper by using a paint roller to wet the surface very thoroughly with a solution of one part vinegar to one part hot water. Or spray on until saturated.

8. Clean hardened paint brushes by simmering them in a saucepan of vinegar. Soak first for an hour or so before bringing it to a simmer. Drain and rinse clean.

9. Clean vinyl baby books or board books by wiping with vinegar. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.

10. Clean scissors that have become sticky (eg. after cutting tape) with a cloth dipped in undiluted vinegar.


There's obviously many more uses in the laundry, garden and medicine cabinet, and I'll get around to those another time. But truly, vinegar, castile soap, borax and baking soda make up the vast, vast majority of all my cleaning solutions. Sparkly McGee!