Happy-Making

Don't you love looking at photos from past holidays?

I hope you have a fabulous weekend. We're spending Saturday painting (natch!) and family BBQ-ing and Sunday cleaning out the garage to have it removed next week.

Brooke x

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!

Baby Steps.

Fairly unrelated image from my iPhone.

When I first started thinking about the Lavender Experiment I was driven by huge, lofty goals of complete self-sufficiency - a garden overflowing with enough organic fruit and veges to feed my family every week, solar panels, huge rainwater harvesting tanks, organic, fair-trade clothes, chemical-free living. You name it, I wanted it.

But now, things are more complicated. I'm busier than I've ever been and most days I get through the absolute necessities and not much else. I'm all about doing what I can, where I can. Yes, it's incredibly admirable to live an entirely self-sufficient life, completely off the grid, but for me and my family it's not realistic right now.

We all hear about the imminent dangers of climate change. We all hear that we need to act now and act big in order to slow its approach. We see the melting ice, the rising sea, the floods, the droughts, the catastrophic weather events.

Though enthusiastic about the experiment, my soon became, "Well, what difference can I make? What could I possibly do?" I was so overwhelmed by the challenge at hand that I ultimately did nothing.

The way I see it now, it's far better making changes where we can, as opposed to having lofty intentions but doing nothing about them. Baby steps.

So this month I use low-VOC paint, recycle and buy second-hand furniture to restore. Next month we hold a garage sale, plant some native plants in the garden and restart the compost bins. I can buy gifts from local and independent producers. I can green clean. I can use fabric nappies on my kids. I can recycle, lots. I can get some chooks for the backyard.

These aren't big steps. But if I list all the baby steps I take this year, I can see that I may just start to make a difference.

Favourite Natural Beauty Products: Face Care and Make-up

Charcoal Complexion Soap from Inner Earth Soaps

There's approximately 5 million "green", "natural", "plant-based" beauty products on the market now, the majority of which are questionable in their actual green-living credentials (phrases like "with active plant ingredients" or "no nasties" are simply marketing spiel, so beware!)

As I've mentioned previously, I have spent the last twelve months or so trying to find good, genuinely natural alternatives to more commercial beauty products, and I think I'm getting close to having all my bases covered (with the exception of mascara and a beautiful red lipstick). My skin is clear and my super sensitive nose isn't being irritated by any synthetic fragrances any more, plus my bathroom cabinet is much less cluttered than it was a year ago. Actually, this is a lie. My bathroom cabinet would be a lot less cluttered if I were to clean it out. **Note to self: Clean out bathroom cabinet.

So here's a run-down of the products I currently use on my face, pretty much every day:

   Cleanser:      Charcoal Complexion Soap from InnerEarth plus a facewasher to exfoliate. Simple.
   Mask:           Detoxifying Mask from InnerEarth Soaps
   Moisturiser: Organic Rosehip Oil from Trilogy
   Foundation: Nature's Minerals Foundation from The Body Shop
   Blush:          Powder Blush from Orglamix
   Brow Groomer/Cheekbone Highlight: Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment (also an awesome lip balm)

I like to try and keep it simple, and these products work really well for me.

I also use natural body wash, moisturiser etc, but more on that some other time.

And if you know of any good, natural mascara or glam red lipsticks, please do tell!!

Toothpaste - The Wonder Paste!

'Toothpaste' from Audrey421

My good friend Alison from My Red Scooter just emailed me to ask where I get my castile soap (Soap Kitchen - they're awesome!) and mentioned a top green cleaning tip that I thought I'd pass on.

To remove texta (or pencil perhaps?) from hard surfaces like kitchen cupboards, tables, benches etc, just use a dab of toothpaste and a tissue, keep rubbing the mark until it comes out. Presto*!

I know that toothpaste has additional cleaning uses, so I'll do some reading and put together some more uses. I don't think you can find a much greener cleaning solution than something we all happily put in our mouths on a daily basis, so this is definitely worth putting in the green cleaning armory.

*I haven't tried it yet, but seeing as Isy has just scribbled all over her bedside table with black pencil, I now have the perfect reason to try it and will let you know how I go.

K.I.S.S: The New 'Do

Yes, it's a bad photo.
No, I'm not wearing make-up.
Yes, I am tired, thank you very much.
Yes, I do appear to be sitting in a store room.

But I did cut my hair clean off. And it is much simpler. 

A few nervous moments, but I am super happy with the result. Particularly when I take the time to, you know, style it.

I did make one (silly) mistake though. I got carried away by the hairdressers' product spiel and ended up leaving with a chunk of money's worth of salon product under my arm (shampoo, conditioner, treatment, styling paste). Of course, after spending a year trying to find natural body and hair products, this was a complete waste of money. Not only did the rich, synthetic, fragranced products make my eyes itch like crazy, they didn't do anything my previous shampoo and conditioner couldn't do (namely, clean my hair). So it's directly back on the Burt's Bees bandwagon for me, until I can find a better, more natural* alternative. I don't have a reaction to their products and they do a good job, so the search for a GOOD, 100% natural hair care range continues.

*Burt's Bees markets itself as being 98.7% natural. Some of their ingredients, as I understand it, are questionable.

Keeping It Simple, Stupid

In the quest to live a lavender life, or a simpler life, I'm looking for ways to cut the clutter and get rid of the unnecessary complexities in life. It might be doing things like cleaning out the junk drawer in the kitchen or having a garage sale (in March we are having a garage sale - it will be huge and there will be cupcakes and a sausage sizzle).

But to kickstart this semi-regular series, I'm going to simplify part of myself: my hair. It's a bit dramatic, but this weekend I'm going from this:

Taken a few months ago in Fiji. My hair is much longer now. And much tanglier.

To this:

The lovely Michelle Williams.

It will no doubt simplify my morning routine, it'll cut down the amount of shampoo I use, it'll mean less brushing, less drying, less straightening, less product! I'm quite nervous about it but need to do it. Otherwise I'll always wonder. 

Plus, then I get to wear pretty hair accessories like this:

Gorgeousness from ban.do 

I'll be sure to post my own (slightly less glamorous) after shots next week.

The Painting. Oh, the Painting...

As I mentioned in the last Renovation Nation update, we have millions of square metres of painting to do now that we're back in the house. Which is wonderful because I (seriously) love painting. I find it therapeutic, satisfying and fulfilling. I even enjoy cutting in (I had no idea what this phrase meant until we started renovating - the things you learn in the University of Life)

One problem. I quite often have a very small human being attached to my breast for stretches of time and he is none too pleased if I try to do something other than this whenever it is that he feels like lunch.

So while I help where possible, painting is currently Sparky's domain. And he's doing a damn fine job.

Where I come in is in colour choice and researching paint products. Which is awesome as it combines two interests of mine - interior design and green products. So I thought I'd share what we're up to.

For the majority of the living areas and hallways we're going for a white ceiling (natch) with mid-grey walls, white trim and timber floors. Some inspiration can be found:

Source: bigboyalready.com

Source: Mustard and Sage

Source: Furnnish

So we've decided on the colour we want, and I've done a lot of research into paint brands and products, trying to find the greenest, healthiest product option that is still durable and washable.

Sparky and I painted our bedroom in 100% natural paint not long after we moved in, and I have to say it really is a terrible paint. It marks if you look at it sideways, is entirely unwashable, is incredibly streaky and has a horrible feel to it. So while I applaud those who do use it successfully, we weren't prepared to spend the next 5 years looking at walls that were a filthly, streaky, scratchy finish.

So I kept researching and finally came to choose Wattyl ID for all our interiors. Many professional painters use it, because it has a good finish and excellent coverage, but I was keen on it also because it is a genuine low-VOC paint. It's low-odour and had less than 1g of volatile organic compounds per litre, where the up to 65g is still considered 'good' in environmental terms.

I understand that there are greener options out there, but for us they've never held up when compared to more commercial options. And I'm all about making practical changes where you can, and would rather use a very good low-VOC paint once every five years, rather than a very-good-for-the-environment-but-terrible-for-actual-painting paint every six months.

We've used it to paint the kids' rooms so far and have been really pleased with it. Plus it really doesn't stink.

Now, all we have to do is actually do the painting!

Renovation Nation

So here is the state of the union, as far as the house is concerned.

We are still very much mid-renovation, it's just that the builders have now done their thing. The rest is up to us and will likely take at least a year to complete. And that's being optimistic.

Anyhoo, some before, during and after-ish shots for you:

The front of our tiny house pre renovation. Scruffy, with an odd charm about her.

Front room (dining room), as you enter the old house.

Back room and Isy's bedroom.

Back of the house once the verandah was removed. Day One!

Stumps for new extension

Frame for extension

Back room taking shape.

Looking towards old bathroom (will become the ensuite). Wall in place for wet-area hallway.

Kitchen mid-renovation. The front door still needs to be moved at this stage.

Looking down the new wet-area hallway towards laundry. Toilet, bathroom, linen cupboard on left.

Cladding of the front mostly done.

Front of the house with new roof on.

There has been so much more progress since these were taken, but with Tobes' arrival, Christmas, moving in and settling back into a new kind of normal, we haven't had time to take any more shots. I'll try to get some more this week some time, because we now have a new deck at the front of the house, no builders' stuff in the front yard, flooring done, the kids' rooms almost painted... Yeah, there's been progress.

We're now looking at things like installing water tanks, finishing the back deck, removing the double garage from the backyard, putting in garden beds, painting (!!! inside and out), decorating, painting, hanging blinds and curtains and painting.

Can you guess what we'll be doing for the next six month's worth of weekends??

Castile Soap is Awesome.

So I've already mentioned the fact that I use castile soap alot to clean around the house, but I thought I'd add a bit more information on what I use it for and how I use it. It really is pretty cool stuff and I've successfully turned two of my sisters and my mum into castile converts over the past couple of months.

What Is It?
Castile soap is traditionally a pure soap made using olive oil. It is entirely vegetable based (not animal products, such as tallow) and much gentler on the skin than more modern soaps. This is mainly due to the fact that castile soap retains its natural levels of glycerin, whereas commercial soapmakers remove the glycerin in order to sell it separately.

Basically, it is super mild, very effective in cleansing and highly moisturising. It. Is. Awesome.

What Can I Use it For?
Well, according to the delightful ramblings on the label of the Dr Bronners Castile Soap that I use, it has 18 or more uses, including:

- Shampoo
- Body Soap
- Toothpaste (euch.)
- Laundry
- Floor cleaning
- General household cleaning
- Dishwashing
- Nappy wash

I can tell you that I have used it as shampoo (no good for me at all - it was Stringy Town all over), hand soap, body wash, laundry, nappy wash and general cleaning. And apart from the shampoo debacle, it's been awesome. So read on if you'd like to see how you can use it.

So, How Can I Use It?
As I've mentioned in a previous post, castile soap is one of the main ingredients in a lot of green cleaning recipes, so it's well worth having for that reason alone. For some other uses around the house though:

LAUNDRY
I use a front-loader, and add around 1/3 cup of the soap to the detergent dispenser for all my washing. I then add a handful of bi-carb soda to the same dispenser and about the same amount of white vinegar to the rinse dispenser. Works a treat every time. Plus, our clothes smell incredible. I actively sniff my clothes. Often. In public sometimes.

BATHROOM
As a body wash and hand soap, Dr Bronner's Lavender Soap can't be beaten. The lavendery goodness is super relaxing before bed and a beautiful scent during the day.

For hand soap I use just a normal hand soap squirty dispensery thingy and dilute the soap with water at roughly 1:1. This basically stops it from clogging up the squirty thingy.

For body wash I use a cute travel-sized squirt bottle (for shampoos and the like) and dilute the soap with some water at roughly one part water to two parts soap. The soap is really concentrated so this just stops me from using too much and becoming a lather monster.

As a shampoo, for me, Dr Bronners sucked. But I do have long, blonde highlighted hair, so probably not ideal. I even tried Dr Bronners Shikakai Conditioning Rins e to help with the tangly, not-quite-clean feeling, but that was just weird. And it didn't work. And it was full of brown lumps that looked a lot like poop. So back to Burt's Bees for me.

And as for toothpaste... No.

GENERAL CLEANING
As a dishwashing detergent, just squirt some soap into your hot water as normal. It may not suds up as much though, but don't be tempted to use extra, as it will just make everything slippery. No good when washing priceless family heirlooms.

Add it to your green cleaning recipes.

A little (very little) squirt onto a damp cloth, combined with a sprinkle of bi-carb soda is a great benchtop cleaner.


So there you have a little rundown of why castile soap is indeed awesome, and why I rave about it. Aside from the fact that it's organic and harmless to my family and our health, it's also really quite economical as it's super concentrated and you can use it everywhere. Which I do. Except on my teeth.

Whoops! I kind of disappeared for a while...

Or more like four months. Sorry about that!

The initial idea was to get this blog up and going before the renovations started, and to have it well established before Baby  #2 arrived, but best laid plans and all that...

We have had Baby #2, now known as the beautiful Toby, and we have moved out of our house, renovated, extended and moved back in to our house. So I didn't quite get there. 

But I did get somewhere. Oh yeah, I think it was called Crazy Town. Population: me. 

I actually don't recommend doing those things together. It was madness. The builders finished on the Friday, we moved most of our stuff back into the bomb site that was our home on Saturday, my waters broke Sunday morning and Tobes was with us Monday morning. Mad. Ness. 

But I'm here now! With more well-laid plans and good intentions. So from today, we're back on the Lavender Bandwagon, with a few other interesting things thrown into the mix. Hope you enjoy.

In the meantime, please meet the newest addition to the family:

I will add some photos of the renovation over the next few days too - it was a massive job (much bigger than we actually realised) and the house is looking pretty unrecognisable. Mostly in a good way.

In the meantime, I've got a tonne of cool stuff to post so will keep at it over the coming days. Hope you enjoy it!

Brooke x