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diy laundry soap … ♥

Raising up Rubies11 Comments

making your own laundry detergent is all over blog land
but i thought i’d share a few pretty pictures, to make it seem like it’s soooo fun to make 🙂
(it actually kinda is … heehee)
the ingredients are the same as most, just the ratio is what i changed 
after researching whether or not it was ok to use on a front loading machine, and it is!
i’ve been using it for almost a year
sayonara store bought 14 million dollars a box laundry detergent
oy.

this is the way i make it 🙂


chop up the soap in small chunks … it’s easier on your processor that way 🙂
(i use this processor only for making detergent
it’s a small kitchen aid that i had before i upgraded to a larger one)

then mix the borax & washing soda into a large bowl or container
my pretty glass container (from Target) holds a 6 batches …
so 6 cups of each of the 3 ingredients 
(18 cups total)
(i’m bad at math)
🙂

process 1 cup of the chopped soap at a time
i scoop a bit of the powder mixture in with the soap
the dry ingredients help grind the soap, which is thick & dense
and it produces much finer soap flakes 🙂
(i sound smart don’t i)
(heehee)

once you’re done pour into the pretty glass container
hard work doesn’t seem hard at all when it’s in a cute glass jar
and with a cute scoop to boot
🙂

i usually have extra ingredients
i just store them in a big metal bucket for next time
everything all in one place makes it easier to pull out when i need to make more
(we may or may not have gone 5 days without washing clothes 
since someone’s butt was not in laundry making soap gear)
(cough cough)

 labels make me happy 🙂

the day i made the laundry soap, i tried a recipe for fabric softener too!
… i’ve been using it for a week, it’s working great
i noticed my towels seemed soft & thick
(yes… thick… but that part is just my imagination since i made my own fabric softener
my towels surely must be thicker … right?)
(my girlfriend made me those cute dish scrubbies … they make me happy too 🙂


i have a few fun things planned these next few weeks
and since i have Christmas on the brain …




every Wednesday beween now and December 12th,

all pretty gift wrapping items will run 20% off
in the store! let’s make stuff & wrap it!
♥
so start thinking bundles & packages with me 
and stock up on tags, tape and embellishments for your Christmas gifts
come back and take a peek Wednesday for the scoop!
 i hope to have a bunch of new tags and gift wrapping kits in the store throughout this week


much love to you all & with gladness in my ♥
psalm . four . seven 


sweet parties here … ♥
Tip me Tuesday ♥ Tip Junkie
live laugh linky Thursday ♥ live laugh rowe
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a sweet giveaway … ♥

Raising up Rubies5 Comments
i’m hosting the linky party 
at the Vintage Sheet Blog this weekend!
The Vintage Sheet Blog
i’ve been a long time reader of Heather’s blog
there’s tons of inspiration to find there if you have an obsession with vintage sheets (like they’re taking over the house kind of obsession) a love for vintage linens like i do :):)
i mean just look at her blog header! it just makes you want to get your craft on!
right?? come on… it so does…

and her blog is committed to Dress a Girl Around the World
a ministry my girls & i are excited to be involved with!
we are planning a dress making party in October 
that i would love to share with you ♥
and maybe you would like to hop on board and sew along with us? 
(more details to follow 🙂

so pop over there and take a peek around 
…and you’ll have a chance to win this…


{for the love of teal} box of goodness … 
including a set of typewriter tags just listed in the shop!
yum.yum.yummy cuteness.

with gladness in my heart ♥

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a shabby vintage kitchen … ♥

Raising up Rubies58 Comments

grab a cup of tea … this post is picture heavy 🙂
besides my craft room this is where i spend most of my time…
my kitchen♥

this picture was taken when we moved in:


here it is now!
i’m so glad you’re here! come on in 🙂




hubs built these corner shelves 
in what would have been a wasted space
they house a lot of my vintage dishes & some serving pieces

Goodwill find last year … i love these canisters 
the knobs were already painted that pretty green

i like the idea of things stored in wire baskets … i’m on the lookout for more




the pot rack was from Hobby Lobby
i still have a few pans from my set to accquire
computer desk on the back window is where i connect with all of you ♥


a perpetual calendar & some old cook books


i wish i had a before picture of this lazy susan 🙂
but here it is now, all nice and pretty


this is the view walking through from the other side, which is my craft space








this is my favorite part of the kitchen
the open cabinets … we decided to leave them open at the last minute
i’m so glad we did!
even though i would like to take the middle bars out of each section
 … still have to convince the hubs 🙂



the tea cups are hung from a stainless steel curtain rod


 more wire baskets … for more service and some pot holders


an old cheese box with sugars, salt & peppers

my grandma’s china ♥



hubby & his dad put a new sink in when they tiled the counters
i spend a lot of time in front of it … what mom doesn’t right?
the little ledge near the windowsill holds herbs, 
to do lists & bible passages i’m trying to remember or reflect on
(or flowers the hubs brings me on occasion 🙂
i wrote about that little ledge here

this is another small curtain rod, hung on the side of the sink area
keeps kitchen towels out of the way (most of the time 🙂


this is our command central
in & out papers, lunchboxes, and everyday life happens here



the “masterpieces” strip was made from yardsticks & clothespins
two of my favorite things ♥
my menu board is an old frame wrapped in vintage sheets
it’s a free printable from here



the baskets are for recycling ~ shredding ~ reading ~ keeping
i used the same label frames i used in my craft space here

a tiny peek into my living room …





thanks for comin’ along on my little house tour ♥
hope you enjoyed!
if you want to see more of my house go here & here
much love & gladness in my ♥ !



sweet party link up here ♥

get schooled Saturday ♥ too much time on my hands
Sundae Scoop ♥ i {heart} naptime
air your laundry friday ♥ freckled laundry
Frugal Friday ♥ the Shabby Nest
Doin’ it Yourself ♥ aka design
Link up with Me ♥ Liz Marie Blog
Junkin Joe ♥ The Cottage Market
Tip Me Tuesday ♥ Tip Junkie
live laugh {linky} thursday ♥ live laugh Rowe
Party Time! ♥ the 36th Avenue
DIY Project Parade ♥ DIY Showoff
A Crafty Soiree ♥ Yesterday on Tuesday
weekend wrapup party ♥ Tatertots & Jello
Saturday Night Special ♥ Funky Junk Interiors
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it's quiet here … ♥

Raising up Rubies6 Comments
my girls started school today ♥
it’s quiet here 😦
and i’m a bit mopey…


now that routine is again present in our lives :/
i am excited to share & make stuff with you more often 🙂
and with the Christmas right around the corner, i have tons to do…don’t you??

have a wonderful Thursday ♥
and oh! Pick Your Plum is having a Fall Kickoff! with some crazy deals today…
so if you’re a craft supply junkie like me, make sure to hop on over 
and sign up for their deal of the day! i can’t wait to see what it is 🙂


be back soon!

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random stuff … ♥

Raising up Rubies22 Comments
here’s a few pretty things i found at Goodwill last week 🙂

my girls have claimed these as their new breakfast dishes ♥
they were $2 per set!

i just couldn’t pass these up … i’m a sucker for anything this pretty teal color
i hung them on a rod i have above my counter with some others i love

if you follow me on Instagram you already saw some of these snapshots
but i’ve been thinking on how i’m so thankful for my kitchen …
sounds silly i know
but i really love my kitchen
and i’m grateful to my husband who listened to all the ideas i had
and fashioned it after my heart’s desire
i especially love the little things …
you know, the things that make it feel like home


since school starts in 2 days
my mind has been on getting back into the swing of things
on all the things i want to accomplish
on the holidays …
 i know, the holidays, but guys … 
so i’m determined to try and get ahead of the game this year
and i really wanted to start in August, so i’m already behind!
i stumbled upon this cute little blog
where she talks about a “September Sort-it”
and she made a list of 30 things she really wanted to get done in the next month
i was motivated to do the same 
but by the time i got to #20 i started to panic
so i stopped there and thought even if i get half of these done
i’ll be happy 🙂

i just listed this in the shop too 🙂
it a cutie pie cloud garland hung from a tiny hanger (heehee 🙂
i’ll be back this week with some more random stuff
♥ much love to you

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pretties … ♥

Raising up Rubies7 Comments
just poppin’ in to share what i got in my mailbox yesterday 🙂


some pretties from one of my most favorite etsy shops ♥
has a wonderful eye for vintage, yet classic handmade jewlery
i want two of everything for my littles 🙂



the day my shop opened i told the hubs that the first thing i would buy with 
my earnings was a piece from her store, and i had a hard time deciding on just one thing!
so i’ll have to go back and look at everything again 🙂

take a peek at her store … you’ll be glad you did 

… with gladness in my ♥





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pom pom apple garland … ♥

Raising up Rubies36 Comments

here’s a cute project to make during these back to school days ♥
it’s simple … come on, let’s make stuff 🙂

a few things you need …


pom pom makers are the funnest (not a word i know) things to have
oh i know you don’t need them to make pom poms 
but they make it a little easier 🙂
the medium size was used for these pom poms
they’re made by Clover and we got ours at Joanns and i’ve seen them at Walmart too
they have a few different sizes, one of them is huge
and would make an apple pom pom the size of … well … an apple 🙂
there’s even a heart shaped pom pom maker! can you imagine??
(not ’cause i like hearts or anything)
(♥)

since the instructions on the back of the package are basic
i thought i’d give you a few pictures of the process



first wind the yarn of your choice around both sections of the pom pom device 🙂
don’t worry about the ends, they will blend in when you trim at the end



close both ends together and then cut with sharp pointed scissors 
through the thickness of the yarn

take a separate piece of yarn and wrap it around the groove that is now exposed
loop the ends through each other a few times to make sure the pom pom doesn’t get loose

open both ends and open up the pom pom maker
pom poms! make lots now 🙂

they will need some trimming to give them a round shape
don’t worry, it’s hard to mess this up 
(unless you’re blind folded 🙂

all done … fun! now let’s make garland



to make the stems use wire snips to cut the pencils
(you can still use the bottom of the pencils
you just can’t make any mistakes when you write with them 🙂



cut some leaves out of green felt
hot glue the pencil tops & the leaves inside the pom pom 
pressing the yarn around it to hide the base

to string them, i used jute that was a more on the stiff side 
(from the jewlery section at the craft store)
just so the apples wouldn’t be top heavy and slouch over

hot glue the jute onto the backside of the pencil more towards the base
you want the apple to hang from the pencil not the pom pom

you can cut strips of felt or material to tie between the apples
these polka dot scraps were leftover from the pony houses i made here 🙂



hang it somewhere and enjoy the cuteness ♥

happy weekend & much love 

linking up here ♥ :

linking up here:
A Crafty Soiree ♥ Yesterday on Tuesday
Whatever you Want Wednesday ♥ Free Pretty Things for You
live laugh linky ♥ live laugh Rowe
Party Time ♥ the 36th Avenue
Weekend Wrap-Up Party ♥ Tatertots & Jello
Sundae Scoop ♥ i heart naptime
Party Junk ♥ Funky Junk Interiors
Junkin’ Joe ♥ the Cottage Market
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thank you … ♥

Raising up Rubies10 Comments
wow
what a week it’s been
i just wanted to pop in and say thank you so so so much
for all the love & support on monday when i opened up shop

and it was a great day!
i had sales and lots of love from the giveaway!
the very happy winners were
♥ Pam & Linda ♥
yay ladies! congratulations!
i hope you love your pretty packages…

for hosting the giveaway … it was super fun!
we’ll have to do another one sometime soon 🙂

my first batch of orders that i brought to the post office today ♥





a peek inside one of the packages 🙂


be back in a couple days with a cute back to school decor project 🙂
(and after i catch up on some sleep!)

love to you all … thanks so much

psalm. four. seven.
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a little Sugar 'n Spice & a giveaway too! … ♥

Raising up Rubies34 Comments
yay!
it’s here!
this day has finally arrived 🙂
and i’m so blessed by a friend with such sweetness in her soul
(i know right?! FPTFY!?!?)
(pinch me now)

is hosting a giveaway to celebrate the opening of my new shop!
CLOSED 

two lovely readers will win a box full of paper goods & pretties for the crafty in you!
here’s what you’ll find in your mailbox if you do …
and i hope it’s love at first sight girls 🙂




now hurry hurry! 
and have fun browsing around the new shop …
i can’t wait to send you guys stuff!!

with soooooo much gladness in my ♥ today