Baking Soda Skin Treatment

I've been having a terrible skin week, so the instant I saw this pin http://pinterest.com/pin/111182684523844795/ I knew I had to try it. 

I started immediately. 

Before: 

Not terrible, but not glowing. 

It went on pretty gloppy. Rubbing it in with a circular motion resulted in rubbing most of it off my face into the sink, but I kept at it until I had somewhat decent coverage. 

Hottie!!

As it dried, it tingled. Not a burning sensation; almost like peroxide. 

I used the 5 minute drying period to scrub my sink with the lost remnants of baking soda. 

Sparkling! 

It wasn't dry yet, so I moved over to the kitchen sink. (Note: by now it was starting to burn a little). 

Sparkling again! I did not use the baking soda on the left side; I can clearly see a difference, can't you?

By the time it was fully dry, it felt like my face was cracking, which is typical of any facial mask. 

Headed back to the bathroom, and found that most of the chunks had fallen off, so I rubbed the rest of it in the described circular motion. I could feel the exfoliating effect immediately. 

It took a surprisingly long time to rinse it all off. My skin feels taut, like it does after any other mask, but also somehow cleaner. 

Glowing? I believe so! I think I'll keep this up. 

Diaper Pouch

Reuse the plastic zippered bag from a set of new pillowcases to corral diapers in your diaper bag. 

Those pillowcase and sheet bags are useful for TONS of stuff. I keep every one of them. 

Keep Diaper Pail Non-Stinky with Doggie Bags

I don't bother with the Diaper Genie.  I really think it's a ripoff, marketed to first-time parents who believe they need EVERYTHING EVER MADE FOR BABIES EVER.  I use a small step-can lined with a plastic grocery bag.  It fills up in about two days, which isn't long enough for the odors to seep out.

However, now that I have two kids in diapers, I've found that the multitude of stinky ones can overwhelm my attempts to maintain a freshly-scented room.  So I use doggy poop bags to tie them up before tossing them in.  I bought these off Amazon because they're made with recycled plastic (green-ER, right?), they come in a handy dispenser box, and they have a light lavender scent. Perfect size for a diaper.  Just tie it off, and toss it in.

http://amzn.com/B007D17A52

I bought these May 19th.  I'm wondering exactly how long it will take for my kids to have 300 poopy diapers.  

Now, if you want to get crafty with it (and who doesn't??) wrap the box with nice paper or fabric (I used fabric) like a present, with a cutout on top to allow the bags to dispense.  This way, you don't have a box on your counter that loudly proclaims "POOP BAGS".

How nice is THAT?

-Adri

How to Keep Your Trashcan Smelling... Okay

I purchased a trash can with a flush lid on purpose:  to keep my kids out of it.  It's worked out great in that regard, but it's so large, it gets pretty stinky before it's full.  And because the lid is, well, flush, the inside of it gets grimy over time.  So I came up with a fix.  This will really work on any type of trash can but I think it's especially useful for a flush-lid can since it lays flat against the trash itself.

Materials

• Double-sided tape or reusable poster sticky stuff
• Used Scentsy bars (or any kind of wax melt)
• Press-n-Seal plastic wrap

Note that I list both the reusable blue sticky stuff and double-sided tape.  I prefer the sticky stuff because I can rearrange it, and the tape is sometimes hard to get off the can.  Also, I prefer to use the Press-n-Seal plastic wrap because it sticks to the entire surface and lasts longer, but you can use regular plastic wrap if you prefer.

De-Stinkify

Once I've warmed a Scentsy bar a few times, it loses most of its smell.  So I pour the wax back into the container and let it harden, and then pop the used ones out.  If you don't use wax melts, I recommend getting a few paper towels, spraying Febreeze or air freshener on them until they're wet, and throwing those into the bottom of the can.

Those are not crumbs in the bottom of my can.  They are broken-off slivers of the wax.  Just so you know.

De-Grossify

Next, get out your tape or sticky stuff, and stick it on the inside of the lid.

Finally, grab a sheet of the plastic wrap that's the size of your lid, and apply it to the tape/sticky stuff.  The point of this is to keep the lid itself clean.  Every time I empty the can, I replace the plastic wrap.  It's not very green, but it is very clean!

It's not perfectly aligned, but it doesn't need to be.  It's the inside of a garbage can.

Other tips:

Every few weeks I also clean the inside of the can with disinfectant spray to catch any errant grossness.

Some people like to line the bottom of the trash can with newspaper to absorb the odors and any escaping liquids.  We don't get a newspaper so I had to come up with something else. 

Or you can sprinkle baking soda in there.  I don't like that because replacing it is a nightmare.  

I hope someone out there finds this useful.  

-Adri

DIY Tulle Pom Poms

From Making Tulle Pom Poms

I've been looking for a tutorial to make these for some time now.  There are several really good ones out there, but none of them had exactly what I wanted, so I decided to make my own.  

The best part about these pom poms is that they have multiple uses: decorations for weddings, parties, baby showers, nurseries, etc., and TOYS.  Babies love these.  They're lightweight and easy to wave around.  And if you follow my "extra" step (the one that nobody else's tutorial includes), they can be baby safe too! 

Materials:

Tulle (you can find it at an excellent price here - be sure to order the 6" rolls, not the 54" bolts!)
Piece of cardboard
A circular item that's approximately the size you want your pom pom to be
Sharp scissors
Dark pen
Two rubber bands

Pictures of the Process

Check out my web album here.  I've put captions under each with the instructions.  If you follow along with the photos in order, it will be easy as pie to make your own! 

Inspiration

These are the blogs where I got most of the steps to create these! A couple of different methods - take a look to see if their explanation is better for you than mine.  Thanks everyone!

Chintzy Couture: Tulle Pom Pom Tutorial

My Creative Way: How to make Tulle Pom Poms

Bownut's Store: How to Make Tulle Pom Poms

Momdot Blog - How to Make a Tulle Pom Pom