We are halfway through a minimalizing series here at New Nostalgia. I have loved every minute of it…truly! I cannot tell you the difference it is making in our home. I have done the below spaces, plus 2 teen rooms, my lil’ ones room, my room & our kitchen. I have yet to put those posts together for you, but I can’t wait to share with you! I also can’t wait to show you our landing are upstairs. It has become the catch all place, and it is a danger zone! A complete wreck. But..the rest of the house is looking great and I will get area at the very last.
It is summer break and I actually feel like I am on break! REALLY. I am not spending my days clearing clutter, dusting clutter, putting away clutter thanks to the work I put in the last few weeks. Now I am on a slow pace now that most of the house has been done. We have taken 3 jeep loads of stuff to the local Goodwill and I have about one more left. I can’t believe we had that much stuff as I am one who gets rid of stuff quite regularly. But, when looking at things in my house through a minimalist eye, asking myself..”do I really want to dust this?” “Do I love this enough to deal with it on a daily basis?”.. it really makes a difference in what I keep and what I don’t. This also applies to what I buy. Even if it is on sale, is it important enough and special enough to take my precious time on this earth dealing with it? Yeah, sales seem less appealing now, for sure.
I loved this. It has got a bite! I only used half the cayenne pepper. Helps flush out lymphatic system and great for “getting back to normal” after traveling. Also great for puffiness or water retention.
Most homemade glass/floor cleaner recipes call for vinegar. And I can see why. It’s inexpensive. It kills germs. It’s safe enough to drink. But if you can’t even use it because your husband and kids won’t stop complaining about the smell, it’s just not going to work. So I switched to an alcohol-based recipe that no one has complained about yet! I think it works better than vinegar and water, which left streaks when I used it. It’s super easy to make and it only cost me $0.86 for 24 oz! Streak-free, smell-free, and stress-free. What’s not to love?
Vinegar-Free Homemade Glass & Floor Cleaner Recipe 16 oz. water
4 oz. vodka
10-20 drops essential oils (optional)
I used the cheapest vodka I could find. Lately I’ve been loving pine essential oil in my homemade cleaners for the “clean” aroma and extra disinfecting power.
What homemade cleaners do you make? ––––––––––––
Kendra blogs at Our Homemade Happiness and writes about all things homemade, especially cleaners, skincare & healthy eating.
Kendra Drake
Natural & Homemade Contributor
Kendra started her blog after her husband suffered from mono symptoms for over two years and his blood results showed some liver disease. Since the liver is responsible for filtering out chemicals and toxins from the bloodstream, she started to realize how many chemicals are in everything we buy, from processed food to household cleaners, lotion, and even air freshener. She has become inspired to rid her home of as many chemicals as she can, one product at a time, and write about it along the way.
You will love Kendra & all the great things she has to share!
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TIKI Brand® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Our weather hit a record high yesterday, a 100 degree Nebraska day in May was a pretty big deal! I love the heat, and it made me excited to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors.
We have a teeny, tiny backyard, and I am always trying to think of ways to make it a cozy outdoor area that we want to be in as a family. We are slowly making it into the space we imagine it could be. I have done that with comfortable seating, a few pots of flowers, an in- ground water feature & some fun lighting. We are getting close to having the outdoor space we have imagined, all that is left to add is a hammock, and a table with an umbrella so we can eat outdoors.
One of the things I recently got to cross off my list was the element of fire. I wanted the ambience that fire brings, but did not want to mess with a fire pit. Tiki torches were an option, but I wanted something more simple, that would be easier to store than a bunch of torches. I was not sure what I was looking for, until I saw the new TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures.
These sculptures are great! They are the perfect bridge between a garden torch and a fire pit. They bring the ambience of a large, natural flame but with less mess and smoke than a fire pit. If easy flame is what you are looking for, than TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures are a must have!
If you want one of your own, they are sold exclusively at The Home Depot. They can be used with OFF! /BiteFighter Torch fuel which will provide mosquito repellency, which is a good option for us as our in- ground water feature can attract mosquitoes during certain summer months.
The TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures is a BREEZE to use. I couldn’t believe it was so easy. You simply fill the canister with fuel, screw the lid on, and light it. It could not be easier.
My girls were super excited about the Fire Sculpture. My youngest just came in and saw me writing this post and said “Mom, that is going to be your best post EVER because I love our new fire ‘thing'” Ha. So cute.
I have found that if I want the family to hang out in the back yard, all I have to do is light the sculpture and they come running. It just sets such a nice atmosphere, and is such a simple and minimal way to bring the beauty of flame to our backyard. I love it!
What about you? Is this something you think you would like? If so, you can follow the TIKI Brand on Facebook. They have other styles of Tiki Sculptures that are really beautiful. I’d love to know which one is your favorite and what you like about it.
It can be so fun to decorate the refrigerator with cute family photos! But something that drives me crazy is mismatched random magnets that distract from the photos and make everything look cluttered. I have a little stash of cute Washi tape so I decided to get creative and fix this problem by making some of my own refrigerator magnets. This project was so quick and easy!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Here’s how I did it:
1// Carefully line up the washi tape with an end of a clothespin. (I get my tape here – link towww.etsy.com/shop/prettytape)
2// Snip away excess tape.
3// Remove adhesive cover from magnet and stick it to the back of the clothespin.
4// These come in strips too if you don’t want your magnet to show – I happened to have round magnets on hand so I used those.
5//Add adorable family photos! These are my siblings-in-law and their sweet girls. Have you ever seen a cuter family?
Finished!
Xo, Laurie
Laurie Cosgrove
Art & DIY Contributer
Laurie is a graphic artist and the author of Beauty Divine Design where she posts on everything from design trends and tutorials to her random daily life. She has such a way with beauty, and her taste is divine!
Laurie also is the founder of Beauty Divine Design company which focuses on providing photographers with design templates. Click here to visit her shop.