Home Made Laundry Detergent!! :)

When I first set out to make homemade laundry detergent I thought it would be difficult and time consuming, however boy was I wrong! It was actually incredibly fast, easy, and inexpensive. Now, after making my first batch, I love the results.

Here is the breakdown in cost analysis:

Note: you only need to use 1 tablespoon of this homemade detergent per load, although you can use 1 – 2 tablespoons for heavily soiled loads)

• Arm & Hammer® liquid 100 ounce detergent – $6.79 – 32 loads = $0.21 per load
• Tide® with Bleach powder 267 ounce detergent – $20.32 – 95 loads = $0.21 per load
• Homemade powder 32 ounce detergent – $2.98 – 64 loads = $0.05 per load

As you can see, whether I compare against traditional store bought liquid or powder, I am saving $0.16 per load!

Homemade powder soap required only 3 simple ingredients & took around 5 minutes to create, in respect of opportunity cost I abandoned my original idea of brewing a liquid detergent and set my sights on creating the powder variety. What follows is a pictorial tutorial to making homemade powder laundry detergent.  Enjoy!
SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

1 – 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer® Super Washing Soda = $3.99

1 – 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team® Borax = $4.99

1 – 10 pack of 4.5 ounce bars of Ivory® Bar Soap 

A SIMPLE RECIPE

Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads based on how many Tbsp used per load).

1 bar of shaved bar soap 

1 cup of borax

1 cup of washing soda

Thoroughly stir together for 5 minutes and enjoy the results!  That’s it folks…seems too good to be true, but it is true indeed!

THE MAKING OF A BATCH

1. Start with these ingredients & utensils:

2. Shave 1 bar of soap.  I used a simple hand grater:

3. My shaved bar looked like this:

4. Add 1 cup of borax:

5. Add 1 cup of washing soda:

6. Stir thoroughly:

7. Continue stirring thoroughly:

8. Stirring is complete when you have a powder like this:

9. 2 batches of this recipe fit perfectly into a 32 ounce yogurt container:

When you do a load use 1 tablespoon of detergent per load 

(you can also use 1 – 2 scoops for heavily soiled loads).

There you have it folks!

Simple, easy, fast, & efficient!!

What are you waiting for?  Go get the ingredients & make yours today!

Creating Cards!!!

Back in the late 80's, early to mid 90's, Rubber Stamping was the craze!! Then it was Scrapbooking.

While I'm not a very good Scrapbooker, I love to make Cards. One of my friends, Callie, she is an avid scrapbooker and she creates some great lay outs! I just can't seem to grasp the creativity in scrapbook layouts. My forte is Cards. I love making Cards!

Callie and I have partnered together and joined Close to My Heart. Close to My Heart is a Scrapbooking/Rubber Stamping Direct Sales Company whose mission is:

We show you how to celebrate relationships through discovering your creativity, to preserve and share the moments that matter most.

Today, I had the pleasure to attend a Card Workshop where we had the opportunity to make as many cards as we wanted in a two hour time period. I've never been to an event like this, and I haven't rubber stamped in such a long time, so needless to say I was a little intimidated for the first 20 minutes or so.

We were told everything would be supplied. The papers, embellishments, stamps, ink pads, the works! And they were! However, I see these women walking in with baskets or totes with all sorts of Scrapbooking material.....and then I started worrying even more. Several more women walked in empty handed so then I started to feel a little better. Those other women, they were just over achievers...LOL.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you some of the cards I created today!! Now remember, I am very rusty at this so....please excuse all the little misgivings you may find! :D

If you're interested in checking out our Website, please feel free to do so. Here's the link: --------> Scrapin' Girls ~ Close to My Heart Independent Consultants

If you're a Scrapbooker and would like to join our Virtual Monthly Club, please email me at: scrapingirls@gmail.com

How our Monthly Club works: You're committing to a monthly purchase of a minimum of $15 from our Close to My Heart Idea Book; there will be one month where YOU will be the hostess and reap all the Hostess Benefits ~ Free Product, Half Off Items as well as the Stamp of the Month for FREE. Again, it's only a $15 minimum order per month and in return you have the opportunity to be the Hostess during a month or perhaps two throughout the year. Currently we have 8 ladies participating. There's still time to join in for January ~ or you can start in February if you'd like!!

Hope to hear from some of you Scrappers out there!!! Until then...Happy Scrapping & have a Scentsational Day!!!!!

Sneak Peek at February's Warmer & Scent of the Month

"Flutterby"

 FEBRUARY WARMER 
Flutterby 
Conjure the magic of the first green signs of spring with
Flutterby. Fanciful butterfly cutouts cast delightful
shadows on the wall when lit.

For the month of February, you can own one of these for $31.50
which is 10% off the regular retail price!

February's Scent of the Month 
 Pixie  

Start your pink pepper journey with Pixie, a
mischievous moonscape of pink pepper,
mandarin, and heliotrope, deepened by exotic
teakwood and vanilla oak.

Enjoy this month’s fragrance at a 10% discount.
Scent Circle   $2.70
Scentsy Bar $4.50
Room Spray  $7.20
Scentsy Brick  $18.0

If you're interested in earning "Flutterby" for FREE, please contact me for more information and we'll get you on your way to getting you your very own "Futterby" Warmer!

Close to My Heart Monthly Club

Do you love Close To My Heart Products as much as I do?

Are you new to the scrapbooking / card making hobby and want to learn more and increase your product stash?

Do you already place at least a $15 order monthly or a $30 every other month?

Would you like to receive at least $25 in FREE product?

If you said YES to any of these questions than I have a great deal for you!! I already have two clubs going, but I may have a few people interested in a third one. So if you missed out the first couple times around or you want a double dipping and want to sign up for this one too let me know. I would like to get this rolling by 

January 15th.

What does the monthly club entail you ask?

(This is a VIRTUAL Club)

* The minimum monthly order is only $15 (plus shipping & tax) if we have 12 ladies which works out to a 12 month commitment.

(January - December).

If we have less than 12 ladies we would need to divide $150 by the amount of ladies we do have, and the monthly commitment would be reduced.

As this is a "virtual" club, we don't physically meet anywhere. It's just a way  to order CTMH products each month and earn earn FREE product when it's YOUR month to 'host',

without having to do anything.

Benefit: This helps you budget your supplies a little at a time.

* Each month you will take turns being the Hostess.

You will earn at least $25 in FREE Close To My Heart products when it's your turn to be the hostess.

You can choose from stamp sets, paper packets, ink pads, markers, cardstock, acrylic blocks and more.

Benefit: When it's your month you can collect outside orders from friends and family to increase the amount of FREE goodies you get. 

You can be the Hostess of a Home Gathering,

where I come to your house or you and your friends come to mine, we play a few games for prizes, tour the idea book and make a card. 

Then they have time to place orders. 

Those sales would count towards your Hostess Month. 

However, you do not have to do this to join the club...it's just a way to earn even more FREE goodies.

The rewards get better as the orders increase in amount.

When you hit $350 in sales you will earn $60 in FREE product and one half priced item or a Hostess Collection!!

In addition to being the hostess, all members will receive:

* FREE Idea Books before other customers -

-Autumn/Winter 2011 (Current) and

-Spring/Summer 2012

* A FREE gift just for joining!

* Stamp of the Month for FREE during hostess month

* One month of being the hostess earning at least $25 in FREE products. 

Hostesses average $40 or more and as much as $200 or more in FREE Product plus half-priced items.

* Periodic sales, challenges, sample products and goodies from me!

* At the end of the club (December 2012) you will receive a mini stamp set as a Thank You for participating!

** January's club order needs to be placed by Sunday, January 15!! **

If you have any questions please send me an email at scrapingirls@gmail.com

Sign Up Today!!

Scentsy Mystery Host Party!!

How would YOU like to earn FREE Scentsy Products?!?

It's very simple!!  

I am currently having an

**ON-LINE MYSTERY HOST PARTY**

Anyone that places an order on my Scentsy Website via this link:

Mystery Hostess Party

will have the opportunity to earn

ALL the HOSTESS CREDIT

and

HOSTESS HALF PRICE ITEMS

Not to mention that exclusively ONLY in January

we have

BRING BACK MY BARS

So, don't let this pass you by!!!

Woot woot! I'm back!!!

WOO HOO!!!  2012 IS HERE!!

Let's see if I can discipline myself to go back to blogging on a daily basis!!!

For me, 2011 wasn't a very eventful year.  Although we did go on an impromptu, last minute Cruise in October, that's about all the traveling that we did.  Which is quite unusual for us.  We normally go to Minnesota at least twice during the year, however this year we didn't even go once!  The year flew by so quickly ~ and when the Holidays rolled around, we totally were not in the mood

to do ANY celebrating whatsoever!  We did host our Annual Gile Holiday Party, which was an amazing success, complete with awesome White Elephant Gift Exchange!

I made some wonderful new friendships with some pretty amazing individuals which I am truly grateful for!  So in that sense, I don't regret 2011.......yet I don't think it'll go down in the books as

an "awesome" year for the Gile family here in California!

With that being said, here's the last page in our book of 2011.

So, let's talk about what's new!  There are several 'important' new beginnings for me:

1)  I have been a Scentsy Consultant for 4 months now.

2)  I'm a very new Paparazzi Jewelry & Accessories Consultant

3) I will be treating both the above businesses as my 'REAL JOB' (as some people say I don't have)

In 2010 it was one of my yearly Goals to read 100 books in the year.  I accomplished just that.  

Last year, despite the fact that I listed all my 2011 Goals & Wishes for the year, 

(which you can read  ----->  here.)

 Seldomly did I even attempted to reach said goals.  

THIS YEAR, I am going to strive to simultaneously accomplish all of my goals I set

as well as cross things off of My Bucket List!!

In a completely separate Blog Post, I'm going post the following lists:

* 2012 Goals & Wishes

* My Life's Bucket List

Here's to hoping you all can help keep me accountable for everything  on my lists!

Have an AMAZING 2012!!

*Types of Scentsy Parties*

Love Scentsy Warmers? 

Love earning FREE Scentsy? We have 4 different ways 

you can earn FREE Scentsy!  

HOME PARTY


A traditional approach is a Home Party. You invite several of your friends & family to your home for a fun night!!  I’ll arrive a few minutes early to set up a beautiful display. When your guests arrive, I will spend just a little time and demonstrate how Scentsy works. This is a great approach if Scentsy is new to you or your friends. We’ll talk briefly about the variety of warmers and scents, how SAFE a warmer is, and how to use and change a Scentsy bar. It won’t take long to show you just how easy it is to fill your home with the latest Scentsation! 

OPEN HOUSE

For more of a casual like atmosphere or if your guests are already familiar with Scentsy, an Open House is a great option. Together, we’ll determine a two to three hour period of time to hold your Open House. I’ll arrive about an hour early to set up. Once your Open House starts, we'll spend some time talking with guests as they come and go sharing scents! This is a fun, casual and low-pressure way to share Scentsy with your friends, neighbors and family.

BASKET PARTY

This is a compact kit which contain mini testers in all 80+ Scents that we currently have available.  It's so compact that you can carry it in one hand, keep in your purse or take to your office and from home to home as you visit friends and family. My Basket Party includes the fragrance testers, order forms and everything you need to host a Scentsy Basket Party. Use the kit for a few days or a week, and then return it to me and we’ll close your party! A Scentsy Basket Party is great if you don’t have the time or space to hold a more traditional Home Party. 

ONLINE PARTY

This is the simplest of all parties. It’s like an Open House but online. We will create a  Facebook Event page to invite your guests local or out of state to visit your specific Online Party Link on my website. Your guests are free to order at their convenience until the designated party closing time. 

If any of these appeal to you, please do not hesitate to contact me so we can get your Scentsy Party scheduled today!!

Michele Gile

(209) 417-5410

www.scentbyscent.com

michele@scentbyscent.com