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

Diabetes Awareness Month

Not only is is National Blog Posting Month, but more importantly, it's National Diabetes Awareness Month as well!

Diabetes is not a fun thing to have to deal with on a daily basis. I should know. For me, what started out as the usual Gestational Diabetes when I was pregnant with my first child. He ended up weighing 10 lbs. 5 oz. at birth. Yes...and I was only 115 at the time. After childbirth, my diabetes went away. Only to return during my second pregnancy. Again, after the birth of my daughter, the diabetes went away. She was 9 lbs. 2 oz. at birth. Six years later with the pregnancy of my third and final child, I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes yet again. Although my youngest daughter was my smallest weighing only 8 lbs. 5 oz., the diabetes never went away. I now have Type 2 Diabetes and have been weaned off of the insulin after a few years and am just taking medication and monitoring my diet & nutrition. I do have to check my blood sugars (or am supposed to) three times a day, and I can usually make any necessary changes in my meals as needed.

Diabetes leads to many other medical issues, and this I also know personally.

Here's some startling but interesting facts about Diabetes:

With nearly 26 million children and adults in American living with diabetes, and another 79 million at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, the disease is taking a devastating physical, emotional and financial toll on our country. Yet, most Americans don’t consider diabetes a serious matter. They feel it is someone else’s responsibility; someone else’s problem.

Recent numbers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paint a desperate situation of where we are at, and where we are headed:

"Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes.
Diabetes kills more people each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.
Now is the time to act."
(source)

Here's how you can help with the fight against this disease:

Become Involved in American Diabetes Month® 2011

November is American Diabetes Month, a time to rally individuals, communities and families to Join the MillionsSM in the movement to Stop Diabetes®. This year, the American Diabetes Association is asking individuals to take a pledge and raise their hand to Stop Diabetes.

Beginning November 1, the public can take action by taking the American Diabetes Month pledge on Facebook.

Here are other ways you can become involved:

* Attend an American Diabetes Month event in your area

* Visit www.stopdiabetes.com

* Call 1-800-DIABETES

* Text JOIN to 69866 (standard data and message rates apply)

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It's National Blog Posting Month!! Although NaBloPoMo is now a monthly occurrence, it officially kicked off back then just for the month of November. However, more and more bloggers wanted to continue the Monthly Blogging on a daily basis so....National Blog Posting Month is pretty much every.single.month.

"It's that time again; time to commit to posting every day for a full month by joining in with NaBloPoMo. The point? Well, beyond the endurance factor -- of becoming a writing athlete -- there's the benefit from daily writing. I use it as a way to warm up before getting into book writing. And then there's the community aspect: joining NaBloPoMo is like joining a gym. You're writing in a group and feeding off that for motivation rather than writing alone."

For those who have difficulty trying to figure out what to write about, NaBloPoMo offers bloggers a daily 'prompt' to give you a jump start. Even if you only write a simple paragraph regarding their prompt, it usually leads to blogging about other things in general. So, if you want to jump on the bandwagon and join other Bloggers, NaBloPoMo is the perfect place to get direction!! :)

This is today's Prompt:

For me, my favorite part about writing is the fact that I can journal my daily, weekly or monthly highlights of my life and have somewhere to go to reflect back on those memories. When I started this blog, I was in a new relationship...and it pretty much documents my life from that point on. This blog ended up focusing on the planning of our Destination Wedding...and I'm glad I shared every little detail with my readers. I've had tons of people ask me for direction on re-creating some of the crafty things I did. Quite honestly, the majority of my ideas came from a very amazing group of ladies who were a part of a Destination Wedding forum I was (and still am) a part of. It's nice to be able to pass on the ideas that were passed to me. :)

Of course after all the hoopla was over, I neglected my blog something fierce! However, I'm going to be getting back on track, and hopefully I'll be able to post daily now that I'm committed in participating in the National Blog Posting Month this month!!

In other news....DID YOU SEE MY CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN at the top of my blog?!? Christmas is coming in a month and 23 days!!! Yikes!!!!

I can proudly say that I'm officially DONE with Christmas Shopping!! 

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Guess what's coming in just about a week and 2 months????

Yes!!! I'm talking CHRISTMAS!!!

Can you believe it?!?!? OMG. I've been preparing for this Holiday Season almost the entire year!! Not only have I got most of my Christmas Shopping done, I'm already getting my Goals for 2012 prioritized. :) That's called getting ahead of the game I'd say!!!

Well, it's been a LONG time since I've blogged but let me tell ya...it's been pretty crazy busy for me this past three months!  School was kicking my butt;  I went on a last minute cruise; (and I mean very last minute...like two days before before sailing, last minute!!)

I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things again!! I've missed tons of blog posts from a lot of great bloggers out in blogesphere, but fear not...I will be catching up!

For now...have you guys checked out One Kings Lane lately?  If you haven't signed up, leave me your email and I'll send you an invite to join!  You'll receive a free $15 credit just for doing so!!!

Until next time..... have a good night everyone!!!

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Week 3 Give Away Winners!!!

Congratulations Winners!!

Winner #1 is Sherri!!!

Winner #2 is Ash!!!

Both winners will receive a confirmation email from me, you have 48 hours to resond or new winners will be selected.

Again, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

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Christmas in July ~ Week 3 Give Away

We're back!!

Thanks for being patient guys! Things have been a little hectic here and I've been experiencing some medical issues ~ but no worries!! This week's Give Away is full of some great goodies!!

We're going to have not one, not two, but THREE awesome gifts to give away this week!! AND we're going to have not one, but TWO amazing winners!!!

Without futher adieu, it's:

 TIME!!! Lucky Winner Number One will receive the following:   This lovely set of Finger Tip Towels is perfect for your guest bathroom during the holidays!

Lucky Winner number Two will receive the following:

 

  A cute little Christmas Dress for your favorite newborn baby girl!

Both Winners will receive the following:

 A collection of boxed Christmas Cards. Get a jump start on your Christmas Cards this year!
An array of Revlon cosmetic tools! This collections includes two of everything you see pictured! Keep a set for yourself, and give a set as a gift during the Holidays!!

A Dessert Collection of Mixes from The Gourmet Cupboard. This collection includes a Heavenly Chocolate Pie Mix, Snickerdoodles Cookie Mix and a Dreamcicle Pie Mix! Very delicious!!!

And, as always, each winner will also receive a $5 Gift Card to Target and a $5 Gift Card to Starbucks!!! Good luck to everyone!!! Mandatory Entries:

You must be a public Google Friend Connect Follower of my blog to enter this giveaway. The widget to follow my blog is in the right sidebar. Hop on over to The Gourmet Cupboard Website, browse around and tell me what your favorite mix you'd like to try would be!  (It can't be any items from the Dessert Collection pictured above).

(Don't forget to leave an e-mail address so I know where to contact you if you win! You only need to post your e-mail on one entry.)

Extra Entries:

(Please write a new comment for each additional entry. If something is worth 2 entries, be sure to leave two comments. For example: "I follow you #1" and "I follow you #2" should be two different comments. All entries are worth 1 entry unless otherwise noted.)

-Make a Gourmet Cupboard purchase of any kind, (being sure to list me as the Rep when ordering). Save your confirmation email, I will check if this is a winner entry. (worth 10 entries)

-Network with me. There are three ways to do this- Twitter, Facebook, and email subscription. Buttons and links are on the left sidebar on my blog. (worth 1 entry per method, up to 3 entries total)

-Tweet about this giveaway. You can use this Tweet or write your own: Win in the Christmas in July Give Away with Magic Senses & Target! (2 Tweets per DAY- 1 Entry per Tweet)

-Grab my button and add it to your blog's sidebar and comment with a link to your blog (worth 3 entries)

-Follow my Clever Confections Facebook Fan Page! (worth 2 entries)

This giveaway is open to my readers who are 18 year of age or older with a US mailing address and will end on Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 at 5 p.m.Pacific Time. The winners will be chosen via random.org and will be announced online and via e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.  Good luck, everyone!


 

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MIA

Well, please forgive me for missing this past Friday's Christmas in July Week #2 Give Away post. I had some medical issues, but no worries, this week we will be having TWO great Give Aways!!

Stay tuned for some awesome goodies!!!

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