I had the privilege of being invited to one of my long-time friend's wedding and reception this last weekend. Though we weren't able to go to Colorado to make the actual wedding, we were able to go to their reception dinner held here in Texas. When our invitation arrived in the mail, my first thought was “what to make them for their wedding present?” For a little over a year now, I have made all of the gifts that I have given at the parties that I have been invited to. Each time, I was invited to a new type of party (i.e. baby showers, bridal showers, and wedding receptions), I came up with a new DIY eco-friendly gifts that I could give. This time around was no different. Continue reading “The Hippy Homemaker's Green Cleaning Starter Kit - The Ultimate Green Friendly Wedding Present”
DIY Dishwasher Tablets For Hard or Soft Water (and homemade Lemishine)
In our old house, I was utilizing castile soap in my dishwasher and always getting fantastic results. I had no clue that the difference in my water softness could make such a huge difference in how well some of my natural cleaning products worked. When we moved into our new home, my first load of dishes came out of the dishwasher covered in a white film. I was beyond disappointed. At first, I had no idea what had happened, but after doing some reading, I found my problem. If you have really hard water, castile soap will turn the water cloudy, and consequently, will cause your glasses to come out cloudy too. I knew that now I needed to come up with a new dishwashing plan for hard water. Continue reading “DIY Dishwasher Tablets For Hard or Soft Water (and homemade Lemishine)”
Ban the Bugs With Essential Oils - DIY Bugs-B-Gone Candles & Spray
It seems to me, that every year I feel like the bugs come out bigger, badder, and stronger. Last year the grasshoppers ate my entire vegetable garden; but this year, I have plans to prevent any bug infestations from ruining any outdoor fun I want to have! I have created The Hippy Homemaker Bug-B-Gone candles and spray. The smell of this spray is absolutely wonderful and refreshing. We have even sprayed this spray on our picnic tables and blankets, to help keep the bugs off of our area. This spray works so well that I carry a bottle of it in my purse, just in case! Continue reading “Ban the Bugs With Essential Oils - DIY Bugs-B-Gone Candles & Spray”
DIY Hippy Lippy Lip Balms - 3 Delicious Flavors!
Lip balms are one of the easiest DIY projects that you can start out making! There are so many options and so many great flavors that you can come up with, I could come up with flavors for days! One of the first projects that I learned how to DIY, and what was the start of The Hippy Homemaker Etsy Shoppe. Continue reading “DIY Hippy Lippy Lip Balms - 3 Delicious Flavors!”
Make Your Own Skin SO Soft Whipped Shaving Cream
When I was trying to make up a batch of my liquid dish soap one day, I was in a hurry and trying to dissolve everything quickly, so I threw it in my Ninja Food Processor and whipped it up, thinking it would just stir it REALLY well. What I didn't think about or expect, was that it would WHIP the castile soap so that it cooled differently than the liquid dish soap recipe. In the end, after it had cooled sufficiently, it had turned into this fluffy whipped soap, and an idea sprung from the mistake that I had made. I can make my own shaving cream! Continue reading “Make Your Own Skin SO Soft Whipped Shaving Cream”
Make Your Own Natural Citrus Softscrub For Your Sinks, Tubs, and Toilets!
I have a “friend” with a bathtub that is so gross, they didn't even want their name to be revealed out of embarrassment, but they did want me to find a great way to clean their bathtub (and sinks, toilets, etc.). I knew that they were looking for a soft scrub, so I got to work finding a recipe that would help to clean up all of the nastiness that was caked on the bathtub's floor. After a preliminary search of the internet, I found pretty much the same recipes everywhere that I went, and all of them combined both vinegar AND castile soap, and as I have been learning (from Lisa Bronner's blog), that is a big no-no. Continue reading “Make Your Own Natural Citrus Softscrub For Your Sinks, Tubs, and Toilets!”
Have the SOFTEST Laundry Ever By Adding Homemade Softener Crystals to Your Wash
I keep seeing commercials for the new Downy fabric softener crystals and mention of the Purex softener crystals in blogs that I read through. You know that I will not use those in my house because of all of the cancer and allergen causing chemicals that those products are laden with, but I still was on the lookout to better my laundry soap recipe with something natural that works along the lines of what those products claim to do. Continue reading “Have the SOFTEST Laundry Ever By Adding Homemade Softener Crystals to Your Wash”
Homemade Love For Silas Thor
In the spirit of the holiday season, I have been on a mission to come up with holiday traditions that keep that magic without the need for Santa Claus. Yes, you heard right. The Hippy Husband and I don't feel the need to propagate the Santa Claus myth in our household. I am aware that most of you think that I am crazy for not partaking in the “magic of Christmas” (believe me, I heard it from my own parents when we told them.) in our household. Continue reading “Homemade Love For Silas Thor”
Homemade Holiday Scented Play Dough For The Little Ones In Your Life
I love playing with play dough. I have always been one of those artsy types of people; as a child, anything that my mom would suggest, that had to do with crafting, I was on board. Now, as a mom myself, I am always turning to the arts and crafts on those rainy days, and pretty much every day in between! One of Syfy's favorite things to do is play with play dough! What kid (or adult for that matter) doesn't like to mold and sculpt their every whim into playdough? Continue reading “Homemade Holiday Scented Play Dough For The Little Ones In Your Life”
Make Your Own Holiday Gifts: Peppermint Laundry Soap in a Jar
Yep. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the gift that keeps on giving. Not only do you KNOW without a shadow of a doubt, that everyone needs laundry soap, you are giving them MUCH better homemade soap that is good for the environment and not toxic to you. Not only that, you can give them a little tag with the recipe on it, so that they can continue to make the soap long after they have used up your gift. Like I said, it's the gift that keeps on giving! Continue reading “Make Your Own Holiday Gifts: Peppermint Laundry Soap in a Jar”