Garden Bliss

 The chives survived the recent hail storms, and the bees are thankful!

With Michael's help, I built our very own compost bins made from reclaimed shipping pallets.

Natural Deodorant

Mix together:

3 T coconut oil

2 T baking soda

2 T arrowroot or cornstarch

essential oils, like tea tree oil, are optional

After a shower, when completely dry -- rub a small amount all around
(any excess can go on your toes -- keeps them smooth and smelling good, too!).

How to Make Soft Herbed Fresh Cheese

 For a small amount of cheese, use 4 cups (1 qt) of fresh whole milk 
(raw if you can get it!) to 1/4 cup lemon juice / vinegar.

 (wait at least 20-30 minutes)

(you can keep draining at this point to make it a harder cheese, but I like this stage of super soft creamy texture!)

Thanks to The Goat Cheese Lady for the class at the Cheyenne Mountain Library!

Homemade Facial Scrub

 why spend all that money on face/body scrub when you have everything in your kitchen cabinet? raw sugar or coffee grounds for your face, salt for your body - mixed with local honey

DIY: Platform Bed

With the help of a friend, her truck and saw, I was able to build this platform bed! Now I have much needed storage. I'm sure it would have gone much smoother/faster, had I used a properly working drill to begin with when actually building it, and realized the correct size for my pre-drilled holes, but I learned a lot. In just one day, I felt super productive and proud. Plus, I found a use for all that canvas I bought back in art school and have been carrying around all these years. Paint on it? No. Protect my nice new mattress? Sure! I also made some protective felt pads to save the floor. Here is a pdf of my platform/loft bed design.

DIY: Reusable Produce Bags

A friend gave me this plastic pink net material a while ago and I finally figured out a great way to use it! Two reusable produce bags :) and they were so easy to sew. I've stored them in my canvas grocery bags so I'll remember at the store.

(photographed on the super fun, vintage inspired apron my mom made me -- thanks mom!)