Art Journaling: Whimsical Watercolor Flowers Hand Painted on Newspaper DIY How To Tutorial

 Whimsical Watercolor Flowers Hand Painted on Newspaper

Today I had a bit of an art day and created these watercolor flowers.  I plan on using them in my journals to add a little bit of artistic whimsy to my pages.  I thought I would share how to make them.

 Art Journaling - Making Watercolor Flowers

Supplies are minimal and basic!  

Watercolors (inexpensive watercolors, even children's watercolors work just fine for this)

Wax Paper to protect your surface

Newspaper

Watercolor brush

Gel Pens - I used white

Sharpie Pens- I used black

 Newspaper and Watercolor Flowers

The directions to make these whimsical cuties is simple as well!

Spread out your newspaper.  I used wax paper underneath the newspaper to protect my working surface.

Paint random round shapes in various sizes with the watercolor paints all over the newspaper.  You will need various sizes so that you can stack the flowers if you want a dimensional flower.  I mixed my colors up but you could paint them in a solid color if you prefer.  

Next choose some paint for your leaves and paint random leave shapes on your newspaper.

Allow the paint to dry and cut out the shapes.

Watercolor Flowers, Doodles, Art Journaling

With a black Sharpie I drew lines and doodles on the flowers and leaves.  Next I added white dots / and or lines with a white gel pen.  You can use whatever colors you would like to doodle little designs on your flowers.

I wanted some of the flowers to be dimensional so all I did was scrunch them up so that they were all crunched up.  Then I opened them up.  I chose various sizes so that I could make a layered flower.  I glued them on layer by layer beginning with the largest flower on the bottom and adding smaller flowers as I went along until I had what I wanted.  Next I glued the leaves in place.

So there you have it!  Whimsical watercolor flowers for your projects, scrapbooks, journals, etc.

I hope you enjoy these little flowers and I hope that maybe, just maybe, that I have inspired you to create your own!

What have you been creating lately?

How to Make A Rag Rug

I love recycling when I can.  I especially love to be able to upcycle discarded or unused items into something that is pretty or useful in my home.  So enter into the world of rag rug making with me!

I love thrift shopping and often find pretty fabrics, sheets, clothing  and such.  Sometimes the fabrics are still in very good condition or even new condition.   The cost of fabric at the fabric store for new fabric is getting out of sight, especially when the purpose is for rug making.  So why not take advantage of re-using and repurposing fabrics, sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, curtains or old clothing into something practical and useful?


How to Make a Rag Rug

I thought I would welcome you into the world of rag rug making with something very simple.  This rag rug is crocheted using a large hook (I used a size M hook) and strips of fabric that are upcycled from found fabrics.

First, look thru what you have at home in your linen closet.  Look for unused sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, curtains, or whatever kind of fabrics you can find that you no longer have need of.  If you need more fabrics  go shopping! Yay! I especially l-o-v-e bargain shopping!!!! It's all about the thrill of the hunt, right folks?

So, keep your eyes open for fabrics that you can incorporate into your rugs.  Ashamedly, I have to admit that I have a more than ample supply of fabrics that I can recycle into rugs.  But if you are a rug maker it is nice to find fabrics that coordinate with one another, right?  Yes! But, if you can not find coordinating fabrics I have seen many beautiful rugs that are just all different colors of fabric.  Strip by strip they all incorporate into a nice rug! It all works!

Now you have some fabric.  So start tearing your fabric into strips.  First snip down about two inches long across the  width of the fabric about every two or three inches.  I usually tear the strips about a couple of inches wide. The wider the strips, the larger the hook you will use.  Yes, I tear my fabric strips.  I then pull off  as many of the strings that I can.  I don't stress over what I can not pull off.  As the rug is being made, washed and used everything just works out.  Ok?  So.....don't stress! It will be beautiful!

You can also cut your fabric strips with scissors or a rotary cutter.  Not my way of doing things but if you are that kind of a gal then go that route.  All of that tearing up of the fabric is actually kind of fun and very stress relieving! Do this job outside!  Lots of fiber dust comes off when you are tearing those fabric strips.  For that reason  I recommend that you wear a dust mask.  And especially make sure to wear a dust mask if you have any respiratory issues.  Protect those lungs!

Fabric strips for rag rug making

After I tear my fabric into strips I fold my fabric strips and put them into neat little piles and store them in see thru  zip lock bags.  That way when I am ready to begin my rug making I have already accomplished that part of the process and can go to my stash and grab out the fabrics that I want to use. 

There are several ways to join your fabric strips.  You can hand or machine sew them together.  Or you can use the "fold, snip, and attach" method, as I refer to it!  Do not make this harder than it is.  It is really very, very simple.  Ok?  When you are ready to add a new strip of fabric follow these steps:  Take your time..... and just follow these directions step by step! Don't make it harder than it is!  I apologize that I can't add a photo for this step, but I only have two hands!

First, as you are crocheting along and near the end of your WORKING fabric strip, fold the end of the fabric down about an inch and with a pair of sharp, pointed scissors just take a little snip into that fold (only big enough that when unfolded back out that your next strip of fabric will fit into the hole that you just cut).

Next, choose a fabric strip that you want to connect to your working fabric strip.  We will call this the NEW strip.  Do the same thing.  Fold the end of the fabric strip down about an inch and cut a little snip into the fold of the NEW fabric strip about the same size as the cut that you made into your working strip.  Easy enough, right?

Place your NEW strip that you are adding ON TOP of your WORKING strip aligning the little hole snips in the fabric. 

OK..... now pick up the tail end of your NEW strip and from the bottom or underneath the two strips being held together just insert the tail end  of the NEW strip into the holes cut in the two strips that you are holding together on top of one another.

Pull the tail end that you just fed thru the cut all the way thru until your strips are joined.  Tug gently on the strips and that will join the WORKING strip to the NEW STRIP.  Viola!! You have now added your two strips together without sewing!  

The above rag rug was made in a square(ish) shape.  You can make them round, oval, rectangular and more.  For simplicity we are making this one square(ish). 

This rag rug was made using only a chain stitch (which made the foundation row) and single crochet stitches.  Both of these stitches are very simple.  If you do not know how to do a chain stitch or a single crochet stitch I am going to refer you to the wonderful world of YouTube.  Simply type into the YouTube search bar "crochet chain stitch" and "single crochet stitch" and you will find many tutorials of how to do these simple stitches.

So LET'S MAKE A RAG RUG!

Supplies:

Fabric Strips
A crochet hook that is the appropriate size for your strips
( I used a size M or 9 MM hook)
(The wider your strips are the larger hook you will need)
Yarn rug needle with a big eye

Foundation: Chain 41 stitches

Row 1:  Single crochet into the first chain stitch and into each chain stitch to the end of the row. Chain 1. Turn.

Row 2:  Chain into the first single crochet and into each single crochet to the end of the row. Chain one. Turn.

Repeat Row 2 until you have made the rug as long as you want it to be. 

Bind off   (YouTube videos will show you how)  OR you can first single crochet around the entire rug for as many rounds as you would like in order to give your rug a more finished look)  To accomplish neat corners simply single crochet three stitches into your corner stitches to allow for a smooth transition in the corners.  Then bind off if you choose to crochet around the entire rug.
With a large eye yarn needle, weave in any ends.

TUTORIAL:  HOW TO MAKE A RAG RUG

Handmade Rag Rug

That's it!!

Crocheted Rag Rug

I hope that this tutorial on how to make a rag rug is helpful for you to be able to make your own rag rugs!

Are you excited and ready to make a rug?  I hope you will come back to tell me all about it and to  show me your creations!!

Happy rag rug making!

Paper Crafts: Make Handmade Embellished Gift Tags

I love quick little craft projects and handmade gift tags are just that!  

And I love that little bits and pieces can be turned into something useful and pretty.

Scraps of lace, trims, old buttons, photos or artwork,

stamped or vintage images, watercolors, paints, inks, and so much more 

can all be incorporated into little art projects and handmade gift tags!

The next time that you have a wee bit of time, grab your craft box, pick some pretty papers,

 baubles, bits, trims, stamps or whatever you have on hand and create something beautiful!

Can I Grow a SCOBY?



Can I Grow a SCOBY for KOMBUCHA?

I have recently been drinking kombucha purchased from my local health food store. What is kombucha?  It is a fermented black tea drink that supposedly has good gut health benefits because of the probiotics that are in the drink.  But at nearly $4.00 (current price as of this writing)  for a 16 ounce bottle of kombucha it can get a bit expensive.  So, I decided that I wanted to try to brew my own.  To do that I needed a SCOBY and kombucha starter. 

What is a SCOBY?  Well SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast.  So basically it is a culture.  And in the case of a kombucha SCOBY, it is made up of yeasts that thrive on black tea and sugar. 

If you have a friend who makes their own kombucha you may have a resource for some starter and a SCOBY, but after asking around all I got were blank or confused looks and questions like what IS kombucha and what IS a SCOBY.  Next, I  looked at my local health food store but I could not find a SCOBY there either.  I know that a SCOBY and starter can be purchased online but my thinking (right or wrong) was maybe I grow my own SCOBY?    Once upon a time  I used to make make sour dough bread and I had to use a starter culture in my bread making.  So,  I figured that maybe I could make my own starter for my kombucha.   If it can be done for sour dough bread starter, then maybe it can be done for kombucha.....of course not the same starter as used for sour dough bread, but a starter and SCOBY used for the making of kombucha.

So after doing a bit of research this is what I did to try to make my starter and to try to grow a SCOBY.

I sterilized a one half gallon Ball canning jar and the utensils that I was going to use. 

Ingredients that I used:

6 cups (48 ounces) of bottled purified drinking water
one tablespoon of  loose organic black tea
1/2 cup of raw organic sugar
one cup of GT's Original Raw Organic Kombucha (at room temperature)

I brought the water to a boil and added the loose black tea.  I steeped the tea for about 10 or 15 minutes.  I strained out the tea leaves and added the sugar while the tea was still hot, stirring until the sugar dissolved. I let the tea cool to room temperature.  After the tea cooled I added one cup of room temperature GT's Original Raw Organic Kombucha.  I did not put a lid on my jar,  but instead I covered my jar with an unbleached coffee filter and secured it with a rubber band and then covered it with a cotton flour sack material (I got that at Walmart years ago).  I will keep it sitting out on a shelf or counter where it does not get any direct sunlight. 

SO, this is a test! An experiment!  I am not sure how long it will take for my tea to ferment and for the SCOBY to grow.  In fact, I don't even  know if  I will be able to grow a SCOBY.  But I am giving it a try.  If you are interested and want to grow your own, check back and see if I am successful.  I will update this blog to let you know what happens! 

I am keeping my fingers crossed!  I am even whispering sweet little things to it as I pass by ......like......"hello my sweet little baby SCOBY " and "grow my little baby SCOBY, grow!"  Not sure if it will help, but I talk to my plants too...... Yes..... I do.


******UPDATED 8/23/15:  Yes, I was able to grow my own scoby using the above method! I have been happily making and drinking my own homemade kombucha ever since!  As of today, August 23, 2015 I have two very full scoby hotels full of healthy scobys!  Give it a try if you love kombucha and skip the nearly $4 per bottle cost by making it yourself!

Tutorial How To: Make A Needle Felted Crown

Here is a great way to use up some of your fiber that you have left over from other fiber projects.   Make a needle felted crown!

What you will need:

A crown shaped cookie cutter

  Felting needles or a Clover Felting tool

A Clover Felting Mat or a piece of thick foam

    Embroidery floss and an embroidery needle

beads

a tiny satin rose

optional - any other embellishments that you would like to add such as buttons, sequins, etc.

Directions:

1.  Place your cookie cutter on top of your Clover felting mat or a thick piece of foam 

2.  Place some fiber into your cookie cutter. 

3.  Using your Clover Needle Felting Tool or felting needle begin to poke gently at the fiber, being careful not to hit your felting tool on your cookie cutter.  Watch out for your fingers!! Those felting needles hurt so be extra careful! Ask me how I know........

4. Continue poking your fiber with your needle felting tool or felting needle,  turning it over and poking your felting tool on both sides until the fibers have felted together nicely.

5.  Now make a second felted crown.  

6.  Enjoy the stress relief that all of that jabbing and punching is freeing you of! 

7.  Embroider, add beads, and a tiny satin rose, or other embellishments if you would like such as buttons, sequins, etc.  I only embellished one side of the crown because I wanted to add a pin back to the back side of the crown so that it could be worn as a brooch or to be able to use it as a removable embellishment to a bag, scarf or whatever.  

 8.  Place the two crowns together.  I took a single felting needle to slightly felt the two hearts together, a bit.....being careful to not jab my felting needle into my embroidered design, beads or little satin rose. 

9.  Sew the two crowns together using a blanket stitch or whatever stitch you would like to use. 

10.  Sew a pin back to the backside of the heart if you want to make it into a brooch or a removable embellishment that you can pin onto a scarf, hat, bag or whatever!

Have fun and happy needle felting! 

How To: Wind a Center Pull Yarn Ball or Yarn Cake From a Hank Using a Nostepinne

 

How to Wind a Center Pull Yarn Cake with a Nostepinne

 

When I purchase a hank of yarn at my local yarn shop I sometimes ask them to go ahead and wind the hank of yarn into a ball if I plan on using the yarn soon.  If I don't have the yarn shop to wind the yarn for me I end up winding it myself by hand since I do not have a yarn swift or a yarn winder.  But the other day I was at Hobby Lobby and saw this handy little gadget called a nostepinne.

 

 

 

The cost of the ball winder or nostepinne was $6.99 but with my 40% off coupon it only cost $4.19 plus tax.  So I bought it.....  Love those 40% off coupons!

 

To use the nostepinne to wind a center pull yarn ball or yarn cake this is what I did:

 

First, lay the hank of yarn out in a circle on a flat surface and find the ties on the yarn hank.  There will most likely be several of them.  With scissors snip the ties off  being careful not to cut into your yarn hank.... only cut the ties that hold the yarn together. 

 

 

Tie a slip knot.

 

 

Undo a length of yarn from the hank and begin to wind the yarn around the nostepinne an inch or so from where you tied the yarn onto the nostepinne rotating the nostepinne as you go along.  It helps keep your yarn ball or yarn cake looking neat by keeping your thumb at the bottom of the yarn ball and your pointer or first finger at the top of the yarn ball.   As you wind the yarn lay the yarn as close as you can to the prior string of yarn and rotating your nostepinne as needed.   I hold the nostepinne and the yarn ball in my left hand and I wind the yarn using my right hand.

 

Continue to wind and wind and wind and wind!  When you finish winding the entire hank of yarn into a yarn ball untie the slip knot and slide the center pull yarn ball off of the end of the nostepinne.  Tuck your yarn ends under a few strands of yarn on the ball.

 

 

So there you have it!! A pretty little yarn cake or yarn ball!!  If you aren't going to use your yarn immediately you can tie your yarn tag onto the yarn ball for future use or fold it up and insert it into whole created by winding it onto the nostepinne. 

 

Why hand wind your yarn into a center pull yarn ball?  Well, for one thing if there are any knots or breaks in the yarn you can take care of that at this time before you start knitting and happen upon it while knitting.  Also a center pull ball allows you the opportunity to knit from either end of the yarn ball. This comes in handy particularly when you are working with several balls of hand dyed or kettle dyed yarns.  And they stack so pretty in your storage container!

 

While I was outside clipping some of my hydrangeas to bring inside I noticed that my pretty yarn cake is about the same beautiful color of some of my hydrangeas.

 

 

 



Have a wonderful day!

 

Partying over at:  Nifty Thrifty Tuesday,  Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #82





How To Tutorial: Basics for Painting on Glass

Hand Painted Glassware

Want a fun crafty project that is quick, easy and also makes a great gift idea?  Paint this simple cherry design on ice cream sundae or dessert glasses.

Basic Preparation for Painting on Glass:

Wash in warm soapy water

Wipe down the area you are going to paint with alcohol and allow to dry. I usually allow them to dry for 15 to 30 minutes before I paint.

Supplies:

Clean Sundae Glasses (See basic preparation directions above)

Suggested Folk Art Enamels Paint for Glass and Ceramic in the following colors:

  Engine Red

  Evergreen

  Fresh Foliage

  Licorice

  Umber

  Wicker White

Folk Art Enamels Clear Medium

Small Artist Brushes, I used a small flat brush and a liner brush

Foam plate

Disposable cup for cleaning brushes between paint changes or

  a brush basin

I freehand painted the cherries around the glasses. But if you don't feel comfortable with freehand painting you could first draw the design on paper and tape it to the inside of the glass and paint the design on the outside of the glass. 

Allow the paint to dry for 24 hours.  Apply Clear Medium over the painted design only.  The Clear Medium will help the paint adhere to the glass. (The Clear Medium can also be used for shading and to for transparent effects.)

To cure the painted glassware air dry for the specified number of days or bake in the oven by following the manufacturer's directions.  I chose to bake according to the manufacturer's directions.

I always hand wash my painted glassware but the manufacturer states that the painted glassware is top rack dish washer safe.  I figure that if I took the time to hand paint them that I will also take the time to hand wash them.

Caution:

Do NOT allow the painted glassware to soak if you are hand washing.

Do NOT microwave painted glassware.

Do NOT allow food or liquids to come into direct contact with painted surfaces. Therefore for example if you are painting a plate you would need to paint on the backside of the paint using a reverse painting technique or if you are painting glasses you would need to paint on the outside of the glasses.

DO allow a 3/4 inch border ( the lip line area) at the top of painted glasses to assure that lips do not come in contact with the painted surface.

Do NOT use Folk Art Enamels for Glass and Ceramics on plastic.

Follow all manufacturer's directions and precautions for safety and use of product. 





 Hand Painted Wine Glasses



Here is another example of hand painted glassware.  These hand painted wine glasses were also painted according to the basic directions above.  Wouldn't these be a great thrifty handmade wedding gift or bridal gift?  You could paint them in the colors that the bride chose for her wedding colors as a sweet remembrance of her special day! 

Hand Painted Glass Cheese Dome

Have a friend who loves a cottage style kitchen?  Hand painted glass cheese domes, cake domes, water glasses and much more can be custom painted to match her cottage chic decor!!

Hand Painted Glass Cake Dome

I find that the Folk Art Enamels for Glass and Ceramics do an excellent job and hold up very well to every day use when the glassware is prepped, cured and cared for according to the manufacturer's directions. 

Have fun and use your imagination to create some beautiful hand painted glassware that might possibly become an heirloom gift!

You are welcome to Pin to Pinterest! Ma

Many thanks to Maria for featuring this tutorial on her lovely blog:

Linked in with:  Time To Shine, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, A Bouquet of Talent, Tuesdays at Our Home, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, That DIY Party

Decoupaged and Glittered Eggs Egg Art and a DIY How To Tutorial

Glittered Easter Eggs

Better late than never I suppose! I was really pushing it this year to get the childrens keepsake Easter eggs decorated in time for Easter!  It is a family tradition each year that I make some sort of keepsake eggs for them. The children look forward to them and each year they bring out their past years eggs to display. Each year I gift them a new Easter egg to add to their collection.  Eggs from the past years have included hand sequinned eggs and also hand painted eggs.   This year I opted for a quick way to decorate the eggs since I was so pressed for time.

Here is a DIY egg decorating tutorial for decorating your own eggs and a list of supplies that I used, but use your imagination and choose what you like!  

Large Wooden Ostrich Eggs with Flat Bottom
Folk Art Acrylic Paint
Martha Stewart Glitter Paint
Jolee's Butterfly Stickers
Collage Pauge Matte Finish
E6000 Glue
Recollections Adhesive Faux Pearls Flat Back
Crystal Clear Glitter
Krylon Glitter Blast Sealer
Sandpaper
Foam Sponge Brush

 Shabby Cottage Style Easter Eggs



Sand the eggs with sandpaper to ensure a smooth painting surface.  Paint the eggs using a foam sponge brush applying a couple of coats of the Folk Art acrylic paint until complete coverage has been achieved.   Allow paint to dry between coats and sand slightly between coats for a smooth surface.  Next I painted surface with the Martha Stewart Glitter Paint to add a bit of glittered shimmer. Allow to dry thoroughly.  

Keepsakes Easter Eggs

If your stickers have any mounting tape adhesive on the back remove them so that your stickers will lie flat on the eggs. Apply a small amount of Collage Pauge to the eggs wherever you would like to place the Jolee's stickers and also apply a small amount of Collage Pauge to the back of the sticker and apply the sticker to the egg.  Press the sticker firmly onto the egg. This may take a while to get the sticker to adhere.  Once adhered to the egg, apply several coats Collage Pauge over the stickers allowing to dry between coats.  

Shabby Cottage Style Pastel Easter Eggs

During the final coat of the Collage Pauge  and while the egg is still wet with the decoupage medium sprinkle the crystal clear gitter over the egg covering the entire surface.  Be careful in handling the egg taking care to not remove the glitter during handling.  If some does get removed allow the egg to dry and reapply more decoupage glue and more glitter on the places that have lost the glitter through handling.  Allow to dry overnight.  Seal with several coats of Krylon Glitter Blast Sealer, allowing to dry between coats.

Egg Art 

If you wish to add the Recollection Faux Pearls add a dab of the E6000 clear glue to the back of the faux flat back pearls and press firmly in a pattern of your choice.  Allow to dry. The faux pearls already have a sticky back but the E6000 glue should hold the faux pearls more securely. It's strong stuff!!

Decoupaged Easter Eggs

Enjoy your decorated eggs! Great for collecting or Easter gift giving! And a sweet little keepsakes for the children!

Easter Crafts

 

Did YOU do any Easter crafts this year? I would love for you to share!!

 

 

*Always follow manufacturers safety directions for their products! Be safe!

 

 

 

Linking in: Shabbilicious Friday, EBTKS Link In , Lovely Crafty Weekend, Frugal Friday, Sunday Show Off, A Bouquet of Talent , DIY Show Off,  Nifty Thrifty Tuesday Pink Hippo Party, Crafty Confession Tuesday Knick of Time Whatever You Want Wednesday Wow Us Wednesday Creative Things Thursday Transformation Thursday Under $100 Linky Party Frugal Days Sustainable Ways #68

Thrifty Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent

All around the internet you can find recipes for homemade laundry detergent. I have tried both the  liquid and the powder laundry detergent  and for now I think that I prefer the powder version mainly because it is quick and easy to make and I don't have a big mess to clean up when I get thru! Ok, maybe I'm sloppier  messier  more neatness challenged than some of you (smile) but the powdered version is currently my preference.

I can easily find all of the ingredients that I need to my make my homemade laundry detergent recipe in the laundry aisle at my local Walmart and also I usually don't have a problem finding them at the grocery store.

All you will need to make your own thrifty laundry detergent are three very inexpensive ingredients: Borax Laundry Booster, Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and a bar of soap.  I have used various types of soap ranging from castille soap bars, soaps I have found at the Dollar Store and laundry soap bars in the laundry aisle of the grocery stores so you too can just experiment to see what you like.

 

So I was out of my laundry detergent. While in the laundry section of Walmart buying my supplies I decided this nerdy girly girl (don't hate me) needed some PINK soap and picked up Japon ZOTE Laundry Soap.

I have also  used a brand called Fels Naptha Laundry Soap Bar. Cost wise they were about the same price, currently at $.97 per bar.  But the Zote bar is a LARGE bar of soap. I also found Zote Laundry Flakes, which is a nice option  if you don't want to spend the time grating your own soap or if arthritis of the hands limits your ability to grate the soap easily! The box shows that two bars of soap is equal to the box of Zote Laundry Flakes wasn't too much more expensive than two bars of the soap. 

The Zote site lists their ingredients as follows:

"MAIN INGREDIENTS The main ingredients are beef tallow and coconut oil,which are neutralized with caustic soda for the saponification process. It contains salt (sodium chloride), glycerin, perfume, optical brightener and dye, in the case of pink ZOTE and blue ZOTE." OPTICAL BRIGHTNERS ZOTE soap contains an optical brightener which bleaches clothes without fading their color. Optical brighteners are the compounds providing clothes with brightness. Their function is to absorb light with certain wave lengths in the washed garments and thus reflecting a visible blue; its work is most noticeable in white clothes."  Here is the recipe I used: Homemade Laundry Detergent Powder 2 Cups Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda 2 Cups Borax Laundry Booster 2 Cups Grated Zote Laundry Soap or Zote Laundry Flakes  ( I added about 3 cups since my soap didn't grate as finely - explained below)* Use 1 to 3 tablespoons of laundry detergent per load depending on size of laundry load and how soiled your laundry may be. This laundry detergent will not suds up in your washer. But don't think that no suds means ineffective cleaning.  Grate the laundry soap.  I used a hand grater.  *I find that it is so much easier to get a nice finely grated soap bar when I take the soap out of the wrapper and allow the laundry soap to just sit several days prior to grating the soap. The soap will harden a bit and will result in a finer grated soap. Since I was out of laundry powder and since this was a new bar I didn't have several days to let the soap sit for a few days, so you will see that it is not as finely grated as it could have been if I had allowed it to sit out a few days before grating. The above picture shows my grated laundry soap used for this recipe: And the picture above reflects a much finer grated soap due to me having unwrapped a bar of soap and giving it a few days to sit out and harden a bit before grating. I think the difference is significant enough to remember to do that!  A finer grated soap will dissolve easier in your wash! Mix the washing soda, laundry booster and washing soda together. I keep mine stored in a glass storage container with a lid. Again..... you don't need much of this laundry detergent to get clean clothes!! So remember to use very little! Only 1 - 3 TABLESPOONS per load depending on load size and amount of soiling. The Zote soap has a nice delicate, clean scent that is not overpowering to me.  The Zote website states the following: "Another of the distinctive features of ZOTE is its fragrance: essential citronella oil, a plant that originally came from Europe, which posseses a pleasant smell similar to lime; thanks to this ingredient, the clothes washed with ZOTE smell fresh and fragrant for several days." So there you go!  Clean laundry, delicately scented, cost effective,  very little product required to get clean, fresh laundry, quick and easy as it doesn't take but about ten minutes or so to make.  It's all GOOD in my book my friends!  Add a pretty label and directions for use and you also have a nice, useful, and thrifty gift idea too! Let me know if you decide to give it a try! Do you use homemade laundry detergent?  What is your favorite homemade laundry detergent recipe? I cannot speak as to the safety of use for washer or septic systems. As with anything do your very own research, read cautions and literature that may have been given to you upon purchase of your products used and or your equipment or consult professionals with any concerns you may have.   You may also  go to the following websites for information regarding ingredients listed in this recipe: Zote Laundry Soap, Borax Laundry Booster, Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda Linked in with the following: Frugal and Sustainable Thursday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Frugal Crafty Home Wow Us Wednesday  Whatever You Want Wednesday Farmgirl Friday