Today's FREEBIE: Free Baby Sling from Seven Slings

 Get a FREE baby sling from Seven Sling!

Seriously, how cute are these?

Seven Slings wants to give you a promo code for a free baby carrier (a $48 value). The promo code is ENBABY.

SImply click the link at the end of this post, click on ‘Shop Now', and select any baby carrier you would like. Easy, peasy.

Be sure to go to the sizing page so that you can get the right size carrier for you. 

This promo code will take 100% off of the baby carrier purchase and all you are required to pay are the shipping fees.

You can use the code more than once - simply open a new browser window to do so. Due to it’s nature, this offer won't last long , so order soon!

Get your free sling from Seven Sling here.

Disclosure: According to FTC Guidelines I need to inform you that following one or more of these links will result in me earning a small commission.  And when I say small, I mean very, very small. Maybe in a few years, I will make enough to buy that pair of strappy black Jimmy Choos I've been lusting over.

Opinion Outpost is BACK!

Opinion Outpost conducts surveys because businesses, governments, public bodies, and similar organizations are interested in the views and attitudes of the people who use their products and services. The more they know about what customers and citizens think, the easier it is for them to improve and adapt what they supply. With Opinion Outpost, you can take Surveys providing these companies and businesses with your opinion thereby shaping the future. 

Rewards include get cash, Amazon gift cards, game points, donations to your favorite charities, and more. Everyone is also automatically entered to a $10,000 sweepstakes by joining and taking surveys. 

The minimum cash out for Paypal is $10 and only $5 for Amazon gift cards.

Act quickly - the deadline for new sign-ups is January 4, 2014.

Sign Up for Opinion Outpost here.

A Week of Pins

Oh, how precious is this?! This growth chart from Petite Lemon features a delightful mermaid and her adorable sea friends. Your little missy will be enchanted when she sees her very own mermaid tracking her height!

Seen just about everywhere, the versatile multi way Hipknoties are just about the next best thing to sliced bread.  Since every woman's figure is unique,  Hipknoties are *the* best garment!  1 piece - 30 ways.

Okay, so this 50s Bamboo Rocker from One King's Lane is a little too expensive for my wallet but that doesn't stop for absolutely adoring it (or pinning it)! I especially love how the linen seat brings out the warm tones of the bamboo.  {swoon}

I found this silk rose necklace from Green Bride Guide. It features hand stitched silk roses and leaves on a satin ribbon chain. 

{Comes in Sand, a 2014 Wedding Color Trend alert!}

I swear, I think Minted has *the* cutest printed cards and invitations. The best thing about Minted is that the designs are made from a collection of normal folks like me and you. If you are a design genius, then you definitely should hook up with them.  :)

Print this FREE Halloween party invitation from Love vs Design here. 

How To Be Organized - from GreatList

Happy Organizing!

Homemade Carpet Cleaner Solutions For Your Machine

So, I started working on a post earlier entitled, 'Household Tools You Can't Live Without'.  Since I love my carpet cleaner probably more than I love anything else I own, I thought I'd start there.  But, here's the kicker...I make my own carpet cleaner.  Yes, it works!  Even in a machine.  

I immediately saved my post to draft and set out to write this one first.  This post will give you all the information you need to make your very own carpet cleaning solution and save some dough in the process.  (I don't know about you but I don't necessarily like spending $20 (give or take a few $) on a bottle of cleaning stuff.)

Photograph by BestwayCarpets.net

Plain Vinegar

I know, I know, this seems a little too simple but I promise it works.  If you add a cup or so of vinegar to a tank of very hot water, you will have clean carpets when you're finished.  It gets rid of noticeable spots and cleans the inside of the steam cleaner at the same time.  Beware: While your carpet is wet, the vinegar smell will remain but once the carpet starts to dry, you will notice the smell diminishing.

Plain Ammonia

If you can stomach it, plain ammonia is a great choice for carpet cleaning machines.  A little goes a long way though so don't use more than about 1/2 cup to a gallon of very hot water.  It's always a good idea to pre-treat any tough stains with straight ammonia before cleaning.

Get Great Results with Windex and Water

After talking a friend of mine who cleans carpets professionally, I was told that using equal amounts of Windex and hot water works great.  I haven't tried this yet because frankly, I don't want to buy Windex just to clean the carpets with but it's a great idea nonetheless.  Who knows, I may need to clean carpets one day and have nothing on hand except Windex.  It's one for the files.

Ammonia, Vinegar AND Dishwashing Liquid

I know...it seems as if we're just using the same ingredients over and over but one of my Facebook fans swears by this carpet cleaning solution.  She says, 'just add 3 tsp. of clear dishwashing liquid (non moisturizing), 1/4 cup of ammonia, and 1/4 cup of vinegar to a few gallons of HOTHOTHOT water.  Everything comes out great!"  Okay LaTonya, we're going to try it!  :)

Odor Killer

Use one scoop of Oxiclean Stain Remover one cup of Febreze or one cup of vinegar, and the recommended hot water. This will kill just about any odors that may be hiding out in your carpet.  Trust me.  This is the one I use the most.  :)  And, I admit that I use the Frebreze in mine instead of the ammonia...  The febreze can be bought in bulk through Amazon a lot cheaper than it can be bought in most big box stores.  

Try Using Tide

My sister in law had a great idea of using Tide laundry soap diluted with water in her machine.  She dies it all the time and swears by it.  She says it doesn't foam up so it was as easy as using plain ammonia or vinegar.

That's it for now.  If you have a special recipe that you use, we'd love to hear about it!  Just comment below.  Oh, and don't forget to follow us on bloglovin.  

Happy Cleaning!

Dyed Clothespins

So, I saw a picture not too long ago, I'm sure it was on Pinterest, but this picture was of dyed clothespins.  They were adorable!! Which got me thinking of all the wonderful crafty things I could do with them...not to mention, they're for sale all over the place for more money than I'm willing to pay, so why not create them instead?!

I set out on a mission to find supplies.  I'd read several different methods to dying your clothespins; Easter egg dye, food coloring & vinegar, Rit dye, etc.  It's too late for Easter dye and I didn't want to purchase anything (gotta save every dime you can, you know?) so I opted for the food coloring and vinegar.

Here's the food coloring I used.  I wanted to use liquid coloring but had none in the pantry...oh well!

I got this from Amazon, it's Americolor Soft Gel Paste Student Kit- Culinary Academy 1st Choice!.  I think it turned out well...I did add vinegar and water to a pot (although I didn't measure) and heated it up a little.  I'd say start with 1/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup of water and little bit of the color.  Heat it up - not too hot, and pour over clothespins.


 Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of this process.  I have got to start remembering to take pictures when the crafty bug hits me!  ;)

I let mine soak for about 15 minutes but you can leave yours in longer if want a darker color.  Also, using the vinegar will make the metal claspy thing to look a little more worn and vintage'y.  So now I have a ton of very swanky clothespins ... what to do, what to do!  :)

I hope this gives you great inspiration to get crafty!  :)


Here's a couple of projects you can make with your dyed clothespins!

                    

My weekend in pictures

This weekend, I discovered the camera in my Samsung Galaxy Tab .  Well, I didn't actually discover it but I rarely used it because, to be honest, I wasn't sure how to upload any pictures I took to my computer.  Yes, sometimes, I am a dork.


Fortunately, my daughter took pity on me and showed me the cord I needed.  I happily popped it in my laptop and voila!  Pictures started uploading!!! All 727 of them.  


Here's a few I took over the weekend.  :)

 

One thing most people don't know about me:  I raise and breed Shih-tzus.  The only problem that I've ever encountered in doing this is the fact that I HAVE to keep a baby from all my litters.  I can't help it.  There's always one special baby born that seems to beg my heart for a permanent spot.  I have to oblige.  

My latest baby is Katy.  Actually, her name is Katy and the Sunshine Band Smith.  That's the way, uh uh, I like it, uh uh.  ;)  (Her mother, Emmy Lou Harrision Smith is trailing behind with her ball).

Lucy (in the Sky with Diamonds) Smith (top right) is my 2nd oldest baby.  She's the one who never leaves my side; wherever I go, she goes.  She's a little tempermental at times, and she's not very good at sharing but I couldn't live without her.  :) 

I feel like I have the best of both worlds.  My yard is a typical suburban yard yet in the back, we have a small expanse of woods.  I love going out there, hanging out, listening to the wind rustle in the trees, and watching the little bugs running around foraging for food...it truly is my go to when I need a break.

Have a happy day!

Why Didn't I Think Of That?

Parsimonious Cleaners

Since moving into our new home, I really haven't cleaned it.  I mean, I've unpacked boxes, found homes for all our crap, and made some of the rooms livable but cleaning - that has not happened.  Not even once.  <hangs head in shame>.

Since I coupon, I usually have a vast supply of cleaning supplies, although I can't tell you what happened to all of them in the move.  Who loses boxes of cleaning supplies?!  Well...my family.  That's who.  :/

That's okay.  There is Google.  In my search for homemade cleaning supplies I can across a TON that I wanted to try but stuck to the ones that I had ingredients for.  Here's the results.  Now, in all honesty, I haven't used every one of them ... yet.  But I will.  Not today of course - all this work has made me tired...



Orange Cleaner

This one is a doozey!  Just a simple mixture of orange peels and vinegar.  Place leftover orange rinds in a jar and cover with plain vinegar.  Leave on the counter for a few days.  I think I'm gonna try for 5.  Very simple to make - cleans, deodorizes and disinfects!

Dilly's Miracle Cleaner

In the process of looking for stuff to clean with, I stopped and called an old family friend.  She suggested I try a paste of Baking Soda and Peroxide.  Not a really thick paste, but more of a liquidy soft scrub sort of paste.  Wowsa!  It cleans EVERYTHING!  From hard water spots off of silverware and shower heads, to crusty stuff caked on appliances, pans, etc.  Ahhhmazing!

Carpet Powder

Full Disclosure:  I have 7 dogs.  Yes, 7.  And yes, at this moment, 6 (my shih-tzus) are sitting right beside me as I write this - the other, our Schnauzer Bailey, is wondering around to all the windows hoping to catch a glimpse of a bird or squirrel.

Needless to say, I love smell good stuff!  If I bought all the carpet freshener I use in a month, I'd have no money left over for groceries!  Luckily, I found a terrific tutorial for making your own.  As of this writing, I've only tried Orange Oil but I bet it'd be great with Lavender.

Super easy to make:  Mix some of your essential oils to the baking soda.  I used a whisk.  :)  Then pop in a shaker (I found an empty Parmesan cheese bottle).  Sprinkle on your floors and vacuum up.  :)

I'd love to hear your easy to make cleaner ideas and recipes!

Happy Cleaning!