Frugal Tips, Repurposing, and They came from the Sky

I ran into some blogs this morning and found some useful frugal tips...These 2 were posted by MJ @ Making do with the not so new

Make Your Own Baking Powder

Why buy baking powder when you have the 2 ingredients that make it up in your cupboards? Also, making it yourself will keep aluminum out of your ingredients. (Store bought baking powder contains aluminum.)

Baking Powder is
1 part baking soda
2 parts cream of tartar

So if you need 1 T baking powder (1 T is equal to 3 tsp) use 2 tsp cream of tartar and 1 tsp baking soda.

Don't make a huge mix of homemade baking powder ahead of time, make it as you need it for the homemade kind doesn't having shelf stability.

Homemade Deodorant

I was really tired of buying $2+ stick of deodorant that often didn't work. Plus, I am sure we have all heard the not-so-sure-deodorant-is-a-good-thing cancer and Alzheimer-wise, so I have fiddled with many things taking others suggestions offline, from family, etc. and have finally come up with something that works. It's my own "recipe."

I bought a little pump sprayer which I fill with rubbing alcohol. Then I have an ....( read the rest here)


Kristy @ Craftastica Posted about a tshirt bag she made.

I won't repost it b/c it is long but go check it out. I think i will make one of them. I recently spent time cutting and balling old remnamts to workable crochet thread.

Laughing Purple Goldfish has a post about her bags from Plarn and other fabrics she plyed into yarn.


Now the strangest thing just happened...I noticed as I was leaving the bathroom in my backyard Birds just appeared to fall from the sky...I thought GOD himself was coming down...I mean a massive amount of birds just all atonce landed in my yard...Robins but mostly sparrows Holy Crap. I ran for my camera and snapped a couple of quick pics before the flew down ward a feet towards my neighbors yard and then did it again.. a few more feet, etc...WHAT was that all about?

The only time I see birds all land in one area is on the farms when the turn the soil usually in summer and autumn, and those birds are the crows.
I wonder if there is some supernatural meaning to all this?

This is only a small portion of the birds that landed I had to snap quick as they were flying downward.

I added music

I love this song. I can relate to it. I decided to add it to my sidebar, along with another by Michael W. Smith..

Missing person

Still searching for that boy who had the faith to move a mountain. want the fire back.

Another question in me
One for the powers that be
Its got me thrown and so
I put on my poker face
And try to figure it out
This undeniable doubt
A common occurrence
Feeling so out of place

Guarded and cynical now
Cant help but wondering how
My heart evolved into a
Rock beating inside of me
So I reel, such a stoic ordeal
Wheres that feeling that I dont feel?

Chorus:

There was a boy who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace he disappeared into the void and
Ive been searching for that missing person

Under a lavender moon
So many thoughts consume me
Who dimmed that glowing light
That once burned so bright in me
Is this a radical phase
A problematical age
That keeps me running
From all that I used to be

Is there a way to return
Is there a way to unlearn
That carnal knowledge
Thats chipping away at my soul
Ive been gone too long
Will I ever find my way home?

Chorus:

There was a boy who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace he disappeared into the void and
Ive been searching for that missing person
He used to want to try to walk the straight and narrow
He had a fire and he could feel it in the marrow
Its been a long time and I havent seen him lately but
Ive been searching for that missing person

Prince Of Peace ( you are Holy)

You are holy (You are holy)
You are mighty (You are mighty)
You are worthy (You are worthy)
Worthy of praise (Worthy of praise)

I will follow (I will follow)
I will listen (I will listen)
I will love You (I will love you)
All of my days (All of my days)

I will sing to (You're the lord of lords)
And worship (You're the king of kings)
The King who (You are mighty God)
Is worthy (Lord of everything)
I will love Him (You're emmanuel)
Adore Him (You're the Great I am)
I will bow down (You're the Prince of Peace)
before Him (Who is the lamb)
I will sing to (You're the living God
And worship (You're my saving grace)
The King who (You will reign forever)
Is worthy (You are acient of days)
I will love Him (You are Alpha Omega)
Adore Him (Beginning and End)
I will bow down (You're my Savior Messiah)
Before Him (Redeemer and friend)

You're my Prince of Peace
And I will live my life for You

(Repeat )

How can I be mad?

Something was in my garden....It ate all my cabbage, and then started in on my broccoli....Oh NO You DIDNT! Not mah broccoli. I'll let you have the few cabbages aint to crazy about them anyway, but DO NOT touch mah broccoli.
I heard a gopher was spotted in my garden....I caught one last yr in there eating away....This yr however I couldn't spot it. Nor could I figure out how it was getting in.

I do my best communing with the LORD when i am in the garden.

I finally went out and asked GOD to show me how it was getting in as I was getting frustrated and angry at all my hard work going to the critter. I stood in the garden and one of my girls ( doves who overlook the garden) walked out from the corner of the garden..I didn't see her she was hiding and so quiet...a little one not as big as the others, anyway, she walked out and looked at me as if to say over here and proceeded to hop thru a lil hole in the side fence...I smiled and thanked HIM. I went in and grabbed some wire and fixed the hole...It appears some animal chewed right thru the wire, Wow.

Well this past weekend my daughter said she spotted a rabbit in there. HMMMM I had left the door open as I was weeding and stopped to speak with a friend so i assumed she just hopped on in. Fast foward a few days and I walked upon the garden and there she is....( click pic to enlarge)

She actually got thru the the mazes of fences and wires that line the tree line....Sooooo..I put some rocks along the fence line to keep her out....

Last night I caught her outside the garden. (Those are leaves of lettuce I discarded sunday as I stood outside the garden harvesting my lettuce that didnt ball over....( I dont know why..I never grew lettuce b4 so I assume it is something I didnt do) ). They taste good though despite the fact that i had to strip them form the stalk.

Anyway back to evil bunny....She is just an itty bitty thing... still a babe...How can I get mad at her...I made a deal with her if she stays outta the garden i will put the discards on the outside of the garden for her......

Checking in

I haven't checked in in about a month. I am still here... trying different things. Still taking pics, and upcycling my stuff, although some days it seems I am inundated with clutter and it is getting to me. I started cutting my fabric remnants into strips for crocheting. I have purchased more cuttlebug dies and am working on using them with my cans and also plastic water gallons ( I buy water for my coffee machine..( Yes I know how unfrugal is that) but my water is sooo hard and full of limestone that it eats thru appliances quickly).
I cut up the plastic and run it thru the dies and embellish them with decoupage and ultra fine glitter and now have Christmas tree ornaments..


I was working on musical instruments ( morracas) with the soda can tops and bottoms, but that turned into a nightmare. I found myself using the craft glue and other things that i thought "if the kids put these in their mouths that aint good"....trashed the ones I made and am starting over. Something more kid friendly......

Did It Snow in June?

NO!
I shredded all the paperwork I had about 5 yrs after my ex left. It was to be a cleansing. Getting rid of the old Paperwork we shared as well as some I had that was older then my youngest child, and some that was my moms who died 12 yrs ago.
I have a straight shredder rather then a cross cutter. I was afraid to throw all that paper in the trash since it would be easy to put it all together ( WITH SOME EFFORT). Sooooo....

I made MULCH!

Who Knew I could make the IRS and all their paperwork , WORK for me! LOL

I have since mulched my bank statements as well as newspaper and junk mail.

Grow your Own.

I'm Growing PET Bottles!

Actually We had freeze and frost warnings again, Yesterday for early this morning, (Someone please tell Mother Nature it is May 18, OK?) I was saving the bottles in hopes to maybe make a hothouse/lean-to for the garden, or maybe a chair. But I am also using some of them to make beads. Anyway they came in handy as an emergency cold frame for the plants. Covering each plant was a big pain in the ass, especially since I had to do this last week too. I had just put the bottles/frames away when I had to haul them back out.

Doncha love the debris? They flew off the Elder Tree. We used to call them Helicopters, or propellers. They fly off the tree like propellers. They all landed in the garden.

Anyway I promised a post on my trash can.

This was one of those paper/cardboard barrels, usually seen in the garment district and such. I inherited it when I took the excessive fabric remnants our school/church had left after a harvest fest one year. I have two of these. I decided to cut one down and make a waste can. This is the beginning. I coiled paper from the news and inserts as well as the magazines we get at xmas.
My attempt at being decorative...My square insert.

Finished with the coils. Now it is sitting there waiting for a topper. A band or something around the top. I tried folding the aluminum cans but it didn't work for me. I was thinking a copper band would look nice but I don't wanna pay an arm and a leg, it defeats the purpose of upcycle/ repurpose/ frugal. Try and try again I guess.

Is it May Already?

Wow . Summer is almost here. So what have you been up to you may be asking?

WELLLLLLL.......Besides the gallbladder problems and the subsequent surgery I had back in march ( yeah, happy birthday to me, you had a gallbladder!) to remove the nasty organ, and the depression that followed.....( same thing last time I had surgery too...Hmmmmm...I see a pattern here....no more cutting...or drugs)..I have been trying to create things from my waste products.....NO not that waste, the waste from the packaging this family uses.

Like soda Cans, plastic bottles, ( shut up! I have to buy my water, the water here sucks and the cheap-o filter systems are just as bad....you gotta buy the cartridges talk about waste, I dont even know how to repurpose those things. I would love a burkey ( sp.) wanna buy me one? costs around 200.00 last time I looked.), video tape and plastic supermarket bags.

Now I know I posted about crocheting those pesky bags into bag,bags... but sometimes I forget to bring them and worse still my oldest and her husband still bring them home...they never use the re-useables...grrrrrrrrr.....I feel like the garbage gremlin, going around cleaning up their waste all the time.

So I am always trying to find creative and dare I say it lukrative outlets to upcycle.

My first attempt at a mobile.....

CAN ya see it better here?

Soda cans cut into tear drop shapes. I punched a hole in the top and bottom, used eyelets and strung them with 30 lb test line. The small glass beads are clear crystal chips that i PURCHASED at the craft store in the jewelry dept.I alternated long and short lines and then added the chip lines in between, in addition are 2 lines of faux bali beads.

I liked it but it looked too industrious. It was too heavy as well, didnt swing too well with a light breeze. Also it was not very frugal. Crimp beads and eyelets are expensive.

My next attempt............

My daughters fingers...LOL she is holding a dark background to help me get the shot...

Ok so I can't get a good shot. These are cut into hearts and hung on 8lb filament with blue dangles for added weight. The 8lb test however, is too light. So this keeps tangling...My next attempt is a heavier weight line which is in progress.

The 30 lbs test line I could not tie I had to use crimp beads b/c the line was too thick and heavy. The 8lb test I could tie and it stayed and I did not need to use eyelets either ( more money saved).

Next.....my trash can.