1 Chair, 2 Chair, Old Chair, New Chair

I love chairs.  I get it from my Mama...she is chair obsessed.  I found this bad boy in a second hand shop about 2 years ago or so.  I loved him immediately and he was worth the $45 I paid for sure.

It is super comfortable....but not the most beautiful.  It was old vinyl and it was cracking and the buttons were starting to pull through in a couple places.  

Doesn't he have great lines?

Plus a dainty footstool.

I have been waiting and waiting and plotting about mister chair.  I decided for Christmas, that a recovering was what I wanted.  My mom's friend Esther is just the lady for the job as she is a super seamstress and, as you will see, great with upholstery too.  She suggested a site online and I found great fabric on the cheap.  I just got back my chair on Thursday and I am super pumped to share his new look!  Isn't he a handsome chair!?

 I wish the fabric had been slightly darker so it stood out more on my walls, but I just love his color.  I won't always live in this house so it doesn't matter anyway.  I really should have refinished the legs too...but hey, there's always time to do that.  

Now he is gussied up with a throw and a pillow, both add to his fancy new look. 

Now for the surprise for Esther...I have an ottoman calling your name!

Super clean

I am a big ol' fan of doing it yourself.  Whether it means craft projects, or painting your own house, or building your own house for that matter, I say YOU CAN!  I also say "what I lack in know-how I make up for in ram-y-ness and impatience", so...there's that.  But, for the most part, I do things myself.  Maybe it's because I would love nothing more that to use only all-natural handmade products and sit in my living room surrounded by reclaimed-barn-wood tables, but who wouldn't!  

My newest project in DIY, making my own laundry soap.  Woot woot!   It was super easy.  The only real issue is that my food processor kinda sucks big time.  Nonetheless, it was easy and now you get to know now it's done.

Start with the products you see below.  I got all of them at Wal-Mart.  

First things first, cut up all that Fels-Naptha in to little, more food processor friendly chunks.

Process.

Try to get the little chunks super fine because you want them to dissolve quick, fast, and in a hurry so you aren't waiting forever to put your clothes in the washing machine.  This was as good as it got for me.  I could have probably done better with less in the processor and if I let it run longer, but Zac was watching t.v. while I ground the heck out of the soap and he kept givin me the big stink eye. 

After all the chopping, I put half of my Fels into 2 gallon bags, the added 1 cup at a time, Borax and washing soda until my boxes were empty.  I could have weighed it, or just eyeballed it, but I didn't.  Do whatcha want, just combine all 3 in close to equal portion.   

After my bags were close to the same amount full, with close to the same amount of stuff, I poured on bag into a big container and mixed it up better, then right back into it's ziplock home.  

That's it.  That's all it took.  Clean up consisted of washing or rather rinsing a few things and then wiping off my counters....and smiling and offering to make brownies to appease Zacman.  

I used it for the first time last night, 1/8 cup for a full load of laundry.  I am curious to see what my clothes look and smell like when I get home.  Mostly because my house smelled SUPER clean for a whole week after I made this stuff!  I don't know that I'm observant enough to see if my brights are slightly less bright, but I sure know about stinky man socks, the true test of a soap's cleansing powers!

So, in summary, it is in no way hard to make your own laundry detergent.  At the very least, your house will smell nice, and that in itself is nice. Get on board ladies!  Just imagine how fantastically smug you could feel next time you are in the the laundry detergent isle and can say "oh I don't need any, I make my own."  Your friends will be impressed :)