diy sunburn relief spray {using essential oils}

So this past weekend was GORGEOUS in Kansas City.

And luckily there were lots of wonderful events to do outside.

However, this usually means one thing for a redhead like me.

Sunburn.

We went to a Kite Festival, where hundreds of kites were flying.

It was so much fun and beautiful weather.

I loved being barefoot in the grass, flying a kite. 

Can't get much better than that.

I put on sunscreen like crazy.

But...

I missed a spot.

On the back of my left arm.

And boy did it get red.

So this weekend I applied my usual aloe vera to it, but then decided to experiment with some other ingredients and came up with this wonderful Sunburn Relief Spray.

It's fantastic!

It soothes, heals and cools!

It has 4 ingredients:

aloe vera

Aloe Vera helps with sunburn through its powerful healing activity at the epithelial level of the skin, a layer of cells that cover the body. It acts as a protective layer on the skin and helps replenish its moisture. Because of its nutritional qualities and antioxidant properties, the skin heals quicker.

{from here}

witch hazel

Healing damaged skin is one of witch hazel's specialties. But as sunburn is also a type of skin inflammation, witch hazel is ideal for treating this too (despite swelling not being obvious). Treating sunburn with witch hazel will lessen healing time and prevent the infamous skin peeling and flaking.

{from here}

lavender oil

Did you know that Lavender has tissue regeneration and healing properties that quickly relieve sunburn? Yes, lavender also reduces scarring and minimizes pain associated with sunburn!

{from here}

peppermint oil

Peppermint oil has incredibly cooling properties to it. When the heat of a fresh sunburn is bothering you, the peppermint oil will help cool the skin down and bring relief.

This concoction worked wonderfully for me. It helped me sleep with minimal stinging and heat. The next morning it was noticably lighter in color and not nearly as painful.

And it was fantastic because I already had all these ingredients at home! I now leave it in our medicine cabinet ready in case of another burn.

Let me know if you try it or have another sunburn relief to share!

DIY Sesame Street Birthday Party {on a budget}

Levi is 2!

I can hardly believe it!

And so far....2 has been absolutely terrific.

I LOVE this age!

We celebrated Levi's birthday with a Sesame Street birthday party.

With a very low budget, we were able to pull off a cute and fun party for Levi, family and friends!

Here's some pics with a few tips to keep costs low!

We used our church to hold the party.

Our home is small and we had about 25 people invited.

This cost us nothing to use (just had to clean up!)

and allowed us access to a full kitchen and gym for the kids to play in

No need to feed a full meal!

A few snacks that are toddler friendly, something sweet and a drink is plenty!

And we skipped the ice cream...just another mess and expense!

Check Dollar Tree and Target's Dollar Spot for favors!

{and favors are totally optional too!}

We included a Sesame Street cup and an Elmo book with included CD.

Each goody bag was $2 each!

 and a few extra pics of the day

Levi thoroughly enjoyed his party and our whole family just got to have fun and celebrate together.

It was a perfect way to celebrate our big 2 year old boy!

natural homemade disinfectant

'Tis the Season.

Not just the Holiday Season, but Cold & Flu Season.

Blech.

Ever since Thanksgiving, everything has been going around in our little corner of the world.

The flu, stomach flu, strep throat, upper respiratory viruses, etc.

So this year, instead of running off to the store to by some Lysol and spraying down every surface in our home, I decided to research some natural alternatives.

I perused the internet and saw all sorts of recipes, so I kind of combined some using items I own. 

This is a pretty basic recipe and you can obviously play around and find what works for you and with smells you like.

For your reading pleasure, you can read about the dangers of commercial spray disinfectant sprays here.

And you can read about the many benefits of vinegar, tea tree oil and citrus oils.

I picked up some spray bottles and labels at Target (love that dollar spot!)

And here is the recipe!

The tea tree oil and sweet orange oil smells so nice together!

And if you happen to eat any citrus, I always just peel it and put some of the peels into my disinfectant and all purpose cleaner bottles.

Adds a great fresh citrus scent!

 I've used this recipe for a few weeks now, spraying it on all the germy surfaces

(door knows, light switches, tables, counter tops, toys, etc.) and the benefit is it makes my house smell great too! Plus is so cheap to make!

I've been diving into the world of essential oils and all-natural body & home care products. I will share more recipes and tips as I find and use them!

Do you have a favorite essential oil or all natural recipe? Please comment and share!

DIY magnetic train board

                          

Levi is currently LOVING playing with his "toot toot". (Thats what he calls his train set he got last year).

I love seeing him creatively play with it. It is adorable.

The one thing I don't like? How the pieces come apart and he screams in frustration because he's not quite old enough to piece the track together. Frustration for all.

I love the many train tables that are available for kids, but they are pretty pricey and take up a LOT of room. Room we don't have. Plus, I don't know how long he will be in his "toot toot" phase.

So I had seeen on Pinterest ideas for train boards. Basically taking plywood, painting it and then screwing the train tracks onto the board. The great part? It can just slide under the couch for storage.

The part I didn't like? The fact Levi wouldn't be able to move the tracks and items around when he gets a bit older.

I had also seen on Pinterest the idea of buying a giant Oil Drip Pan from the automotive section at Wal Mart and using it as a magnet board.

So I just merged the ideas together!

So here's how I did it;

                     

You can buy the drip pan for around $12 at WalMart. An amazing price considering its size,

Layout your train set and make sure it will fit the way youd like it to be set up.

                    

I then hot glued magnets to the bottom of the tracks.

No, it isn't a permanent way to keep the tracks together, but it does help and I want Levi to be able to recongifure it (rumor on the street is his grandma is getting him some more train pieces...)

                    

So I hot glued magnets on all the pieces and also numbered them in the order of putting the set together. I don't know why I didn't do that sooner....makes it MUCH MUCH easier!

                   

I then took all the pieces off and spray painted the drip pan a fun green.

I wanted it green to look like grass, but not a dark green. I wanted it fun and cheery.

Here is the spray paint I used

                    

It was like $4 at Wal Mart.

My next step was making accessories for his landscape.

I used some odds and ends I had in my craft stash.

I took blue foam and cut the shape of lakes and ponds, then hot glued magnets to the back.

I also cut out bushes from green foam and stiff felt. Attached magnets and glued some colorful buttons on a few to look like flowers.

                       

It was still missing something.

So I headed to Hobby Lobby to find some buildings and trees to add some dimension.

I forgot to take a picture, but I got 2 already painted trees. A 6 pack of wooden unpainted pine trees I painted and a 4 pack of unpainted wood houses I painted as well.

                      

I hot glued the trees and houses to some foam and then hot glued magnets to the foam.

They stood up! I was a little nervous about that!

                        

I think it looks much better with the trees and houses. And I know Levi will love arranging them!

                            

The hard part is going to be waiting til Christmas to give to him! It's hidden under our couch until Santa brings it to him next month.

I can't wait!!!

diy kids art display

Our home will never look like a magazine.

I've made peace with that.

Our home is where we live.

Our home contains a child and animals.

I want it to be comfortable for them.

And part of that, includes showing off their creations!

Levi is just now getting the hang of making art (as opposed to eating it!) and I wanted a place to show it off!

Here's what you need:

A yard stick ($2.99 at Hobby Lobby)

Clips ($2.80 at Hobby Lobby)

Hot glue gun

Command hook strips

(optional)

clipboard

color printer

card stock

First

Decide how many clips you'd like and how far apart.

The beauty of using a ruler, is the measurements are right there!

Simple hot glue the flat back part of the clip to the front of the ruler.

Allow to dry.

 Use command strips (or double sided tape) and attach to wall using level.

There it is!

{Isn't my child a brilliant artist?!}

To add a little extra pizazz, I made this printable and simply printed it and put it on a clipboard I hung right above it.

I love this quote.

{right-click and save and/or print this image for yourself!}

 There it is! A great, cheap naptime craft project!

How do you display kids art work?

Are you a fridge family? Make an album or binder for each child?

Frame special pieces?

celebration

I can't believe my little Etsy shop turns 1 this week!

Running this tiny little business has been a tremendous blessing to myself and my family.

I have learned a lot.

I've been learning new techniques and items to sew.

I've been learning how to manage a business.

I've been learning how to advertise and manage graphics and a brand.

I've been learning how to balance my time.

My family has been blessed through this venture.

It has been able to help us financially when times have been lean.

It has allowed me to bless my family with a few "wants" along the way.

It has helped me bless my home with handmade items to decorate it frugally.

It has been a tremendous creative outlet for me.

I love fabrics, and I love creating.

Thank you to each and every one of you that have supported me. Whether as a customer, admirer, Facebook friend or prayer warrior.

I sincerely thank you.

To celebrate this accomplishment, I have a few goodies for you!

This week, through the 31st receive 15% off your entire order with coupon code: 1YEARCELEBRATION

So thank you again, and I hope you snag a few deals this week!

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN SHOPPING!

DIY alphabet wall art

This project takes next to no time and for hardly any money.

It would be perfect in a nursery, toddler/preschoolers room or a playroom!

All you need is:

Color printer

Scissors

Washi tape (optional)

Pins

Corkboard (optional)

I knew I wanted to add some more art over Levi's crib.

The past prints he had hanging were too low and he would swing them and tear them down while he was in his crib.

(And yes...our walls took a beating!)

And for some reason I was on a big alphabet kick and decided to do a little educational wall decor.

I googled and googled alphabet printables and first found this one and fell in love.

{source}

Totally adorable and I loved the vintage vibe of it.

However....it had too much pink.

Too much for my little man's room.

Sad day.

So, I continued my googling and pinteresting (not sure that those are proper verbs..)

and found these printable flash cards

{source}

I liked their simplicity, colors and rounded corners.

So I printed them off and got a'cuttin.

After they were all cut out, I tried to figure out how I wanted to arrange them on the wall.

My first thought was to simply tape them up with Washi tape for a casual look.

But I wasn't completely diggin it.

Then I thought about hanging them in an empty frame clipped to jute twine like my photo display in the living room.

 But I didn't have a frame that would be big enough...

 But I did have a cork board!

 I like the simple look of it.

I simply pinned all the letters to the board.

They fit perfectly!

 The wall definitely needs a bit more to it. It looks kind of bare.

I'm thinking of hanging Levi's HammerPress post cards on either side.

But I am very much enjoying the colorful and fun alphabet with that playful  banner over his crib.

{And I know it's up kinda high, but it's that way to be out of his reach!}

What do you think?

Have any frugal wall decor you've found lately?

A Simpler Home: Weekly Outfit Planning

I have been striving to make my home a happier, simpler place.

Over the next few weeks I will share some little tricks and tips that are working for our household.

I started planning Levi's outfits each week a few weeks ago and it has REALLY helped our mornings be even simpler.

Here's how I do it:

You know those 2 piece "outfit" hangers you get at the store?

And you have no idea what to do with them afterwards?

I took seven of those and labeled them for each day of the week.

I simply wrapped some Washi tape around the hook (told you I am addicted!) and then used my label maker to make a label for each day.

Then each Sunday I look at the 7 day forecast and plan out his outfits for the week!

 

Then I hang them up at the front of his closet so it is all ready to go!

My little tip for an even simpler morning!