Decoupage tins

Hi there all! I will share with you my decoupage coffee tins that I made for pencils ,scissors,crayons and just about any stationery for you desk.
These are easy to do and look very nice on any desk or workspace.
What you need :

• Tins
• Mod podge
• Scrap book paper or nice fabric
• Thick paint brush

I got my paper discounted from Ikea , it was a big packet with different paper and scrap book cut outs and photo frame shapes. So I used that, first you will measure your tin and cut your paper or fabric to fit. Then  paint the tin with pod podge and stick the paper on paint on top with more glue to take away any air bubbles and give it another 2 coats of mod podge .
Let it dry for a couple of hours and then use.. That is it have fun ..

DIY deoderant .

I've been meaning to make my own deoderant for a long time now and I tried this last night an it works really well. I make everything else from toothpaste to make up remover ,fabric detergent and much more. Next I will make y out soap and shampoo. It's difficult to find things were we live so I order online witch is more expensive because of the shipping , but thank god for the Internet.
 So here I will give a recipe to make your own with stuff you already have at home.
To will need:

• 3 T Coconut Oil
• 3 T Baking Soda
• 2 T Shea Butter or cocoa butter
• 2 T Arrowroot (optional) or cornstarch 
• Essential Oils (optional) I used tea tree for antiseptic reasons.

So you melt your oils in a double boiler and when there all melted you mix in the cornstarch and the baking soda, add a few drops of essential oils and store in a container with a lid.
You could put it in an old deoderant container and keep it in the fridge in the fridge. Thanks it..
Reasons that you shouldn't use store bought deo.

If you are eating a wholesome, healthy diet and are still using underarm deodorant from the store, it’s time to wake up and smell the roses.

Store deodorant is loaded with chemicals and toxins thateasily penetrate the skin, getting into the blood supply.

It’s even worse if these products are applied soon after shaving.  Tiny nicks in the skin provide an even easier route for chemicals to penetrate the skin barrier directly into the bloodstream.

Drug companies are taking advantage of the ability of skin to absorb chemicals of all kinds with the smokers’ patch being one of the most well known.  There are now skin patches for birth control and a patch for motion sickness when you take a cruise or fly in a plane.

Slathering on the chemicals and heavy metals contained in underarm products day in and day out is a dangerous practice and one that no doubt can contribute to a host of health woes in the long run.

Need some concrete reasons to ditch the store deodorant?  Here is the top ten list to consider before your next shower and where to find nontoxic brands that actually work.

#1:  Parabens

Most deodorants, even those labeled as “natural,” still contain harmful ingredients like parabens affixed to one of the following common prefixes:  methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyl and butyl.

Parabens are dangerous substances, particularly when put on the delicate underarm skin which is so near the breasts.

The Breast Cancer Fund reports that measurable concentrations of six different types of parabens have been identified in breast cancer tumor biopsies.  What’s even more telling is that the concentration of the parabens in the biopsies were in the same approximate concentration that would be found in paraben containing cosmetics like underarm deodorant.

Parabens are not just a risk for the breasts.  Samples of a diverse sample of US adults found parabens in nearly all urine samples as well indicating that these chemicals get into the blood and move around the body before being excreted.

#2:  Aluminum

The heavy metal aluminum is contained in most deodorants and is even disguised in some natural deodorants under the word “alum”. Any compound containing the word “aluminum” would be a problem such as aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly.

Scientific evidence has has demonstrated that aluminum exposure is associated with the development of Alzheimer’s Disease.

#3:  Triclosan

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent.  Preliminary analysis indicates it may be carcinogenic due to potential contamination with dioxin. Triclosan easily crosses cell membranes and is stored in body fat.

A 2006 study has shown that low doses of triclosan act as an endocrine disruptor in the North American bullfrog.  In 2008, a study of juvenile male rats showed that triclosan exposure significantly impacts thyroid hormone concentrations.

Triclosan is in many deodorants labeled as natural so buying at the healthfood store is no protection from this chemical.

#4:  Fragrances

Love the smell of your deodorant?  According to Environmental Working Group (EWG), even natural smelling fragrances like rose may be something else entirely.  The fragrance industry takes great care to hide from the consumer exactly how chemical fragrances are concocted using any blend of the 3,100 stock chemical ingredients that are available.   EWG also reports that:

“The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products.”

Bottom line?  If your deodorant has “fragrance” listed in the ingredients, you really don’t know what’s in it!

#5:  Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Yet another chemical popular in deodorant, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) has been banned in Europe. A well known skin irritant, SLS is also a  suspected carcinogen and has been linked to kidney and liver damage; nervous system disruption; damage to eyes leading to cataracts; eczema and dermatitis.

#6:  Sweat Blockage

Sweating is good!  You want to sweat to release toxins and it is a normal cooling response the body needs.  Blocking sweat with anti-perspirant ingredients is an unhealthy practice and can cause blockage of toxins.

#7:  Deceptive Marketing

Some deodorants, even natural and organic ones like crystals and salt sprays, state that they have no aluminum chloride.  However, if you examine the label in detail you notice that they contain potassium alum. The full chemical name of potassium alum is potassium aluminum sulfate, which is still aluminum.

#8:  Staining and Clumping

What in the world are those clumps left on your skin by conventional deodorants?   This stuff doesn’t completely lather off in the shower either and eventually ruins your shirts by leaving yellow stains that don’t wash out (that’s from the aluminum).

#9:  Ineffectiveness

Many people report that natural versions of conventional deodorants found at the healthfood store are ineffective or only work for a short period of time.

#10:  Store Deodorant is So Uncool!

Let’s face it.  Everything about store deodorant is uncool from the chemicals in the supermarket versions to the hidden baddies and ineffectiveness of the so called “natural” brands at the healthfood store.

The Castle

 We found an box in our recycling box today with Alex and he said I looked like a castle. So we decided to make a castle out of the box , a stick, cardboard paper and toilet tubes.
So we painted the box gray did some shadows and windows with black and painted some flags that we cut out of cardboard paper.
Made towers out of toilet tubes and painted them too. We made a draw bridge and uses pipe cleaners for the chains that holds it up. And hot glued it all together. And that was it Alex had so much fun making it and then got he's toys and played with it..
It's fun and cheaper to use things that will go in the trash to make toys. They love to create them and spend time playing with them longer than the store bought toys..

3 D art. Dinasaur craft.

We did this project a wile back and kids really enjoyed it..  I will post the other themed ones we made with different meterials.
This one is the dinosaur prehistoric one , we used things that we had in the kitchen and in the craft box. I will tell you how we made it .
We had a hard piece of cardboard laying around and we used it for our canvas. I used a glue stick to glue crape paper on In green for our background and then we got the beans out the lentils and the pasta and stuck them on with white glue for the ground. We also stuck on there pebbles and stuff that we collected on one of our nature walks.
We used cotton wool for the clouds and tissue paper pieces for the sky.
Brocken fake flowers that we had and leaves for the prehistoric forest and foam eggs for dinosaur eggs. We went in our Dino toy box and got some that we had twice and hot glued them on and pon pons to look like flowers..
You could use any thing that you have in the kitchen ,in your recycled box and toys that you don't want.. And you end up with a really nice piece of art. Kids spend ages sticking and perfecting there creation. The kitchen looked like Taz attacked  it but it was all worth it and fun..

Pixie dust in a jar...

I made this pixie dust in a jar for my sons 4th birthday as party favors. He loves the one he has and sleeps with it next to him. They glow in the dark like sparkly pixie dust..
So it is simple to make it and here I will tell you how to make it..
Your will need :

1. I mason jar
2. Some glitter
3. Glow paint
4. Labels ( if you are giving it as a gift)
5. String 
6. Paint brush

So here goes, you take your mason jar and dip  your brush in your glow paint ,and paint spots on the inside of the jar . Do this until the inside the jar is covered with dots and spots. Then sprinkle glitter and leave to dry. On the top of the jar do the same. I also spay painted the top with cream color spray paint. You could do it to match your theme..
It's as simple ad pie and you have a glow jar to keep the Kiddos feeling safe in the dark.

 

Wood shaving frame.

Wood shaving frame..

So what do you do with your colored pencil wood shavings ? Through them away naturally. Well I was watching my boy coloring one day and he had a bowl next to him to put all he's pencil shavings in. Well I looked at the bowl and it looked so nice and colorful.

Like wooden rainbow drops. So I got the idea to make a craft with them since it would be a shame to through away such nice colors, and we saved them from then on. A couple o weeks later I got a good amount of shavings and was ready to start.

So I noticed some frames that I had bought from Ikea one day. There the plain wooden ones that are unvarnished with the cheapest price tag. So what you need is this:

1. Wooden shavings 
2. Mod podge or pva glue
   
   
3. Wooden frame
4. Paint brushes

And what you do is this:

Paint the frame with one coat of mod podge and stick your shavings one by one as you go along, stick and cover each shaving with mod podge to keep them in place . Continue to so until you have your frame covered with the shavings. Now you need to give it 2 coats of the glue only and let it dry for a couple of hours..     And that is about it.. You could make some big ones with only one color that would make it look more grown up and sophisticated and you could cover any surface you wish.. These would look nice in a play room or kids room..

So happy shaving collecting ....:-)

Black swallowtails follow up ..

One of our cocoons hatched today and a beautiful butterfly came out.. 
It was such a great experience and the kids were so happy and proud.. The kids took there turn to gently hold her and observe her and then we put it out side on a lemon tree and about one hour later it flew of...

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, which includes over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family occur on every continent except Antarctica.

Food: caterpillars will only eat the foliage of a group of plants called umbellifers - a group that includes carrot, fennel and angelica, but they show a marked preference for milk parsley. Adults feed on nectar from a variety of flowers.

The swallowtail is Britain's largest and most exotic butterfly. Its name refers to the extensions on the hind-wings which look rather like a swallow's tail. These 'tails' and false 'eyes' on the hind-wing mimic the head and antennae (feelers) of the butterfly. This confuses birds as to the true head of their prey and gives the swallowtail a better chance of escaping. Sadly, this beautiful butterfly is extremely rare in Britain.