Pin 204, Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, Craftacular, Green Tip, kid friendly and tagged with bird feeder, Pinterest April 18, 2013

I’ve been saving up discarded toilet paper and paper towel rolls for a while now so its time to make the bird feeders with Riley. As soon as the weather starting warming up, all the little birds came flocking to our forsythia bush that lines the side of the house. We have several bird houses nearby that they build their nests in every year and throughout the season. I know you’re supposed to feed them in the winter when food is scarce but its always nice to welcome them back with a nice treat. This is a great craft to do with the kids and I love the idea of using something that you would normally toss out. I’ve made similar bird feeders using pine cones as well but these are a little easier to hang since they slide right onto branches.

Here’s everything you need to make these environmentally friendly bird feeders:

toilet and/or paper towel rolls
smooth peanut butter
bird seed
a kid that isn’t allergic to peanuts and loves to get messy

First things first, put your peanut butter into a bowl so that you’re not dipping back into the container. Then put your bird seed into a container for easy rolling. Start by spreading a thin layer of peanut butter all over your roll.

Then dip the coated roll in your bird seed. Roll it around and coat it completely. Riley liked this part better than spreading the peanut butter. She’ll pick up worms all day but she doesn’t like peanut butter on her hands.

Now your finished. That was easy right?

Slip them over branches throughout your yard and watch the birds flock to your place. Remove them when they’re spent and toss them in the trash. Here’s the original Pin.

203 to go……….

Green Tip: Reusing Soap Pumps

Posted by suzyhomebaker in Craftacular, Green Tip April 9, 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a Green Tip. And its not like I haven’t recycled something in a while. A lot of my Pins and posts deserve to be a Green Tip. But here’s a genuine one I’ve created all by myself.

I had this giant size shampoo bottle with a great pump on top. I saved this bottle for a while in the hopes of repurposing it. So…….I screwed the pump onto my dishwashing liquid bottle and Ta Da!

Now my dishwashing liquid is pumpable. And I’ve even created a new word. good for me! Now to find a new use for the squeeze top from the dishwashing liquid.

Pin 216, DIY Microwave Popcorn

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, gluten free, Green Tip, kid friendly, low-fat and tagged with DIY, Pinterest, popcorn March 15, 2013

I will never buy microwave popcorn again.

A brown paper bag, 1/3 cup of corn kernels…….

a little tape and a couple minutes in the microwave equals

POPCORN!

Add a couple spritzes of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, a little salt and Orville ain’t got nothin on me!

FYI: I get my kernels at the local health food store in the bulk food section. Here’s the original pin.

215 to go……….

Pin 227, Easy Foam Soap Refill

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, Green Tip, health and beauty, kid friendly, Processed at home and tagged with foam soap, Method, Pinterest February 19, 2013

Ok, here’s another short and sweet post, but this time, it was a success! We go through soap in this house like…..well…….like you would if you had a 2 and 5-year-old. And I can’t decide which empties faster, foam soap or liquid hand soap. I switched to the foam soap because the kids were not fully rinsing the liquid hand soap off. The foam soap rinses very well. The kids use at least 2-3 squirts each time, sometimes more. So buying the refill soap can be expensive. I’ve been buying the Method brand foam soap from Diapers.com at $5.99 for 28 ounces. And since it’s the consistency of water, that’s how quickly we go through it.

When I found this Pin, I was super excited to try it out. What a simple and economical solution. Using dishwashing liquid and water is genius. I also noticed a similar post that uses Johnson’s baby wash so I plan to replace the kids foam soap with that. Brilliant. Thank you Pinterest! You have saved the day.

Here’s the recipe, courtesy of ashleynoelbarnes.blogspot.com

When you’re foam soap dispenser is empty, squirt in about 1-2 tsps dishwashing liquid (no need to measure, just a couple seconds of squirting). Fill the rest with water. Close and shake. Done. Damn that was easy!

226 to go………

Pin 232, Crayon Heart Valentines

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, Craftacular, Green Tip, kid friendly and tagged with craft, kid friendly, Pinterest, Valentine February 8, 2013

Yet another day home from school. Ughh! Only this time it’s from a snow storm, not a sickness. Translation: I need to keep the kids occupied. What better way than to make Riley’s classroom Valentines. Great idea.

I’ve had this one pinned for a while and was waiting to collect all our nubby crayons. We have a lot. I mean, really a lot. There are lots of crayons at my house. Making these was a necessity.

Before we get started, here’s what you need for this project:

crayons, preferably broken, any and all colors
silicone heart mold (mine was an ice cube tray from Ikea for $1.00)
cookie sheet or tray
exacto knife
paper to mount the finished crayons on or heart doilies, whatever you prefer
glue stick
glue dots
a kid to sort and help, it takes a while

If you are ready to start, preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.

Once I collected the crayons I had to strip the paper off. Not really easy with just fingernails so I opted for an exacto knife. It worked very well. Be sure to do this step yourself. Those knifes are quite sharp. Then use the knife (or your own strength) to break/cut the crayons into smaller pieces.

If you don’t want rainbow crayons, have your kids sort the crayons into like colors.

This is the time consuming part so make those kids do it.

It’s good practice too if you have a toddler learning colors. Although I should warn you, my five year old sorted and then threw all differentt colors into the mold.

But it was nice to see all the sorted colors together. Very calming. We filled two egg cartons. Told you we had a lot. We didn’t even use them all. Crazy!

Have your child fill the silicone mold. We started off with monochromatic crayons.

But they became multi-colored by the next round. Fill to the top and even above the rim of the heart shape. Once melted, they will only be half full, or half empty, however you look at it. Put the silicone mold on the cookie tray and put in the oven at 250 for 15 minutes or until melted.

Some of those thicker crayons don’t melt as fast and will appear whole after 15 minutes. Simply use a toothpick and carefully, cause that wax is HOT, stir up the liquid till the crayon blends.

Wait until they are completely cool before removing from mold. I can’t stress this enough. Do not put them in the freezer to speed the process. They will break when you remove them. Just be patient.

Next, assemble your Valentine’s. I used a cookie cutter and construction paper to make the hearts. I cut around the hearts using a scallop scissor.

Since construction paper is a bit flimsy, I cut 3-1/2″ squares from Valentine gift bags I had socked away and pasted the paper hearts to them. You can use a glue stick but I have this great ATG gun that rolls double stick tape on almost any surface. It’s just about the best tool I have in my toolbox. I found mine at an online framing supply company, United Manufacturers.

Using the glue dots, attach the crayon heart to the center of your paper heart. Be sure to have your kid sign the back before hand. Add your witty text and your Valentine is complete. Can’t wait to send these to school. Here’s the original pin.

231 to go……………

Pin 248, 247, 246, 245, Natural Skin Care Made in the Kitchen

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, Craftacular, Green Tip, health and beauty, Processed at home and tagged with beauty, natural, Pinterest January 17, 2013

My skin has been a hot mess since High School. There I said it. I can’t remember a time when I haven’t had a little zit somewhere on my face. I’ve used every product out there and for some reason have avoided going to the dermatologist. I think that’s just laziness really. That and I don’t want to pay for whatever crazy manufactured products they’ll prescribe. Lately my face has been breaking out like crazy and after perusing Pinterest, I’ve found its probably hormonal. So, I thought I would eliminate all the products I was currently using and replace them with natural ingredients found in my pantry and medicine cabinet. Since I am just starting to use these tonight I will have to report back in a week or two with the results of my “experiement”. I am optimistic. Below you’ll find what I’ll now be using. You can find more information on the original pin’s websites. Here’s what I’ll be using: Wish me luck! Continue reading →

Pin 249, T-shirt Headband

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, Craftacular, Green Tip, kid friendly and tagged with headband, Pinterest, recycling, t-shirt January 16, 2013

I told you to save the scraps from the t-shirt infinity scarf. I hope you did because here’s something else to make using them. I used the bottom hem of the t-shirt that was cut off but you could probably cut thinner strips from other areas of the T. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of the actual process so you can easily check out the original pin and the website it originated for those. I would suggest measuring your head or whoever’s head this will be on. I made mine a little too big for me but just the right size to go around Riley’s forehead. I think she sports that Fame look very nicely. Here’s how to do it:

Directions courtesy of thesundaysparkle.com

Supplies:

Scissors
T-shirt strips
thick elastic hair band
hot glue gun

How:

Create long strips about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick. Start with three strips and secure the three ends with hot glue. Start your braid and create a fairly tight braid. Measure the length by testing the length of the braid on your head. When you have reached your desired length glue the other end and you’re done.

My tip: I cut a short piece of fabric and wrapped it around the hot glued area securing it with hot glue. I thought it looked a little cleaner and now you can’t see any hot glue.

248 to go……….

Pin 257, Wine Cork Key Chains

Posted by suzyhomebaker in 261 Days Pinned Challenge, Craftacular, Green Tip and tagged with cork, key chain, Pinterest, recyciling January 7, 2013

I love repurposing what we throw out everyday into something else. Corks are an easy item to just toss in the garbage, but they can also be easily used for something else. I thought this pin of making them into key chains was brilliant and so easy. I think it’s a great way to keep your favorite wine with you at all times so there’s no question what you want at the liquor store. It appears the original pin was using them for party favors which is also a cute idea. I think it could be a cute gift for a wine lover, especially if the cork is from the wine they love. Here’s how to do it: Continue reading →

Green Tip: Pulp

Posted by suzyhomebaker in drink it, Green Tip June 15, 2011

I recently got an email from a friend of my sisters asking this question: What can you do with the leftover pulp after you juice a variety of different fruits and veggies?

And here is my answer:

throw it in the composter if you got one
incorporate it into a recipe. Example: carrot cake, banana bread, zucchini bread. These sweet breads usually incorporate lots of fruits and veggies anyway so adding a little pulp will add some extra vitamins, moisture, and flavor. I have this great recipe for Morning Glory muffins that I may post soon and incorporates apples, carrots, and pineapple. Pulp is also easy to freeze, thaw out and add to a recipe. My juicer came with a recipe book utilizing pulps in this way.
Dry the peels if you can separate them and toss them in the fireplace or leave them out for birds or deer (if you want wildlife near your house).
Separate out any seeds and add pulp to a smoothie.
Add the pulp back into the juice for a pulpier juice experience.
Add to oatmeal
If you got kids, its great to add pulp to kid friendly foods like pasta sauce, baked goods, meatballs, or mac and cheese for example. Gives them the vitamins they miss out on when you have a picky eater. A great book to get it Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious. She uses cooked and pureed veggies and fruits in her recipes. Same concept.
Add to soups
Make a flavored cream cheese
make a facial mask (okay that’s a stretch but I wanted to get to 10. Here’s a link to check out for mask ideas: http://beauty.about.com/od/skinflaws/a/facemasks.htm)

Craftacular: Decoupage tin can vases

Posted by suzyhomebaker in Craftacular, Green Tip, kid friendly March 3, 2011

My husband gave both the girls a bouquet of small pink roses for Valentine’s Day, they were really sweet. I wanted to save them so we hung them to dry and made these vases using tin cans and magazine clippings. Riley had a good time gluing and she loves to cut paper so this was a perfect craft for her. Just watch those scissors with the kiddies. We cut out pictures of flowers (we found some nice pics in Martha Stewart Living magazine). It makes a nice keepsake and I thought each Valentine’s we’d add some more flowers.

Continue reading →

Suzy Homebaker

Category Archives: Green Tip