diy laundry detergent

I bookmarked this post on Little Birdie Secrets quite a while ago and kept meaning to give this a try. Yesterday I took the plunge and now I have no idea why I waited so long. Super dooper easy peasy! Here's all it took:

It makes five gallons, and uses only one cup each of the Borax and Arm & Hammer super washing soda, so I can make lots and lots more, and will only need to buy another bar of soap each time. Super economical. (You only use 1/2 cup of the liquid detergent for each load of laundry. I'm not going to figure out how many 1/2 cups are in 5 gallons, but it's a whole lot!) I have two loads going now, and from what I can tell, it's working great!

(Just realized the picture may be deceiving... the bucket is just a repurposed 5 gallon bucket we got from a friend.  You do not need 5 gallons of commercial laundry detergent for this.  Just a big bucket to mix and store it in.  See this post on Little Birdie Secrets for the instructions I used.)

my cute girl and her diy boots

This morning I came across this project via this blog post and just knew we'd have to make some of these lovelies. I showed it to Brooklyn (12) and she had to make some right now! She's going to be in a play this week through our local college and was off to rehearsal, but we had a few minutes and whipped these up. Seriously, about 15-20 minutes spent on these. Try it!

Here's what we started with:

An older pair of my slippers. Coming apart at the seams but I saved them (thankfully) thinking I'd re-stitch them sometime. The original tutorial used a regular pair of shoes, but she didn't have any that she could spare for the project and as I said, she wanted them to wear today, so we used what we had. They're also a little big for her, but she doesn't care. She's excited that, in her words, "that means I can still wear them even when I'm your age, Mom!" The sweater was a thrift store find a while back. I bought it because I loved the colors and the stripes. I thought Brooklyn might wear it, and if not I'd turn it into something cheery for the home.

They do look a bit homemade, but I like that. And so does she, which is what really counts. I love her style. She mixes and matches colors and patterns and layers like nobody's business. No seriously, she doesn't care and it really isn't anybody's business. She wears what she likes regardless of fads and styles. I remember about a year ago, noticing a particular outfit she had on, I told her I loved it and asked her if she thinks she'd still wear that if she went to public school (we were homeschooling her at the time). Sadly, she replied, "not a chance!" She does attend school this year, Waldorf methods school which is a public charter. And I'm happy to say she still has her same funky, super cute style.

Here she is, all ready to go. I think we'll turn the hood of the sweater into a cute hat, maybe adding a finger knitted chain to finish it off. Today she wore it as is. The rest of the sweater is next to her on the bed. It will probably become a pillow and possibly part of those Christmas stockings I never got around to in December.

I'm very sorry about the poor image quality here. My camera is out for repairs so I used the photo booth application on my laptop and tilted + lifted for just the right angle and light. I miss my camera!

sweet slumber.

sweet slumber., originally uploaded by jenuine ruby.

Laying down to sleep, Mercy said, "Judah I'm so proud of you for going on the potty today." He replied, "Hug!" and leaned in for one. I love these moments.

jenuine ruby:: apron for Kelly

The second super sweet birthday girl in December was my sister Kelly.  She was at my house washing dishes at Thanksgiving and kept splashing herself with dish water.  She commented that she needed a water proof apron, because she did that all the time at home too.  I made a mental note and then went shopping for some oil cloth.  This is what I came up with:

I just love these fabrics, and it's reversible!  I like that it's bright and cheery.  Because when you have to do the dishes, you should have something pretty and bright to wear.

I didn't have a pattern (ok, confession.  I've never used a pattern.  Not sure I'd know what to do with one!)  I just used one of my aprons as a guide and made adjustments here and there.  

I like how it turned out, and I think she did too.  Super easy.  Super cute.  Again, probably more soon.  How I wish I had time to make things all day. 

jenuine ruby:: bag for Mati

I gave handmade gifts to two sweet birthday girls in December. This was the first project made with a "jenuine ruby" label. (I'll post the second tomorrow.) This is a messenger bag, made for Mati Rose. I've been loving corduroy so much lately. I love the look and the velvety soft feel.

I really can't get enough corduroy lately. I bought a few new corduroy fabrics, but what I really love is treasure hunting in thrift stores. This bag was made from thrifted corduroy pants. I took the back pocket off of one pair for an inner pocket in the bag. The lining is from a thrifted baby crib sheet. I love the bright colors, and Mati seemed quite pleased with it too. I was thrilled that she liked it, and I'll probably be making more of these in the future. I really want a bright corduroy bag for myself now.

jenuine ruby:: direction and goals

If you've been reading along on my journey for a while, you may have noticed some changes around here lately. Last month, I finally decided on a name for my handmade items... jenuine ruby. I wrote more about where the name came from in this post. Wanting to keep things simple, I changed the name of the blog to jenuine ruby also. (It was formerly "a *mixed-media* life in progress".) I'm hoping for a few visual changes/ additions coming soon too. For bloggers, as we grow and change and begin new chapters, our blog content naturally follows.

I will continue to write about my journey in life as I strive to glorify the Lover of my soul. I'll also keep writing about my journey as a wife, mom, sister, friend, artist, crafter, and even barista. There will be recipes here and there, photos and links to things that inspire and/or bring me joy. I purpose to be authentic here and it is my hope that when you visit, you may be encouraged. I really do treasure your words and the connections made here, so please comment often!

In making goals for this year, I revisited my 40 x 40 list. If I want to accomplish those things by the time I'm 40, I need to start now and figure out how I want to spread those things out over the next three years. I also added a few new goals for this year. Here's my 2010 list:

1. by the end of the year, I hope to be making at least $500 per month from my art and other handmade items. I know this is not a large amount, but it's much more than I've been making. I had my very first etsy sale about six months ago and it has been growing slowly. I want to start contributing more significantly to the family income. My 40x40 goal is to be making $2,000 plus per month, but I'm setting realistic goals, so I'll reach for the $500 mark for now.

2. sell my wares in local shops. I need to get on this.

3. go to Squam. (they just posted the new retreat schedules yesterday (5 retreats this year!)... oh how I long to go!

4. new website or at least a well organized blog with pages and graphics that suit me.

5. develop a brand/ style for my art and handmade items so that the look is more cohesive and recognizable. (consistency from the look and feel of my blog to my artwork to my crafts and sewn goodies.)

6. have a booth at a craft fair. at least one, but I'd love to do more.

7. backyard mini adventure playground

8. start making bread from scratch monthly

9. make and use my own laundry detergent

10. start a backyard vegetable garden

11. make and wear more of my own clothes

12. make and stick to a weekly menu plan

13. participate in Illustration Friday

14. complete Couch to 5k running plan. They even have an iphone app now... hubby has it and it's awesome. That will be one of the first apps I download when I get my iphone.

15. family vacation to the Grand Canyon

16. try at least one new recipe every month

17. participate in Toy Society

18. tip 100% to a server who is having a hard day, even if they don't really "deserve" it according to the service provided

19. try a new craft or art project with the kids each month

20. go to a new park every month with the kids

21. go on monthly dates with Joe

22. sleep in the back yard with the family

23. make a doll for Mercy

24. do collaborative paintings with Brooklyn

25. host a Stone Soup party

26. learn to make lumpia

27. learn to embroider

28. complete The Artist's Way

29. learn to crochet

30. complete Joe's course on drawing tattoo style roses

31. take a trip to Portland and begin a new hair journey with dreads (more on this soon!)

There are a few additions here, but I realized that most of the things from my previous list made it to this one. The main exceptions are the trips. I love love love to travel... but maybe if I work really hard this year, I'll set us up for some good trips in the future. Joe is working hard too, and though the last two years have been a struggle, we believe this is our year for breakthrough and prosperity!

word of the year. 2010

word of the year. 2010, originally uploaded by jenuine ruby.

In 2009, my word of the year was savor. There was a whole lot of change and challenges last year, and I purposed to savor the sweet moments notice the little things through it all. It was a hard year, but there was plenty of goodness to savor.

This year I've decided to believe. I'm choosing to believe that all things are possible. I'm believing God to do new things this year. I'm believing that this is going to be a good year. Not that it won't have struggles, but I'm full of hope and anticipation of goodness that lies ahead this year.

How about you? Do you have a word of the year? I'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment and link to your own blog post.

new season

I've had this song in my head since I woke up yesterday morning, in 2010. A new season indeed. I know I'm not the only one who needed the hope a new season can bring. There's so much to look forward to with a new year. Our circumstances haven't changed (yet), but there is hope. I believe this year is going to be great. Are you with me?