Reclaiming Tissue Paper - It Can Be Done

Reclaiming Tissue Paper - It Can Be Done

Sitting at a bridal shower, I observed a young woman sitting cross-legged on the floor painstakingly un-wadding the tissue handed to her.  She was sorting it by color.  The woman next to me noticed my fascination with the process and remarked that the bride ironed her used tissue paper and reused it.

Ironed tissue paper?  Could that possibly work? Would it be as crisp as new?  The young woman who allegedly saved and ironed tissue paper was a highly organized, meticulous individual.  If she feels this is a worth while practice, I should give it a try.  And so I did. 

How to Iron Tissue Paper

for Re-Claiming

Supplies:

Used tissue paper

Iron with steam function

Ironing board

Time: 15 minuets for 5-10 sheets of paper.

Step One:   Smooth the paper out as nicely as possible with your hands over the ironing board.

Step Two: Set the iron to the cotton setting. Tissue paper is a made of natural fibers just as cotton is, so this setting is effective.  Be sure the iron is set to release steam.   Iron the tissue just as if it was fabric. 

Step Two continued: I reset my iron to the linen setting with steam and ironed again.  I was happier with the results however the extreme heat caused the edges to begin to curl.

Step Three: Fold the paper in half, passing the iron over the paper to form a crisp crease.  Continue folding and creasing until the tissue is a small rectangle similar to when it was purchased.

Step Four: Store until needed. 

Bloggers Note:  The tissue paper is not as crisp as when it was new.  Perhaps the next time I attempt this process, I'll try a mist of starch. However, I would not be embarrassed to use this paper tucked in a gift bag.  I wouldn't use it to wrap a present because it has a subtle "reclaimed" look that could be obvious over the flat expanse of a box.

Do you iron tissue paper and reuse it?  If so, does your process differ?  As this was my first attempt, I'd enjoy your experienced imput.

Summer Legs - Hosiery Choices?

Summer Legs - Hosiery Choices?

I wear skirts and dresses each morning I work in our family's retail store. I am also cold natured. Air conditioning does a real work on me; I leave the store each afternoon frozen solid.  I look forward to the 100 degree heat of the locked car. In years previous, I have gone bare legged so I could wear my summer sandals. Then I run the space heater at my desk so my legs aren't cold. I couldn't be a slave to my shoe choices any longer.  I'm cold! I'm tired of being cold! I decided to wear hosiery for spring and summer. 

1st Dilemma - All my sandals have open toes, 4 pair have toe rings, and 2 do not.  If all the sandals were just open toed, without toe rings, I'd commit the fashion faux pas of wearing sheer toed panty hose. As I did in this photo:

I was warned about this look by one of our faithful customers. She told me, "I was too cute to dress like that!" It was very sweet of her to offer me an honest assessment, as I was unaware I looked that bad.

2nd Dilemma - Skin toned footless tights are warm but really look funny because they are thick and footless.  I bought these at Walmart. I paid $6.00 a pair.  I felt it was expensive but I bought two pair anyway (wear one, wash one).

I thought I could pull these footless tights half way over my foot and they'd stay tucked into the sandal.  I was wrong.  The tights managed to work their way out of the sandal and up to my ankle (as it was designed) every time I wore them.  My naked foot and the thicker tight now wrinkled up like an elephant's ankle wan't attractive.  I'll save these for fall to be tucked into my boots.  

Stray thought:  Would ladies choose to wear these footless nude tights as pants?   Oh what a scary, scary thought.  I digress. Onto my 3rd dilemma.

3rd Dilemma - Toe-less pantyhose look nice with some of my sandals but not all.  I was a bit concerned about the cost and how long these stockings would last.  I purchased them at JCPenny's for 3 for $27.00.  These are very sheer.  They look beautiful on the legs and are not too hot when I am outside. The weather is regularly in the 90's now. The footless tights were warmer in the air conditioning but the toe-less stockings keep me from getting chilled.  As I said before, not all shoes look good with these stockings, but the contrast is not as severe in daily life as it appears in the photos. As my grandmother's would say, "On a galloping horse, no on will notice." 

I'm not really sure why the patent shoes are so . . . much less attractive with the toe-less stockings.  But, they are. Sorry, patent sandals I will not be wearing you with my dresses.  As to longevity, I put the first pair on Tuesday, May 31st. I threw them away on June 10th. I wore that pair 10 times.  I put a thumb nail hole through the thigh on Day 1.  These have run stop technology and they didn't run any further. Impressive. I threw them out because I wore a hole in the right heel, a rather large hole.  (To be honest, I didn't throw them out. I put them in with my gardening supplies.  Pantyhose are great material for tying up plants.)  I do hope this next pair lasts longer. At nearly $1.00 per day, I'm not sure this is wise.  My mother says, "It is painful to be beautiful."  Perhaps she meant our wallets would feel the pain too. 

**Wear ability update - 2nd pair of toe-less stocking lasted from June 10-25th.  During this time, I wore them 14 times. The cost effectiveness of this pair $.79 better than the last pair.  I was able to keep from putting my thumb through these. This pair's demise was the buckle on my white sandals that wore a substantial hole in the ankle.  

Do you prefer other leg wear options for summer?  Do you have an interesting solution to this fashion dilemma?  I'd love to share in your response. 

I Make My Own Laundry Soap - You Can Too.

I Make My Own Laundry Soap - You Can Too

$$$$$$$$$Huge Money Saver$$$$$$$$$

My family and I are graduates of Financial Peace University, and we are Dave Ramsey fans.  Dave Ramsey is the spear head to the debt free movement which began more than a decade ago.  For those curious about freedom from debt, please look for Dave Ramsey's radio program or any of his podcasts. Most of his books can be checked out from your local library.  I recommend a read or a listen.  It was a meaningful and liberating experience for our family. Now how does this apply to laundry soap . . .

When we were participating in the FPU class, we were asked to keep a close eye on our spending and evaluate all of our purchases. So I did.  Realizing the amount of money I was spending on cleaning products was horrifying.  At the time, we were a household of six. (Presently, two of my children are in their early twenties and have left home) But in 2009, I purchased an enormous amount of laundry soap, and in 2009 the financial crisis started an inflation spike.  Laundry soap was costing about $2.00+ more each month I went out to shop. (Yes, I typed month.  I'm a monthly shopper.  I'll write a post about the liberation found in monthly shopping and monthly budgets at a later time.) Sorry, I'll return to laundry soap.

The continuous rise in prices, the urgent necessity to be debt free, and the mountain of laundry that awaited me each week spurred me into research mode. 

The questions: What cleaning products could I easily make myself? Which homemade products would be easiest to make?  Which homemade cleaning products would save me the most money?  The Answer: Laundry soap.  Store bought laundry soap was $15-20.00 of my monthly expense. Homemade laundry soap required few ingredients, which were readily available and no specialized equipment.

Recipe

5 gallons tap water

3/4 c. borax

3/4 c. washing soda

3/4 c. baking soda

3/4 c. color safe bleach

1 dram EO

2 shredded bars of soap* (Ivory, lye, Fels-naptha or Zote)

* Blogger's note:  I have used Ivory soap, and I have used lye soap. The cleaning power of the Ivory laundry soap was disappointing, although it smelled nicely.  I faithfully use lye soap and am very happy with the effectiveness of the laundry soap.  I can buy a large quantity for a local soap maker at about $2.00 per bar.  Fels-naptha and Zote can be purchased at Wal-Mart for about $1.00 per bar. 

Equipment:

Large stock pot

Heavy long handled spoon

Box Grater

Gallon jar - used to measure tap water (a quart will do it just takes longer to measure)

5 Gallon plastic bucket with tight fitting lid (deep full buckets are dangerous for curious children and pets)

3/4 cup measuring cup (I have a dedicated measuring cup, so I don't worry I'm feeding borax to my family)

Directions:

1. Gather the equipment and supplies.
2. Over a plate, using the box grater, shred 2 bars of soap.
   

   
3. Measure tap water, divide the water between the stock pot and the bucket. My stock pot comfortably holds 2 gallons and I put the other 3 gallons in the bucket.  The pot needs to hold at least one gallon of water and still be stirred.  Just be sure, between the pot and the bucket that 5 gallons of water make in into the recipe.  (I put the bucket near the range so I don't have to carry my hot pot of molten liquid too far, as it is heavy)
4. Add the shredded soap to the pot full of water and heat slowly over medium heat. Stirring occasionally to encourage the melting of the soap into the water.
   

   
5. Into the bucket, containing the remainder of the 5 gallons of water, add 3/4 c. borax, baking soda, washing soda, and color safe bleach. Stir to combine.
   

   
6. Continue occasionally stirring the pot of shredded soap until it completely melts. Do not let the water boil.
   

   
7. Be sure the path to the bucket is clear, carefully remove the pot from the heat and slowly pour the liquefied soap into the bucket containing the water and other ingredients.
8. Return the pot to the sink for washing.
9. Stir the very full bucket of laundry soap, slowly, to incorporate all the ingredients.
   

   

   10.  Within about 5 minutes, the soap will begin to gel. Stirring the laundry soap every half hour until it completely cools will create a smoother soap much like store bought soap. I rarely stir the soap often enough. My laundry soap is lumpy.  Lumpy soap is still good and effective soap.  I don't usually scent my soap, but when I do I add one dram, about 1 tsp, of EO to the cooled soap and stir thoroughly.  I prefer lavender as a scent for my soap.
   

   

How to use homemade laundry soap:

I use 1 cup of soap for each full load of wash.  Small loads I use 1/2 cup of soap.  I add the soap to the running water before I add the clothes to washing machine. I use this soap for all of my fabrics, including delicates.  I have hard water and I need to clean the washer tub once a year.  The hard water causes a soap scum to form along the top of the barrel.

Extraordinary Gifts - Handmade Chocolate Truffles

Extraordinary Gifts - Handmade Chocolate Truffles

These truffles are insanely simple and stunningly beautiful.  It is nearly a shame to give away the secret of such an impressive and inexpensive gift.  Your domestic tool box will thank you for this recipe and technique.  

Supplies and Ingredients: 

• Container for gifting*
• Small muffin liners
• Coffee filters
• One bag chocolate chips (semi-sweet or darker)
• One can sweetened condensed milk
• EO, nut butter or powdered coffee for flavoring
• Ground nuts, sugars, cocoa, crushed candies or powdered sugar to coatings
• heavy bottomed pot or double boiler
• Sturdy spoons
• Rubber scraper

Directions:

1. Decide on your flavors. Plain, peppermint, orange, mocha, almond or peanut butter are all good choices. Decide on the unique coating for each flavor.  The above box contained 4 flavors: Peppermint, peanut, plain and orange. The coatings were (in order of flavor): crushed peppermint candies, ground peanuts, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar with orange peel. 
2. Prepare the coatings, placing each one in a small bowl of its own.
3. Set the small muffin liners on a plate ready to receive the candies as they are completed.
4. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan or double boiler, melt chocolate chips and condensed milk on very low heat. 
5. Stir continuously to combine. Once velvety and smooth. Remove from heat.
6. Set out an equal number of bowls for the flavors you would like to make. 4 flavors = 4 bowls. Divide the liquid truffle as evenly as you can among the bowls. 
7. Stir the flavoring into each bowl while it is still really warm. 
8. Set the bowls into the refrigerator to begin to cool and set up.  The truffle needs to set up enough that it can be rolled into a ball comfortably but not too cold or it cannot be scooped. 
9. When the desired rolling temperature is reached, scoop a table spoon sized amount of the mixture and roll into a ball using the palm of your hands.  Immediately drop into truffle ball into its coating and roll it around pressing down if necessary to adhere the coating to the truffle. 
10. Place the truffle into its own individual muffin liner. Continue rolling and coating truffles until each flavor is completed. (If you need to stop the project before you have rolled all the truffles, fret not.  Cover all the remaining truffle and place in the refrigerator. Cover your coating and store out of the way.  To pick up the project again, leave the truffle on the counter at room temperature until it is pliable.  Roll and coat as before.)
11. Store truffles in the refrigerator until it is time to pack the gift. 
12. To pack a gift, prepare your gift container by lining the bottom with a coffee filter. Add the first layer of truffles.  If there is going to be additional layers, place a coffee filter between each layer. The coffee filter provides just enough stability to balance the truffles so they don't shift or tip too much. Cover the last layer with a coffee filter and place the lid on the container. 
13. Take a picture of your gift.  You have just hand crafted a beautiful box of chocolates.  This occasion deserves a picture. Please don't be afraid to share it with us.  We'd love to see your handiwork. :) 

*Bloggers Note:  Containers for gifting. I purchased these boxes seen above from the Dollar General. These were $1.50 each. Typically, I would not have purchased a container but reclaimed one for this purpose. I collect small boxes from other shipments all year. I store them in a hall closet.  I prepare a reclaimed box for candy by wrapping it inside and out with something clean and pretty. Even aluminum foil or brown lunch sacks can be pretty coverings for a box. If you are reclaiming a jar as your candy container, perhaps a coffee filter is too big.  A large muffin liner might be a better choice. If the lid of your jar has an advertisement and distracts from the gift, cover the lid with aluminum foil, pretty stickers, or a circle of wrapping paper taped to the lid.