The "Make Your Own" Zone

How to Make A Crumb Coating for Fish

2012-02-21T22:04:00.000-05:00

For many years I was rather intimidated by cooking fish. My idea of having fish for dinner was to pick up a package of Gorton's fish sticks. Frozen fish sticks are not all bad, but I eventually discovered that there were much tastier homemade options.

My current favorite method is to use a homemade crumb coating made with Ritz crackers and spices that I mix in my food processor. I usually use my crumb coating with talipia fillets and it really helps to disguise the "fishy" taste. It's quick, easy, and so good! It's become a favorite at our house and is now in my regular rotation of meals. I almost always have the ingredients for the crumb coating on hand because it doesn't require anything fancy - just crackers, a few spices, parmesan, and butter. I can handle that!

HERB CRUMB COATING FOR FISH
( Print This Recipe )

14 Ritz crackers
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 cup butter - melted (1/2 a stick)

Fish fillets, such as Talipia (this is enough coating for about 6 fillets)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan.

2. Place the crackers, parmesan, and spices in a food processor and mix until it is fine crumbs that are well blended. Dump the mixture out onto a dinner plate.

3. Melt the butter in the microwave in a small dish. (You will be dipping the fish fillets in the melted butter so pick a dish that is an appropriate size).

4. Press a fish fillet in the melted butter, turning to coat both sides. Then press the fish fillet into the crumb mixture, again, turning to coat both sides. Place the crumb coated fillet into your greased 9x13 pan.

5. Continue until all your fillets have been dipped in the butter, and then coated in the crumb mixture, and placed in the baking pan.

6. Bake in the 400 degree oven, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes.

A Few More Notes:

- I often buy the bag of frozen talipia fillets at Aldi to use in this recipe. Just make sure your talipia fillets are thawed first.

- I usually have some left over crumb mixture which I then sprinkle over the fillets in the pan, just because I hate to be wasteful.

- When ready to serve, these fillets taste great with a little more melted butter drizzled over them, and some fresh lemon squirted on them too.

- I always use my food processor but a blender would also work. If you don't have any high tech gadgets, a ziploc bag and a rolling pin to crush the ingredients works too.

The next thing I'm going to try is making a triple batch of this recipe and keep it on hand so it's all ready to go. I think that should work pretty good, don't you?

Make Your Own Sweet and Sour Sauce

2012-02-17T21:10:00.000-05:00

I think you'll enjoy this very simple recipe for a homemade sweet and sour sauce that doesn't require any cooking or chopping. I've seen other homemade sweet and sour sauce recipes that are pineapple based and require boiling of pineapple juice or chopping of pineapple. This recipe uses the much more simple ingredient of apricot preserves that takes a lot of hassle out of the process.

I purchase the 18 oz jar of apricot preserves for $1.59 at Aldi so that helps make this a frugal recipe for me too. The other ingredients are ketchup and soy sauce which I always keep on hand.

HOMEMADE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
(Print This Recipe)

3 Tablespoons Apricot Preserves
3 Tablespoons Ketchup
1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce

Stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl . . . . and that's it!

This makes enough for a nice little batch of dipping sauce with a meal of something like chicken tenders. It's also easy to double or triple the recipe if you need a larger batch to use in a recipe. Be sure to store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

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Pretzel Treats for Valentine's Day

2012-02-12T15:41:00.000-05:00

Don't you just love the folks over at the M & M factory? We can count on them at every holiday season to crank out M & M candies in coordinating holiday colors that we just have to buy (or is it just me that thinks I have to?)

So here we are at the Valentine's Day season and the M & M folks have some lovely pink, red, and white candies for sale that were calling out to me. And of course, I could not resist. I decided to put them to good use in a recipe that I usually only make at Christmas time, but these treats are super cute and tasty for Valentine's Day too.

I posted this recipe using pretzels, Hershey Hugs and M & M candies once before at Christmas time, but thought I would share it again because they make a nice last minute treat for so many occasions. You can use colors for any seasonal celebration or you could use school colors or team colors too for sports or graduation parties.

HERSHEY HUG PRETZEL TREATS
( Print This Recipe )

You will need:

Pretzel Rings (or pretzel waffles - see note below)
Hershey Hug Candies
M & M Candies

A Note on Pretzel Rings - Pretzels in the ring shape can be hard to find. Jays makes a pretzel ring that is a good size for this recipe. Where I live there are Meijer stores that sell their store brand of pretzel rings that are the perfect size. If you cannot find pretzels in the ring shape, the waffle shaped pretzels work fine for this recipe too.

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Line a cookie sheet or baking sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper. Lay the pretzel rings out on cookie sheet.

2. Unwrap the Hershey Hugs and put one in each pretzel ring. If using the waffle pretzels, just place the Hershey Hug on top of the pretzel.

3. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for 4 minutes. The Hugs should be nice and melty by then but not totally collapsed.

4. Remove from the oven and quickly press an M & M candy onto each Hug, pressing down gently.

5. Once all the treats have an M & M on them, place the whole cookie sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes so the treats can harden. Then remove from the freezer, take the treats off the cookie sheet and store them in a covered container.

Or you could just start eating them. I've heard some people do that.

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Homemade Stain Removers with Hydrogen Peroxide

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

I've been seeing more and more recipes lately for homemade cleaners using hydrogen peroxide. Why? Because hydrogen peroxide is like bleach's friendlier cousin. It can whiten and disinfect with a milder chemical structure than bleach. Hydrogen peroxide's chemical formation is two atoms of hydrogen and two atoms of oxygen (basically water with an extra oxygen atom) which breaks down into water and is therefore a kinder alternative for the environment.

Oh, and it's cheap too. You gotta like that when it comes to homemade cleaners.

So I gave a couple of homemade hydrogen peroxide cleaners a try and was pretty satisfied with the results. I tried one laundry recipe and one basic cleaning recipe. Here's the scoop:

LAUNDRY STAINS
The basic laundry stain recipe is a mixture of Dawn dish soap and hydrogen peroxide. (You use the basic 3% hydrogen peroxide that's available in drugstores or grocery stores). You use these two ingredients in a ratio of 1 part Dawn to 2 parts peroxide. I made a small batch of 1 teaspoon Dawn and 2 teaspoons peroxide and mixed them together in a small bowl. I used a small brush to rub it into the stained area and then let it set for a couple of hours before laundering in the washing machine.

I tested this out on two items - a white blouse that had yellow underarm stains, and a red sweater with a greasy stain (that had already gone through the wash a few times).

The white blouse saw great improvement with the yellow stains almost entirely disappearing. This was a blouse I was about ready to toss out anyway and now it's been given a second life!

The old grease stain on the red sweater saw some lightening, but it did not disappear altogether. The most encouraging thing was this stain recipe did not in any way lighten the red color so it appears safe to use on colors too.

Although the before and after photos don't really show the full impact, the results were very noticeable on the white shirt.

HOUSEHOLD STAINS
Another way to use your hydrogen peroxide is to mix it with baking soda or cream of tartar for a household stain cleaner. I tried this on a really nasty spot on my tub. This is a spot where water pools and over the years it has broken down the porcelain and created a stain. This stain has been resistant to all regular cleaners I have used to date. Would the peroxide be any better?

Well, it really did lighten it a lot! I was happy! I knew it would not go away completely but the spot is much, much lighter than it was before and is much less noticeable. (Sooner or later we are going to have to re-glaze the tub . . . or something).

I tried this first with a mixture of 1 tablespoon cream of tartar with enough hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. This made a pretty tiny batch, but it did work pretty well. I tried a few more applications with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. I just dumped baking soda in a bowl and added enough hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. I spread it over the stain and then let it sit for several hours and then scrubbed.

Once again, the pictures don't really do justice, but in real life it looks much improved. In the before picture I did not have the light on in the bathroom and in the second picture I did which is why the first picture looks more yellow (just in case you thought I was using Photoshop magic!)

I'm definitely going to try this on a few more dirty things.
{{ I should be able to find a few of those in my house }}

Do you have a favorite homemade mixture with hydrogen peroxide? I'd love to hear your results too!

Favorite Finds for February

2012-02-01T07:28:00.000-05:00

I go through times where it seems like everyone in the world has been more ambitious and productive than me (and now being one of those times).

{ oh well }

I tell myself tomorrow is another day and sooner or later I will get my mojo back. Here are some favorite finds for this month to keep us feeling ~~guilty~~ inspired !

This month, why not make your own . . .

- Homemade Cleaner for Steam Vacuums
Homemade Natural Carpet Cleaner for Steam Vacuums
Katie at the Kitchen Stewardship blog has written a post about her recent carpet cleaning with a homemade alternative (spoiler alert . . . .she used vinegar).

- Homemade Egg Noodles
Homemade Egg Noodles
Want to try something new? Here's a recipe for homemade egg noodles that looks pretty easy on the Learning The Frugal Life blog.

- Homemade Bouncy Balls
Homemade Bouncy Balls
The instructions at the Or So She Says blog admit this is a gooey, sticky process but fun nevertheless. A mixture of glue, borax, and cornstarch, with some water and food coloring results in colorful bouncy balls to keep the kids amused.

Sew A Bridal Veil Tutorial

2012-01-29T20:39:00.001-05:00

A decision to sew a bridal veil can save you lots of money. Your own homemade bridal veil will cost you about $5 as compared to about $100 at the bridal store. Those are big savings! If you have something simple in mind, it's definitely worth considering and it's not that hard to do although some basic sewing skills are helpful.

We decided to make our own wedding veil and were very happy with the results. My daughter just wanted something simple to go with the flower in her hair that would fit under an updo. A veil with lots of beading didn't really match her dress anyway so we were the perfect candidates to make our own!

Before we get into the steps to make your own veil, let's look at the following:

- You will need tulle from the fabric store and a hair comb from the craft store. I was able to buy a 6 pack of hair combs at Hobby Lobby for $1.00 on sale. (what I'm going to do with the other five combs I have no idea . . . )

- You will also need a sewing machine, sewing needle, and matching thread.

- You will find that tulle comes in lots of shades of white - bright white, off white, sparkly white, light ivory, dark ivory, and so on. Tulle is only a couple dollars per yard, so it's not a big investment if you decide you selected the wrong shade on the first attempt. We selected a light ivory color for our veil.

- We left the edges unfinished on our veil. This meant cutting very carefully so that the edges were as straight as possible. We left the veil in a rectangular shape, but you can also round the bottom corners if you wish.

- I did not write down the exact measurements of our veil (so sorry!!). However, I really just held the tulle up to my head and fiddled around until I had a good idea of what size I wanted it to be and then I cut it down to size.

- I would suggest getting at least 2 yards of tulle from the fabric store. You will probably want at least a yard of width so that it gathers up nicely.

Here are the steps for sewing the veil:

1. Set your sewing machine on the longest stitch length. Sew a line of stitching along the top edge of the veil. Have the top edge of the fabric lined up with the edge of the presser foot. Leave a long tail of the bobbin thread as this will be used to gather the fabric.

2. Sew a second line of stitching next to the first one. You may need to pull the fabric to flatten it back down after sewing the first line of stitching. This time line the edge of the presser foot up with the first line of stitching.

When sewing the second line of stitching, line up the presser foot with the first line of stitching

3. You will now have two lines of stitching along the top edge of the veil that will be used for gathering the fabric.

There will be two lines of stitching along the top edge of the veil

4. Pull on the bobbin thread for both the lines of stitching and gather the fabric up.

Pull on the bobbin threads to gather the fabric

Keep pulling until all the fabric is gathered

5. Once the fabric is all gathered, tie a knot in the strings of thread at each end to secure them and cut off the remaining excess thread.

6. Use a scissors to trim off the excess tulle above the gathered stitching.

Snip off the excess tulle above the gathered stitching

7. Now you will sew the tulle onto the hair comb using a needle and thread. Lay the comb so that it is curving up. You will be sewing the top edge of your veil to this side of the comb.

Lay the comb so that it is curving up

8. Sew the tulle to the comb with stitches going around the teeth of the comb and into the gathered edge of the tulle.

Hand sew the tulle to the comb


The stitches on the other side of the comb will look like this

And the finished product will look like this

9. To wear the veil, you will be pointing the comb downward with the veil coming over the top. This keeps the unfinished side of the veil against your head where it can't be seen.

The tulle will come over the top of the comb

Another angle to show the finished product

And the view as it would be in your hair.

10. Let your veil gently blow in the wind as the sun sets and you live happily ever after!

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You might also like to read the other wedding articles in this series:
Make Your Own God's Knot (Cord of Three Strands)
Make Your Own Wedding Jewelry

Make Your Own Wedding Jewelry

2012-01-28T21:43:00.000-05:00

It's all about the beads. There's my profound wisdom for anyone thinking about making their own wedding jewelry either for the bride or for the bridesmaids. Our bracelets were made very simply by stringing beads onto elastic, but because we had chosen pearls and crystals, the finished product had some elegance and sparkle.

For the bride, I strung a simple pattern of two pearls, a crystal, two pearls, a crystal, etc. I used the .5mm Stretch Magic brand of clear elastic cord. Once you have enough beads strung to make the right size bracelet, tie a knot and coat it with a little bit of clear nail polish to seal the knot. Finally, trim off any excess elastic cord.

AND - I made a bunch of them. If you're making simple bracelets it helps to group them together to pump up the bling factor a bit.

I made two bracelets for each of the bridesmaids using pearls in a green color to match their dresses. For these bracelets I used the slightly thicker 1mm Stretch Magic Clear Elastic Cord.

I used a pattern of one larger pearl, one crystal separator, a smaller pearl, one small silver bead, etc. The pearls and the Crystazzi brand of crystal separator were all purchased at Michaels Craft Store. The pearls came packaged as three strands that contained both the larger and smaller sized pearls.

I made matching earrings using the same pattern and placing the beads on a "headpin". Once the beads are on the headpin, you turn the top part of the headpin down into a loop using a small jewelry making pliers. You may need to snip off a 1/4" or so of the headpin if it is too long to turn into a loop.

Once you have the loop at the top, you can insert the earring wire.

And that's how you get 9 pairs of matching earrings and 18 matching bracelets for all your attendants!

If you're considering making your own wedding jewelry, take a swatch of your bridesmaid dress fabric to the craft store if possible, and look for attractive beads that match your fabric, as well as some coordinating beads in silver or crystal. Arrange a simple pattern with your beads and make a sample bracelet or earrings. Once you know you have a design and colors that you like, you can go back to the store and purchase the remaining beads needed to make enough for everyone.

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You might also like to read the other wedding articles in this series:
Make Your Own $5 Bridal Veil Tutorial
Make Your Own God's Knot (Cord of Three Strands)

Homemade God's Knot (Cord of Three Strands)

2012-01-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

When planning my daughter's outdoor wedding, we were a little hesitant to plan a unity candle ceremony for fear it might be a windy day and it would be impossible to keep the candles lit. We debated on some other options, including an idea of pouring sand into containers that we seemed to keep seeing everywhere. We finally settled on another option that we heard about that was the braiding together of three cords.

The most popular version of this is the God's Knot. To see a picture you can click below:

=== > > > God's Knot Website

This is based on a verse in the Bible (Ecclesiastes 4:12 to be exact) which says:

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

We really liked this verse and the promise and symbolism it contained and it was decided that we would use this in the wedding ceremony. When we looked a little closer at the God's Knot that was for sale, we agreed it was very attractive, but it was basically and ring and three cords. Maybe . . . we could make our own!

Our Cord of Three Strands

Our Cord of Three Strands went together quickly and our final cost came in at just a little over $10. We used drapery tiebacks that were available at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 each. We bought one in white, one in gold, and one in beige, but you certainly can use other colors with meaning and symbolism to you. Here's a picture from the Hobby Lobby website of the tiebacks:

=== > > > Drapery Tieback from Hobby Lobby

To make the Cord of Three Strands, besides the three tiebacks you will need a ring. We used a 2" D-Ring from the fabric store. A two pack cost $2.09. I also used a needle and thread in coordinating colors, a glue gun, and a wire cutter.


You will need 3 drapery tiebacks, a D-Ring, glue gun, needle & thread and wire cutters

The drapery tiebacks have fabric covered wire loops on each end. On one end, pinch the loop together. Next you will bend it over the straight side of the D-Ring and then glue it back down onto the cord so that it is attached to the ring, but not actually glued to the ring. After I glued it, I still used a needle and thread to make sure it would hold together really well.

There are loops on each end. Pinch one end together

Fold the pinched over, glue it down and sew it too. Cut off the loop on the other end.

I used my wire cutters and snipped off the loop on the other end of the cord. If you don't have any kind of wire snippers, a heavy duty scissors could probably do the job. It is not very thick wire. Repeat this with the other two colors of cord.

And here is the final result in use at the wedding. We used a white colored hair elastic to wrap around the end when they were done braiding. (I think we put the preacher in charge of hanging on to that, but I can't quite remember)

The Cord of Three Strands symbolizes that not only do the man and woman come together and form a union, but with God as the third component, the union has been made even stronger.

"Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

You might also like to read the other wedding articles in this series:
Make Your Own Wedding Jewelry
Sew your own $5 Bridal Veil Tutorial

Upcoming Instructions for Wedding Projects (Finally!)

2012-01-22T21:50:00.000-05:00

Some of you may remember me mentioning in a few blog posts last summer that we were preparing for my daughter's wedding. I had a few Make Your Own wedding projects that I was going to work on and was hoping to share those with all of you. Then I discovered that in the busyness of getting all the wedding preparations done, I didn't have much extra time to snap photos of everything I was working on let alone write lots of instructions about it too.

Now we're at the time of year when I've noticed that the bridal shows are happening again for all the lucky girls who received engagement rings for Christmas and are starting their wedding planning. I decided I had in fact managed to take some photos of my wedding projects, and in the spirit of "better late than never" I will be doing a wedding series this week.

I'll be writing about three projects:

- Homemade Cord of Three Strands. This is what we used rather than a unity candle. We had an outdoor wedding and were concerned about the unity candles blowing out if it was a windy day. Therefore we decided to go with another option of braiding three cords together to symbolize the Man, the Woman, and God coming together to form a new union.
Update: To read the complete post with instructions click here: Homemade Cord of Three Strands

- Homemade Wedding Jewelry. We had 9 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen in the wedding. That was a big wedding party! We quickly discovered when looking for some matching jewelry for the girls that it was not going to be easy to find that many bracelets or earrings all in the same matching style in the stores. We made our own!
Update: To read the complete post with instructions click here: Make Your Own Wedding Jewelry

- Homemade Bridal Veil. My daughter just wanted a simple veil to accent the flower she had picked out to wear in her hair. We saw no reason to pay $100 for a veil when we could make a simple version ourselves for about $5.
Update: To read the complete post with instructions click here: Sew A Bridal Veil Tutorial

And now to put you in a wedding mood, here's a few pictures from the big day . .

The talented groom made the wedding arch from tree branches found on his property.

Table centerpieces were also made from slices of wood cut by the groom from a tree branch and decorated with candles, flowers, and rocks on which we wrote the bride and groom's names.

Rather than a traditional guestbook, we stamped scrapbooking cardstock with decorative designs and then asked the guests to write their wishes on the cards so that we could compile them into a memorybook for the bride and groom.

And the whole thing took place outdoors on a beautiful warm balmy night in July with lots lights decorating the tent.

I hope you'll enjoy the upcoming instructions for the wedding projects as much as I'm enjoying looking back at that special day.

How To Make Homemade Croutons

2012-01-17T21:06:00.000-05:00

Do you have some bread and butter around the house? And a couple of spices? That's all it takes to toast up some homemade croutons that you can add to your salads or soups. Once you learn how to make homemade croutons, you'll really enjoy how lightly crunchy they are compared to the big hard cubes sold in the stores.

This homemade crouton recipe can also be adapted in lots of different ways. It's a good way to use up any type of bread that you have around, and you can try different spices for different flavored croutons. I use a small amount of garlic powder and parsley flakes for a light seasoning, but you could also increase those spices or try spices like oregano or basil for a little more flavor. You can also substitute olive oil for the butter.

This recipe works best with bread that is slightly dried out or a little stale. I use bread from a regular store bought loaf of sandwich bread, but I take the bread slices out of the wrapper and let them set out for several hours to dry out a little bit.

HOMEMADE CROUTONS
( Print This Recipe )

4 slices of bread - cubed
2 tablespoons butter - melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

1. Cut the crusts off the bread and then cut into small cubes. I get about 22 to 24 cubes from a slice of bread but I like my croutons rather small. Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave. Stir the garlic powder and parsley flakes into the melted butter.

3. Pour the melted butter mixture over the bread cubes. Stir to coat all the bread cubes with some of the butter.

4. Spread the bread cubes out in a single layer on a baking pan.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring the bread cubes once or twice during that time for even toasting.

6. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in a covered container.

Don't let your croutons sit out to cool too long because they will be munched on by hungry family members tempted by their toasty buttery crunchiness. They might never make it to your crouton jar!

Upcoming change to domain name

2012-01-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let my readers know that there will be a slight technical change coming up in the next day or so concerning my blog domain name. The website address (URL) will be changing. It will no longer be
www.themakeyourownzone.blogspot.com

The new URL will be www.themakeyourownzone.com

(I'm just dropping the "blogspot" part of the address)

This should not affect anyone's email subscription or RSS feed subscription. However if you have the page bookmarked you may have to re-bookmark for the new address.

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix: Updating My Old Recipe

2012-01-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

When I was a newlywed I received a recipe for a homemade hot chocolate mix at a Tupperware Party. I made the recipe several times, especially when my kids were small, and I've kept the recipe all these years. Now that many years have gone by however, it was becoming increasingly apparent to me that my recipe needed a little updating.

One of the things I liked most about the recipe had now become one of the biggest problems. My recipe called for complete boxes and containers of each ingredient. This made mixing up a batch super easy. You just opened boxes, dumped them in the mixing bowl and stirred it together with no measuring needed. Unfortunately the manufacturers of these products don't always keep their sizes the same and it was also becoming the most expensive option. There were usually different sizes of the ingredients in store brands that were a whole lot cheaper. My old recipe also made a large amount of mix (68 servings!) which didn't really fit my family needs anymore either.

Here's the original recipe and you'll see what I mean:

1 Lb Box of Powdered Sugar - Powdered sugar is still available in a one pound box but usually only in the Domino brand. The cheaper store brands are usually sold in 2 Lb plastic bags.

1 Lb Box of Nestle Quick - I could find the sugar free Nestle Quick in a 16 oz container but the regular sugar variety come in a 21 oz size. The store brand came in a 30 oz size and was almost twice the product for half the price.

8 Qt Box of Instant Powdered Milk - I'm able to buy a box of powdered milk at Aldi which is the size that makes 8 quarts so this ingredient was still available in the right size at a good price.

11 Oz Jar of Coffee Mate - Most of the Coffee Mate creamers are now in 15 oz jars. I was able to find one store brand in an 11 oz jar, but many of the store brands come in much larger containers.

I decided it was time to get out the calculator, do some number crunching, and see if I could come up with a scaled down version of my recipe. After doing the math I concluded that my old recipe has a ratio pretty close to 10 parts dry milk, 5 parts chocolate powdered drink mix, 3 parts sugar, and 3 parts creamer.

So here's my new and improved recipe that stays pretty true to the original, just in a smaller version.
{but I'm keeping the old recipe too just to be sentimental}

HOMEMADE HOT CHOCOLATE MIX
(Print This Recipe)

2 Cups Instant Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder
1 Cup Powdered Chocolate Drink Mix
3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
3/4 Cup Non-Dairy Powdered Creamer

Combine all ingredients and keep in a covered container. Use 1/4 cup mix with 1 cup of hot water.

Makes 16 servings

Enjoy!

Favorite Finds for January

2012-01-10T20:23:00.000-05:00

Sorry I'm a little late with my favorite finds for this month. I've been doing a little maintenance work on the blog - AND - I've been setting up some boards on Pinterest. Have you checked out Pinterest yet? Oh my goodness! What a fun place to ~~waste~~ spend time looking at and getting inspiration for all sorts of crafts, recipes and projects that we just know we will get around to doing . . . . someday.
*Yes we will *

Pinterest is a site that is a virtual bulletin board where you can "pin" great things that you find on the internet and it has quickly become my new source for "favorite finds". You can also repin things that others have pinned on Pinterest. I'm just starting to get my boards set up and so far I'm loving it!

So for this month's favorite finds I thought I would share just a few links to items from my Mason Jar Love board which is where I am pinning all the cute projects I come across made from canning jars.

This month why not make your own . . . .

Tinted Mason Jars

These tinted mason jars would look so cute with a bouquet of fresh flowers. These are made with a mixture of Mod Podge and food coloring and then are dried in a low temperature oven.

Pour Spout for a Canning Jar

Here's a simple idea for recycling the top of a salt container and cutting it to fit the top opening of a canning jar. Now you have a handy pour spout for a mason jar!

You can also click below to follow me on Pinterest and check out some of my other boards {of course I have a DIY and Make Your Own Board}

I've also recently set up a Facebook page for the Make Your Own Zone which you can "Like" and follow, as well as a Twitter account you can follow. I've added butons to the sidebar of the blog, or you can click on the links below:

Follow on Facebook
Follow on Twitter

Bev

Making Labels for DIY Mixtures

2012-01-07T20:40:00.000-05:00

Labeling is important when you make your own homemade versions of cleaners, beauty products, or foods. Items bought at the store are clearly identified with a manufacturer's label, but homemade versions often get put into empty bottles or jars and it can be much harder to identify exactly what it is. To make life a little easier, you should put labels on all your homemade mixtures.

Most of the time I'm pretty laid back about my homemade labels. I've been known to just use a post-it note or a piece of masking tape. Sometimes I use my label maker. But every once in a while I get slightly more ambitious and try to add a little extra touch to a label.

When I made my last batch of Glycerin Skin Moisturizer I put forth a little more effort in my labeling so I thought I would share the method I used. Of course this is not the absolutely correct way, or the only way, it is simply the way I came up with to accomplish what I wanted to do. As in most things with computers, there are lots of ways to arrive at your final result. Here's my tutorial to show how I did it.

USING PAINT AND PICNIK
The two programs I used to make my label were "Paint" which is part of the Microsoft Accessories that come with most Microsoft Windows operating systems and the free online photo editing software called Picnik which is a wonderful free way to do lots of creative stuff with your photos.

STEP 1:
Open the Paint program. It will open with just a plain white square. Use the picture of the bucket to "fill" your square with the color of your choice. Click "File" and "Save As" and give your colored square a name so you can save the file.


Fill the white square with the color of your choice

STEP 2:
Now go online and open the Picnik software. (www.picnik.com ) Upload the colored square you just saved.

STEP 3:
Next I used the Christmas Gift Tag feature, which was under the "Featured" tab along the top.

STEP 4:
Pick the Gift Tag of your choice and double click on it to insert it into your picture. You are then able to adjust it to the size of your choice.

STEP 5:
Now you can add the text you want to your label. You can do this by clicking on "Text" along the top bar and then typing in your text and adjusting it to the color, font, and size you want.

STEP 6:
Save your finished picture.

STEP 7:
To print my picture/label, I went into my Pictures folder on my computer and found my picture, then right clicked on it, and selected "Print". This opened that Windows Gallery printer thing (sorry I don't know the exact technical name). I selected the wallet size option so that I would have a little version of my picture/label.

Select the Wallet Size Option

STEP 8:
Print your picture and then trim it down to the size your want.

STEP 9:
Because this is only on plain old paper, we now need a way to adhere it to the bottle or jar you want to label. I used Krylon All-Purpose Adhesive Spray to do this. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area, lay your cut out picture/label upside down on some newspaper, and then spray the back side with the adhesive.

STEP 10:
Stick the label onto your bottle and tell yourself you were pretty darn crafty compared to all those times you just reached for the masking tape.

How about you? Do you have a favorite way to label your homemade mixtures? I'd love to hear your creative methods!

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday at Oh Amanda

Where to Buy Mist Bottles for DIY Mixtures

2012-01-02T15:17:00.000-05:00

For the past few months I've been faithfully using my Homemade Glycerin Skin Moisturizer and have really liked how it works on my skin. I did learn, however, that I much preferred a mist bottle for applying it to my skin rather than a spray bottle. A mist bottle gives the right amount of application and control when spraying this mixture which is a liquid consistency.

But when I went in search of a good mist bottle, most of the time I couldn't find anything. At best, I was only finding little travel size mist bottles which I have been using and continually refilling.

And then - TA DA - I found big mist bottles! Where?

At a beauty supply store.

The beauty supply store I went to (Sally Beauty Supplies) had a nice little section of empty plastic bottles in different sizes and varieties (including an 8 oz mist bottle). The mist bottles were a couple of bucks each. Oh happy day! It must be that hair stylists use the mister bottles for something they're doing . . . . I don't know what but I'm glad they're doing it :-)

This week when I made some more glycerin skin moisturizer, I could put the whole batch into my new bottle. The 1/4 cup of glycerin, plus 1 cup of filtered water, fit perfectly!

I even made myself a cute little label.

So if you've been on a wild goose chase looking for mist bottles for your do-it-yourself mixtures, check around and see if you have a beauty supply store nearby. It might just be the solution for you too!

In the next post I'll show you how I made my label. Stay tuned!

The A to Z List of "Make Your Own" Ideas

2011-12-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe that the year 2011 is almost history. Where does the time go? As another year winds down, I'll leave you with this inspirational A to Z list of Make Your Own ideas so you can head into the new year with lots of things to try. Enjoy!

A - Alfredo Sauce
B - Body Scrub
C - Cocktail Sauce
D - Dish Soap in Foaming Dispensers
E - Easter Egg Dyes
F - Frozen Garlic Texas Toast
G - Glycerin Skin Moisturizer
H - Hand Sanitizer
I - Iced Tea
J - Jiffy Corn Muffin Clone
K - Knit Dishcloth
L - Laundry Soap - Powdered
M - Microwave Popcorn
N - Nylon Net Poufs
O - Online Make Your Own Snowflake Widget
P - Pillow Covers
Q - Quart Ziploc Bag Ice Pack or Heating Pad
R - Rice Flavorings
S - Soft Scrub Cleaner
T - Topsy Turvy Cupcakes
U - Used Containers
V - Veggie Patch Pizza
W - Water Infused With Flavors
X - Extending Dishwasher Detergent
Y - Yogurt In The Crockpot
Z - Flipz Pretzels

Yeah, yeah, I know for that last one the Z is not at the beginning of either word, but until I figure out how to make my own zippers, that will just have to do.

Wishing each and every one of you much happiness and prosperity in the New Year!

Target Ad Lady Makes Homemade Glitter

2011-12-23T21:13:00.000-05:00

Today's blog post is at the suggestion of my hubby after he watched this video on You Tube of the over-the-top-Christmas-loving lady in the Target commercials making her own glitter. Once he was done laughing and snickering and just heehawing in general, he told me to put it on the blog!!

*make your own glitter - heeheehaahaa*

So OK, my dear hubby. Here it is.
{ plus I'm too busy to come up with any other ideas right now }

I laughed when I watched this video too, but is it true? Are homemade things about caring - or are they about showing that we're superior?

I think if you're willing to make your own laundry soap and skin lotion and dog biscuits, it's probably not because you think your efforts are superior to others' efforts. It's more likely that it's because you're creative, you're frugal, you like being self sufficient, or some combination of all three. It's also probably because you sincerely enjoy it! The same holds true with homemade gifts. Most folks who are willing to spend time making homemade gifts are doing it because they truly do care and they find it an enjoyable thing to do (not because they think they're better).

Here's wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas filled with humble homemade goodness.

God Bless!

Christmas Craft Flashback #4 - Mini Spool Tree

2011-12-16T17:45:00.002-05:00

The last ornament in my Christmas Craft Flashback is this little tree made from wooden craft spools wrapped with ribbon. It's a very easy homemade Christmas ornament, and in fact, I made mine with a group of girls at our church several years ago. Even the school age kids were able to make these because it's basically just gluing the parts together.

WOODEN SPOOL CHRISTMAS TREE
(Print These Instructions)

You will need:
11 mini wooden craft spools 5/8" size (such as these craft spools)
small amount of 1/2" wide ribbon in red
small amount of 1/2" wide ribbon in a red/green plaid
small amount of ribbon for the hanger
a flower shaped craft bead for the "star"
craft glue or glue gun

1. Wrap 5 of the spools with a piece of the red ribbon. You will need about a 1/2" long piece to wrap around each spool. Secure the ribbon with craft glue or use a glue gun. Be very careful with the glue gun, however, as the spools are tiny and you are bound to get some of the glue on your hands.

2. Wrap the other 6 spools with the plaid ribbon.

3. Next you will glue the ribbon covered spools together starting at the top of your tree. Start with one red spool and glue 2 plaid spools on top of it. The next row is 3 red spools, followed by a row of 4 plaid spools. Then glue one more red spool on the top. (refer to the picture). You now have your "upside down" tree that when you turn it over becomes your assembled ornament.

4. Cut a 6" piece of thin ribbon for the hanger and glue the ends inside the top red spool.

5. Glue the flower shaped bead on the front of the top spool for a "star".

I'm sure this tree would look cute in lots of different colors and prints of ribbons and could be a good way to use up those odds and ends of ribbon scraps. Other sizes of spools and ribbon might work too.

Christmas Craft Flashback #3 - Felt Gingerbread Men

2011-12-11T18:45:00.002-05:00

The next homemade Christmas ornament in our Christmas Craft Flashback are these cute little felt gingerbread men. Even though I followed a pattern from the fabric store, they required no sewing (Yay!).

I did a quick check to see if this pattern (Simplicity 9768) was still available, but it's old and out of print. My pattern is dated 1995 (Yikes . . Has it been that long !?!) I did find a few copies available on ebay. Therefore I think it will be OK to share this pattern and instructions. Here is a link below for a pdf for the pieces you will need. You will have to click one more time from that link which is the only way I could figure out how to do it :-) I hope it works!!

= = = >>> PDF Pattern

These felt ornaments are made using paper-backed fusible web. A common brand name is Wonder-Under. You should be able to buy this off the bolt by the yard at a fabric store. Fusible web works with the heat of your iron to transfer an adhesive onto your fabric. If you are not familiar with this type of product, here are a couple of examples here and here.

FELT GINGERBREAD MEN

You Will Need:
Tan Felt
Adhesive Paper Backed Fusible Web (such as Wonder Under)
Small amount of fabric for the "pants"
Small amount of constrasting color felt for the bowtie
A few buttons
Craft Paint in white, black, and red
Toothpicks for putting the paint on the ornament
A small amount of ribbon for the hanger
Hot glue gun or craft glue

1. Trace the gingerbread man pattern onto the tan felt and cut out. Do this three times for each ornament you are making.

2. Fuse the three layers together with the fusible web. (the three layers makes a nice sturdy ornament).

3. Trace the pattern for the pants onto the fabric and cut out.

4. Fuse to the felt using the fusible web.

6. Using the white craft paint and a toothpick, make small dashes around the edge of the ornament.

7. Using the black paint and a clean toothpick, draw two eyes and smile.

8. Using the red paint and clean toothpick, make two small circles for rosy cheeks.

9. Cut a small bow tie shape from a contrasting color of felt and glue on at the top of the pants.

10. Glue two or three small buttons down the front.

11. Cut a 6" piece of ribbon and glue both ends to the back of the gingerbread man's head to make a hanger for the ornament.

Christmas Craft Flashback #2 - Stamped Tile Ornaments

2011-12-07T05:00:00.006-05:00

It was seven years ago when I made these homemade Christmas ornaments using rubber stamps and small ceramic tiles. (I'm sure of the time frame on this one because I wrote the year on the front for a keepsake). I remember this was a very easy and quick craft and I was able to produce several of them in a short time. These ornaments also required no special skills beyond being able to stamp, color and glue.

These ornaments are made from small white ceramic tiles that you can buy in a home improvement store like Home Depot. You will probably find that they are sold on a larger mesh sheet (like in this picture of ceramic tiles ) and the mesh sheets are usually 12" x 12".

As I found in my last post about the downsizing of paint stirrers for my paint stirrer snowman, it looks like the small ceramic tiles have also been downsized a little bit. I made a quick trip to Home Depot before writing this to make sure these small tiles were still available. I was able to find them, but where my tiles from seven years ago are slightly larger than 2"x2", the tiles I found now were slightly smaller than 2"x2". Not a big difference, but it's frustrating that as the years ago by we seem to always be paying slightly more for slightly less.

STAMPED TILE ORNAMENTS
( Print These Instructions )

You will need:
White glazed ceramic tiles - approximately 2" x 2"
Rubber Stamps in Christmas or winter themes (can be purchased at a craft store)
Black Ink Pad
Sharpie Markers
Small amount of ribbon for hangers
Felt for backing (I used adhesive back sheets in red and green)

Using the rubber stamps and the black inkpad, stamp a design on the front of each tile. Make sure your tile is laying like a diamond shape when stamping on the design. Using the Sharpie markers, color in any areas you want to decorate. (You may want to wait just a little bit after stamping the design to do the coloring to make sure the stamped design has dried.)

You can also use the Sharpie markers to color a border around the edge of the tile.

Cut a 6" piece of ribbon. Glue both ends of the ribbon to the top of the tile on the back side to form a hanger. Regular craft glue will work, but a glue gun makes the job go even quicker.

Use your tile as a pattern to cut a piece of felt for the backing. If you are using the adhesive backed felt, you can lay the tile on the paper side of the felt, trace around it with a pencil, and then cut it out, trimming as necessary to fit the tile nicely. Peel off the backing and stick to your tile, covering where you glued on the hanger. If you are using regular felt, simply use craft glue or a glue gun to attach the felt to the back of the tile.

Christmas Craft Flashback #1 - Paint Stirrer Snowman

2011-12-04T16:57:00.001-05:00

It was that time of year again when I was sorting through the Christmas ornaments I've collected. I'm not talking about the color-coordinated-shiny-ball kind of ornaments, mind you. I'm talking about my shoebox full of the whimsical and kitschy kind of ornaments accumulated over the years of raising kids and exchanging gifts with co-workers, friends and family. I have santas and snowmen, Baby Jesus and angels, sleds and trees, with a few penguins and a cheerleader thrown in too!

In looking through my box of ornaments this year I was reminded that I used to make an ornament every year for friends and family. I would find a pattern that I liked and then I would make a whole bunch of them assembly line style. Sometimes I would have just enough to give away, and other years I would make a few extra for myself too. But somewhere along the line the busyness of life crept in and I stopped my annual ornament crafting.

So as I was reminiscing about my Christmas ornament crafts from years gone by, I thought it might be fun to share some of the ideas and designs I used to make my homemade Christmas ornaments. They're still cute and could provide inspiration for other projects too. Some of them could also be easy craft projects for kids. So for the next couple of weeks we'll have "Christmas Craft Flashback". First up - a snowman ornament made from a wooden paint stirrer.

PAINT STIRRER SNOWMAN
( Print These Instructions )

You will need:
A wooden paint stirrer
(the type you get when you buy a gallon of paint from a home improvement store)
A wooden craft stick or popsicle stick
Craft paint - white and black
Fine Point Markers - Black and Red (Sharpies work good)
A few small buttons
A scrap of fabric for scarf
Ribbon or string for ornament hanger
Small piece of white felt for backing
Craft Glue or Hot Glue Gun

1. Cut the paint stirrer to a length of 5-1/2". You will most likely need to saw it to this size. I remember asking Hubby to do this for me when I made these. You may want to use sandpaper to smooth out the edges a little bit if they are rough.

2. Paint the top 1-1/4"" of the stick with black paint and paint the bottom 4-1/4"" of the stick with white paint. Make sure you paint the edges too. If there is writing on your paint stirrer, be sure to paint the side that is plain with no writing. Let dry.

3. Cut the craft stick to a length of 2". Make sure you cut the rounded edges off so that you have a rectangular piece. I remember using a heavy duty scissors to do this. You may also have to use a little sandpaper of these edges if they are rough.

4. Paint your cut craft stick piece black, coating both sides and the edges. Let dry.

5. Glue the black craft stick piece over the line where the black and white paint meet on the paint stirrer. This will form the brim of the hat.

6. Draw a happy face on your snowman. You may want to pencil it on first, and then use your sharpie markers once you are happy with the face. Fine point markers will give you a little more control.

7. Glue your buttons on the front.

8. Take your scrap of fabric and tie it around the stick to form a scarf. I frayed the edges of the fabric a little bit by pulling the loose threads at the edge of the fabric.

9. Cut a piece of ribbon about 6" long. Make a loop with the ribbon and glue to the back of the paint stick at the top to form a hanger.

10. Cut a piece of felt to size and glue it to the back of the stick to cover it and make it look clean and nice. I used felt that had an adhesive backing so I could just stick it on. Now your snowman is complete!

I was in Home Depot a few days before writing these instructions and picked up a paint stirrer for the sake of comparison. Apparently over the years they have been downsized! It was not as wide or as thick as the stirrer I used a few years back. I don't know if just Home Depot has downsized or if paint stirrers everywhere are getting more rinky dinky.

And if my memory is correct, I believe I was cutting my paint stirrers in half and getting two snowmen from each stirrer (which is only possible if there is no indented area like the one in the picture). Even in spite of the downsizing, I think they are still a good enough size to make a cute little snowman.

Favorite Finds for December

2011-12-01T05:00:00.004-05:00

December is here and it's usually a busy month for most of us. So this month's Favorite Finds include a couple of quick homemade crafts for the holidays that are very simple and inexpensive (my favorite things!). There's also a link to some reading on what it's like to use homemade shampoo.

This month, why not make your own . . . .

Homemade Shampoo
Here's an interesting post from an off-the-grid modern homesteader who has been making her own shampoo. I've been hearing more and more that our modern shampoos are stripping our hair of its natural oils. I've dropped down to using shampoo only three days a week and have been pleasantly surprised at how well that's worked out. The next step will be to try something homemade like this.

Sweater Ball Ornament

Need a way to turn some old Christmas ornaments into something fresh and new? This idea wraps a piece cut from an old sweater around an ornament ball. You tie it up with a ribbon, add a few buttons for decoration and Viola! Cute new ornaments!

Coffee Filter Wreath

You can make yourself a festive and fluffy wreath simply by gluing coffee filters onto a wreath base. What I liked about this idea is that by adding different ribbons, you could use the wreath for different seasons too. If you already have a wreath at home that you want to recycle, this could be a very inexpensive craft. All you would need is a couple packages of coffee filters which you could probably pick up at the dollar store.

Using Pantry Spices to Season Chili

2011-11-28T19:54:00.000-05:00

Have you been relying on a packet of seasoning to spice up your chili? Here's a frugal way to use spices you probably already have in your pantry to season your chili instead.

Now I know some folks can be pretty competitive about their chili and even compete in contests with their secret ingredients. I'm not in that league. The way I season my chili is pretty basic but it works for us. In fact I'll call my chili recipe "Dutch Girl Chili" because it's rather on the mild side for someone like me who was raised on beef roast and potatoes (not chili). Of course the beauty of adding your own spices is you can adjust the quantities up or down to suit your taste.

DUTCH GIRL CHILI
( Print This Recipe )

1/2 small onion - diced
1 Lb ground beef
1 - 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 - 15.5 oz can chili beans (undrained)

3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Brown the ground beef with the diced onion in a fry pan until no pink remains in the meat. Drain off any grease. Place the cooked ground beef and onions in a crockpot. Add the can of tomatoes and the can of chili beans. Finally add the spices and stir everything well to combine. You can cook the chili on low anywhere from 3 hours to 8 hours.

You can also make this in a deep fry pan instead of the crockpot. After draining the grease off your meat, simply add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer on the stovetop for a while to let the flavors mingle.

You can garnish with some shredded cheese or sour cream when serving too.

If you want a little more heat you could add some cayenne or some red pepper flakes. Sometimes I use a little less chili powder and a little more cumin and that combo has been tasty too. When you Make Your Own you can tweak the recipe until you find the perfect fit for you!

Does this poem sound like you?

2011-11-23T17:25:00.000-05:00

Lots of us will be heading into the kitchen tomorrow for the biggest cooking holiday of the year - Thanksgiving! I'm getting off pretty easy this year with only a salad and some cookies to be made.

Hubby asked me if I had everything I needed or was I still going to be dashing out to the store for last minute ingredients. My answer? No, there would not be any last minute grocery runs but only because I'm improvising (a teeny bit). I wanted to sprinkle some walnuts on my salad, but realized I don't have any. I'm going to substitute some almonds instead.

That made me think of this poem I found in one of my old recipe books. Does this sound like you? Because it sounds a little bit like me :-)

SAD RECIPE

I didn't have potatoes

so I substituted rice,

I didn't have paprika

so I used another spice,

I didn't have tomato sauce

I used tomato paste,

a whole can, not a half can

I don't believe in waste.

A friend gave me the recipe

she said you couldn't beat it.

There must be something wrong with her

I couldn't even eat it!

OK, I think I follow recipes a little better than that, but I'm also a believer in using what's available to you and improvising once in a while. Sometimes great discoveries happen when we improvise, and sometimes . . . . well sometimes it just ends up pretty funky. But with every funky disaster, we learn and nothing beats hands on experience.

Here's wishing that everyone's kitchen adventures turn out wonderful. Happy Thanksgiving!

Scented Baking Soda Sink Scrub

2011-11-19T15:55:00.000-05:00

About a year ago when I used up the last of my Comet cleanser I made the decision to stop buying it. Instead I switched to using baking soda to clean my sink. Baking soda is mildly abrasive and deodorizes too. It turned out to be a simple and frugal way to clean the sink and I never went back to the store bought stuff. I put my baking soda in an empty parmesan cheese container which is perfect for sprinkling some of the baking soda around the sink.

Baking Soda = Happy Shiny Sink!

This week when my repurposed parmesan/baking soda container was running low and needed refilling, I decided to fancy it up a little bit this time and add some essential oil to the baking soda for fragrance. I used peppermint which has a nice fresh zing. You could use lemon, strawberry, or any scent that makes you feel happy.

Here's what to do:

SCENTED BAKING SODA SINK SCRUB
(Print This Recipe)

You will need:

Empty parmesan cheese container - washed clean
1 Lb box of Baking Soda
20 Drops of Essential Oil - peppermint or the scent of your choice
A fork for mixing the ingredients

Put about half of the box of baking soda in the empty parmesan cheese container. Add the 20 drops of essential oil (20 drops is almost half a teaspoon). Use a fork to mix in the essential oil. Add the rest of the baking soda and mix again with the fork. Put the lid on your container and shake it a little bit more for good measure.


A 1 Lb Box of Baking Soda will almost fill your container

The little one pound boxes of baking soda do not quite fill up the container which works out well because you have room left at the top for stirring. Of course if you have a bigger box of baking soda around the house you can accomplish the same thing by just eyeballing it and not filling the container right to the top. You can also use more or less essential oil to achieve the amount of fragrance you prefer.

You might also like to read:

==> New Uses for Old Containers
==> Homemade Soft Scrub Cleaner

This post is linked to the Thrifty Home Penny Pinching Party