DIY Bowl made of old vinyl record

This DIY project is so much fun to make and it's quite easy. This bowl is great to store fruit in, it can be used to create gift baskets and more.

What do we need?
*old vinyl records
*an oven
*1 or 2 heat resistant bowls

Heat the oven to about 100 degrees Celsius. It's not exact science but somewhere around this temperature should be fine. Place one of the heat resistant bowl in the oven. I guess there are two ways to do this. One way is to put the bowl in upside down and place the record on top and let it melt around the bowl. The other way is to place the bowl in the oven and the record on top and let it melt into the bowl.
Once you see the bowl starting to melt (this happens very quickly) you can take it out of the oven and while the material is still warm you can adjust the shape. Don't expect a perfect round bowl, the shape will be more free formed and looks a bit like it came out of a Dali painting.  If you're not happy with the shape you can just pop it back in the oven to reheat it.

The one on the left would be nice to put some fruit in, the other one might be more appropriate for potato chips or nuts on a birthday party. So run over to the thrift shop, buy a record and make a bowl!
I bought these records for 1 euro (it had 2 in it) so at 50 cents each you have a great gift!

DIY: Calendula Cream for dry skin

I really love Calendula. The flowers are beautiful and it has many great benefits for your skin! Soon the days will get colder and your skin might need a little extra attention. This cream is also great for dry areas of your skin such as your knees and elbows or any other part of your body that needs some extra love. Packed with caring ingredients this cream will give your skin some much needed love and care.

What do we need? 

* A clean container

* 42 gr calendula oil.

* 28 gr shea butter
* 28 gr cocoa butter
* 7 gr sweet almond oil

* 7 gr of wax, bees, soy, or any other wax. I used hemp wax.

 You can add a few drops of essential oil if you like, but I didn't. Some chamomile or lavender would be great with this.

Making your own calendula oil is very easy. Just fill a big jar with dried calendula flowers and cover it with oil: olive oil, sunflower oil or any oil you like. Place it in a warm and sunny spot and leave it there for a few weeks. You may notice your oil has changed color. The sunflower oil I used turned orange. Filter the oil and it's ready to use!

Place all the ingredients in a heat proof jar or bowl. Heat the ingredients au bain marie. 

 

Wait until all the ingredients have fully melted. Now pour the mixture into a container and let it cool. Once the mixture has cooled a little you can add some essential oils if you like. Once your mixture has cooled it's ready to use!  Yep, creating a natural caring skin product is that easy.

DIY natural toothpaste

One of the things that was missing from my personal care products was some home made toothpaste. I've tried some natural store bought toothpastes, but they weren't really what I wanted. They were either too expensive for my taste, or they were just plain old minty toothpastes. So I decided to make some of my own toothpaste. After searching the web for some recipe ideas I came up with my own little mix. This isn't a toothpaste that foams, but it will clean your teeth just the same!

What do we need?

*a tube or container to store your toothpaste in.
*3 tablespoons of Bentonite clay, but that was hard for me to find so I used white clay. But I've heard good things about it.
*2 tablespoons of coconut oil
*1 teaspoon of baking soda
*1 teaspoon of salt (I used Himalayan salt) 
*1 teaspoon of Calcium carbonate

Now for flavoring. This mixture is really salty and you can add all sort of herbs and sweeteners to give it a better taste and improve your oral hygiene. Taste is such a personal thing, it's best to just buy some ingredients you like and mix it as you go. You can use dried herbs and stevia to create your own blend. I used some sweetener, peppermint oil and clove powder. I used some sweetener to get rid of most of the salty taste and peppermint and clove for a fresh breath.

                                 All you need to do is put these ingredients in a clean bowl and mix it!

You can add some water if you like to thin the mixture if you like. If you decide to do so use water, us some that you've boiled first to get rid of a lot of bacteria and other nasty things that could spoil your toothpaste.

Now it's ready to be put in a tube or container. If you use a container I would suggest using a dry toothbrush to minimize the possible growth of bacteria and molds.

Ethics and ingredients: Making decisions

If you've been following this blog you're very likely to have your own opinions, thoughts, ideas about this world. Green, homemade cosmetics isn't just about looking good and being green. When choosing the ingredients you want to use, you can make those decisions based on a lot of different things. I'll walk you through some of the topics you can think about before buying anything.

Quality v.s. quantity
Sometimes products are cheaper for a reason. They the quality is just not as good as the more expensive version. Sometimes cheaper products contain cheaper chemical substances instead of purely natural substances you might find in more expensive products. Be sure to check labels and ingredients when you buy something and don't just look at the price. Spending a little more on better quality is better deal in the end.

Vegetarian and Vegan
A lot times green ingredients have an animal origin. Milk powder in baths and masks, beeswax in creams. If you're a vegetarian or vegan you can think about what ingredients you want or don't want in your products. There are plenty of alternatives that are plant based. More on that topic here

Local v.s. global
Now that we have airplanes, trucks and boats you can get fresh ingredients all year round. Fresh and exotic products are available in your local supermarket. But have you ever consider the effects on the globe? Transport of these products causes pollution and ingredients are often produced in a greenhouse. Think about what products you could locally before having exotic products shipped over.

Fair trade
In my recipes I sometimes use different teas and sugar. A thing to consider when buying ingredients is the circumstances they were made in. Were people exploited during the production? These are all things you can think about.

There's on personal rule I have when making natural cosmetics. To me it always feels weird to use fresh foods in cosmetics. I just can't stand the thought of putting fresh fruit on my face for beauty while others in other countries are starving because they don't have enough to eat. I'd rather stick to oils, butters and flowers for beauty and leave the fresh fruit there to be eaten.

There's much more things you could think about before you buy products, but I feel like these topics are the most obvious. I hope it has given you something to think about. Feel free to share other topics you could consider at the comments section.

A small update!

Hey everyone,

I feel like I've been a little inactive the last couple of weeks. Maybe because it's summer and the weather has been exceptionally good this year. I've done a lot of fun things and had a lot on my mind. Now I feel like things are slowly going back to their normal routine. I'll go back to my one post a week goal. I ordered some new ingredients and I can't wait to make new things and share them with you.

Etsy store giveaway!

I always wanted to do a giveaway, and now that my shop feels like it's finished the time has come.
So what do you need to do to enter?

It's really simple!
All you have to do is like my etsy store here. If you reblog my tumblr post  you have extra chances of winning. Winners will be drawn at August 15th at 8:00 PM CET.

Good luck everyone!

DIY Natural cleaning and housekeeping

When we think about doing green and natural things, cleaning our house isn't the first thing that comes to mind. It's a big part of your life you can change towards being greener, more natural and it doesn't have to be expensive! It would be stupid to use natural and green products for your own skincare and health, but not for your home. Here are some easy hints and tips for you to turn it around.

*working with the right tools
If you're trying to remove some hard core lime scale with a very old sponge, you can bet it's not going to be  efficient. Using the right tools for the right job means you have to use less cleaning agent, and saves you time. This doesn't mean you should run to the store and buy the most expensive multi functional tools out there. A good sponge, some good microfiber rags and a hard brush will deal with most problems. You can use those old soft sponges for your grandmother's china, and cut up old t-shirts to use as dusting rags. Recycle your old sponges and rags if you can and you can use new ones without feeling guilty.
*clean your home and maintain
Keeping your home clean and cleaning on a regular basis means you will have to work less hard to keep it clean, and you will have to use less cleaning agent. Getting into a habit can save you time and stress.

*Ask grandma for advice
 If your grandmother is still alive, ask her for natural cleaning tips. If she's no longer alive, there are plenty of websites out there with old tips and tricks for all sorts of household problems. Did you know you can put onions in some water and use it to clean your windows? It's definitely a lot greener and cheaper than store bought chemical solutions.

Natural cleaning agents 
There are quite a few things out that you can most likely buy in your local supermarket that are a great natural alternative. I'll talk you through some of them

*Vinegar
There are 2 types of vinegar, the original vinegar and some vinegar used especially for cleaning. Vinegar is great for removing limescale. Soak a rag in vinegar and leave it around your faucet for a few hours to remove the dark circles. Personally I really don't like the smell, but it works so well I just keep my nose away and use it anyway.
*Castille soap
And other 100% natural vegetable soaps can be used instead of normal soaps to clean your floors and do dishes with.
*Baking soda
This must be my favorite ingredient of all time. It can be used as an abrasive and it can also be used to remove smells from trash cans and carpets.
*Lemon juice
Have you ever noticed how commercial cleaning products use (or claim to use) lemon juice in their products to remove grease? It can also be used as a natural bleaching agent for your laundry and tons of other things. A definitive must have.
*Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil has great anti-bacterial properties and you can use those while cleaning. It can be mixed with water to disinfect and clean, to fight mold and to create a fresh smell in your home.

These 5 easy to get ingredients will help you to create a greener and cleaner home. I would definitely recommend asking your grandmother for advice or to look online for those old housekeeping secrets. They can be surprisingly effective!