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Homemade Products

Products our grandparents and great grandparents used were less expensive and better for our environment. Unfortunately one must make their products at home to achieve those same goals in this day and time.

Natural Spider Repellent Recipe

Natural Spider Repellent Recipe

January 15, 2013 By 9 Comments

I DON’T LIKE SPIDERS!  I use this ‘crazy good’ natural spider repellent that I make at home to notify spiders that they are not welcome inside!  It works!!!

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Gabe finds  spiders intriguing!
Yes, he was watching little creepy crawlers while I gardened and YES, I added this picture because there was absolutely NO WAY I could post this with a picture of a spider and nothing else!!!
Phobia?  Ya think????

I had a little encounter yesterday with Mr. Spider while I was working IN MY OFFICE so I whipped out my Magic Spider Spray – my favorite Spider weapon – and went to work!

It is easy and inexpensive to make AND it smells heavenly to me though Mr. Spider doesn’t think so.  Ready to make your own?

  1. Add 10 – 15 drops of peppermint essential oil to a spray bottle containing 8 – 12 ounces of water.  Mix well.
  2. Spray around openings to your home (doors, windows, cracks, etc.).

That’s all there is to it!!!  Now, if you see some of the creepy crawlers have braved the scent and continued to make their way into your home you can always add a couple more drops of your essential oil to the mixture to make it stronger.  Also, if you aren’t crazy about the smell of peppermint you can try another strong smelling essential oil like lavender, mint, orange – you get the picture. Crazy Good Creations finds really good prices on essential oils so send an email (‘CONTACT’ button) if you are in the market for some!

With our weather pattern changes I am thinking I probably need to spray at least once per week in the winter (if you want to call this winter and NO, I am NOT complaining!).  I always spray twice per week in the warmer months because I don’t like spiders (oh, I said that already?) and DO NOT want them in my home (I really don’t!) AND that peppermint smell just makes me happy (ahh…that’s better – let’s end this on a happy note)! 😉

 

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Recycle Candles & Save $$$

Recycle Candles & Save $$$

December 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Why haven’t I been doing this all along???  Such a CRAZY GOOD CREATION!!!  Make new candles from the leftover portions of old ones…super simple, fun and your house will smell amazing while you are doing it!!!  Wanna know how?  Read on~

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  • You will need to purchase new wicks before you start this project.  I purchased mine from Hobby Lobby for about $2.00 (5 wicks).
  • You will also need one clean jar to put your ‘new’ candle in.  I used one from a previous candle.  A damp cloth with some baking soda on it will clean all of the black soot/junk from the jar in a jiffy.
  • Once you have your wicks and a clean jar, put water in a pot (I put my steamer in the pot so my jar would not sit on the very bottom and chance bursting) and bring to a boil.  Turn heat down to low.
  • Gather all of the candles you want to melt down while you are waiting for your water to boil…
  • Put the first ‘spent’ candle into the hot water bath.  It will take about 5 minutes to melt all of the left over wax completely. So…
  • While you are waiting for the wax to melt prepare your new jar by putting the new wick in it.  In the photo I have already added a layer from an old melted candle but notice how I wrapped the top of the wick around something flat so that it would remain in the center of the jar and in place as you add your new layers.IMG_3059
  • Once the wax has melted in the jar that is in the water bath take out the old metal part from the previous wick and any other large particles (burned wick, etc) .
  • Carefully lift the jar from the hot water bath and pour slowly into the new jar (see photo above).  Let harden completely before adding the next layer.
  • Now you add another ‘old’ candle to the hot water bath and just keep repeating the process.  I go about my business while this process is underway so it isn’t like I am sitting there waiting for the wax to melt and, did I mention, I LOVE the way my house smells as I am making these ‘new’ candles.

IMG_3063 - Version 3I especially like the fact that I have a $28.00 candle for about .40, I have recycled glass and wax and can enjoy different scents from one jar.  This is the one I am making today~IMG_3064 - Version 2  Ok, OK….I cannot tell a lie…I did, in fact, layer my candle with Christmas/holiday scents on top, then spring and finally summer scents on the bottom…yep, I am weird like that!  And those of you who live near by who have no interest in doing this but have jars of old candles lying around – uh, bring them to me so I can recycle them!!!  If you do decide to try this send me some pictures.  I would love to see your new ‘old’ candles.

And that is all I have to say about that~

 

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