The Green Life
When I got married, I literally became Mrs. Green AND started going green! The Green Life is full of ideas for keeping home naturally beautiful, <a href="https://blog.xbydesign.biz/simplify-your-green-cleaning/">clean, & fresh</a> using non-toxic solutions. I include ingredients & <a href="https://blog.xbydesign.biz/natural-air-freshener/">recipes for the home</a> & <a href="https://blog.xbydesign.biz/one-room-challenge-week-2-building-garden/">garden</a>, as well as personal care for the body & hair.
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One Room Challenge ~ Week 2 ~ DIY Elevated Garden Beds
In week 1 of the One Room Challenge, I mentioned that our backyard makeover needed to be done in stages in a specific order. Last week, we completed the 1st part of our DIY elevated garden beds. We started out with the garden so that we can start planting & hopefully have some veggies to harvest & flowers to enjoy by the time we get the rest of the project done. I just started gardening last year when my DH was compelled (by lots of begging) to build a raised planter box. I am definitely a gardening newbie but I have the best mentor, Grandmother. She’s 90 & she’s lucky enough to…
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Lessons Learned from the Summer Garden
Spring is coming. Well, in Houston it’s almost always spring or summer so I guess I could say spring is unofficially here. I’m ready to get outside and start my summer garden for the 2nd time. But first I have to look back over what happened with last year’s summer garden. It was a wild ride. I took some notes through it all, but mostly toward the end & here is what I learned… 1. Pay attention to planting instructions Last year I planted everything from seed. It’s hard to imagine those seeds as mature plants, so I didn’t completely follow spacing guidelines or get the timing right. Follow…
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Moisturizing Semi-Homemade Body Wash Using Castile Soap
Being the naturalista that I am, for years I have used castile soap to wash my hair. On a whim I started using it as body wash, mainly because I was tired of shelling out loads of cash for Cetaphil soap & lotion for out littlest’s sensitive skin. I asked our pediatrician if that was okay – who, by the way, my oldest son went to & by the time the littlest was born we’d gone to her for at least 12 years. She asked what we were using for moisturizer after & when I told her coconut oil, she just about jumped off her stool she was so excited. Not only…
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Green Gift Guide
We all kick gift giving into overdrive around the Christmas holidays. But have you considered giving more sustainable gifts for birthdays, special occasions, & other holiday as well? I personally have done much less shopping lately and have been looking for more sustainable gifts that are practical, budget friendly, & keep on giving. I thought about unique gifts that I would want & want to give. To me the ultimate Green gift is food, so I will be sharing cookies, cakes, and other goodies all year long and that leads me right into my green gift guide. Note: All the items on this list are $50 or less. Most are also sustainable…
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“We” Built A Raised Planter Box
I have been”working” on some table legs for this table top that I purchased from a Pier 1 closing sale. I tried these legs from Ikea, which are super cute but very lightweight and – silly me – did not fit the inner dimensions of my table top. I tried buying stock bookcases, but again they were either too lightweight to be sturdy or not the right fit. Finally I decided on making my own. And since I love my power tools I was excited and ready to “git ‘er done”, as they say. Except for 1 thing… drawing out the plans. I’m not 1 for recreating the wheel and…
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DIY Lotion for Skin & Hair
Take a look at your lotion. What’s the first ingredient? Water! What’s next? If it’s any good, probably some butters (shea, cocoa, etc), oils (olive, coconut, etc.), glycerin. Some have oats, honey, flaxseed – all kinds of good stuff. And then there’s the alcohol and all the “other junk” that only chemists can pronounce because some chemist probably produced it. The real question is… how much of the good stuff, the naturally occurring ingredients, are in your moisturizing products? Did you know that the first five ingredients in practically everything you buy are the most prevalent in the product? And unfortunately there really is no way for us non-chemists to…
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Stinky House? Try A Natural Air Freshener For Your Home
I love a good Wallflower but I also love the smell of a naturally fresh home. If you’re not a fan of plug in air fresheners or aerosols this tip is for you. Ever notice how during the holidays your home smells of all the great food and baked goods you make? Visitors come in and immediately say “mmm, it smells so good in here”. Well you can harness that yummy goodness and use this technique any time to make your home smell fresh and delicious. Read on for natural air fresheners for your home that you make on the stovetop. All you need is a pot, a knife, some fruit, herbs &…
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All Natural Super Simple Homemade Lip Balm
I have a confession. I have dry lips. It has nothing to do with the weather or how much water I drink, my lips are just dry. I have used may different types of lip balms and most of them make the problem worse. For the last year or so, I have been using Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm and it has been okay. And by “okay” I mean at least it hasn’t made things worse. Now that I am at the bottom of the tube, I thought I might try something else. I want a completely natural lip balm with a few simple ingredients that do not include beeswax or petroleum jelly/vaseline.…
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The Versatility of Natural Hair
Well y’all, it’s been a month and I think it’s about time I come clean. I LOVE my natural hair! Okay but everyone already knew that, so what’s this really about? Take a look at THIS… Yes what is you are seeing is real! Yes I did do THAT! Not that, Lord no… there is no reason for that madness. But yes I did cut my (2nd set of) locs after 8 years. Don’t worry, they will be back. But for now, I am loving the freedom and versatility of my loose natural hair. It’s only been a month since I went back to my TWA and already I’ve learned…
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How & Why To Clean The Dishwasher
Clean the dishwasher?! Yes, yes you should! And NO. No you don’t clean it every time you run it. Think about it… do you clean a dish towel every time you use it? What about a washcloth? But those things are actually cleaning other things. Yeah, I hear ya. And I get it… Kinda, kinda not. Because isn’t the dishwasher (and the washing machine) actually cleaning other things too? And especially for non-rinsers, where do you think all the food goes that you don’t actually clean off the dishes first? Hmmmm. News flash: soap (or detergent) & water alone do not make ANYthing clean. As a matter of fact, your soap or detergent…
