{Easy} Homemade Deodorant

Earlier this Spring I was part of a personal hygiene experiment.  A group of 3 blogger friends and I agreed to test three simple homemade personal hygiene recipes: shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant, in order to report our findings to the editors of  From Scratch magazine for a spread in the June-July issue. I like the deodorant so much, I can't go back to store-bought. 

Today I made my third batch.  It took about 5 minutes, possibly less time than that.  Why do I like this so much?  It is natural.  It smells wonderful. It is inexpensive. It is pure and healthy. And it works!  I have linked each ingredient to a web page explaining some of its known health benefits ~ simply click on the link to find more information.

Homemade Deodorant
1/3 cup coconut oil

2 Tbs baking soda
1/3 cup corn starch

10-15 drops lavender essential oil ( optional) 

Instructions:

Add dry ingredients to wet and stir for a minute or so.  Spoon into a shallow container and refrigerate until firm.  FAIR WARNING.  Due to the fact that coconut oil melts above 76 degrees, this will not travel well.  

While it might be easier to buy deodorant, this product works so well and is so simple to make, it is near the top of my favorite household tasks. Try it and just see if you don't wear your shirts an extra day or two. 

Pssst:  ~ It is EASY to print a copy of the recipe by selecting the Print Friendly button at the bottom of the post.

About 31 days of EASY: 

So many things in life are hard.  And some of those hard things are necessary. But why make things harder than they need to be?  For 31 days, I'll be writing about ways to bring ease.  I would be honored if you came along on my journey.  Pack light. 

If you want to know more about the 31 Day Blog Challenge, click here:
Nesting Place: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.
or here:
Why 31 days?

Many Blessings to you.

I am linking this post with the delightful HomeAcre Hop where you can find LOTS of information on: "Homesteading, livestock care, gardening, environmentally friendly farming, self sufficiency, preparedness, off grid living, healthy recipes, home remedies and herbal concoctions, green living, homeschooling, food preservation, environmentally friendly crafts and home decor, photo posts of natural living and homesteading subjects!"

Sometimes Simple Satisfies

Day 11

Linking up with Deborah Jean's Dandelion House

Clipboard Wall Art

Our office is a long and narrow room.  When we began a remodel this spring, exchanging twenty-something-year-old carpet for wood, olive green for hummus colored walls, and adding a skylight, we also took down a giant map of our city.  I know, maps as wall art are all the rage now but in this room it took over.  It had to go. We were left with a 15 foot expanse to fill.  In short: We had a wall conundrum.

In addition to the long wall, three other factors had to be considered:
Cost...under $100.
Contrast...the need to keep things calm with low contrast is my home decorating M.O.
Capture... since what we do in the office is run our landscaping business, I wanted the wall art to capture, relate and inspire the garden theme.

For months I looked for inspiration on Pinterest and Houzz, while also searching in the usual places, like Target, Home Goods and Goodwill, finding many likable candidates, but nothing that jumped up and down saying, "choose me!"

Then, one Saturday morning, a few weeks ago -- inspiration appeared in the form of a photograph of three botanical prints hanging on clipboards in a kitchen.  I knew in a heartbeat that this was my answer.  It fit right in with all my design musts.

www-livelovecreate.tumblr.com/

All I needed to do was figure out the placement, find inexpensive clipboards, and locate some beautiful botanical art.

The art search came first. I have always been an admirer of  people who can create pretty pictures with talented strokes and dabs.  My mom can do it and so can my sisters. I have attempted to develop this skill, to no avail.  Instead, I paint pictures with objects, plants, flowers, rocks, trees and shrubs, words, love, and my camera; the draw and dab skills do not belong to me.

Not yet  but still hoping...

As I often do, I went shopping in my own home and found a book filled with botanical drawings from over 100 years ago.  It didn't take long to find the eighteen pieces of pure inspiration that I needed. They all depict lovely birds and plants; twelve also name the months of the year.

 NO I did not cut up the book.  I Could NOT.  Instead, I made color copies on card stock.The traditional and inexpensive clipboards are hanging on clear push pins... genius. Right? Not easy to get just right, however.  It took about an hour of planning and measuring to get things lined up.

Notice how the colors blend with the wall color? One of the unintended results of using the clipboards as frames is that the paper flutters a bit in the breeze of our ceiling fan.  I've considered using photo corners to secure them, but I'm mesmerized by the fluttery movement on the wall, like leaves on a tree or birds in flight.

While hunting for art, I remembered my mom's old easel, stored in a closet, waiting to be used again.  It still donned a few splashes of blue and white from the brook in this painting she did in 1949. The overflow of love -- and the easel sang to my heart.  Then there was some re-measuring.

My prince helped me figure out how to assemble the easel.  It adds just the right elements of whimsy and drama, as well as vertical movement to balance the horizontal movement of the grid on the wall.  I found this botanical in the closet too. I'm planning on picking up a canvas or a painting in the future, but for now, this one works just fine. Who knows; the wall, now replete with examples of nature drawings and the splotched old easel might inspire another attempt to draw or paint one on my own. Just Maybe.

and just maybe not.

(My prince suggests cutting up a pair of jeans and some old boots for the other wall. )  Ummm...nope:-/

2013 update: We re-purposed an old dining table.  You like?

~Blessings~

If you would like to read more stories about people gardening, creating, loving family,homesteading, homeschooling, and making things for under $100:

The Lettered Cottage

Here: Under the Table and Dreaming

wildly-original-linky-party @ I Gotta Create

 click here:  My Simple Country Living

and here:  A Rural Journal

 and HERE: Beyond the Picket Fence Under $100 Linky Party

OH, and HERE as well! The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday

and here as well...there are so many creative people out there!

She Called and Said This:

"How can I help you spend your money? "

My frugal daughter, and partner in DIY, is on a spending freeze this month in order to save for a family vacay. I wanted to be helpful in any way I could.  So when she called one Saturday morning, asking me how she could help me spend my money...

"Well..." I said, smiling. "We could look for  bedside tables."  

She knew that I've been wanting to update our 1980's, skirted night tables for a while. I'd already collected some clearance paint in a lovely, Spring Rain blue that I picked up at ACE a few months ago; and I had some knobs I found on clearance at Marshal's that have been waiting for a new home.

We were off within the hour to snoop the acreage of a resale shop called Annabelle's Attic.  Annabelle had some great stuff, but it was too expensive for this project and not just-the-right size.  On our way home, Kelly spotted a store called "The Girls' Estate Sales and Shop.  We spun the car around, while bribing our 3 1/2 year-old passenger with the promise of a tasty snack. The 5 space car lot was full, so we parked next door, in front of the brightly colored and fun looking daycare center, assuring our little friend that the obviously kid friendly "store" was closed, but the one with the furniture outside on the sidewalk was open.

And there it was, right inside the door.  Well, a bit further in, somewhere past the giant lions that were right inside the door.  It was old and tired and abused (and I discovered later that its drawer was a tiny bit stinky)but its size and shape were perfect. And the price, at $20 bucks and 25% off! Even for someone with buyer's remorse (who, me?) this was a no-brainer.  The shop surprised us with an adorable snack bar, plentifully stocked with brownies and cookies and cold lemonade for the hungry child in tow.  I love how the little shops are bringing back some old fashioned personality and hospitality!

All my little night table needed...I thought...

was some love, some sanding, some paint and some knobs. And notice the hands of the person that did all the messy prep. work...yup, my prince!

The next weekend Kelly and I went to Goodwill, where I found a new lampshade -- never used!  I repainted the shiny 1980's brass lamp base and added my grandmother's "lovely lady bust" my books, a few pretties, as well as some hand-smoothing coconut oil in the drawer, along with a few dryer sheets.


At this point, the table on the other side of the bed cried out for an update as well, so the following weekend we stained its legs, pulled a color out of the bedding for the top; found a roll of ribbon for the table's edge at the craft store for 99 cents, and added a wicker hamper from the guest closet to hide the lamp cord and provide book storage. ( I dislike seeing cords.)

It turned out pretty cute...

don't you think? And the best part is the satisfaction of the conquest...so little spent -- about $25, total!

Now my prince is inspired to make a headboard...Kelly, what are you doing next weekend?  Oh, one last thing...we also found a use for the old lampshade...

Joining the fun, once again, at the Farmgirl Friday blog hop