Dear Readers-I need your input

Dearest Readers:

I am a little hesitant to ask this question. But I need to know the reality of the situation. Biceps and I are wanting to “owe no man anything”; thus the frugal lifestyle, the re-invention of home products, the biking to and fro, and the hope of making extra income on the side.

We want to be debt free and we live below our means. However, the pay cut we took for Biceps to become a firefighter is making the goal of owing no man anything difficult.

So, I have a question that I’m almost scared to ask you–because then it requires me to take a leap of faith.

I know I have posted these recipes on my site and shown you how to make all of these things. But, I also know many of you don’t have the time or energy to make this on your own-however, you still like the idea of organic products without unnecessary chemicals and additives.

So, if I offered to sell things like my Homemade Organic Lip Balm…

…my Homemade Laundry Detergent…

…my Organic Face Wash…

…my Organic Facial Moisturizer…

…and my Organic Eye Make-up Remover…

…is there a market out there for them? If I came up with much cuter packaging and the right price points to be competitive with what’s on the market today, do you think this is something worth pursuing?

My heart’s on my sleeve here, readers. But, please-tell me what you think.

Cute Presents from Mindy Mae’s Market

Dear Readers:
Have you ever forgotten you entered a contest and then weeks later were sent in the mail an awesome prize? This is what happened to me last week and I mistook it for a birthday present from some unknown source, until I tracked it down. I won a contest through Tatertots and Jello! This unexpected surprise made my day, my week and my month.

I entered the contest hosted by Tatertots and Jello in April-with the prize offered by Mindy Mae’s Market , which included cupcake holders, treat bags, bakers twine, tiny scissors, brown twine, jewelry and so much more. Let’s take a look!

I am not getting paid, reimbursed or even asked to write about this prize. I just loved it so much and the products were so freakin’ awesome that I wanted to share it with all of you!

First off, these amazing cupcake/treat holders were super cute and it will have to be a pretty special occasion for me to use them. Seriously? Polka dots?!

Next up, a bag of the cutest little plastic flowers.

I plan to attach those cute little flowers to these metal adjustable rings. Or make tiny crowns for Barbie dolls. I suppose I’ll need to find someone who has some Barbies still…

Along with the plastic flowers and rings, I had a bag of fun buttons and hair pins. I can’t wait to make all sorts of crazy combinations and give them away as gifts.

This is when it gets crazy. Fabric tape, ribbons, ric-rac, and tiny clothespins? It’s like this store came into being just for me.

Patterned tape, magnets and mason jar lids. Will the cuteness never end?

And finally, a beautiful necklace full of shiny keys with matching earrings, two wristbands and a bracelet. I seriously felt like I had won the lottery.

Thank you so much, Tatertots and Jello and  Mindy Mae’s Market  ! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!

“Crafting with Cat Hair”-Weirdest Present Ever

You all know that I’m weird. That’s no surprise. But, did you know that my weirdness attracts more weirdness?

I have this lovely friend Jennifer–pictured here on the left (which you can read all about her in my article: Together in Tulsa in This Land Press) that gave me the weirdest present ever. And for an unseen bonus-it was wrapped in Christmas paper, but yet given to me in April.

Now, you may say, “Weirdest present ever? Come on, Rebekah. Surely being a part of your family, you’ve received weirder.”

You have a good point. And it’s obvious you don’t believe me. Let me prove it.

Weirdest Present Ever

Yep, a book called “Crafting with Cat Hair”.

Jennifer claimed that she “saw the book and thought of me”.

Funny, Jennifer-real funny.

Now, I may be fully into my cats, but am I a crazy cat lady? I think that I have proven that I am not.

The concept behind the book is recycling your pet’s hair and turning it into crafty “everyday” items. Like picture framed images made from cat hair of your cat.

That’s pretty “everyday”, don’t you think?

Maybe something a little more “everyday” are felt book covers, embellished with cat images made from you cat’s hair. I wouldn’t give it a second thought to pull this out at my local coffee shop.

The book also teaches you how to make fun toys for your cat from their own hair. Hm…

Not weird at all.

It offers patterns, step-by-step guides and instructions, as well as…

…how to harvest your cat’s hair and store it properly until you are ready to craft with it.

I suppose if the kittens in your house are just going to upchuck it anyways, you might as well get green and recycle that cat hair. I mean, what could be wrong about that?

Absolutely nothing.

By the way, Jennifer-you are in big trouble. And paybacks are…well, you know what they are….

A few of My Favorite Things

If you are a new reader here, it might be a lot for you to comb through all of my back posts looking for juicy tidbits to make your day. I thought I’d make that easy for you and show you a few fun things I’ve done over the past year or so. One of these projects might just become your favorite, too. A girl can dream, right?

Broken Mirror Art from recycled mirror bits and pieces. When the light hits it, the whole room shimmers!

A Springy, Silk Scarf Shirt is the perfect answer for a wintery wardrobe. And, it’s so easy & cheap to make yourself!

If you haven’t seen my DIY Spinning Composter already, here she is. (And here’s the video of it in action.) This composter design speeds up the composting process from months to weeks. And made from recycled/salvaged materials makes it easy on the pocketbook, too.

Make your own Simple, Organic balm quickly, easily and cheaply. I love it better than my Burt’s Bees. I ain’t goin’ back, baby!

In an effort to rid my house of nasty chemicals, I made my own Cheap, Organic Face Wash-made from ground oatmeal. So easy. So lovely. So breakfasty.

Use an old tablecloth or curtain to make this Lace Cape Shirt. Simple, practical and it looks great with a little tank top underneath.

I wanted to replace the cleansers in my house with something more organic and cheap. My Homemade Household Green Cleansers list several recipes to get you ready to boot out nasty chemicals from your house, too!

Hope you’ve found a little something that suits your fancy. If not, I’ll keep trying to get you hooked. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.