Natural Drain Cleaner

After cooking my Mamaw's Meat & Rice today, I noticed the kitchen sink drain was due for a good cleaning...

...so I grabbed the el cheapo vinegar & baking soda that I keep on hand for natural & kid safe cleaning and called Peanut to help:)  

This provided a "science experiment" of sorts while accomplishing necessary cleaning- bonus!

Simply pour approx 1/2 cup baking soda into your drain...

...smoosh inside with a spoon...

...pour approx 1 cup vinegar inside and...

...promptly cover so the "reaction" will do it's thing inside the drain!  Easy, cheap & kids love it!  

Another great way to get toddlers involved with safe, green household cleaning:)

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

DIY Maternity Dress Alterartion

During an earlier visit to Goodwill, I thrifted a Motherhood dress, psyched to find proper maternity wear- the fit was ok except that the neckline was really wide and bugged me, requiring additional undergarments which still didn't work well:/

Sorry for the lack of a full length photo- couldn't manage it on my own:/

And then I came across an old black tank top with lace trim that I wore occasionally in college...a very long time ago.

Just imagine the neckline without the lace:/

I simply cut around the neckline of the tank, pinned to the dress and sewed on with my handy dandy stretch needle along the existing hem- I didn't know if this would work, hence the lack of pictures:/

The lace looks like it's always been part of the dress and now makes the neckline modest without needing additional garments...just a chunky necklace!

Cost:

Thrifted Maternity dress: $5.99

Lace Tank top: free

TOTAL: <$6

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

DIY Maternity Dress Dye

I'm on a bit of a roll sharing my maternity dress makeovers with just 6 weeks left until "D Day"- better late than never, right?!

So I picked up a sun dress of sorts (non maternity) at Goodwill that was "chewing gum white" and looked prime for some RIT dye:)  I took my thrifted garment & plunged it into the sink with some "pearl gray" dye- don't forget to add the salt to your dye bath & follow ALL instructions!

Here it is wet after washing.

  And since I started with "white" the transformation took less than 10 minutes:)

Once dry, it lightened to "pearl gray" and since the polka dots were screen printed vs woven, they stayed white:)

The top of the dress included some shirring and a drawstring closure- I always wear a cropped cardi with it due to the spaghetti straps.

More shirring at the waist and then a full skirt, allowing lots of room for Baby M to grow...

...a perfect design, despite not being maternity wear:)

I've worn this a lot, had no trouble with fading & get continual compliments- so glad I took the trouble to "re-do" it:)

Cost:

Thrifted Dress: $5.99

RIT dye: $1.76

TOTAL: $7.75

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

DIY Citrus Infused Vinegar

I recently saw where a fellow Mom was infusing her plain ol' distilled vinegar before incorporating it into her homemade, natural house cleaners...

...so I decided to try it today!

 

I pushed strips of orange peel into an old juice jar & topped up with my handy dandy distilled vinegar- the solution needs to steep for a week or two and can then be used:)

*Vinegar is not recommended for use on granite, marble & tile.

Enjoy adding some zest to your natural cleaning power:)

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

DIY Dress Alteration

I've been getting fall & winter clothes ready for my little Ms, in hopes that cooler temps will be arriving all the sooner:)  Both kids are growing like weeds but Livy just transitioned to the next size...which is great, except that long sleeve shirts and trousers are now drooping on her a bit:/

Enter DIY alterations!

On a long sleeved knit dress, I simply rolled the cuff inside the sleeve to the appropriate place... 

...stitched around, leaving a gap to add some 1/4 inch elastic and sealed everything up!

***Don't forget to use your stretch needle for knits!!!

As you can see, someone wasn't cooperating while trying to take pictures...

...and got a major case of the sillies...

...but hopefully you can see that her sleeves are no longer hanging past her little hands!

This dress is still a smidgeon big so I left a bit of room in the sleeves and made my alterations 'temporary' and easy to undo for when Pnut grows more:)

We were both pretty chuffed and now I just have about another 8 tops to go...and then leggings!

Yeah for free:)

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

Quick & Easy GF Peach Cobbler...

...sshhhh, it's gluten free!

On a whim I bought a 4 pound bag of organic frozen peaches at Costco as Baby M was craving peaches and enjoyed one whole bowl full...but then they just sat in the freezer:/

So I opted to try a new peach cobbler recipe utilizing frozen peaches (so it can be enjoyed year round)...

...and giving Pnut an opportunity to help, which she loved- this recipe is great for little helping hands:)

Quick & Easy GF Peach Cobbler- adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 pounds frozen peaches (start thawing approx 2 hrs beforehand)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp arrowroot

1 Tbsp lemon juice from 1 lemon

pinch of table salt  

Bisquit Topping:

1 cup Bob's Red Mill GF Bisquit & Baking Mix

3 Tbsp granulated sugar, plus 1 additional teaspoon

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold & cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt

Instructions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position & heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. For the filling: Defrost peaches completely in colander.  Gently toss peaches with sugar in large bowl; let stand for 30 mins, tossing several times.  Drain peaches in colander set over large bowl.  Whisk 2 Tbsp of the drained juices (discard extra), arrowroot, lemon juice & salt together in small bowl.  Toss peaches with juice mixture and transfer to 8-inch-square glass baking dish.  Bake until peaches begin to bubble around edges, approx 15-20 ins.

3. For the topping: While peaches are baking, in food processor, pulse GF baking mix with 3 Tbsp sugar to combine.  Scatter butter over and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 1-second pulses.  Transfer to medium bowl; add yogurt and toss with rubber spatula until cohesive dough is formed.  (Don't overmix dough or bisquits will be tough.)  Break dough into 6 evenly sized but roughly shaped mounds and set aside.

4. To assemble & bake: When peaches bubble around edges, remove baking dish from oven and place dough mounds on top, spacing them at least 1/2 inch apart (they should not touch).  Sprinkle each mound with portion of remaining 1 tsp sugar.  Bake until topping is golden brown, about 18 minutes.  Cool cobbler on wire rack until warm, about 20 minutes; serve with ice cream:)

  

***This recipe was not originally GF- I subbed and it came out great!

Scooping peaches and a bisquit in each bowl with a dollop of ice cream was delish- I had hoped to make ice cream but it didn't happen...so I'm planning to make this again, with my homemade ice cream!

Thanks for stopping by & let me know if you would like the ingredients for a non-GF version- no judgment!

Tiffany

DIY Vintage Shoe Clips

Long ago, before I met "Ricky", I had a pair of black, strappy heels that showcased jeweled medallions and were very much a 'statement' piece. 

Eventually they wore out though so I thought to preserve their legacy by reusing the jeweled medallions...somehow???

Enter DIY shoe clips!

I found these small black alligator clips at Hobby Lobby...

...and were just the right size.

So, with my handy dandy hot glue gun, I attached the medallions to the clips and had a lovely new accessory in less than 5 mins...

...which is exactly how much time I had to create these before dashing out the door for church this past Sunday!

 DIY Shoe Clips:

Medallions: free

Clips: $0.45 ($2.99 for 4 pairs, minus 40% coupon)

TOTAL: $0.45

So, for less than $0.50, I was able to create a snazzy accessory with vintage charm- pretty chuffed:)

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany