Healthy, Wealthy, & Wise: Freezer Paper Fitness Tanks

Yesterday, I shared with you a new workout tank that I purchased at Kohl's this past week. I have been seeing all kinds of tanks everywhere all over the internet, in stores, and even on other people the few times I have made it out to the track recently. I wanted some of my own, but the crafter in me, just couldn't pass up the opportunity to make my own.

I made Elijah a bunch of shirts last year using the freezer paper stenciling method, and I wanted to try it again on some inexpensive plain workout tanks I purchased at Walmart. I also had some iron on letters from a project ages ago, so rather than let them collect dust any longer, I put them to good use by creating a couple of short sayings with the letters that were left.

Not only do you get to try to read these backwards in a dirty mirror, but you get to see my crazy hair. The second one is the one I did with freezer paper and is hard to read here, especially backwards, but it says, "FIT MOM of six kids". On the third one, I added this cute little bow that definitely gives it a feminine touch! I used the same method for making the knotted hair ties, but instead of tying the bow to the elastic, I simply tied them to the strap of my shirt. What do you think? I love how they turned out, and have plans for a few more shirts. 

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I just want to thank everyone who has shown me love and support lately. I have gotten so many emails and comments from you all with stories of your own weight loss journeys and challenges. Some of you have even revealed health related issues with me that have made it difficult for you to either lose weight, or the reason you started your weight loss journey. I want you all to know that I read each of your stories and care deeply about you all. I believe we are all here to uplift and encourage each other, and as you think I am inspiring you, you are inspiring me as well. 

Please continue to follow me on Instagram where I am always sharing about my journey to better health and fitness. You can also friend request me on my personal Facebook account, where I share as well.

                    

Knotted Bow Hair Ties

One of my goals this year is to make more of my own handmade items, specifically with my sewing machine. It has been collecting dust this past year, so I finally pulled it out and started a couple of projects recently. My first couple of projects were two capes I made for Craft Hope. I have been trying to make items that use up all of my larger fabric scraps before I start purchasing anything new. I have quite a bit!

I recently, took used some of those scraps to make these adorable hair ties for my girls, especially Tyler who is my total girly girl! They were so quick and simple that I was able to make them in about 30 minutes. Such an inexpensive way to spruce up any little girl's outfit.

 

Knotted Bow Hair Ties

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Materials Needed:

• Fabric 
• Elastic Hair Ties

Cut 2 pieces of fabric approximately 6.5x2 inches. Cut a rounded edge at both ends and place the good side of each piece facing each other.

Sew around the outside edge, leaving a small opening so you can turn it inside out. 

Turn the fabric inside out through the opening you left, then either hand sew the opening or use fabric glue to close it up.

Knot the fabric around the elastic hair tie and pull tight into a bow.

These actually make really great gifts as well. As part of my effort to encourage it forward and write one letter a week this year, I will be sending some of these out to friends and family with little girls this year. 

I'd love to hear from you, so do come back and share if you make some of these knotted bow hair ties.

                    

A Quick & Simple DIY for those Christmas Cards You Received

I am not a keeper of many things, but I can't stand just throwing all of those Christmas cards we get from friends and family every year. This year, I decided that instead of tossing them all in the trash, I would punch holes in each of them and let the kids enjoy them. I will keep them out for a couple more weeks, but then I plan to put them away and bring them back out at Christmas. I think it will be fun to make a book each year and then have them out at Christmas each year for the kids to enjoy looking back at.

It literally takes less than 10 minutes to put one of these little "books" together. Just punch holes in each of your cards, hook them all on a binder ring, and that's it. I added a twine bow on mine just to give it a little more pizzazz. 

 

This year, I started a Holiday Friends Card Exchange where I invited some of my Instagram friends to participate in a card exchange with our children. Each family participated made cards with their kids and then sent them out to each family. Our children had so much fun receiving cards from different places and looked forward to checking the mail each day as well. They love flipping through all of the cards they received.

I will actually be doing a Valentine's Friends Card Exchange also, for anyone who is interested in participating. This is a great opportunity for those families of children who are not yet in school or home schooled and don't get the chance to exchange cards with friends like so many children who are in school get to do. Space is limited, so be sure to follow me on Instagram and lookout for the sign up announcement.


                    

make your own: household cleaners

there are only 5 cleaners you will ever really need ever again. i use all 5 of these to clean my house and love them. i don't want to get into all the details, but 2 weeks ago i did a MAJOR spring cleaning of my house from one end to the other and i only used these 5 products the whole way. my house is THE cleanest it has ever been. not just because of these products but because i spent a lot of time working on our home for one solid week.

again, i ONLY used these 5 products i will share with you today! 


kitchen cleaner

• 12 oz. vinegar 
• 12 oz. dawn liquid dish soap

combine ingredients and pour into a spray bottle.

i use this product everywhere in my kitchen. on the counters, on our tables, on the backsplash, on the stove top... everywhere! it cuts through grease like nobody's business and makes everything shine! 


all-purpose cleaner 

• 5 oz. rubbing alcohol
• 3 oz. white vinegar
• 1 tsp. liquid laundry detergent (without added bleach)
• 1 tsp. white ammonia

combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and then fill the rest of the bottle to the top with water. 

i use this product in my bathroom the most, as well as on my bathroom and kitchen floors. it does a great job getting out all those nasty urine smells that tend to linger around toilets!  

baking soda cleaner

mix water with baking soda in a container until you get a paste. amounts depend on how large of an area you have to clean. 

i use this all over the house, but my two favorite places to use it are in the shower to get soap scum off and on my stove. it cuts burned on food from my flat top range with no problems. i even cleaned underneath my range hood recently and it now looks brand new. i usually use the baking soda cleaner in conjunction with my other cleaners, but another great use for this is to remove marks from walls. think of it as a cheaper version of those mr. clean magic erasers!


bleach cleaner

• 2-3 oz. bleach

pour into a spray bottle and fill the rest of the bottle to the top with water.  

everyone needs a bleach cleaner. i mostly use this in areas with grout to make it bright white. DO NOT use this product with the other cleaners unless you have rinsed thoroughly. those other products contain ammonia and you DO NOT mix bleach with ammonia. EVEN dawn dish liquid contains ammonia and you DO NOT mix it with bleach! 


window cleaner

• 1 oz. white ammonia
• 4 oz. rubbing alcohol
• 1 tsp liquid laundry detergent (without added bleach)

combine in a spray bottle and fill the rest of the bottle to the top with water.   

this stuff is amazing! it's streak free and cuts right through all those finger prints that collect on our doors and windows! 


hope you love these products as much as i do! let me know if you try them out!

time for me to go refill my bottles now!  

♥ ♥ joni - sixcherriesontop(at)gmail(dot)com | twitter | facebook | pinterest | instagram | bloglovin' ♥ ♥

 

make your own: fabric softener/fabric refresher

 

this is actually more like a tip for making your liquid fabric softener last longer by using it in the dryer. i prefer liquid fabric softener because it comes in a larger variety of scents. here is a great way to use liquid fabric softner in your dryer and save money at the same time.

the formula is so simple: 

just mix 1 oz. of liquid fabric softener with 24 oz. of water in a spray bottle and spray several squirts on a rag and toss into your dryer. i actually just spray it directly into my dryer onto the clothes, but do what you like.

and, no fancy spray bottles for me! i ain't got time for that! just a regular spray bottle i purchased in the cleaning section at target. to be honest, i typically don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets because they are a bit pricey for something that we go through so quickly, but since trying this recipe out and discovering that a full bottle of fabric softener can last me months and months, i find it a little easier to accept.

i just refilled my bottle that i had been using for well over a month now. i wash one load of laundry a day. according to this bottle of fabric softener, it will last for 50 loads. i have washed at least 30 loads of laundry so far on one spray bottle. i can wash hundreds of loads on this one bottle of fabric softener!

that month included using it as a fabric refresher also. that's right, i use the same bottle to spray my furniture to freshen  it up, as well as my bed each week when i change our sheets. so much cheaper than febreze, and again, it comes in a larger variety of scents.

let me know if you try this out! i would love to know what you think!

♥ ♥ joni - sixcherriesontop(at)gmail(dot)com | twitter | facebook | pinterest | instagram | bloglovin' ♥ ♥

make your own: dishwasher soap

after making my own homemade laundry soap, i got the idea that it wasn't so hard to make my own soap for the dishes i put in my dishwasher. after doing a little bit of research online, i put together my own batch of dishwasher soap. even with the kids in school, i wash at least 3 loads of dishes a day and those tabs can get pretty expensive. even the loose powder in a box, even though it is cheaper, never lasts very long around here, and i feel like i am always buying something.

the materials i purchased to make this dishwasher soap cost around $20, including the 1 gallon jar i use to store it. so far, i have washed many loads of dishes and have had no problems with it. my dishes come out clean and with no stuck on food, and i have not noticed any residue. i will also add that i DO NOT use a rinse agent in my dishwasher. i have never really bought into the idea of that stuff!

homemade dishwasher soap

materials

• 1 (4 lb. 12 oz.) box of borax (laundry aisle)
• 1 (3 lb. 7 oz.) box of arm & hammer super washing soda (laundry aisle)
• 1 container of powdered lemi shine (dishwashing aisle)
• 3 cups of epsom salt (health & beauty section)
• large bucket for mixing
• large container for storing
• 1/2 tablespoon measuring scoop

directions

simple... mix all ingredients well in a large bucket and then pour into a container with a lid to store. keep this stored in a cool, dry place.

when washing your dishes, i recommend 1-2 scoops of the homemade dishwasher soap.

this batch made a little more than a gallon of soap. why not pour the rest of it into a cute little container and give it to a family member, friend, or neighbor as a gift!


 as always use this product at your own risk!

 ♥ ♥ joni - sixcherriesontop(at)gmail(dot)com | twitter | facebook | pinterest | instagram | bloglovin' ♥ ♥

make your own: laundry soap

i wanted to start making my own homemade cleaners because along with the changes i have done here on the blog, i have been making some changes at home as well. a few years ago, i was really into saving my family money, and suddenly i just gave it up. not to say that i was spending tons of money, but i just wasn't trying to get the best deal when it came to making purchases, i stopped couponing, i stopped trying to cut corners, i just stopped focusing. that may sound weird and kind of vague, but what i didn't mention about myself this past year was that i was in a real big funk. i gained tons of weight, i felt really depressed, my house got disgusting, some days i hated to be around my kids, and i just couldn't get myself out of it. then, recently, after making some changes and doing something about all the things that put me in a terrible mood every day, i just SNAPPED out of it. we revamped the house with some new furniture, i have been staying on top of my cleaning duties, i started eating healthier and losing weight, and now i am working toward saving my family money again.

this is probably on hundreds of other blogs, but i wanted to share my own recipe for laundry soap. i don't have exact figures but, all of the products i purchased were a little over $30, which included the 2 gallon jar that i use to store the soap.

homemade laundry soap

materials

• 1 (4 lb. 12 oz.) box of borax
• 1 (3 lb. 7 oz.) box of arm & hammer super washing soda
• 1 (4 lb.) box of arm & hammer baking soda
• 1 (3 lb.) box of oxi clean
• 2 bars of zote soap

• large bucket for mixing
• large container for storing
• 1 tablespoon measuring scoop

directions

grate the zote soap in a food processor. i like to grate it with the grater attachment, then using about 1 cup of baking soda and some of the grated soap, i use the regular blade attachment to grind up the soap even smaller to ensure that it dissolves well in the washer.

once you have grated the soap and baking soda together, mix that and all other ingredients together in a large bucket. if your bucket has a lid, secure lid and mix ingredients by rolling it around on its side. otherwise, just use a large serving spoon to stir ingredients until they are blended well.

once it has been mixed well, pour it into an easily accessible container. this batch made enough for me to fill the entire 2 gallon glass container i purchased.

when washing laundry, i recommend 2-3 tablespoons per load.





i adapted this recipe from several other recipes i found online and so far we have had no problems with it. the soap has a mild scent, our clothes come out clean, and it has even been safe for our high efficiency washer.

i would love to know if you try this recipe and what you think. if you have another recipe that you would like to share, be sure to do so in the comments.

use at your own risk.

♥ ♥ joni - sixcherriesontop(at)gmail(dot)com | twitter | facebook | pinterest | instagram | bloglovin' ♥ ♥

sponge balls

last summer i saw these on summer's blog, crosbie crew during her boys of summer series. i had it in the back of my head to pick up sponges every time we went to the store, but every time i got sidetracked and forgot.

this year, i finally added them to our 2012 spring and summer bucket list and picked up two packs of sponges at target for just a dollar each the other day.

let me just say that these have been a big hit around our house. several times now, the kids have gone outside to have sponge ball water fights.

here is summer's quick sponge ball tutorial. be sure to check out all of her other boy's of summer activities as well.

joni - sixcherriesontop (at) gmail (dot) com | twitter | facebook | pinterest | instagram: mamacherry

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do this with a canning jar

i just discovered the blog, the burlap bag, and saw this quick and simple idea to do with a canning jar for powdered sugar. i love this idea and have been thinking of other things to make these for as well...like cinnamon & sugar, or even poke larger holes for parmesan cheese.

it is super easy to make these yourself. simply use a nail and hammer to poke holes in the metal lid. do as many as you like depending on how much you want to come out at one time (of course, a larger nail will make a larger hole).

so neat, go try it!

joni - sixcherriesontop (at) gmail (dot) com | twitter | facebook | pinterest | instagram: mamacherry