Scribbles and Scrambles - Idea

 Had a brilliant idea and thought I'd share it with you. Yesterday was just beautiful in Iowa. Almost 80. It triggered a hankering for sun tea. You know the slow brewed tea that lounges in the warm afternoon sun? 

I had thrown together a lemon blueberry coffee cake real early on Sunday morning. I used beautiful organic lemons to get the juice I needed, but even with a hand held citrus squeezer there seems to be so much more juice left. I had even zested the lemons. But because I am somewhat crazy, and cheap and just want everything to get it's fair chance to shine I tossed the mostly used lemons into a ziplock for some future use.

While thinking about sun tea, I remember the lemons. So I tossed 4 used lemon halves into a 2 quart pitcher with 5 normal old tea bags and filled it with water and let it sit outdoors for 4 hours. 

How stinking refreshing and delicious. So. If you are a tea drinker and love lemon, save your squeezed lemons and make yourself a treat. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ My First Craft Tutorial ~ Super Green Reusable Totes

I told y'all that I made some Christmas gifts for gifts this year. I posted pictures of the ones that & did and, finally, I'll post my tutorial. Ha. Ha. I use the term tutorial lightly and with trepidation.

Here's the scoop in a nutshell. I love reusable totes but not that most are:

a) a cheapo fabric type composite that falls apart on washing or 

b) that they are nice heavy plastic but lined with a fuzzy fabric liner. When you put produce in them they get nasty.

So. I had some clothes I needed to get rid of and fabric scraps to use up and decided to be really green and make my own tote. And since I liked it so much. And since it could be washed like crazy, I decided to make some for others.

I took a 5 X 7 photo frame and coordinating fabrics I liked (or clothing to be recycled). I cut out eight 5 X 7 rectangles for each bag using the photo frame as a guide. Don't worry about perfect cutting. Good enough is good enough. This is rustic.

Next...I took two of the rectangles and put my favorite fabric on top, then the less loved fabric in back and put the two backs together, the two fronts facing out, back to back. I sewed all four pieces together with one seam on the short ends. Then I opened it up, flattened out the seam and zigzagged both sides (separately) of the seam to the long piece. (If you want to trim the pieces before zigzagging you can, but they'll fray when washed and you can clean up the fray then if you'd rather.) And since the seams will all be on the outside...which adds to the beauty of it...as in it won't be perfect. I didn't have to try to make it perfect. It's rustic. Yay.

I did that for another four pieces of fabric. Then. I took the two long pieces of sewn together fabric, picked one for for the top,  put the two long pieces back to back (smooth side together) and sewed those together the long way so I ended up with one large rectangle made out of four rectangular sections. Seams all on the outside.  Then I zigzagged the long seam down (both sides) on the front of my piece.

I repeated this with the back. I picked my front or back preference and whether I wanted the bag to be "landscape" or "portrait". I cut sides and the handle out of the fabric chunks, jean legs, or shirt sleeves. I found that 35 to 44 inches was what worked

best. I like a longer handle. ( I cut a chunk of fabric about 4 inches wide across the store folded fabric piece). I made some with a jean leg or two sleeves. I added seams if I had to piece one together and zig zagged the raw ends down as needed.

The sides are sewn onto the front and back panels, raw seams out like the panels. Zig zagging as the panels are except I zig zagged the seam together rather than flat. I sewed the handle/side pieces differently on each bag. I tied one together at the top of the bag. I sewed a few into a big loop and left a seam at different locations on the handle. Others I started at one bottom corner of the bag and ended at the other, overlapping and sewing it.

For fun I sewed pockets of contrast fabric bits onto the bags. I even sewed a cell phone pocket into the base of the handle when I overlapped the handle fabric.

I also made aprons. Using six rectangles. And I used ribbon for the tie. I used about a yard or so. (My tall, thin friend got a six vertical (portrait) panel apron. For my tiny friends I used four horizontal panels (landscape).)

After you sew them up, toss them into the washer and dryer. They will fray. You can trim the seams and gift them. I have enjoyed seeing them show up and seeing them being used various ways by the recipients.

I did use an 8 X 10 frame for one and it was huge. A great overnight bag size. The 5 X 7 carries a lot of stuff. A big reusable tote. A 4 X 6 would be a decent purse size. I chose the landscape over portrait orientation for all of these but if you want pursier you might want to consider landscape.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Recipe, Recipe....Please Don't Drink This

This weekend I made a drywall mud 5 gallon bucketful of laundry soap. How you might ask...and what's with the picture you could ponder. Well, the how is below. The picture is a gold spray-painted recycled frame, some new kitchen drywall and the fruit basket to hold up said frame. And the recycled pickle jar home of about 24 oz of said laundry detergent.


1/2 cup borax (Found in a box near the bleach) ($3.99 and this will make at least 9 batches.

1 cup washing soda (Not baking soda. Washing Soda which is made by Arm and Hammer and found near bleach.)($2.99 and it will make at least 7 batches...it was harder to find. Not at Target...hint, hint should any Target buyers read my blog.)

1 bar of soap. (We used an organic lavender/vanilla scented bar. And we grated it with a cheese grater...)

Grate the soap into four cups of water you've already poured into a five gallon bucket. (Took just a few minutes, really easy to grate). Stir soap til melted... Add more warm water til bucket is half full. Add the borax and washing soda and mix. Fill the bucket to the top with more warm water. Stir. Cover and let sit for 24 or so hours. Stir again and then place into smaller containers if you so desire. (Note. it is kind of a funky gelish texture. It's watery and a little gloopy but becomes more consistent as it sits). Use 1/4 Cup per load. There is also the option of adding a few drops of essential oil for scent but if you use an organic scented bar you've covered it.

I had a friend give me some of this a few months ago and I used it. I didn't see any difference cleaning wise. She told me it was easy. And I assumed she wouldn't lie but I didn't know HOW EASY it was. Seriously. And for the cost of about $11.00 I've got 5 gallons of detergent and will only have to buy a $5.00 bar of soap the next several times I make it before having to part with another $6.00. I don't think you could get much cheaper. Plus. It's got no additives.