Homemade Air Freshener Tutorial

I've always LOVED to have smelly candles or cute air fresheners around the house.  But, since my son came along, I kind of put all that by the wayside because I didn't want to have him get into any of those chemicals, etc.  So, when I saw THIS post about making your own air freshener, I got super excited!

Items needed:
1.  Baking Soda
2.  Your Fave Essential Oil
(I chose Orange Oil because we love citrus-y stuff in our house)
3.  A mason jar
4.  A hammer and nail or awl
(I had an awl in my craft 'tool' area, so I used that)
5.  Your own label for the jar, if you'd like
6.  Packing tape to attach that label.

So, put the baking soda in the mason jar--about 1/2 full.  Then, add 15-20 drops of the Essential Oil.  Screw the entire lid onto the jar, and hammer several holes in the top with the hammer an awl/nail.  Add the label to the front and you are done.






There after I made a few of them and scattered them around the house, I found that they really did not help "freshen up" any home areas much.  I wasn't pleased with the result, and will not make any more of these again. :(

Did anyone make their own air freshener that actually worked? 
If so, let me know...

-Kim

Wreath Madness!! {Peeps Wreath}

 

OK, after I completed the Egg Wreath, I came across another wreath idea on Pinterest--the Peep Wreath.   Mosey on by my Spring Pinterest Board and check out some of the other ideas I pinned.  They all looked pretty interesting, but I thought that I could take inspiration from the ideas and make my own version of a Peeps Wreath. And, boy, did I ever!

Please, please feel free to take the look of my wreath and run with it yourself! I love helping people find their creative side, and hope this inspires you, too!!

First and foremost, you should not use the green floral foam wreath forms!!  While I was researching the project, I came across someone who used a floral foam wreath and it broke into pieces after they finished!  Oh, I felt so bad for them, but they were able to glue it back together!!  Phew...  So, that's why I started with a white Styrofoam wreath (about 8").  I wrapped it with white 2" ribbon.  I don't usually wrap my wreaths with ribbon, though...

So, my supplies were:
1.  An 8" Styrofoam wreath
2.  2"  ribbon to wrap the wreath with, if needed
3.  Chick Peeps (I chose to use all of the Peep colors: pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, & purple, but you can be monochromatic if you'd like).  I bought about 20 packages of 5 Peeps chicks.  The bunnies were in packages of 4, and the chicks are in packages of 5!!  So, that's why I decided to use chicks instead of bunnies...  Also, I had approximately 4 packages left over.
4.  Glue gun & glue sticks
5.  Ribbon for hanging

First, I wrapped the ribbon around the wreath where I wanted to make the hanger, and I glued it in place.  I glued the chicks facing the same way in rainbow order on the face of the wreath.  Then, I glued the chicks on the outside of the wreath, trying to match up the order on the front of the wreath.  Next, I glued the chicks on the inside of the wreath, again trying to match up the color order.  I chose this pattern because I didn't want any of the white marshmallow stuff to show...  Last, I tied a bow around the hanger part of the ribbon.  That's it!!

Let me know if you made a wreath for Easter or Spring.
Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!!


~Kim

Linking to:

Under the Table and Dreaming

Flamingo Toes  - Think Pink Sundays

Day-to-Day Cleaning Schedule {Free Printable}

Hello, my name is Kim and I am a cleaning schedule addict!  I love looking through Pinterest and the variety of daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning arrangements.

I finally came across one I could possibly use at a blog called Made by Marquette.  Her cleaning schedule was nice and concise, easy to figure out if you were on "outsider" to the household, and it was simple.

So, I wrote down chore descriptions for many other blogs, some of Made by Marqutte's ideas, and added some of my own.  Then, I shortened the list, so it could fit on one sheet.  Here are the actual chores that I figured out would work best for our home each day.  I have also included a PDF of the 'working' document.  If you would like it in Word to add your chores, then email me!

Let me know how your cleaning schedule is going for you!

-Kim
{Linking to: http://itssoverycheri.com/2013/03/31/its-party-time-3-31-2013/}

monday

bedroom/linen closet:

  *launder sheets & towels

  *org. nightstand/dresser

  *dust (incl. ceiling fan)

  *vacuum

  *dirty laundry in hamper

  *clean sheets on beds

  *put clean towels away

*wipe toilet w/ Clorox wipe (this one is for my hubby & son because their toilet is disgusting!  Do I have an AMEN???) :)

*empty dishwasher (morning)

*load dishwasher  (evening)

*wipe table, sink,counters & island

*pick up things in livingroom

*take out item(s) for meal

tuesday

bathroom(s):

  *clean bathroom(s):counter; sink;  

   toilet;floor; mirror; tub/shwr.

*tidy bed(s)

*empty dishwasher (am)

*load dishwasher (pm)

*wipe table, sink,counters & island

*wipe toilet w/ Clorox wipe

*pick up things in livingroom

*take out item(s) for meal

wednesday

*laundry: adults’ & kiddo’s

*tidy bed(s)

*empty dishwasher (morning)

*load dishwasher  (evening)

*wipe table, sink,counters & island

*clean kitty litter

*wipe toilet w/ Clorox wipe

*pick up things in livingroom

*take out item(s) for meal

thursday

Kitchen:

  *sweep & mop floor

  *clean out refrigerator

  *take freezer inventory

  *dust: blinds, pot rack,etc

*tidy bed(s)

*empty dishwasher (am)

*load dishwasher (pm)

*wipe table,sink, counters & island

*wipe toilet w/ Clorox wipe

*pick up things in livingroom

*take out item(s) for meal

Friday

Living room & kiddo’s room:

  *dust (blinds & ceiling fan)

  *Sweep or vacuum floor  

   (and under couch)

  *pick up toys, shoes

*tidy bed(s)

*empty dishwasher (am)

*load dishwasher (pm)

*wipe down kitchen table, 

 sink, counters & island

*wipe toilet w/ Clorox wipe

*pick up things in livingroom

*take out item(s) for meal

saturday

Miscellaneous:

clip dogs’ & cats' nails

wash rugs

plan menu

*tidy bed(s)

*empty dishwasher (am)

*load dishwasher (pm)

*wipe down kitchen table, 

 sink, counters & island

*wipe toilet w/ Clorox wipe

*pick up things in livingroom

*take out item(s) for meal

sunday

Miscellaneous:

  *dirty laundry in hamper

  *clean out car
  *take out garbage

  *market OR Costco?

*tidy bed(s)

*empty dishwasher (am)

*load dishwasher (pm)

*wipe down kitchen table, 

 sink, counters & island

*wipe toilet w/ Clorox wipe

*pick up things in livingroom

*take out item(s) for meal

Cleaning Schedule by Kimberly Wilson Simons

Wreath Madness!! {Easter Egg Wreath}

So, I know I have been away for a few months, but things have been hectic in our household (like everyone else).  I just have to learn better time management.  So, I am promising myself to try to post at least 3 times a week from here on out.  It's kind of like dieting, so we will see how this goes...

I have been on a wreath making frenzy during my time away from this blog!  Valentine's Wreath, St. Patty's Wreath, and now Easter Wreaths!!   So, this post is going to focus on one of my two Easter Wreaths: the Plastic Egg Wreath.

Of course, I got inspiration from good ole Pinterest!!  I chose to make the plastic egg wreath for our front door AND a Peeps Chick Wreath for over our mantle!  Crazy?  Yes, but I did it and am TOTALLY proud of myself.  That's why I know you all could make these wreaths, too.  They are totally simple to make, and I am going to do my best to try to explain the steps I took for the Egg Wreath...

1.  Supplies gathered were: plastic eggs from the Dollar Tree (approximately 10 bags of 18 eggs each), glue gun and glue sticks (start hoarding glue sticks when you have coupons for the craft stores because the glue gun will become your best friend), green paper Easter grass--I already had (they have some paper-looking grass at the Dollar Tree, but it is actually plastic--weird, I know), some ribbon of your choice (I chose yellow gingham 2" ribbon), and a wreath form (I used a flat backed, rounded front Styrofoam wreath from Joann).  You cannot really see the true wreath form below, but I wanted you to know that it is a Beveled Styrofoam Wreath 12"x 2.5" x 2".

 

 2.  I started by hot gluing eggs in a random pattern around the face of the wreath; then, I hot glued eggs on the outside and inside edges of the wreath (so I could have something for the eggs on top to stick too...).  Last, I glued the top eggs randomly all over the top of the wreath, focusing to cover any of the larger sized holes I made with the start of this process.  

3.  Then, I started stuffing the grass in the holes I couldn't cover with the top eggs.  I bunched up the grass, put some hot glue on an end, and stuffed the grass in the spaces with an unsharpened pencil (or, you could use the end on one of your glue sticks, too.

4.  Last, I carefully added the yellow gingham ribbon to the top of the wreath to make the hanger part of the wreath, and formed a bow by cutting another piece of ribbon and tying it around the hanger part, so it would have something to attach to.

That's it!  Did you make any Easter or Spring wreaths?  I'd love to hear about them...

-Kim