Fluffy Denim Rag Rug {Tutorial}

  I had said I was going to try to make one rag rug a month this year- well this one is February's. This rug though simple in concept took me quite a bit longer than I had thought it would. I also ended up with less time to work on it than I thought I would.

   Oh well, I am pleased with the end result and even though it took time- that is something that I as a stay at home mom am blessed to have. Other than time it simply took old jeans (and I did use a few scraps from old slacks as well) and thread and a bunch of sewing machine needles as unfortunately this rug caused me to break quite a few.

If you would like to make a rug like this one.....

Here is how you do it:

Get a base cloth. I sewed together some jeans legs to do this but you could also just use a solid piece of sturdy cloth. My base piece was about 2 feet by 3 feet. This will not show so it does not need to look nice.

 Cut lots and lots of little squares of denim or whatever fabric you are making your rug from (I have made one similar to this one before using double knit squares and that worked well). You could cut perfect squares all exactly the same size but you don't have too. My kids and I cut these squares (I always enjoy having the kids help with projects if possible and they like it too) and they range from squares that are 2 inches on each side to ones as big as 3 X 3. Also any that were perfectly square where pretty few and far between. I'm am just saying that you can be a perfectionist if you want to but you certainly don't have to be.

  Also you could have all your squares be exactly the same color or you can have a rainbow if you want. What I did with this rug was I used all different colors of blue denim, some slack fabric in various shades of brown, a few white denim squares and some blue and white striped denim. I just put them on randomly.

To start putting your squares on the base fabric you simply fold a square in half so that it creates a triangle and lay it on the edge of the fabric as shown above and then sew down the middle of it.

As you are sewing them on you layer the triangles on top of each other as shown above.

 After you get one strip down then you turn your rug around and head back the other way with another strip. You want to lay your strips close together so that they cause each other to stick up. Just continue to sew them on back and forth until you come to the end of your rug.

 If you have any questions just let me know.

I hope you enjoy the process if you try this rug!

I am linking this to the Hometead Barn Hop at Homestead Revival
and
Make Something Monday at Sarahndipities.

I don't buy..... Window Cleaner

     I used to buy all the normal cleaning supplies- window cleaner, oven cleaner, tub and toilet cleaner and so on. As I have worked to have less chemicals in our house and also to worked to save money I no longer buy any of the cleaning supplies that I used to. There are cheaper and safer ways to get things clean and for that I am thankful! I also like that there is far less packaging to throw away with these new methods.

  What I use for windows (or walls, counters, etc.) is extremely simple and cheap. I simply fill my spray bottle nearly full of water and then add around 3/4 cup of white vinegar and shake it up. It is then good to go. Sometimes depending on the job I may add a drop or two of dish soap for some extra cleaning power or I may add Tea Tree oil for a good scent and extra disinfecting ability. No matter what method you use it is very simple to make and works just fine!

 I did also read recently of another idea that I would like to try but haven't yet- and that is to soak orange peels in the vinegar before you use the vinegar to make this cleaner. They say it adds a nice smell and cleaning power.

   When I wash windows the method that I like best is to spray them down and then using a scratch/scrubby pad I scrub the window and then using a squeegee (which I wipe dry with a rag after each swipe) I get the whole window streak free. When I do mirrors I simply spray and then wipe with a lint free rag like an old cloth diaper.

  Have a natural and clean house doesn't have to be expensive- in fact it can be much cheaper than one that is filled with chemicals. Give simplicity a try!

I am linking this to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Using our life....

"The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." (William James)

Ken put the quote above on his facebook page today and I like it too so I thought I would share it on here. When I think about what statement means I think of using our life for the good of others. When we invest our time in our children or when we tell others about the saving relationship they can have in Jesus Christ then we have used our life in such a way that will last longer than we do.

 I just want to encourage all of you that no matter what your place in life- you can invest it in such a way that will make a difference!

A Joyful Heart

 "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

Last Monday I was quite sick and some of the kids weren't feeling very good either but somehow by the grace of God we were able to have a good day anyway. It was a day of fever's, achiness and weariness but we laughed anyway. We laughed about the stupid dreams you have when you are sick, we laughed over the weak trying to help the other weak, we laughed about the crazy home remedies that we were trying, we just laughed whenever something seemed even slightly funny.

 As my Great-Grandma used to say (at least according to my Mother) "You might as well laugh as cry."

  I am so very grateful for the gift of Joy that God has given us. It is so nice to be able to find humor in the hard times. Sometimes joy comes easily and sometimes we need to choose it and I admit that I am not always perfect at doing that but I want to be!

 So this week I encourage you to choose Joy! I'll be right there with you!

Rethinking life....



2 sweet kids who had snuggled up next to me on the couch while I was sick.

Yesterday we attended a funeral. A friend's husband had passed away unexpectedly last week at the age of 73. This has been a year of funerals for us as a freind from our Republican group died of cancer at the age of 64 in January. My cousin (30, I believe) passed away from Cancer just shortly after (though I did not attend that funeral as it was in another state) and then my Grandma went to be with her Lord in February.

   Though I am happy that these loved ones can be free from their pain- death is still sobering. We get reminded that death can come at any time and just how very important it is to be ready for it! What a peace there is when you know that the person is ready! And what peace you can have if you know that you are ready!

  With nearly two weeks of our family being sick around here we have had quite a lot of thinking time. A time to consider what is really truly important in life.

  My conclusions (which are that I have a strong relationship with God and people)  aren't really any different than they ever were  but the reminders of death and sickness are good for realizing maybe I should do some reprioritizing.

Here are some of the things that I want to pay more attention to....

~Praising God in every single situation. No matter how I feel!
~Choosing people over things.
~Taking the time to read an extra story or just sit and cuddle on the couch.
~Being alert to sharing God's love in every situation.
~Not pressuring myself to get things done in a certian time with blogging. I had made a list of things I wanted to post about on here back in January and since then I have allowed that list to pressure me.  That is over. I still will try to do what I can but when life gets terribly hectic I am not going to feel pressured to get a project made or make myself post when I just don't feel like it.

 I hope I can be more the person that God wants me to be!

I don't buy..... Lip balm or Chapstick or Lotion

This item of not buying almost feels like a stretch as I have never spent that large of amounts of money or purchased these items that often. Also I just barely figured out the replacement for them but I am rather excited about them so I wanted to share right away!

First off- I have gradually but majorly been reducing my use of lotion for several years now. As I strive to use natural things on my body (as our pores nicely absorb whatever goes on us) and as I try to steer away from unnatural scents- lotions have had to go.

When I didn't use it often I realized I also didn't need it that often. My brother-in-law has had a theory that lotion just makes our hands dry out and after trying going without and my hands were better I did begin to wonder! Sometimes in the winter sometimes especially after washing dishes I would find my hands quite dry- then I would rub coconut oil on them and that worked quite well.

  Just lately I tried something new a fancier than just coconut oil and that is making lotion bars. I had seen the idea here and there and thought it would be fun to try using some of the beeswax from our hives. When I was figuring out a present for my sister's birthday recently I decided to make some to add to her gift.

   I also tried out making lip balm and that went quite well too and works really nicely. Both things were quick to make and I think make very nice little gifts.

 Here are the recipes:

Lip Balm
1 oz. beeswax
1 T. Honey
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
Peppermint oil extract to taste.

In small saucepan or double boiler melt wax (you may want to chop it up small to speed up the process). Add Honey and Oil and mix in well. Pour into tubes or containers and let harden.

Bee's Wax Lotion Bar
1 part beeswax (chopped up)
1 part cocoa butter
1 part coconut oil
Fragrance if desired

In small saucepan or double boiler melt the wax, cocoa butter and oil. Mix well. Add fragrance if desired. Pour into molds and let harden. After hardening pop out of molds and store in sealed container. To apply just rub on your hands.

 I used a tin can for my double boiler and I have an aversion to putting wax on my food dishes and then having to clean it off. Though I don't think these mixtures would be that bad for cleaning off.

 Heart shaped silicone ice cube trays are what I used for the lotion bars.

 I used any little container that I could find for the lip balm. I am going to have to have people start saving empty containers and keep my eye out for ones that would work well.

 Both products turned out very nice and I am so happy to have a couple more things that I can make instead of buy.

 I had everything on hand that we needed to make these so no money was spent but I not only had something for my sister's birthday but stuff for us and for future gifts. I have seen this sort of stuff for sale locally too and people seem rather eager to buy it so I think this could be a good money making opportunity if you cared to pursue it.

I am linking this to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.