Faux painting with glaze

Have you ever faux painted? It is so easy to do. You just have to have an imagination and a paint brush.

A few weeks ago I painted my night stands, I found it hard to pick a color that i wanted to paint them. I have an oak bedroom suit and my night stands were just primed pine. So, i thought wow I can faux paint them to bring everything together.

There are many different kinds of faux finishing. When painting the night stands I chose to use glaze. When using glaze you will need at least 2 different paint colors, you can use more than 2 if you prefer.

I picked 2 dark colors, chocolate brown and a mustard color. I painted the night stands a chocolate brown color. When the paint was dry to the touch, I mixed the mustard color paint with some glaze and gave it a stir. I used a small container. You don't need to mix a large amount, it will go along way. Then I took  my paint brush and daubed the mustard color all over the top of the night stand. It looked kind of messy. I took a plastic bag, any type will do, and I started daubing the paint over the entire top. Then I mixed some glaze with the chocolate brown color and continued with the same process. You don't need to let the paint dry in between applications ( when faux finishing) , you want the paint to blend together wet. When I was done the top of the night stand looked like a piece of leather. It was beautiful.

I always use a high quality paint brush. I prefer to use a purdy paint brush. The better the paint brush the better the paint job. Good paint brushes are pricey, so you will want clean them after each use. When I clean my paint brushes, I rinse them in hot water to get out as much paint as I can, then I squirt Dawn dishwashing liquid on them and let them soak for a few minutes. When they are done soaking I rinse them in hot water. I lay them out to dry, after they dry I put them back in their covers.

What you will need for this project:

2 paint brushes ( you can use 1, but clean brush after each use)
2 colors of paint
glaze
2 plastic bags (one for each color)

All these products can be bought at your local Home Depot store 

Before

After

Caramel Apple Cake

I love caramels and apples! Yum! This cake is soo good!


               Caramel Apple Cake


1 cup     sugar

1/2 cup butter (softened )

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup milk

1(21oz can) caramel apple pie filling


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a 1 quart baking dish or 9" square pan, cream together sugar and butter then add flour and milk until smooth.

3. Pour the caramel apple pie filling on top.

4. Bake 25-30 mins until center is done.


I really enjoyed this cake! I had mine with a hot cup of coffee and it was delicious!

Dr Bronner's magic soap

Have you ever tried Dr Bronners 18-in-1 magic soaps? Oh my, if you haven't you don't know what you are missing! They are wonderful!

Dr Bronners liquid castile soaps and bars are 100% organic and made with vegetable oils. They come in 8 different scents and have countless uses.

I mainly use the peppermint liquid castile soap in my shampoo and hand soap. Peppermint smells so good! It gives you a little tingly feeling. You don't have to use much of it at a time, like my Mom used to say "a little dab will do you".

When I mix my shampoo I use a 1:1 ratio, one cup of liquid castile soap and one cup of distilled water. I always use distilled water because germs will not grow in it. I just mix the shampoo  in a empty shampoo bottle. My hair seems like it is healthier and grows faster since I have started using this shampoo. 

When I mix my hand soap I use a 1:3 ratio, 1/4 cup of liquid castile soap and 3/4 cup of distilled water. I just mix the hand soap in an empty hand soap bottle. You can use these ratios when mixing any of the liquid castile soaps.

Dr Bronner's liquid castile soap may seem a little pricey but, it has countless uses. It will last a long time, these soaps lather very well.  These soaps leave you feeling clean and fresh.

Peppermint shampoo

1 cup Dr Bronner's peppermint liquid castile soap
1 cup distilled water

Mix in empty shampoo bottle and give it a little shake.

Peppermint hand soap

1/4 cup Dr Bronner's liquid castile soap
3/4 cup distilled water

Mix in empty hand soap bottle and give a little shake.

You can use these recipes with any of the 8 scents of the liquid castile soaps.

More to come!

theblissfulhomemaker

Keep your shower clean in less than 5 min a day!

I like to have a sparkling clean shower all the time! When I do my hard cleaning of the shower, I want it to stay that way. I have a great way of keeping the shower clean. It does not cost a lot!

I use vinegar and dawn dishwashing liquid! ( I keep these products on hand) I also bought a dish scrubber. I mix equal parts vinegar  and dawn in the dish scrubber. You can use any dish liquid you have on hand. 

When I first get in the shower, I give it a quick scrub. While I am taking a shower the water will rinse off the cleaner from the shower.

I do this everyday to keep that shower clean. It is easier to clean when I do my hard scrubbing once a week. Happy scrubbing!

More to come!

         theblissfulhomemaker

Getting rid of spiders

I don't like spiders!  I am so thankful spiders can't fly! Oh my if they did I would have to live in a bubble.

I like to use all natural products, so i researched a way of getting rid of spiders with something natural. Ooh there is a way!

I put some distilled water in a spray bottle and added about 12 drops of peppermint essential oil, then I gave it a little shake. Ta da spider spray!

It works great! I spray it around all my doors and windows. I have not seen a spider since I started  using the spider spray!

Spider Spray

1 cup distilled water
12 drops of peppermint essential oil.

Put in spray bottle. Give it a little shake and get rid of the spiders!




More to come!

            theblissfulhomemaker

cleaning on a dime!

When I look the prices of cleaners, I am in shock! There has got to be a cheaper way to clean!

There is! Baking soda  and Vinegar! It works great!

This is how I clean with baking soda and vinegar!, I put some vinegar in a spray bottle, then I sprinkle some baking soda on whatever I am cleaning, I can hear it cleaning already! It sounds like it is sizzling! I leave it for about 10-15 mins, then I get my scrub brush and start scrubbing. When I am done scrubbing, I give it a quick rinse and it is sparkling clean!

I clean my shower, toilet, sinks (bathroom and kitchen) and counter tops with baking soda and vinegar. They are sooo sparkling clean without having to buy those expensive cleaners!

Cleaning with baking soda and vinegar has its advantages, no harsh fumes, natural ingredients and easy on the wallet!




More to come!
         blissfulhomemaker
       

cleaning a cast iron skillet!

I have read a lot of things on the web about cleaning tips. There is so much out there! Sometimes it is overwhelming. 

I want to share with you some of the things that i have read and some tips that I have learned over the years. I like to think out side the box. Sometimes I look at things and im like,  there has got to be a better way to do things? Is there a easier way? 

 I often cook bacon in my large cast iron skillet. When i get the bacon out of the pan there is a lot of grease left in the pan. I do not  like to clean the grease out of the pan. It is very difficult. 

So, i was reading on the web about cleaning pots and pans. Trying to find a better way to clean that grease out of that pan. I found a picture of someone cleaning a cast iron skillet with kosher salt. I had to try it! Oh my it worked! 

I put the cast iron skillet under hot water got as much of the grease out that i could. I put kosher salt in the pan. I then grabbed my dish cloth and started scrubbing. I didn't have to scrub hard, just rubbed the salt in the pan. Then I put the pan under hot water again and viola it was clean! It only took me about 5 minutes to clean the pan! 


More to come!
          blissfulhomemaker