I recently moved to a house heated by electric baseboards (yikes!), which means my house is exceptionally dry. When I ran out of my hand cream and the cracks in my knuckles started bleeding where they were cracked (double yikes!), I knew it was time to get on with my plan of making my own. So I started with Minimalist Beauty's DIY Hand and Nail Care recipe, and made a few minor changes.

The recipe calls for equal parts of shea butter, cocoa butter, and grapeseed oil and vanilla absolute oil for the smell.

I did a small bit of research (aka reading reviews of the products from New Directions Aromatics) and decided that I didn't want my hands to smell like cocoa for fear I would constantly be craving it, so decided to substitute aloe butter instead of the cocoa butter. Even though I requested they use as little packaging as necessary, I still felt there was way too much. Especially for a box full of plastic containers!

I also substituted lavender essential oil rather than vanilla, because it was something I already had in my possession, and therefore didn't need to buy. Less waste and less money!

I also went to my local thrift store and got a lovely super thick walled small pot to use. It cost me a whole of $5, and means I don't need to worry about mucking up my cooking pots with these types of experiments.

As per the directions, I put the butters and oil into the pot and put it on the lowest setting to melt.

Butters and oil in the pot

 Once they were melted, I turned off the stove, and let it cool just a bit.

All melted!

I added the lavender, then split up the mixture into small screw top aluminum containers that I got for this purpose. I needed something I could throw in my bag without worrying that the top would come off!

Individual container of liquid hand butter

I then let the containers cool overnight. When I woke up, I had two containers filled with hand and nail butter! No more need to buy hand cream!


After using the hand and nail butter, I decided the formula was too oily for my liking, so I scooped up all of the butter from the containers and put it back into the small pot to melt it down again. I then added another 1.5 oz of each butter and another 10 drops of lavender once the new mixture was cooled.

I am very pleased with the final results, and will continue to make this instead of buying hand cream! It still feels a little bit oily on my skin after putting it on, but it's much better than the first iteration.

Materials to make this cost me $7.37 for 7 oz or approximately 210 mL. Less than half the price of the body butters at the Body Shop, and I have control over the ingredients.

P.S. The containers I got only hold 2 oz each, so I put the remaining 3 oz into a washed out yogurt container. Not as pretty nor transportable, but much better for reducing waste.

As I mentioned in my February Love List update, I started making my own toothpaste. The first attempt wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I've since made another batch and I think I'm ready to share the very simple recipe.

4 tablespoons baking soda 2 tbsp vegetable glycerin 5 drops of organic essential oil in peppermint

Simply mix all the ingredients together in a small container. I use the small stainless bowls I got from Lee Valley Tools for Christmas a few years ago. Thankfully my family understands that I like to get useful items as gifts!

I buy my baking soda in bulk at Domino Foods at the St. Lawrence Market. They never make a fuss about meat me using my own reuseable bags, and they're super friendly!

4 tbsp baking soda

I purchased my vegetable glycerine and peppermint essential oils from New Directions Aromatics. While it`s not completely waste free, since the glycerine came in a plastic bottle and the essential oil in a tiny glass one, it`s still less waste per tube of toothpaste than going to the store to buy a tube.

2 tbsp vegetable glycerine

approx 5 drops peppermint essential oil

In the first batch I used too much glycerine. It wasn't runny, but it separated over the time I was using it. This time I used more baking soda and less glycerine, so I'm hoping the consistency stays about the same.

Mix

I put my toothpaste in an extra GoToob that I had from my travels to store my toothpaste. I used a whole bunch of Toobs when I was in Peru, but my recent foray into zero waste means I use significantly fewer bottled products and don't need all of the Toobs I have anymore. You can bet I'm happy that I've found another use for one of them! They're wonderful for traveling with because they don't leak, are super easy to fill (unless you're trying to fill and take a picture which results in a totally blurry photo as evidenced below), and you can mark what's in the bottle by spinning the top around. Unfortunately "toothpaste" isn't one of the options yet.

Put in a reuseable container.

GoToob filled and ready to go

While this toothpaste takes a little bit of getting used to, I especially like it in the morning. I've never been much of a morning tooth brusher (sorry if you find that gross), but this toothpaste's flavour fades quickly, which means that it doesn't interfere with the taste of my breakfast. R will be happy! :)

You can find other homemade toothpaste recipes at Zero Waste Home and Say No to Trash.

In order to reduce my waste at the bulk food store, I made some simple drawstring bags to use instead of the plastic bags provided.

For this project I used some organic cotton that I found at my favourite Designer Fabrics along with the fabric that I got for my cotton make-up pads and handkerchiefs. I love the cute patter of the girl with a balloon.

I started by deciding approximately how big I wanted the bags to be. I decided on about 8" by 10". I then cut strips of fabric that were 9" by 23".

Cut strips that are 1" wider and twice as long plus 3 inches.

Turn over each edge of the fabric 1/4" to 1/3" and press.

Turn over 1/4"

Press!

Next, turn over the short edges 1" and press.  These will be the spaces for the drawstrings.

Turn and press!

Pressing is done for now.

Next sew the short edges. I used bright teal (fun!) because, as with the make-up pads, I didn't have (truth: my mom didn't have) any white thread.

Sew short edges

Fold the fabric in half so that the short edges are touching and with the good sides together.

Fold in half

Sew the long edges together, either starting or stopping at the you just sewed. You have to be able to get the drawstrings through! I sewed these seams twice, to try to keep leakage of the flour, sugar and other bulk items to a minimum

Sew sides closed

Then again

Finished sewing!

Now it's time to put the drawstrings through.  I find putting two in, one each way, makes it really easy to close the bags when they're full, and tie them shut so they stay that way.

Start by threading both strings through one side. A safety pin really helps with this step

Drawstrings

Next thread one string through the rest of the way.  Tie off and, in my case, melt to seal.

Tie off

Yay fire!

Thread the other string through the other way. Tie off and seal.

Voila!

I made a few of these in a variety of sizes. They're not the same design, but the one I described above is by far the best and easiest to use.  I've spilled quinoa all over my shopping bag with another design. I will be fixing it the next time I'm at my parents and can steal my mom's sewing machine.

Easy reusable baggies

FYI - These are also excellent for storing fresh produce in the refrigerator.

I decided when I started to get to Zero Waste that I would take things as slowly as possible, and replace items with re-useable/bulk options as I run out. Seeing as I knew I was going to run out of the cotton make-up removal pads I use to put toner on my face after washing it, I thought those would be another quick and easy sewing project!

I got some waffle looking cotton that looked absorbent, and it turned out to be very absorbent! I also used some of the leftover white cotton from my tie up shades project!

As with the handkerchiefs, I was pretty lax about getting the fabric square.  I cut each of the fabrics in into 3 inch squares and sewed them together, leaving a small opening in one side so you can turn them right side out.


Clip the corners, then turn them right side out.



Press, making sure that the unsewn part is completely turned under.  Sew around the outside. I used fun pink and teal!


I use each only once to put toner on my face, then wash them in a mesh laundry bag. I figure they'll last longer that way.

I am actually an old woman.  I listen to (and am passionate about) CBC Radio One, I knit, I love hot water with lemon. And now, I use handkerchiefs, rather than facial tissue.

A quick look at my goal to drastically reduce the amount of waste I produce showed me that I need to first reduce the amount of paper products I use. And while I could go out and buy some handkerchiefs, I thought it would be another fun sewing project!

So I headed on over to Designer Fabrics again to find some simple cotton. I ended up with what I think is shirt fabric - it's white with a small blue check. I bought the minimum amount - 1/2 a yard but now I think I've founds something to do with my old work shirts when I can't wear them anymore!

I was pretty lax about getting the fabric square, and it didn't end up being a problem at all.  I just cut the fabric in half lengthwise, and then cut it into squares.


I then pressed (omg, more pressing!) the sides over twice to make a nice seam.



Then sew around the edges. I ran out of white yarn, so I used a pretty blue grey to match the check pattern in the fabric for some of them. A crazy colour might be fun too!


Easy peasy and ready to use!  Making 8 of them took a bit over an hour, and cost about $2!

I think I'm going to put a sewing machine on my Christmas/Birthday list this year!  That way I can visit with my parents when I'm at their house, rather than sitting downstairs using my mom's sewing machine and iron.

I recently moved into a new apartment, and needed some blinds for my room. I figured the neighbours had had enough of a show!

I went to my new favourite fabric store, Designer Fabrics, 1360 Queen Street West. They have a HUGE selection, it's very organized and priced really well. The lady and gentleman who helped me were very friendly and super helpful, and I was able to get some simple white cotton, white black-out backing and ribbon for about $25. I will definitely be returning for my next sewing project!

I wanted something very simple but beautiful - if you noticed them you'd think they were nice, but you might not notice them, and I think what I ended up with turned out perfectly. This is one project that looks as nicely in real life as it did in my head!

To start, measure your window so you know how big to make the shades. The window I wanted to cover is 45" wide and 56" high. You will also want to wash and iron your fabric. My white cotton had a nice little dirt mark on it that came out beautifully in the wash.  Don't forget to do a quick zig-zag stitch around the outside to stop any fraying that might happen.


Lay the fabric out flat and measure 1 inch wider and 4.5 inches taller than your window. In my case, I measured 46" wide and 60.5" high. I cheated and used my dad's drywall square to make sure my shades were perfectly square!


Mark with a pencil or chalk and cut to size. My mom had some blue chalk that was older than me! Good thing it still worked.


Repeat with the backing.

Put the right (out) sides together, pin along the bottom and side edges and sew in a straight line with a 1/2" seam allowance (1/2" from the edge). In my case, neither fabric had a right or wrong side!


Cut the corners to remove bulk and turn the square inside out.  I use my scissors to make sure the corners are nice and square.



Press the edges. There's going to be a lot more pressing.


Sew along the 3 edges.


Lay your square flat again and measure the length plus 4 inches, in my case, 60". Mark this line and press to create a nice .


Measure 1" from this new line, turn and press. This will give you a nice clean line on the back of the shade.


Next, measure 3" from the new line, turn, press and pin.  This will be the pocket for your curtain rod.

Switching for a few seconds to the ties, you will need a length of ribbon 4 times the height of the window. In my case, I needed 224".  Cut this in half. For a bit of extra flair, I cut my ribbons on a 30 degree (approximate) angle.


Now for assembly and final touches!

Measure a quarter of the width of the shades from each side, in my case 11 1/4". This is where the ribbon will be attached. Fold each length of ribbon in half, and place on the top of the shade at the quarter mark. Pin them, making sure the ribbon is parallel with the shade. Sew the curtain rod pocket, approximately 2.5" from the top of the curtain.


Draw your curtain over the curtain rod and put it up! I used a tension rod on the inside of my window


Voila! New shades for a fraction of the cost of what they would cost in the store!

Questions:

Do your DIY projects often turn out the way you think they will?
- Not all of my DIY projects turn out this nicely, I was pleasantly surprised.

What do you think I should do for my next project?
- I am thinking about a wall hanging to keep all of my jewelry on.