How to Make Your Own Air Freshener

I can't believe it's already Thursday! This summer is flying by so fast!

Today I want to share with you how to make your own air freshener!

Air fresheners aren't cheap at the store and who knows what kinda junk we're spraying into our house when we use it. That freaks me out a little.

I love doing this because it's cheap, it's chemical free, and I can make the scent all my own.

{Here's what you need}

Distilled Water

Essential Oil {your favorite scent}

spray bottle

I put about 3 cups of water in my bottle.

 I like my air freshener strong so I usually add between 30-40 drops of the oil into the bottle.

My favorite right now is Jasmine :)

The NOW Essential Oils are my favortie brand. I get mine at GNC. I've also found them at a few different health stores.

 After you add your oils, just give it a good shake and you're ready to go!

I even stuck a handy dandy label on mine. Ooooh :)

Thats it! I usually give the bottle a good shake or two before I use it just to make sure the oil is distributed throughout the water!

Do you make your own air freshener?

What's your favorite scent?

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope you enjoyed!

I'm linking to these parties!!

Jennifer Rizzo

The Shabby Nest

Recipe Trial Tuedays: Taco Soup

Hey everyone!!

I am so sorry I've been MIA lately! My summer course is finishing up so that's  what I've been focusing on lately!

But I'm back...with a super good soup recipe for you! :)

This recipe is SO easy! The hardest part is cooking your hamburger meat...seriously.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef (I use the leanest possible)
1 (1.25) package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15 oz) can mild chili beans
1 (15.25 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (10 oz) can rotel-mild
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1 (1 oz) package ranch salad dressing mix

I'll admit it...I'm not a huge fan of food that comes out of a can. If I need to use it, I'll try to find an organic version of it. I made this at my mom's house so I used what she had on hand. It's still soo good!


While the ground beef is cooking, I go ahead and drain the corn and pinto beans, and add everything {except taco seasoning} together in a big pot!

After the meat is cooked, drained and rinsed, I add the taco seasoning to the meat and cook according to directions.

Then I add the water and meat to the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

{I made double!}

That's it! It's so easy but so good!

I like to add sour cream and cheese to mine. Yum! :)



What's your favorite type of soup?
Are you a soup eater in the summer?

Cleaning Your Refrigerator Coils

Happy Tuesday!!

If you follow us on Facebook, you might have saw that we were painting our living room and kitchen. This was a impromptu weekend project! I love the way it looks now. I'll post some pictures for you soon!

While we were moving things around, I noticed the back of my fridge was GROSS! There was so much dust!

I vacuumed the covering and used my favorite natural all purpose cleaner. I let it dry thoroughly while we finished painting the kitchen and living room.

{Isn't my screwdriver too cute?!}

When I got the covering off, I discovered MORE DUST! I honestly didn't know the fridge coils got so dusty!

Gross!

Then I vacuumed all the dust off the coils. I eventually had to get out the thinnest hose attachment to get further in the back.

Here's the after!

The covering looks a lot better too.

I know it's not perfect but it's soo much better! My fridge started working better immediately and that makes me happy!! I'm adding this to my cleaning schedule to do every few months.

Do you clean your refrigerator coils on a regular basis? Can you tell a difference with the cooling of your fridge?

Thanks for stopping by!

DIY: Etched Glass Jars

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday!

How was your weekend? I spent mine just hanging out with Leroy before he went to work and finishing up some school work. Noting too exciting. Sometimes those are the best weekends! :)

Friday, I guest posted for Bonnie at House of Grace! I love her blog; she is so organized! I did a DIY tutorial for etched glass jars and I wanted to share it with you too!

I love the etched glass look but did NOT want to pay someone to etch a jar that will hold my Q-Tips and cotton balls! I did a little investigating and figured out how to get the same look on my own!

 

First, decide what type of jar want to etch and what you want to put in it.

I got this jar from Hobby Lobby. It was super discounted because there were a couple of little dings on the lid. I got it for about $1.50. Score!

 

Make sure the jar is thoroughly cleaned and use your favorite glass cleaner to get off and fingerprints or smudges.

The first thing we’ll do is tape off the area we want painted. I used Frog tape. It seems to work better than regular blue painter’s tape but use whatever works best for you!

 

I wasn’t too worried about my tape; I just eyeballed it. You could always get a level to make sure everything is nice and straight.

I

Next, we’ll put the lettering on the jar. I wanted my jar to hold Q-tips. I started with the middle letter of the word to make a sure everything was centered.

My favorite letters to use are the cardstock stickers. They’re thicker so their easier to put on and also to remove.

I used an etching cream from Hobby Lobby and a sponge brush to paint the etching cream on.

{I recommend doing this part outside or in a well ventilated area. This cream is strong!}

Now is the waiting game. There is usually a drying time on the back of the etching cream. I think I just ran to the grocery store and then finished the project after I got back.

After the jar is completely dry, rinse it under some warm water in a stainless steel sink. The cream may stain other types of sinks!

Go ahead and peel off the tape and stickers.

Give the jar one last rinse off and you’re done!

Here’s the finished product! It’s subtle but I think it’s really cute! This project would be great for things like sugar or flour…the writing would really pop!

I hope you enjoyed it!

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Mommy by Day Crafter by Night
Jennifer Rizzo