I love making things- be it a cute DIY project, natural beauty recipes, a cleaning product, or even a decorative printable. And I know there are lots of other DIY-ers out there who agree with me! So this holiday season, I thought I would share some awesome homemade gifts that people ACTUALLY want.

I’ve given out almost every single thing on the list as a gift, and with great responses to all! In fact I have yet to give #1 to a person and NOT have them ask me to make them more.

So, here are my favorite 15 awesome gifts you can make:

1. Aloe Vera Moisturizer

This is one of my favorite homemade gifts. Regardless of gender, everyone needs a good quality moisturizer in the winter. This aloe vera moisturizer is so gentle, and yet so moisturizing, that it works with most skin types.

As I mentioned above, every SINGLE person I have given this to as a gift has asked me for more. So I thought it makes sense to start the list with my favorite. I always have plenty of aloe on hand to make this in the winter!

supplies you’ll need

2. Peppermint Body Butter

This peppermint body butter makes a perfect Christmas gift. It’s festive, cute, all natural, and amazingly moisturizing. The pink stripe is actually made without any food dye and the recipe is without any artificial additives. It’s so natural you could eat it and be fine- but I wouldn’t recommend it, even if it smells amazing.

supplies you’ll need

3. Gingerbread Candles

Nothing says Christmas more than gingerbread! I love the smell so much, I knew I had to replicate it for an awesome holiday candle. Candle making may sound intimidating, but trust me, it’s easy! The custom blend of scents smells like freshly baked gingerbread, and is sure to get anyone in the holiday mood.

supplies you’ll need

4. Custom Sign

I love making custom signs! This DIY may be a little more difficult if you aren’t a crafty person, but it is definitely doable. These make such a great gift because they are completely customized. Plus once you figure out this method you can use it to make all kinds of homemade decor for yourself and others.

supplies you’ll need

5. Mint Chocolate M&M’s Fudge

I made this awesome mint chocolate fudge recipe and it is SUPER delicious. It makes a great gift that you can make in bulk for friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers. Lars became the hero of his office when he brought this fudge in last year. The mint chocolate flavor is perfect for Christmas, and the fudge is actually cute to boot.

supplies you’ll need

6. Laundry Detergent Tabs

These laundry detergent tabs are awesome! They are completely green and natural, and they’re easy and inexpensive to make. They make a great gift for someone you know loves to live a natural lifestyle. Who doesn’t love clean clothes, right?

supplies you’ll need

7. Cocoa Butter Body Lotion

Can you tell how much I love giving natural beauty products for gifts? They always get an amazing response. This cocoa butter body lotion is so deeply moisturizing. It feels so luxurious and expensive. It will make your giftees feel like a million bucks while only costing you a few!

supplies you’ll need

8. Homemade Lip Balm

Everyone uses lip balm, right? This homemade lip balm makes a perfect gift. I gave someone a tube once, and they told me it was “better than Bert’s.” So that’s a pretty great endorsement! It’s an easy gift to make for stocking stuffers, or as part of a gift basket, or when you just want to give someone something small.

supplies you’ll need

9. DIY No Sew Reuseable Duster

Everyone has to dust. But who likes buying disposable duster heads? They’re so costly and wasteful. This DIY washable duster head requires no sewing, and works like a charm. Since they are so easy and inexpensive to make, they make a really great gift.

supplies you’ll need

10. Green Tea Scrub

Green tea is amazing for your skin. This awesome green tea scrub is so healthy, and it smells amazing. Anyone would love to get it as a gift. This one has been highly requested by friends and family. It makes your skin feel fresh and moisturized.

supplies you’ll need

11. Etched Soap Dispenser

A cute dish soap dispenser next to the sink really makes it look better. You would never notice how big a difference it makes until you replace a plastic bottle with this adorable etched soap dispenser. That’s why it makes such a great gift- everyone uses dish soap, or hand soap.

supplies you’ll need

12. Aloe Vera Face Wash

This aloe vera face wash makes a great gift alone or with my aloe vera moisturizer. It’s one of the more popular posts on my site, and people really seem to love it! I used it exclusively for over 2 years, but I’ve since added a few more products to my rotation. It’s a great gift for the natural beauty maven you know!

supplies you’ll need

13. Peanut Butter Cookies

Everyone loves cookies. These peanut butter cookies are so easy to make with only 3 ingredients, and they are gluten free! They are a great gift that you can make in bulk to give to lots of people, or for just one person. Or for yourself. Because you might not want to share these awesome cookies!

supplies you’ll need

14. Essential Oil Kit

Essential oils are awesome because they can be used in so many ways. If you make a kit by putting together a few classic oils, and maybe even a diffuser, it makes a great gift. You could even do seasonal ones, like a christmas themed kit with cinnamon, ginger, and pine.

supplies you’ll need

15. Homemade Shower Soothers

The height of gift-giving season is also the height of cold season. These DIY Shower Soothers are a perfect gift that someone can use when they’re sick, or just for a relaxing shower that smells great. You can package them in a mason jar- which would look adorable! Who wouldn’t love that?

supplies you’ll need

The post 15 Awesome Homemade Gifts that People Actually Want appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

The holidays are coming fast! I always get nervous about having people in my home for the holidays. Especially at this busy time of year, things get messy and disorganized quickly. In my dream world I would have days and hours to clean everything up, but I usually only have a short time to fit it in. There are a few sure fire things I do to prep my house for guests to make it visitor ready in 30 minutes or less.

This list is prioritized in the order that tasks should be done. The first few make the biggest difference, so if you have a limited amount of time you can focus on doing as much cleaning as you can in order. Make it through as many steps as you can in 30 minutes.

You can also tweak the order to suit your needs. If your house is one major dust ball, you can always move that up higher on the list, and the same applies to any of these. Although I do always recommend starting with “manage the clutter” because it makes the biggest difference.

If you do it right, you’ll be able to fake a super clean and guest-ready home in 30 minutes!

1. Manage the clutter

Do you know why all the awesome decor pictures in magazines and on Pinterest always look amazing?

No clutter.

There’s no papers strewn about, or toys on the floor. No empty glasses are left sitting on the coffee table, and no board games are sitting out half finished on the kitchen table. Surfaces and floors are clear of clutter.

To me, this is the step that makes the biggest difference. When all your clutter is out of sight, your house will look at least 50% cleaner.

So the first thing you should do is gather all the clutter in any areas guests will be, and put them in some kind of box or basket. A laundry basket can work well for this. And then put the basket out of sight, in a closet or in a corner of the room.

And voila, your house will appear magically cleaner!

And think broadly in terms of what you can consider clutter. Even if you usually have 10 jackets hanging on the hooks by the front door, those can be put away for guests. The same goes for shoes. Entryways are always important to have extra room when guests come, because their things will end up adding to whatever clutter is there already.

This isn’t a long term solution, just a quick fix. In general if you specify a location that every item in your home belongs, you’ll find you have much less clutter. Maintenance is usually the easiest way to keep your home guest ready.

2. First impressions

First impressions matter!

Whatever the first impression of your home is will affect how comfortable your guests feel in your entire home. If you make the first impression positive, they will think the rest of the house is cleaner. Psychology is strange, but it works.

So consider what your guests will see first, and make sure that space is clutter free and clean. For me the biggest thing is my kitchen island, which you can see from the front door. Keeping it clean and clear of debris and any clutter makes the entire house feel cleaner. Even something as simple as moving a recipe print out from the island to the counter makes it feel cleaner.

3. Sweep and vacuum

It’s amazing what a difference it makes to have clean floors. Your home could be covered in clutter, or spills on the counters, and as long as your floors are clean, it won’t feel icky or dirty.

If your guests come in and take their shoes off, they don’t want to be stepping on yesterday’s crumbs (all though I’ll admit I’ve been guilty of this at times!) Walking on a floor that doesn’t have any dust or crumbs makes you feel like the house is clean, no matter what else is going on.

For us one of the major floor messes is dog toy stuffing. Our pup likes to tear up his toys faster than we have the energy to pick up all the fluff. Just getting the fluff off the floor makes the house look and feel much cleaner.

So even if your floors aren’t amazingly gleaming and shiny, just getting dust and debris off will make a huge difference. Walking on a clean floor is a sure way to make your guests feel comfortable. I’m in love with our dyson vacuum which makes vacuuming go so quickly.

4. Tackle odors

Smell is such a powerful sense. A house can look clean, but if it doesn’t smell nice, nothing else matters. Luckily smells can be a pretty quick fix.

Scented candles, a quick spritz of some homemade febreeze, or simmering some apples and cinnamons on the stove can make a big difference.

5. Clean all surfaces

Do a quick wipe down of surfaces in rooms your guests will see. Clean up bathroom and kitchen countertops, and also wipe down any coffee or side tables. A quick cleaning will make such a big difference. My reusable cleaning wipes are perfect for this.

I think the bathrooms make the biggest difference. When there is no dust and hair all over the place, it feels so much cleaner. Getting the toothpaste gunk off the sink really just makes it look that much better.

Clean surfaces will make your guests feel comfortable to rest their hands or arms on surfaces. After all, there’s nothing that feels ickier than accidentally placing your hand on something sticky. Clean surfaces are the way to go.

6. Dust major areas

If you have time to make it to this step, your house will already be looking almost guest ready. Dusting is just a little extra bonus to your hosting-friendly home.

Hopefully your house isn’t super dusty, but if it is make sure to give it a little extra oomph with homemade dusting spray.

You know best where dust collects in your house. Focus on visible areas (don’t worry about tackling the top of the kitchen cabinets this very second). If you have time to, dusting the baseboards will make your house feel so much cleaner. But that’s really just icing on the cake.

7. Mop floors

Nothing says clean like a good shine! Taking a few minutes to mop and shine wood, laminate, and tile floors will make your guests think that your house is the height of cleanliness. I make an awesome homemade wood floor cleaner that really gives it an awesome shine.

If you make it all the way to step 7, your house will be spic and span. Or, at least your guests will think it is. They don’t need to see the giant box of clutter in the closet, right?

Anyways, this last step will give your house that extra boost. Shiny floors are the ultimate “this house is so clean” message. The look and feel of them is so inviting.

So there you have it! Use these steps to get your house guest-ready in 30 minutes or less. No one has to know how messy you really are, right?

Enjoy hosting!

My favorite cleaning supplies

The post Cleaning for the Holidays in 30 Minutes or Less appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

First of all- what is green cleaning? As I see it, green cleaning means using products that are not harmful to your health, the public’s health, and the environment. It means using simple, natural, clean products that work. It means using products that you can feel confident about.

I know some people are hesitant about green cleaning- it’s a big undertaking. It doesn’t have to mean making all your own products, but it does mean considering the ingredients, the manufacturing, the packaging, and the long term environmental effects of the products you use. But trust me- it is simpler than it sounds!

If you’ve clicked this link, I’m assuming that you’re at least a little interested in green cleaning. There are plenty of benefits of green cleaning- more than I can list right now! I can tell you that I haven’t regretted making the switch to green cleaning one bit. It has been so great for me and my family. I definitely love it! So, here are what I think are the top 3 reasons you should be green cleaning:

1. Your health

I can’t be the only one who has felt terrible when using conventional cleaning products. I used to have to take breaks and sit down when scrubbing my shower because the fumes from the products would make me dizzy and give me a headache. You (or your family) shouldn’t ever feel worse because you want a clean home. There’s something very wrong with that picture.

The not-so-great ingredients in conventional cleaning products can range from mild skin irritants, to endocrine disruptors, all the way to full blown carcinogens. You shouldn’t have to wonder whether a cleaning product is going to give you cancer!

Green cleaning means using only products that will not negatively affect your health. In fact, some of them would even be safe to eat (although I wouldn’t recommend it!). Healthy ingredients and healthy products can make you feel confident about what you have in your home.

2. The environment

There are so many different ways that conventional cleaning products can harm the environment- from the manufacturing process, to the way they are packaged, the way they are transported, their ingredients, and how they accumulate in the environment after you use them.

When it comes down to it, you want to be confident about what you are sending down your drain and out into the world. You’re heard the horror stories- especially about aquatic life. Some cleaning products we use can really do a lot of harm to the environment. Simple alternatives are almost always better.

When it comes down to it- all the benefits of green cleaning are connected. If you’re putting less harmful things in your trash and your water, your health will benefit. After all, there’s just about nothing else as important as clean water. Humans, plants, and animals can’t survive without it.

Green cleaning means using products and supplies that are not doing to damage the environment.

3. Saving money

Green also represents money- and that’s no accident. Becoming a green cleaning home can save you real money. Almost all of my green cleaning recipes cost significantly less than their conventional counterparts, like my awesome dishwasher detergent tabs that only cost 9 cents a load!

Cleaning supplies can be costly! They can really eat up a good portion of your household budget if you aren’t careful. And companies that sell cleaning supplies are probably telling you that what you have isn’t enough or that your home wont be clean if you don’t use commercial cleaners. Honestly, it just all adds up.

What if I told you that you can clean pretty much your entire home with some dish soap, baking soda, and vinegar. Sure, I use more than that to make more effective cleaners- but simple is great. And so much less expensive! A little hot water and dish soap go a long way- for your wallet!

Green cleaning does NOT mean breaking the bank to keep your home tidy!

So- are you ready to make the switch?

Then download my free guide- the 5 Step Switch to Green Cleaning! Just click below to sign up and download!

some of my favorite green cleaning supplies

The post Why should you start green cleaning? appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

This week I was popping some veggies in the oven, and I actually took a good look inside for the first time in a while… Gah- it was so dirty! I can’t be the only one who always forgets that the oven is dirty… when the door is closed you don’t see it. And it’s so easy to be distracted while cooking and not actually look at how dirty your oven is.

But I saw it this time. And man was it dirty. I knew I had to come up with a solution.

So I opened my cupboard to check out what ingredients I have- and I decided to whip up the world’s simplest homemade oven cleaner. It only uses 2 ingredients, and it costs less than 25 cents! You really can’t beat that. Plus- it works!

Can you guess the ingredients?

Baking soda and water!

(and essential oils, if you want, it will make it smell amazing!)

You may or may not know how much I love baking soda… but I’m kind of crazy for it. So just why do these two ingredients work?

When you mix them together, they form a paste that is just abrasive enough to remove set in stains while also being gentle enough not to scratch your oven. Baking soda is great at cutting through dirt and grease.

All right, here are the official instructions:

You may or may not appreciate how difficult the burnt in stains are to remove from your oven, but baking soda really did the trick! I had to scrub pretty hard on some of the worst spots, but my homemade oven cleaner did a great job cleaning.

Just check out the before and after below:

What a difference! It’s amazing how effective such a simple combination of ingredients is at cleaning.

I’m so glad my oven is clean now. Next time I open it up, I won’t have to cringe. Together with a round of my awesome granite cleaner, my kitchen is gleaming and clean!

So what do you think- ready to clean that oven? Let me know how this homemade oven cleaner goes for you!

supplies used in this post

The post Homemade Oven Cleaner: Green, Easy, and only 2 Ingredients! appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

About a year ago, I decided to search as much as I could to find the best source for essential oils. I read reviews, I read articles about essential oils, and I bought and used the oils myself. I searched until I decided I found the best quality oils for the best price.

There are a few essential oils companies that popped up often in my search- but some of them are multilevel marketing companies. Not that there is anything wrong with that- but it just means that their oils are slightly more costly to include the fee for the consultants, so they were ruled out. Other companies were ruled out by price, or quality, or both.

So after lots of scouring and testing, I’ve found what I consider to be the best source for essential oils:

Rocky Mountain Oils

And I’m going to tell you why they’re so great. So what makes Rocky Mountain Oils better than the rest?

1. sourcing

Rocky Mountain Oils sources all their ingredients from trusted suppliers that meet their stringent guidelines. They source organic ingredients as much as possible. They source their ingredients from all over the world, so they are grown in their native environments. This means their ingredients are the highest quality by being grown in the best possible environment.

2. quality and purity

RMO’s essential oils are always the best quality. They are either steam distilled or cold pressed, which are the best methods for extracting oils. They never contain adulterants or additives, and are completely pure.

Their oils are from the first distillation or pressing. This means that their oils retain the most therapeutic qualities and scents from the ingredients. Oils that come from second or third distillations are like making a second or third cup of coffee using the same grinds- they do not retain the same taste, smell, quality, or benefits of the first cup (or distillation).

3. third party quality testing and transparency

RMO obsessively analyzes all their oils to make sure they meet their standard of quality. Every batch goes through more than 4 types of quality testing, including testing by third parties that have no stake in providing falsely positive information. Even better than that, their testing results for any batch are all available for customers or potential customers to read themselves.

4. customer service

RMO has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you aren’t happy with your purchase for any reason, you can get a complete refund within 90-days, no questions asked. The oils can be opened and used, and they will pay your return shipping fee. Their customer service is absolutely top notch.

5. price

Not only are their oils the best quality, they are also the best price point. They sell directly to consumers to keep overhead costs lower and keep the price affordable to you. Their shipping is free for any orders within the US, which provides huge savings.

The post My Favorite Source for Essential Oils appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

The average American household goes through 150 toilet paper rolls a year. That may not sound like a lot to you, but there are 125 million households in America. That makes the total number of toilet paper rolls used annually in the US more than 17 BILLION. Stop and let that sink in.

I’m always looking to reduce my footprint and make our home a little greener. So naturally, when I heard about Scott Tube-Free toilet paper, I was instantly intrigued. No toilet paper tubes to toss or recycle? It sounded good to me.

And it is good; in fact it’s even better than I expected. I am still thinking to myself- how has NO ONE ever thought of this before? It’s the best thing since tubed toilet paper (and sliced bread too).

You can see in these photos that the Scott Tube-Free toilet paper rolls are exactly the same as any standard rolls with tubes. In fact, once they’re on your toilet paper holder, you can’t even tell the difference. We’ve been using ours for over a week with many a guest coming by and no one has noticed at all.

In fact, I made this handy little GIF so you can see how they function exactly the same as tubed toilet paper.

They’re easy to take on and off the toilet paper holder, and they roll smoothly. Better yet, the toilet paper is still soft and cushiony. We can make our lives greener without changing our lifestyle, and this product proves it!

My regular readers will know that I don’t do many product reviews, so when I do, I TRULY endorse the product. I love Scott Tube-Free and I’m definitely switching our household over. That’s 150 less toilet paper rolls a year… and the more people who use it, the less that ends up in the landfill!

Small steps can have a big impact on the environment. If even 1% of Americans started using Tube-Free toilet paper, it would save over 170 million tubes a year.

I love being able to reduce waste without sacrificing quality or convenience. Every time I use our new toilet paper, I wonder to myself how NO ONE has ever made the product before. It’s brilliant!

Toilet paper has had cardboard tubes for over 100 years. The tubes are completely unnecessary! It’s one of those things you don’t think about because you are used to it- but once the tubes are gone, you’ll wonder why we ever had them.

After hearing how many toilet paper rolls Americans go through, I started thinking about how much space they all take up. In two minutes, Americans go through 66,000 toilet paper rolls. If you watch this video, you can see just how BIG a pile of 66,000 toilet paper rolls is (with a little comedic relief thrown in).

And that’s only two minutes worth. Imagine a pile of 17 billion cardboard tubes! Think of the difference it would make if we all tossed the tube.

If you’re ready to go tube free, you can pick up a Scott Tube-Free coupon here! You wont regret making the switch.

The post Toss the Tube: Tube Free Toilet Paper appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

When you accidentally spill on your carpet, it’s like you’re watching it in slow motion. And if you’re anything like me, you’re scrambling to fix it! Luckily, I’ve found an easy solution that works every time. It’s all natural, green, and costs less than 30 cents.

My homemade carpet cleaner and this homemade carpet stain remover make the perfect combo! You can easily use both to keep your carpets fresh, clean, and unstained!

All you need to remove a stain is to use the chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar, and it will lift the stain right up! It’s like magic. It works so well, I was confident enough to stain my own new carpet on purpose to make this video:

And just to make things a little easier, in case you don’t like watching videos, here is how you do it:

Can you believe how easy it is? This carpet is my favorite in our home, and I use it all the time because it’s in my office, which is my favorite room in the house. I wouldn’t risk it unless I KNEW I could get the stain out for sure. This stain remover works for me every single time.

And, let’s admit it, it’s fun to make baking soda and vinegar react and fizzle. That’s just an added bonus.

Well, what do you think? Try this out at home and let me know how it goes for you!

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It’s so easy to overlook cleaning your carpets. Vacuuming feels like enough most of the time, right? But they really do need a good cleaning regularly to keep them nice and fresh and make sure there isn’t anything unpleasant lurking in there. After all, carpets are great places for mold and pests to hide. And those are two things I really try to avoid in my home. So this super easy two-ingredient carpet cleaner takes 5 minutes to make and costs less than fifty cents!

Did I mention it is also all natural and green? You can avoid all the synthetic chemicals in store bought carpet cleaners. I generally believe simple is better, and this cleaner definitely lives up to that principle. That’s why I love green cleaning so much!

This carpet cleaner is great to use for regular cleaning and deodorizing, but it isn’t a spot stain remover. It will prevent and treat icky odors and mold from permeating your carpet, so it definitely has its purpose and is extremely useful. If you do want a spot stain remover, head on over and read this post about removing carpet stains.

This recipe has only two super simple AND effective ingredients:

• Baking soda: gets rid of funky and unpleasant smells, gentle, non-toxic, and natural.
• Borax: kills and prevents mold and pests, disinfectant

And it couldn’t be easier to make.

*As with any new cleaning product, it’s always good to spot test the cleaner before you do this to make sure it doesn’t affect the fabric.

I got this adorable carpet at home goods, and I use it in my office. It gets a lot of trampling day to day, especially from my dog Biscuit. So after almost 3 months of use, I figured it was about time for a good cleaning. I sprinkled the carpet cleaner all over and it worked like a charm!

All right- this is the before photo.. just a little bit of yellowing and unfreshness, but not tons.

Before

And this is the after picture! I will admit I left the homemade carpet cleaner on overnight because I can be a bit lazy… but it worked its charm. I used it on only half the carpet and did a smell test… and it definitely helped remove some of the smell!

After

I told you it was easy!

My carpet feels much fresher now. Yay for homemade cleaners!

Let me know how making your own homemade carpet cleaner goes for you.

supplies used in this post

The post Homemade Carpet Cleaner and Deodorizer appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.