Thursday, July 15, 2010

Fun, Easy, and Green



How many of you have thought...."I wish I could make that!" Well I thought that with the packets of dye for tie dye. When I was in Kenya working with my friend's amazing family we tie died some shirts. The kids has a blast and it was really easy. It was not much money but I did have to bring over the dye.

So last week I was thinking about how much fun I had dying the shirts with the girls and seeing their faces was a great moment. A friend of mine will be celebrating her little man's 1st birthday this upcoming weekend and I wanted to get a fun gift. I really wanted to make him a tie dye shirt but I did not want to go buy the dye.

With the internet as my guide I found some info on making natural homemade dye from spices, plants, and food! So I looked around to see what I had and found I could make yellow, orange, blue(ish), and brown.

For Yellow:
I took 2 lemons and took the peal off and boiled them in water (2 1/2 cups) for 1hour. Flitered it and stored in a glass jar.

For Blue:
I peeled one red onion and placed the peals in water and boiled for 1hour. Filtered it and added one drop of blue food coloring and stored in glass jar.

For Orange:
I boiled water with Paperkika (3Tlb) for 1hour. Filtered it added one drop of red food coloring and stored in a glass jar.

For Brown:
Boil 1/4 cup of used coffee grounds for 1hour. (I had a three year old wanting to get starting with the dying process so I did not let it boil for an hour. Because it was a very light brown I added one drop of blue food coloring. It became more like a ocean green. It was fun and worked in a pinch.) Filter and store in a glass jar.

To make fun lines, shapes, and what not add your rubber bands to a white shirt. Make use the bands are tight. I placed some of each color into glass blows (if you are seeing I use glass a lot, I do! They are green and reusable and the color will not stain it.) Now that the colors are in blows....HAVE FUN! Dip the part of the shirt you want in each color. Dip over and over again to make the color darker. When you are done place the shirt in a plastic bag. Let it stand as long as you can. The longer it stands the stronger the colors will be. When you are ready take the bands off and rise in cold water.

Have fun with your new shirt! I know I will have a great time giving the cute little guy his tie-dye birthday gift! If you have any questions please feel free to comment or contact me.

Here Is to Jumping!


Have you ever felt that peace that comes from standing next to a cliff? I have, I am. There is something to be said about the feeling that comes over you as you are standing there (just so we are clear the cliff is a metaphor not a real cliff!) and God is taking your hand, leading you towards the edge, and whispering “trust me. I got this. JUMP!” It may sound odd to those that have not been there but I bet there are many that are nodding their heads right now agreeing.

It is not an easy road to walk down and get to the point where the peace ever so present and the knowing that God is asking you to jump. By any means it is not easy at all. It is more like getting 10 teeth pulled in the same day or trying to build up the nerve to tell that person what your heart is screaming at you to say. But, when you are finally on the edge of the cliff you look back and see that the path was worth every tear, bead of sweat, and sleepless night. For what you are feeling now is more then peace! God is holding your hand, He is pointing you in the way to go, and even when you see just the end of the cliff you trust because you KNOW something great is on the other side.

For the last week I have been on the not so comfortable path. There is a funny sense when you come to the point where God says jump and you do it. You may not know all the details but God has made it clear that this is what He has for you. Even with all the questions about money, time, what happens if…. and all that other stuff we worry wart humans think about, a PEACE falls on you when God saying jump. So as the “what ifs” and “will if this” plays out in our heads suddenly they were pushed to the side and God has lead me to the place where all you can do now is JUMP and TRUST! My heart still skips a beat every now and then but my spirit feels right at peace. Even in this funny limbo dance there is peace. Have you felt this way? Are you feeling this way?

God really does want the best for you. He has a plan that may be unclear and uncharted to you but there is a rhyme and reason behind it. God has a great way of giving us gifts, passions, and talents can really shape how we live our lives. The ten thousand dollar question is if we willing to let is shape our lives? As I stood on the edge of the cliff getting up the courage to jump and trust I thought about all the great woman in my life. How many of them have stood where I was standing, how many of them have asked the same “what if”? My heart felt so much joy and freedom as I jumped…….how many have felt that? No matter the age there is something God is leading you to. It may be a small cliff, it may be a large one, it may even be one that changes your life forever! Isn’t worth it?

I am glad I jumped. It was hard, scary, and not what I wanted to do but even now; when my feet are not yet fully on the other side of the cliff, I know it was what I was meant to do. My prayer and hope for every woman feels the leading of God to the edge of the cliff and follows. And when it is time to jump….I pray they close their eye’s hold on to God’s hand and take the biggest and highest jump they can. When they land I pray they look back and see how God lead them to where they are meant to be!

So here is to jumping and trusting ladies!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Passionate Homemaking

Over the last few months I have had the joy of reading and following a blog that is all about Green, Biblical, and simple living. It is full of great tips and tools. The lady running the blog has now added some weekly contributors and their writings are GREAT! Also there are some great giveaways! This week there is one for a dehydrator!!!!

A dehydrator in your home is a great way to make healthy snacks and also a savvy way to be green and frugal! Hope you all check out the blog for the great tips and sign up for the giveaway.

www.passionatehomemaking.com