DIY: Camo Shorts made into Camo SKIRT

I had found this pair of boys camo shorts at the thrift store sometimes last summer... it took until now for the strong detergent smells to actually be rain blasted out of them (on my clothes line!) ....
I was hoping to make camo short-shorts out of them, but i am actually not that skilled in sewing and they just didn't fit quite right to transform them easily (too much space in the crotch for boy junk!)
So here is a quick sewing trick you can use with boys shorts, your own shorts, old pants, thrifts jeans, etc....
It really is simple as 1,2,3 !!!
.....................................................
STEP 1 ::
Cut off the legs of the shorts or pants to the length you want your skirt. (see pic above) You can make a knee length or tiny mini!
STEP 2 ::
Cut along the crotch seam. Then along the seams in the front a back...

STEP 3 ::

Fold the cut pieces over on top one another to create skirt shape (like inthe pic below, left folded over right). Sew along the new lines they makes, and cut off any excess from the bottom.

FINISHED!!!!!!!!!

Some majorly militia redneck shit going on here!..... i can't decide whether i would like to make my skirt shorter or not? Or maybe take in the sides?

Either way... hardcore!

XOxoxoxox

The Sh!t I Don't Buy (or use)

For the last ten years I have not bought traditional (aka toxic) house cleaners, dish soaps, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, or deoderant. No, I don't shop lift them or get them for free... I stopped using that stuff and here is how it all started:::
*
When I got diagnosed with Celiac Disease I was told that not only would my diet be changed but also anything I used as a personal care product, on any surface in my home or on my body needed to be gluten free also. Back in the day I already ate organic, and when I sent out nearly 100 letters and far more phone calls to companies trying to search for gluten free & healthy alternatives to clean up with not one company could say they were safe for me to use. Lawsuit worries, combined with the fact that gluten is in nearly every product Americans purchase in ways you would never guess.
What happened at the time was I was really sick, mostly bed ridden, mostly in a wheelchair and I thought 'what the hell, who needs that shit anyway!'
It wouldnt matter if I didn't use shampoo, it wasn't like I had a HAwT date while I was half dead and 80 pounds.
Much to my OCD mother's dismay, I began a life of chemical and gluten free discoveries about ways to naturally keep me and my home clean without creepy goops, sprays, lotions, potions that all came in wasteful packaging anyhow. My hair took a few weeks to adjust. My skin seemed to never care. My mom swore she suddenly could smell my armpitts (even though I had not put on deoderant for years prior to that time)... but I soldiered on.
And now ten years later...
*
Here are the 'cleaners' I use instead of store bought products::::

1. Shampoo/Conditioner ---> Hot water plus Salt (or) Boiled lemon with lavender (or)Straight lemon squeeze (or) Vinegar (rarely unless i do something stupid like put olive oil in my hair to make it beautiful only to discover I can't get it to wash out for 3 weeks!)

2. Deoderant ---> I do like the europeans. Just wipe um' and go. Covering up your special hormonal scent is going to get ya in bed with the wrong kinda guy.

3. Mopping ---> I mop with water mixed with vinegar and baking soda. Alternately if you are not scent sensitive you can use an essential oil mixed in water to mop with, I use cypress.

4. Kitchen/Bathroom ---> A blender helps with this, cause if you blend ginger & lemon it makes an amazing surface cleaner. The ginger will eat through the nasty build up on your stove too! If you don't have a blender, using a lemon or vinegar straight up is good... i use apple cider vinegar cause it's gluten free.

5. Dishes ---> Hot water with fresh squeezed lemon. When something needs a scrub I use salt. If a pot has something caked/burned on the bottom boiling a lemon with water in that pot and letting it soak helps lift the skank.

6. Detergant ---> Baking soda ( and/or apple cider vinegar) works the best on clothes. Lemons are ok, but I don't think the PH is good for the clothes on a regular basis, especially natural fiber clothing.

*
Much of the products people use these days are hype. We are led to believe by advertising that if we don't buy these things we will be covered in germs (I haven't caught a cold or flu or any contagious illness in many years), we are led to believe we will "stink" or be a "dirty hippy", or that babies shouldn't be allowed to crawl on our floor... but new studies have shown all our hand sanitizer use, anti bacterial shit, chemical for hair and body, and paranoia of the natural world (dirt & animals) is actually destroying our health. Doctors think that this faux cleanliness is the leading cause for allergies and autoimmune diseases, not to mention epidemic spreading of colds and flues.
*
The saying is now "cleanliness is next to sickliness"...
and I believe it.
Read about it Here... here and at web MD here.
*
Viva La NO SHAMPOO!

Xoxoxo

Eco DIY: Fabulous Scrap Fabric Purse

Craft bonanza! After making my patchwork blankie out of scrap fabric I sat down with a notebook & pen and started dreaming up other simple DIY projects. This handbag is not hard to make and looks very eco chic (superior handmade style!)
It's also made entirely out of fabric, so all you need are basic sewing skills to put it together.
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STEP 1 :
Choose two contrasting fabrics, and pin them together in a rectangle shape to cut out.
I chose some velvety animal print, and a kimono type fabric for their flamboyant contrast.

STEP 2 :

Fold over the top edges of the purse, and sew a strong seam at the very bottom. This is to create a drawstring style hole for the purse straps to pull through.

Both sides should then have the drawstring hole, which are sewn into the inner side of the purse. (see pic below)

STEP 3 :

Fold the purse over, with the drawstring holes lining up evenly. Sew a seam along both sides (left and right) but NOT over the drawstring holes.

The purse should then look like this pic below... my animal print is the inner part, and the kimono fabric is the outside of the purse.

STEP 4 :

THE STRAPS ::::

Cut six strips of scrap fabric (or tie pieces together), make two groups of 3 strips, tie a knot at the top of each one, then BRAID! yay! I love braiding. :)

Use a big safety pin to pull your braided strap through the drawstring holes on both sides...

...tighten the straps, then tie them together at the top.

ALL DONE!

HANDBAG HEAVEN :::::

How easy and cute is that?! Plus functional! You could use this as a purse, but also as a knitting/crochet bag! Or maybe carry your small pets around the house in it. ;)

I like this eco crafting project alot... now back to my notebook to think up more things I can do with this fabric.

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Here is a quick lil' tutorial vid for this DIY Purse project -(if you learn better with music and short commands...) ;)



Xoxoxo

DIY: Reversible Silk Scarf Summer Top

Hey Ya'll! I figured out a way to make the easy silk scarf halter top reversible --- that way you can have two summer frocks in one... yay! Double the hawtness, and just as simple to put together as the one sided version...

Check out this instructional slide show to get the quick DIY steps on how to make it reversible::::



PS- if ya find anything wrong with the video let me know, I am STILL on dial up internet temporarily and have a hard time previewing videos in particular...

Xoxox

Eco DIY : Turn A Silk Scarf Into A Halter Top

Check out this cute q-bert style 80's scarf! My friend Heather gave this to me as a gift, so that I could make a craft project with it and a simple DIY halter top is what I made...

Here is how I did it (it only takes about 5 -10 minutes to complete!) :::::

Step ONE: Take one of the corners and fold it over slightly, where you get a flat edge a few inches across.
Step TWO: Sew (with a machine or by hand) a line across the folded triangle, leaving a space at the top big enough to run a drawstring, necklace or ribbon through. The space it will create is a drawstring type hole.

Like this picture below... (you can cut off that extra fabric hanging under your stitch.)
Step THREE: Cut a drawstring out of stretchable jersey cotton fabric - or alternately grab a awesome necklace (sparkling bling!), fancy ribbon, braid some fabric, or even a piece of hemp twine will do! Get as creative as you want, as long as it can clasp or tie in the back to hold the halter top up.
Step FOUR: Run the drawstring through the drawstring hole you created when you made the stitch across the triangle. Attaching a safety pin to the end to pull it through always makes it easier...

(((Note: If the scarf is not large enough to tie in the back, add more fabric/drawstring to the pointed corners on the right and left sides for a simple tie.)))
ANDDDDDDDDDD, WA LA! A quickie fancy fun summer shirt you can sport with jeans, a skirt, to a party and to the beach...
The back ties together at the corners (but ties can be added to the corners if the scarf is too short!)
Funky Cold Medina! That sh*t is hawt! ;) Now I just wanna come up with one that is reversible...
Xoxo

DIY:Simple Humanure Composting Toilet

Have ya ever thought about where your poop really goes once it's flushed away? My first hint of understanding this mystery was growing up in New Orleans and driving on the Earhart Expressway past the big, smelly and ugly sewer treatment plant in Jefferson Parish on my way to school - it fascinated me to no end that everything flushed ended up somehow at this steaming alien looking factory of steal & holding tanks. Everything, meaning all the usual bodily excrements plus I began thinking of my mom's toilet bowl cleaners, toilet papers treated with bleach, puke, tampons, needles, paint, firecrackers and gawd only knows what else the freedom of flushing gave to people to throw down there. It really hit home when as an adult I moved into a secluded cabin in the pristine mountains of North Carolina, which only had an outhouse for a bathroom, and the reality of what goes down the toilet goes into the earth became a glaring truth. As I not only prepare to move into a place of my own soon and refuse to be part of the land wrecking "septic" builder genre, I also presently live where no septic is available so I have been exploring what type of system works best for a potty.

Working 'best' will ideally follow these criteria:
1. I don't have to face coyotes and freeze my ass off if i have to go to the bathroom.
2. Gentle on the earth and my nose.
3. Doesn't cost me ridiculous amounts of money just to have a spot to poop.

The following video is a simple DIY project about how to make your own composting tiolet for $25 or less! Considering that a manufactured composting tiolet will cost well between $850-$3,000 dollars to install making your own humanure system is probably the most economical and truly the most earth friendly.



PS- Here is another link for plans to building a PASSIVE SOLAR COMPOSTING TIOLET! Woo, now that is neato!

XoXo