The Quest for a Household Detox

In an effort to remove unnecessary chemicals from my household, I have started making my own laundry detergent and will soon be making my own everyday cleaners. I was inspired by a friend's similar quest to detox her life, and followed the recipe she included on her blog (see her original post here) and I have to say I love it! I won't be going back to using the store-bought detergents - there's no need!

The recipe is quite simple:

1 cup Borax

1 cup Washing Soda (not baking soda)

1 grated bar of Fels-Naptha Soap

That's it! Mix it all together and you've got some fabulous homemade detergent! I have been using the detergent for about a month and our clothes are coming out clean and fresh (and Jason hasn't noticed a difference, something I was concerned about since he has more sensitive skin than I do). You only have to use two tablespoons per large load (less for smaller loads) and though it is technically cheaper than store-bought detergent, I am more interested in the control over which chemicals are going on my clothes (and therefore my skin...). I have since seen variations of the above recipe, with some people substituting the Fels-Naptha soap for other bar soaps - Ivory, Irish Spring, Dove, etc. and while some people have reported having no problems with the substitution, I think that soaps that are formulated for a person's skin are not going to be the best in my laundry, so I will be sticking to soaps meant for use in the laundry. I want to try the unscented Zote soap to eliminate the perfume ingredient in the Fels-Naptha, but I have not seen it out on my recent errands, so I will have to try to hunt it down. I haven't found the washing soda locally either, but was able to find a neat package deal online that came with everything listed above for $11. The package came with big boxes of both washing soda and borax and two bars of soap, so I've just got to get more soap to make more than two batches.

In addition to the substitutions, I've also seen recipes with longer ingredients list, including ones that call for baking soda (in addition to the washing soda), Oxi-Clean (or other oxygen cleaner) and  fabric softener crystals. I have been using plain white vinegar as fabric softener by putting some into a Downy ball so it releases during the rinse cycle and so far I have definitely noticed softer clothes (with no vinegar smell, I promise!). The vinegar also sets dyes and removes soap residue, so I'll definitely continue using the vinegar, as I am not one who needs to have their clothing or towels smell like "Summer Breeze" or whatever. In fact, I washed a dress last week with Tide on a whim and when I wore it the next day, I was reacting to something as if a cat was rubbed in my face (I am allergic) and couldn't shake the feeling that it was the detergent smell. Though we have been using Tide for years, I was never aware of the smell before and once I changed out of the dress, I felt better. I have not had any issues with my pared-down version of the detergent recipe, so I will be sticking with it! I'll be making a batch for my mom for her to try out too :)

Also inspired by my friend's blog, I will be making my own everyday household cleaners to replace my current slew of glass cleaners, "all-purpose" cleaners and bathroom cleaners. Her basic "all-purpose" recipe calls for:

2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon liquid castile soap
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Again, that's it! Mix it up in a spray bottle, give it a shake and get to cleaning! I haven't found the castile soap locally, so I'll have to hit up a "hippie" store like Lassen's or Whole Foods. I went to my local dollar store yesterday to pick up some spray bottles to make the above recipe and a water + vinegar mixture for glass and windows, so I'll give them a try and if they work (which I have read over and over that they definitely do!) I will be scrapping my old cleaners.

I washed my tile floor with vinegar and water a few weeks ago and I felt it cleaned just as well without the overpowering chemical smell and left over residue for us to pick up on our feet. I just researched "green" automatic dishwasher detergent and so once we run out of the kind we are currently using, I'll give the top two contenders a try. Yes, there are recipes online to make your own, but I've read conflicting reports on whether or not they work well...I'll give the store-bought versions a try first. With Baby C on the way, it feels good to be eliminating some unnecessary chemicals from our home!

Apple Pie

I had been itching to bake something for a while, as there have been no parties lately to bake for, so at the grocery store I had the forethought to get some apples to make a nice pie later in the week. (I generally don't plan ahead that well, but I'm trying to keep some basic ingredients in the house at all times so I can try out some different dinner recipes) I finally used my "Bird's Beak" paring knife for the first time to peel the apples, did a bit of a combo recipe of my Great Aunt Sarah's recipe and Jason's family recipe and got the pie in the oven. The delicious smell of apple pie is drifting down the hallway to my office and it should be nearly done. I told my mom I was going to make one for Jason this evening and after hanging up with her, my dad called me back to ask me to save a piece for him :)

Welcome Home, Claire!

I have a new pup! Her name is Claire, and I adopted her at a Farmers Market I was participating in at Cambria Winery in Santa Maria. Sara and I said "let's go check out the dogs," and here little Claire was, just adorable as can be, barking until you put your hand into her pen - she instantly got quiet and latched on to your hand in a hug. She just wanted some love! She's getting plenty of it now, and she's giving a lot back. She follows me everywhere, sits next to me on the couch, lays in our laps, sleeps at the foot of our bed and is so playful. She's like a mini-Ronan, and even howls like the wolfhounds used to :)

We went and got her a Harley-Davidson collar, and though I think Jason would have liked the "Bad to the Bone" leash, we didn't go crazy with branding our dog. Jason likes her too, but she's definitely my dog and is content to just being in the same room as me in her little doggie bed:

Oops

So I've dropped the ball on this blog. I enjoy writing, so I just need to remember this is here. I've been good about posting on the Hummingbird Cake blog, so hopefully I can get into a routine here again as well.

I'm taking a cardio kickboxing class at the local community college twice a week with a girlfriend from high school with whom I have reconnected. It's awesome being able to spend time with a friend in town, AND the class is kicking my butt into gear to get (back?) into shape. I've just got to stick with it and try and be good about eating right and supplementing the class with some bike riding and stuff. It's a lot of fun, and though I was sore the entire weekend after the first class, it's getting easier and I'm not sore for days after anymore!

Though I know the rest of the country is buried under snow, the January and February weather here has been surprisingly wonderful. I was telling a friend in England that it's been chilly and he reminded me that when he visited in January two years ago he was wearing short-sleeved shirts and the weather was not what anyone else in the world would call chilly :)

Unfortunately I am not thinking of anything else neat to report. No cool trips or events to talk about...just half looking forward to my birthday and half not. I think about college and my time in Lithuania and it seems like just last week, but in reality it was 6 years ago! I was 21 when I first went to LT and now I'm turning 27?! Sigh. Still working on making my media empire, but I suppose I have 3 more years until my self-imposed deadline to have a successful self-made business. I check out blogs and other wedding/invitation professionals and I yearn to be on their level, but then I see that they've been in business 10+ years or something and I have to remember that I can't rush things - it's all a learning process and I feel that my business can only get better.

I've joined a group on etsy (a site for selling handmade goods) for crafters in the Santa Barbara area and have been pleased with the networking and group events happening so far. I look forward to getting to know them better and learning from each others' experiences. My etsy shop has single cards and button magnet sets, just as an alternative outlet from my website. I'm also on the board for the Lompoc Business Women's Network, so I look forward to getting to know those ladies better and getting more involved with the group.

Okay, signing off - I hope to be better about writing here, so hopefully we will meet again soon!

HCS Blog

I've started another blog for my stationery stuff: http://hummingbirdcake.blogspot.com/

I'll be posting upcoming projects, store specials and what not. Right now I'm looking for input on which colors and designs of thank you notes to print, so go on over and give me your two cents!

More coming to this blog soon...

Hummingbird Cake Stationery

So, I've started a stationery company called Hummingbird Cake Stationery. Just under a year ago I started designing and uploading designs to Zazzle.com, which is a website that prints and ships items people design and gives the designer a royalty they have named for themselves. Mine is set to 15%, so I make a few dollars here and there, but having my own company will of course open the door to having a much higher profit margin. Naturally, there's more work involved, but I enjoy doing it, so it's not so bad.

A tiny backstory on how this all came about. I was fine with the Zazzle formatting until I started doing wedding/bridal shower/baby shower/bachelorette party invitations, which are my top sellers and received numerous emails from potential clients regarding the paper choices Zazzle was offering. Apparently, Zazzle lists their papers as matte, when in fact they are coated with a very shiny gloss on one side, which is, in my opinion, not appropriate for formal invitations, and my potential clients felt the same way. I got to thinking - why couldn't I print the designs for them?! I had been dancing around the idea for a while, and the complaints were just a push in the right direction. So, I filed all the proper paperwork with the city, county and state and voila! I'm a legal business owner. I've got my prices, my paper picked out and given the graphic shop in town a heads up for what is on the horizon - I'm getting my business cards printed by them this week, so I'd be happy to hand those out to anyone who may know potentially interested clients ;)

I'm working on the website now, and hope to have it up by the end of the week. Even if only just to have the gallery of the images done, as I'm still working on the shopping cart aspect...

Oh, and for those a tad confused by the name, this will be on the "About" page:

Hummingbird Cake Stationery is located on the Central Coast of California and was started by Chelsea Cochran shortly after her wedding in the spring of 2009. It started out as a design hobby after I spent hours and hours looking through countless catalogs and websites offering thousands of different wedding invitations and other stationery goods, but not finding any that I could both afford and fall in love with.

That challenge of finding something both beautiful and budget-friendly led me to start my own company with the mission to offer high-quality, personalized stationery at accessible prices.

I delight in my clients' creativity, and am happy to customize any of my designs, or create a brand new one for you! For example, if I do not currently offer a design with coordinating table cards, that does not mean I can't make them for you - just ask!

The name of the company comes from another beloved hobby of mine - baking. Many people on the West Coast have never heard of a hummingbird cake, but for those that do not know, it is sort of like a carrot cake but with bananas and pineapple and pecans, with a cream cheese frosting. Check out a recipe here! (a side note to blog readers - it also came about because I wanted to incorporate the hummingbird somehow, being that it is something I will always associate with my grandmother - as it was her favorite bird. I thought that may be a tad too convoluted for the general public)

San Francisco & Halloween

So Jason, my parents and I went to San Francisco for a short jaunt, staying in Carmel the first night and then two nights in San Francisco. We saw the sights, went to Alcatraz and got to meet up with Erin, Eric and Steve for some pizza. Jason took tons of great photos, so I'll post those asap.

Halloween was a riot - we had great costumes all around, and photos to prove it. More coming soon...