Earth-Friendly, Pet-Friendly Cleaning
21/Apr/09
Try these recipes for homemade cleaning products that are gentle on your pets, the environment, and your wallet!
The grocery store shelves are loaded with toxic substances claiming to make domestic life easier, but do they really? Most of these cleaning products are just a soup of synthetic detergents that leave residues and attempt to mask odors with overly pungent fake floral or fruity scents. Take a note from your grandmothers book and go back to basics with homemade cleaning supplies. You and your pets can breath easy in your non-toxic home, and as an added bonus, you’ll spend about 1/10th as much on the homemade versions.
Don’t forget to store your creations in recycled bottles to make them even more earth friendly!
The grocery store shelves are loaded with toxic substances claiming to make domestic life easier, but do they really? Most of these cleaning products are just a soup of synthetic detergents that leave residues and attempt to mask odors with overly pungent fake floral or fruity scents. Take a note from your grandmothers book and go back to basics with homemade cleaning supplies. You and your pets can breath easy in your non-toxic home, and as an added bonus, you’ll spend about 1/10th as much on the homemade versions.
Don’t forget to store your creations in recycled bottles to make them even more earth friendly!
*Castile soap is natural soap made from olive oil.
Please click here to download a PDF version of these cards to print and cut.
Bone Recipe Cards
13/Apr/09
Do you make your own dog food or treats? Write your recipes on these cute bone recipe cards.
Instructions:
Materials:
- Bone Recipe Cards PDF
- Heavy Card Stock
- Scissors
- Printer
Instructions:
- Download PDF file.
- Print onto heavy card stock.
- Cut out cards.
- Write your recipes.
Found Objects Nest Wreath
30/Mar/09
Welcome in spring with your own version of a nest wreath. Just like a little bird we gathered odds and ends from around our house and yard to create ours.
Instructions:
Materials:
- Grape vine wreath
- Ribbon, enough to wrap your wreath
- Small gauge wire
- Eggs. We used large brown chicken, blue bantam chicken, and white goose eggs on ours.
- Acrylic paint in robbin’s egg blue, white, and black
- Assorted feathers
- Assorted flowers
- Paint brush
- Scissors
Instructions:
- Poke holes in the top and bottom of your egg and blow out contents (save for a scrambled egg breakfast).
- Using about 8” of wire, thread it through the two holes in your eggs and twist together under the eggs.
- Paint your eggs. We painted some of the chicken eggs teal and left the other eggs natural.
- Splatter paint your eggs. We used black spatters on the goose eggs and white splatters on the brown chicken eggs.
- Wrap wreath with ribbon.
- Attach eggs to wreath with free ends of wire.
- Tuck feathers and flowers around the wreath.
Make your own dog tags
11/Mar/09
Just in time for St. Patrick's Day! Make your own super cute dog tag.
Instructions:
PLEASE NOTE: PDF FILES ARE INTENTIONALLY LIGHTENED. THEY WILL DARKEN ONCE SHRUNK.
Materials:
- Lucky Dog Tag PFD in either small or large.
- Shrink plastic, available from your local craft store or online here. If you have an inkjet printer, make sure you purchase compatible plastic.
- Small split ring, for attaching to collar.
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Oven
Instructions:
- Choose the appropriate size tag.
- Download PDF file and print onto shrink plastic.
- Cut out image.
- Punch hole in top of tag.
- Write pet name and phone number (remember these will shrink, so write very big).
- Shrink the plastic, following manufacturers instructions.
- Attach split ring and put on collar.
PLEASE NOTE: PDF FILES ARE INTENTIONALLY LIGHTENED. THEY WILL DARKEN ONCE SHRUNK.