How to Stuff a Large Pillow on the Cheap

I recently came into some good-sized fabric scraps, and thought they'd make nice sofa pillows for our den. Our sofa is a dark brown, and the walls are painted a very light green. The fabric, striped with shades of taupe, blues, and greens, brought the two together nicely.

Polyfill, or any type of fiberfill, can cost a fortune - anywhere from $10 - $20 a bag. The large pillows I made here would have taken 5 - 10 bags, which would have made these pillows much more pricey than I would like. Instead of purchasing filler, I decided to look around our house for alternative stuffing to see if I could find anything usable. My pack-rat habits paid off for once!

I had a large bin of fabric scraps which were mostly sweater pieces. Many were wool sweaters that I'd felted. Others were leftover sleeves and t-shirt pieces left from long-finished projects. I decided the sweaters were ideal because they were bulky but not too heavy.

I sewed the fabric as I normally would to make a pillow: with right sides together, sew three sides along the edge, then sew the fourth side partially, leaving an opening wide enough to stuff the insides. Turn right sides out, then start stuffing.

I didn't quite have enough sweaters to completely fill both pillows, so I finished off the rest with an old mattress cover and the contents of an old bed pillow.

Once the pillows were stuffed, I hand-stitched them closed, and they were done! We love having them on the sofa - it really does make the sofa more comfy, and I love how they brighten up the room.

One drawback: these pillows are heavier than they would have been with fiberfill. However, given the fact that I ended up with huge, great-looking pillows for free, I don't mind it at all!

How to Make Your Own Deodorant

I have been making my own deodorant for two years now. I see several benefits to it:

• It's cheaper then buying commercial deodorant / antiperspirant
• Less waste (no more little blue plastic containers to throw away - and anything that reduces plastic waste is a good thing)
• I never run out, as long as my ingredients are well stocked (and they always are)
• Fewer chemicals on and in my body. There is a great deal of Internet debate about whether or not the chemicals in deodorant and antiperspirants cause cancer and/or Alzheimer's, but whether or not it's true, I'd rather not take the chance...especially if I have a natural alternative that works just as well as the commercial solutions.

What You'll Need:

-Coconut Oil (available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets)

-Corn Starch

-Air-tight container for storage

-Baking Soda (optional)

-Tea Tree Oil or lavender oil (optional)

I find it's easiest to mix if you first melt the coconut oil in the microwave. I remove the jar's lid and microwave on high for 2 minutes until most of it is melted.

My preferred recipe is simply 1/2 C. Corn Starch and 4 Tbsp. Coconut oil, mixed together and stored at room temperature. I apply it with my fingers and it works well for me, even in the Summer. 

If that doesn't work for you, an alternative recipe would be 1/4 C. Corn Starch, 1/4 C. Baking Soda, and 4 Tbsp. Coconut oil. If that still doesn't control odors, you can add 10 drops of Tea Tree or Lavender oil to the mixture. 

Store in an airtight container and just mix more when you need it. I also use a little travel size container (that used to contain eye cream) for traveling.

This is a deodorant only, not an antiperspirant, so you'll still sweat (but you shouldn't stink). If I was a teenager, though, I'm not sure this would be a good solution, but since I'm older and don't sweat as much as I used to, this works great for me. 

Another important note - sometimes it takes a couple of weeks for your sweat glands to adjust to not being squelched by a commercial antiperspirant. So, if you feel like this isn't working because you're so sweaty, try giving it 10 days or so to see if your body adjusts. It really is worth it!

Valentine's Day Dinner

Heart-shaped pizza - it doesn't get any easier than this. Happy Valentine's Day!

Painted Christmas Angel Pedestal Plate

If you find yourself looking for a simple, handmade holiday gift that your children can help make, a painted Angel plate is a great choice!

What You'll Need:
-Plain White Plate (I found these at the Dollar Tree)
-Drinking Glasses (again, these holiday glasses were purchased at the Dollar Tree)
-Folk Art Acrylic Paints (you will need a background color and white)
-Tulip Brand Dimensional Paints (you will need gold and white or clear)
-Strands of Holiday Decorations (Found at the Dollar Tree)
-Thin Cardboard (not pictured)
-Tissue paper (not pictured)
-Glue (not pictured)

To start, paint the top of the plate in whatever color you prefer. We chose a pretty shade of blue, and my four-year-old did a great job of painting (as usual).

Let the background paint dry completely. Then, paint your child's hands(palm side) in white, and ask him or her to make an angel on the plate by placing the thumbs together, then holding the fingers on each hand together, and pressing his or her hands to the plate. This is what it will look like:

Use your dimensional paint to add the angel's halo, name, the year, and any other details you wish. We added stars and a squiggly line around the edge to give the plate a decorative border. Let the dimensional paint dry.

The plate would make a great gift as it is now, or you can continue if you wanted to make it a pedestal plate. To do so, all you need to do is glue the glass onto the bottom center of the plate. I prefer Quick Grip Glue.

Place your holiday strands and tissue paper into the middle of the glass. The tissue paper will make the decorations more visible. Allow the glue to dry.

When the glue is dry, turn the plate right side up, then trace the bottom of the glass onto the cardboard. Cut out the circle, then place the circle up into the inverted glass. This will help to hold the Christmas decorations in the glass.

Here is the finished product!

Make Your Own No-Bake Cereal Bars

My daughter is 4, and she frequently likes to try new cereal. Unfortunately, she'll often like a new cereal for a few days, then she tires of it and it ends up going stale in our cabinet.

She does love cereal bars, though. So, I figured out a way to breathe new life into the leftover cereal. Plus, there is no better way to ensure that your cereal bar is healthy, fresh and delicious, than to make it yourself! She loves to eat these bars, and she also loves to help make them!

Total prep and cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups cereal (any kind of dry cereal works great!)
1/4 cup wheat germ, almond meal, or flax meal
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter
2/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Crush cereal with a glass or cup. It doesn't need to be crushed completely, it's okay if there are still some bigger pieces left.

Add the wheat germ (or almond meal/flax meal), rolled oats and cinnamon.

In a saucepan (or microwave oven), bring milk, brown sugar, and peanut butter to a boil.

Boil for 1 minute (stirring constantly) before removing from heat. Immediately add vanilla and cereal mix.

Mix well.

Pour onto cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Cover with another piece of wax paper.

Flatten with a rolling pin, packing tightly.

Cool completely, then cut into 25 rectangles (or whatever size you prefer). I store these in an air-tight container in the fridge, but they could also be individually wrapped and frozen for longer life. You could also add raisins, nuts, chocolate chips for a little variety. Enjoy!