The BEST stain remover (makes dingy clothes like NEW)

About a month ago, I purchased an adorable outfit for Hayes at a consignment sale. The only problem was that the front had an area that, at one time, had been white, but was now dingy. I have been researching different methods for removing stains and dinginess, and today I decided to try one. It uses things you probably already have around the house and it worked GREAT so I decided to share.

Ingredients:
1 part dish soap (I used Ajax...any type would work)
1 part baking soda
2 parts hydrogen peroxide

Mix all ingredients well and apply liberally to the area you wish to clean. I put my garment on a baking sheet so that it would not make a mess.

Use a scrub brush to work the solution into the stain or dingy area then apply more of the solution on the top to saturate it.

Let it sit for about an hour, then wash and dry as usual. I was very impressed with the finished product. The white is much brighter does not look as worn (just wish I had thought to take a "before" picture for comparison, but trust me...it looks much better).

Easter Egg Wreath

This week, I did my first Easter craft project. I compiled a few ideas that I have seen online to make an Easter egg wreath. It's a pretty simple and fun project and looks great on our front door. You can make it in any color scheme that you like (and can find eggs in those colors).

Supplies:
Straw or styrofoam wreath in desired size
Hot glue gun (and glue sticks)
Plastic Easter eggs in desired colors
Easter "grass" (I used paper grass but plastic would also work)
Wax-coated string (or really any thicker string) to make hanger

Directions:

1) Hot glue the plastic eggs over the entire front surface of the wreath. Cover all parts of the wreath that can be see when the wreath is lying flat on your work surface (and what will also show when it is hanging on the door or wall). Place the eggs as close together as possible, leaving as little space between them as you can. They do not have to be placed in a certain direction, or all facing the same way. In fact, it seems to work better if they are placed randomly.

2) Place a small amount of hot glue between the cracks in the eggs (where you can see the wreath peeking through) and immediate place a small amount of "grass" in that area and poke down into the space so that the grass will stick to the glue (and still stick out between the eggs). This step is hard to explain, but simple to actually do. You have to do one spot at a time or the glue will dry before you get the grass attached. I trimmed my grass after it was attached so that it was all about the same length.

3) Create a hanger on the back of the wreath. I used wax-coated string, but any thicker string would work. Make a loop out of the string and weave it in between the eggs on the front of the wreath (so that it does not show and is covered by the "grass") and tie in a knot on the back. Tie another knot, leaving a loop on the back of the wreath, where it can hang from a nail or knob.

4) You're done! Hang it up and enjoy!