creative letter writing 3 - A message in a bottle.

I have scoured the internet for ideas on how to get more creative with my letter writing.  I found a few sites that send messages in a bottle.  They told me I would have to buy the bottle from them as it was officially approved by the post office, prices ranged from $40 to $5. But none captured what I wanted to say and the look I wanted to create. So lets do it ourselves.

You will need :

Bottle
paper
stickers ( to decorate)
glue
cork


I did a little research and went to the post office. They told me that as long as its not glass they will accept it. I had to have a place for the address and their labels.  Off I went to hunt for the perfect bottle.

I found one in Raleys. It was a sparkling mint water called metromint, it had a longish neck when the lid was off and was thin and tall which was the look I was going for. As close to a wine bottle as I could get.  The drink was around $3. I didnt like the drink so I poured it out and took the wrapper off. This was a little difficult, the silver wrapper on the outside was a pain to get off. In fact it didn't all come off so I decided to use travel stickers to embellish my bottle and it ended up looking really good, a little beat up just like it had been at sea.  ( forgot to take a pic of the original)  The other great thing about this bottle is that a cork fits securely in the neck. Perfect.

I rolled my letter real thin.  Make sure the paper is the right size first. then insert.


The bottle only cost a little over $2 to send in the post as its very light weight.   The postal workers loved it and commented that they get baby shower invites all the time through the post office, invites in actual baby bottles.


Super easy, cheap and you get to decorate it to your taste.

creative letter writing 2 - The scroll

I received the most original letter a few months ago. It came in a little box.  It was a scroll.

Although neither of us made it. I am sure it can be duplicated pretty easily.

The outside layer looks like wallpaper. Which is easily found at any store and samples are small and perfect for this project.  You might be able to use decorative scrap booking paper, but this one has a soft thick sponge like quality so it wont crease when wrapped around the wooden spindle.

The inside layer that the letter is written is thick almost hand made type paper and can be found at any good stationers.  Or again use plain wall paper. 

Add caption

Both layers a glued around the wooden spool/spindle very well.  I dont think glue stick will work securely enough. Maybe a glue gun or another serious adhesive that would work.

You can tie it with ribbon. Glittery elastic. String which ever suits the style of your scroll.


I believe that all the materials you need could probably be found at Micheal's.

If you make your own post a picture I would love to see how it turns out.

Creative Letter Writing 1 - Jigsaw puzzle letter

I have a friend who I write to in KY and another in WA.   Both of my friends are very creative. All though there is never a shortage on what to say we do like to get creative in the way we send our mail or how we present our letters. I thought I would share some of those with you for inspiration and I am also looking for new ideas. We generally will write on anything we can put through the mail.

Recently I had the Idea to create my letter into a jigsaw, Its very easy and fun to do.

You will need:

Scissors
paper
cardboard (cereal box or still card)
glue
a picture you like
a jigsaw template printed from the internet

I Googled jigsaw template and there are lots. Choose a less complicated jigsaw template as cutting gets tough the thicker the card.

Stick your picture to one side of the card. This will determine the size of your puzzle.  When printing you can also adjust the size of the template.

Stick the jigsaw template with the darker ink side to the card.  This is so that you will still see the lines to cut out but will be able to write on the side without the actual lines

Write you letter. Then cut it out. 

Put it into an envelope and post.  I love hearing how much they enjoyed my mail.

OUCH!

Today I cut the left tip of my thumb off while prepping a juice for Aaron and I. It hurt so much when I did it.  It was a bleeder.  I panicked because It just kept bleeding and bleeding and would only congeal when attached to tissue, but it didn't want tissue congealed in my cut so I pulled it off, and that hurt real bad.  Finally when I burst into tears thinking I was going to bled to death because I just didn't know how to stop it bleeding and knew going to the hospital was pathetic and so i would die because of my pride,  Aaron got some cotton towels I had cut up and we used them. It worked and after a while the bleeding stopped.  It kinda threw my whole day off.  Plus I have been a little emotional if you know what I mean (monthlys)  No Zumba tonight so I will go Wednesday instead as I dont want to squirt blood over everyone.

New Job

I started a new job two weeks ago.  My cleaning business is starting to take off.  I have more work than I have time for now and will be having to turn work away. Its true what the say, about it pouring, or something!! Im not myself in this post. I have chopped the left tip of my thumb off and still a little traumatized.  Pictures coming!

My new job is in  private home.  The home is immaculate and organized to such a standard Martha Stewart would be impressed.  Its a family with twin 2 year old girls. The home is pretty minimalist so not lots of stuff to dust which is nice.  I like cleaning it becuase its a well taken care of home and they like to keep it that way.  Think bethel and the housekeepers going in every day to keep the cleanliness up, that's what I do, plus laundry and then I cook one day week. 

Each of my jobs are a little different and I try to do a little something extra and creative to make it fun for me and special for the client.  One home I do a different table arrangement/setting every week. ( I am getting a digital camera in the post so I will be able to take picture now)  The table is right as you walk into the house so I like it to make an impact when you first walk in.

The home I am at now I have started doing toilet roll origami and about to do towel folding for them.  On a Thursday, which is my last day with them I detail the bathrooms, in the master bedroom I will arrange swans for them.  I have some books on order so I can improve in my skill level.

This the basic diamond fold I have been doing

This is my first attempt at a swan at my home.

I have been inspired to be more organized in my own home and have de cluttered this weekend, I'm pretty worn out if I'm honest. We also have some DIY projects coming up.  Details in a later post.

Vegetable Tikka Masala

Both Aaron and I love this dish when we go out to a Indian Restaurant.  So I tried it tonight and it turned out really good.  I think some Indian restaurants may cook with gee.   This might be the missing ingredient that gives it the restaurant taste, other wise this is as close as I have come to getting it perfect

 Cook veggies first. I steamed my carrots and potatoes and sauteed my squash and green beans, (you can add any veg you like) then add to sauce once you have made it and heat through.

First Marinate the chicken its traditionally a chicken dish

1cup plan yogurt
2tbsp lemon juice
2tsp ground cumin
2tsp paprika
2tsp pepper
1tsp cinnamon1tsp salt
1 piece of fresh ginger
1 1/2ls of cubed chicken

Mix everything in a bowl cover the chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour
put chicken onto skewers and grill till done.

Ingredients For the Masala Sauce

1 tbsp butter
2 clove minced garlic
2 tsp ground coriander
1tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of tomato sauce/soup
1 cup heavy whipping cream


melt butter in large deep skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic and leave for 1min,
add and stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt.
add and stir in tomato sauce/soup and simmer for 15 mins
add and stir in cream and simmer till thickens,
add grilled chicken till chicken is heated,

This is best served with basmati rice and naan

Green Cleaning

I have taken on another cleaning client.  Most of the cleaning clients I talk to like the idea of green cleaning products.   I do too.  So I can be true to my beliefs I went and brought the ingredients to make my own cleaning products to use with mt clients and in my own home.


My shopping List


Baking Soda                                             $2.16
White Vinegar                                           $1.64
Borax                                                        $3.38
White linen essential oil                              $2.00
Tea Tree oil                                              $2.00
Washing Soda                                           $3.24
Meyers Lavender liquid hand soap             $3.39
                                                             -------------
                                                                $17.81

You will also need:

Funnel
Large container to mix in
Cup measurement
tsp/tbsp measurements
Spray bottles
Extra containers for the left over cleaner to store.
Whisk or fork to mix, as baking soda takes some time to dissolve

I have so much left over that these will last for months.


All purpose cleaner

1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda (or 2teaspoons of borax)
1/2 gallon (2 liters)
1 teaspoon white linen oil or any oil to make it smell nice


Disinfectant

2 teaspoons borax
4 tablespoons vinegar
3 cups of hot water
1 tesapoon white linen oil

Soft Scrub -  for toilets, tiles

1 2/3 cup of baking soda
1/2 cup of Meyers Liquid soap lavender
1/2 cup water
2tbsp of vinegar

The lavender soap makes this one smell amazing.I also used a water bottle with sports top so I could squirt this one into the toilet and under the rim works perfectly

Glass and Wood Floor Cleaner

1/2 spray bottle water
1/2 spray bottle water
1teaspoon tea tree oil smells great and tea tree is a natural disinfectant

Below is extra information taken from      www.Tipsonhomeandstyle.com

All-purpose cleaner for floors, counters, kitchen surfaces, bathrooms, tubs, tiles, carpets, spills, and stains

Window/glass cleaner for glass, windows, and all stainless steel

Automatic dish washing detergent

Hand dish washing liquid for pots, pans, dishes, fine china, glasses, teapots, coffeepots, silver, and anything else you don’t want to put in your dishwasher

Laundry liquid

 

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is unbelievably useful in every room of your house. It can neutralize acid, scrub shiny materials without scratching, unclog and clean drains, extinguish grease fires, and remove certain stains. Baking soda can also be used to deodorize your refrigerator, carpets, and upholstery. It can clean and polish aluminum, chrome, jewelry, plastic, porcelain, silver, stainless steel, copper, and tin.

Distilled white vinegar works much better than any toxic disinfectant you can buy. It contains about 5 percent acetic acid, which makes it great at removing stains. Vinegar can also dissolve mineral deposits and grease, remove traces of soap, remove mildew or wax buildup, polish some metals, and deodorize almost every room of your house. You can use it to clean coffeepots, windows, brick, stone, carpets, toilet bowls — just about every surface in your house except marble, in fact. A tablespoon of white vinegar added to the rinse cycle also acts as a wonderful fabric softener. While it’s normally diluted with water, in some cases, it can be used straight. I recommend using organic vinegar, which is slightly pricier than the non organic kind but still a lot cheaper than most consumer cleaning products.

Lemon juice is a natural odor-eater that combines well with other ingredients. It can be used to clean glass and remove stains from aluminum, copper, clothing, and porcelain, and nothing works better on Formica surfaces. If used with sunlight, lemon juice is a mild lightener or bleach. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the wash cycle to get rid of odors on clothing.

Table salt is great at removing rust. With lemon juice, it can clean copper. When mixed with vinegar, salt polishes brass. Salt is also a key ingredient in an effective, all-natural scouring powder.

Hydrogen peroxide can be diluted to remove stains from heavily soiled whites and other clothing and a number of surfaces. You can dip a cotton swab in diluted hydrogen peroxide to remove stains from thick white curtains.

Essential oils

Read more: http://www.tipsonhomeandstyle.com/home/essential-green-cleaning-products-how-to-clean-your-home-naturally#ixzz1lSZy6E9u