The Captivating Woman

Designed with purpose.

DIY Shower Cleaner

I have a love/hate relationship with cleaning my bathroom. I love having it clean and sparkly, and I know way too much about the bacteria that want to grow in there to leave it for too long. Clorox wipes are my best friend for wiping down my sink and vanity area, and I have a set system for keeping the floors, mirrors and toilet clean. The shower is where I notoriously have trouble. For a long time, no system worked that was affordable and quick.

When I already don’t have enough time to get everything on my to-do list done in a given week, chores that take significant time can easily get pushed off another week. This may have translated to weeks (months) where I rinsed what I saw, but I didn’t deep clean my shower more than taking a Clorox wipe to the bottom.

Like any good believer in retail therapy and the wonders of sales at Ulta, I have a thousand and one shampoos, conditioners, hair masques, body washes, lotions, scrubs and other products that take up too much space in my shower. And admittedly, they often like to find their way in little globs on the shower itself or on the shower curtain. I have discovered the hard way that if you don’t catch them in time, that stuff will harden and it takes a pickax to get it off all of the way.
That is, until I discovered the wonders of Blue Dawn Soap and Vinegar. I’m sure there are other products that do the same thing, and you’ll often pay a decent amount for them, but guys. Seriously. Blue dawn (and don’t ask me why that works better than another color/smell of dawn but it really does) and normal old white vinegar can clean anything from my bathtub.
 
I buy one of those dish scrubbers, you know the ones that have the spot in the handle for the soap with the sponge on the end?
I take that and fill it half and half with the BD and Vinegar. Turn it over a couple of times to mix it up, and scrub away. I have to touch nothing but the handle (because let’s be real, that’s the grossest part), I’m not dealing with anything crazy chemical wise, it makes it smell fresh and clean when it’s done, and that stuff cuts through grease and my little globbies that want to take up residence. Though you may have to work at it a little depending on the product, how long it’s been living there, etc.
Sometimes (though be careful not to splash it up on yourself) I even go ahead and clean it while I’m still in the shower. And when I’m finished, I’m clean, my shower is clean and I don’t have to give it a second thought.
It’s less than $5 (depending on sizes, brands and what you already have on hand) and it lasts for a long time, making a cleaner that works.
Great life choice in my book.
Disclaimer: Depending on the quality of scrub brush you buy, some of the liquid mix may spill out when it’s being stored. I leave mine on the lip of my tub and whenever I use it, I just rinse the BD and vinegar away. I’ve never stored it on anything that wasn’t able to be washed, so I can’t speak for that, but if you’ve never used that kind of brush before – know that it can leak a little. I just take it as par for the course with that tool, and keep on keeping on.

Blessings/Answered Prayers Jar

Hey ya’ll!

So a few years ago I was looking on Pinterest and I realized I had pinned a bunch of prayer jars onto my “Crafts I Love but Will Never Have Time to Make” board. It was summer time and for the first time, I actually had time to make a craft. The jars all were so pretty on Pinterest and seemed easy enough. So I went out and got the materials I needed from Michaels.

While I was making it, I was thinking about all the prayers I would write down and put in this jar. Even just thinking about it, I was thinking about putting in things like family, friends, future school endeavors etc. There were so many, that I thought if I wrote them all down I would probably fill at least a quarter of the jar in one sitting. Then I got realistic and realized more than likely I won’t actually use this every time I have a prayer because prayer is constant and I feel that I am just always adding to the list of prayers I have.

It was then that I realized how rarely I really sit down, praise God and thank him for answered prayers and the blessings he provides in my life.

It’s easy to forget to do that, huh? So I decided to make a Blessings/Answered Prayers Jar instead. I thought it was a great concept to write down answered prayers and put them in a jar as a reminder of the times that God came through and answered my prayers. It reminds me that when I am in the midst of waiting for a prayer to be answered, I need to be patient.

I have had this jar for three years now. Reading through some of these have brought tears to my eyes because God is good. He is so good. He provided. He answered my prayers in ways that I did not even realize until later. They were better than I had ever hoped. I had a prayer from before I even started college that wasn’t answered until the beginning of my senior year of college. His answer was better than I could have ever prayed for or imagined. Having this jar has changed the way I pray. It has reminded me to just say “Thank You” because He is working and He is working for your good.

Materials Needed:

  • Jar
  • 2-3” Ribbon
  • Sharpie
  • Glitter paper
  • Hot Glue
  • Index cards
  • Scissors

Step 1: Go to Michaels/Hobby Lobby/Craft and buy any of the supplies that you do not already have.

Step 2: Pick a Bible verse that you like or that you feel reminds you to be thankful for your blessings. I chose 1 Chronicles 16:8-12:

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.”

Step 3: Write the Bible verse or part of the Bible verse on the ribbon.

Step 4: Glue the ribbon around the jar. I chose the bottom portion of the jar for mine, but you can chose another spot.

Step 5: Cut out the colored or glitter paper and write Blessings Jar, Answered Prayers jar, or whatever you would like to call your jar. If you use glitter paper I recommend cutting out other non-glitter paper and writing on that and then gluing that to the glitter paper.

Step 6: Cut up a bunch of pieces of paper. I recommend index cards and cutting them in half as it stays sturdier and looks cleaner when it is in the jar.

Step 7: Enjoy your jar as well as thanking our Father for the blessing and answered prayers.

DIY Valentine’s Day Card

I love making & sending cards. I really do believe that it’s my love language. Got a new job? Send a card! Going to the moon? Send a card! Today, I want to share a super simple way to make Valentine’s Day cards. Your friends will be impressed by your craftiness, even if you’re terrible in this department. Give the cards to your friends, boyfriend/husband, co-workers, family, etc.

What You Need

  1. Decorative paper – I purchased mine from Paper Source.
  2. Paper for inside layer – Also purchased from Paper Source.
  3. Envelopes – I recommend A2 envelopes due to the sizing I’ll be giving you. Again, I purchased mine from Paper Source. I just love that store.
  4. Paper trimmer – I couldn’t find a link for the one I use, but I would recommend this one from Amazon.
  5. Ruler.
  6. Scissors.
  7. Washi tape – The one I have pictured was purchased from Target in the dollar bins.
  8. Pencil.
  9. Double sided tape (not pictured).

On the opposite side of your decorative paper, mark 8 1/4 x 5 1/2. Since I’m working with a big piece of paper, I use my scissors to cut out the paper with an extra half inch on each side. I also mark my non-decorate paper – the dimensions I used is 7 3/4 x 5. I like it to be a little smaller than the decorate paper – it looks pretty professional that way.

I then use my paper trimmer to get an exact cut, which is straight and sleek. I unfortunately have shaky hands when I cut, so the paper trimmer is my best friend. 

Next I put the pieces on top of each other and fold. I had to trim a little of my non-decorative paper so it looked even. Once you have trimmed and folded your paper, use double sided tape to secure the pieces. 

And bam! Pretty Valentine’s Day card to send to all the special people in your life. Add some pretty washi tape & use your best penmanship. The recipient of these cards will feel loved by you!

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