Guest Post Monday: DIY Body Splash

Today I am so happy to bring you a spring-y post! Brandy from Wonderfully Messy Mom is going to share with us her recipe for a citrus body splash that will have you smelling like spring in no time!

Spring Has Sprung Body Splash

Make It Yourself

Hello Miranda Bee readers! Spring is right around the corner, I can feel the air changing and I hear the birds chirping, can't you!!??

When I think of spring, I think of freshness! So today I want to share a body splash that will help you think spring. But first I want to introduce myself.

My name is Brandy, I blog over at Wonderfully Messy Mom. 

~ I love to wear flip flops. I wear them until it snows, then I get practical and wear my cowboy boots. If there is not snow on the ground or below freezing, those flip flops are on!!
 ~ I love to cook. I just do not make very pretty dishes so I do not share them very often on my blog! No one wants to see all that!
 ~ I only put a clear coat on my nails, I never use color!! And I am OK with that, they look great that way. 

Ok, enough about my messy self! On to the good stuff! A body splash is a light fragrance spray, it will not last all day. But not very many that you buy retail last all day either! Now before I share this recipe, I will say I do not drink alcohol, the vodka used in this recipe can be replaced with rubbing alcohol if you so choose, but I prefer to use 100 proof vodka for these kind of recipes. The vodka or rubbing alcohol is used to break down the essential oils and acts as a carrier oil so to speak.

Here is the recipe:
1/3 cup vodka or rubbing alcohol
5 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops lime essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil
5 drops lemongrass essential oil
2 cups distilled water or boiled water

If you boil your water, wait until it is at room temp before you do anything! The heat breaks down the essential oils and they will not be very fragrant.

1.) Get your bowls/jars and spray bottles ready.
2.) Put alcohol and essentials together in container and shake for several minutes. Then add your water.
3.) Shake again for several minutes.
4.) Place inside container of choice and store in a cool dark place, you can also place in fridge for a cool refreshing spray.

This will keep indefinitely (but remember light and heat destroy the essential oils, so keep in a cool, dark place).

Now I know not everyone has essential oils laying around, so I will include an essential oil free recipe:
1 Lime
3/4 cup rubbing alcohol
3 teaspoons lemon/orange extract

1.) Juice the lime, strain out any seeds and pulp.
2.) Combine all your ingredients into container of your choice. Shake well before each use.
3.) Dab onto pulse points.
4.) Store in the fridge.

This version is weaker than the first and will not keep forever. I would throw this out after a month or if it starts to look weird or not smell the same as when you made it.

I really enjoy spring time, it's my favorite season. I am longing for it right now after this long cold winter! Having something like this body splash around makes these harsh days more bearable, it reminds me spring is almost here! Just an FYI- you can play around with the essential oils and use whatever fragrance you prefer!! It's so much fun to try new things! Let me know if you tried it and what you think about it!

 If you liked what you just read you can find many more recipes like this at:

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Would you like to be featured as a guest blogger on Miranda Bee? Check this out for more info or email me at info@mirandabee.com

Tzatziki Recipe

Tzatziki is a sauce made from Greek yogurt and cucumber. If you've ever had a Gyro or a Mediterranean wrap, it most likely had tzatziki on it. We always serve ours when we have our Roasted Eggplant pita wraps. It's delicious and fresh and I am here to share my recipe with you. I've noticed that the recipes vary a great deal from person to person, but this is the one I use.

Again, the recipes vary, but here are the ingredients you need for mine: Greek Yogurt, Olive Oil, Cucumber, Lemon, and Garlic. I also sometimes add dill or mint as a garnish.

First you need to seed and dice your cucumber. 

Put the diced cucumber in the bowl and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and crushed garlic.

Then, add the Greek yogurt and mix it all together.

After it's all mixed, put it into a bowl and drizzle with Olive Oil. Add mint or dill as a garnish, if you'd like.

That's really all there is to it. It's a pretty simple recipe. If you'd like to print it out, you can do that right down here:

print recipe

Tzatziki Sauce

by Miranda at mirandabee.com March-13-2014

A cool and refreshing cucumber based sauce with garlic and lemon. Great for grilled meat,wraps, and vegetables or as a dip.

Ingredients

• 1 large Cucumber
• 2 cups Greek Yogurt
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• 2-3 cloves Garlic
• 2-3 Tbsp Dill or Mint (optional)

Instructions

1. Seed and dice the cucumbers.2. Put diced cucumbers, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic in a bowl.3. Fold Greek yogurt into the other ingredients until mixed.4. Drizzle with Olive Oil and add Dill or Mint garnish.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: Total time: 15 mins Yield: 2 cups

Tutorial: No Grate Homemade Laundry Soap

I have been making my own laundry detergent for about a year now, give or take. In the beginning I went with a traditional recipe where you have to boil and grate and stir and babysit your detergent. And, honestly, it didn't take me long to decide that I would either have to find an easier way or go back to buying it.

I'm all for saving money, but not at the expense of an unreasonable amount of time. So I merged a few recipes and came up with this one.

Before I tell you how to make it, let me tell you how much it costs.
It includes three ingredients (four, if you count the water). It contains: Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda), Borax, and Dish Soap. I paid $3.24 for the Washing Soda, $2.83 for the Dish Soap, and $3.38 for the Borax. That is a total of $9.45. I have made a total of 12 gallons so far and I am still on my first box! I also have enough left of each to last me about 3 more months. (Longer for the Borax). So, I have spent less than $10 and have been making it for almost a year.

At less than a dollar a month - and about 15 minutes to make each batch - I would consider this recipe a winner!!

Now, on to the fun part: Making it! :)

STEP 1: GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS

As I already said, you will need:

• Borax
• Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda!)
• Dish Soap

You can find the Borax and Washing Soda in the aisle with the Laundry Detergents.

In addition, you will need:

• A container to hold it (The size will depend on how much you want to make. My recipe yields 1 gallon, but I always triple it.)
• A whisk to stir it
• Water

Don't mind the writing all over my soap. Those are just my notes.

STEP 2: ADD DRY INGREDIENTS TO WATER

• Fill a gallon container (I just use a pitcher) with hot water. Not boiling... just as hot as your tap will go.
• Add 3 Tbsp of Borax and 3 Tbsp of Washing Soda to 1 gallon hot water. 
• Stir until mostly dissolved.

Borax

Washing Soda

STEP 3: ADD DISH SOAP

• Add 2 Tbsp Dish Soap (I use Dawn New Zealand Springs Scent, just because I love it!)
• Stir until dissolved

STEP 4: ADD TO YOUR CONTAINER

• As I said, I make mine 3 gallons at a time - and I also add an extra Tbsp of Dish Soap per 3 gallons.
• Once it is in my container, I stir it again until it is completely dissolved. 

In the picture here it looks cloudy, but that is just from the bubbles created from pouring/stirring it. That will go away and it will be clear.

So there you have it. Simple, no grate Laundry Soap. I use about 1 cup per load and I have to make a new batch about once every 3-4 weeks. 

 

Do you have a recipe for your own laundry soap? Leave me a comment or link to yours! :) I'd love to see what you all do!

NOTE: For my Fabric Softener I use Vinegar. Yep... Just plain old vinegar! It works great and leaves no smell afterward. I just put about 1/2 a cup into the Fabric Softener Tray of my washing machine (or you could just add it to the rinse cycle) and that's all there is to it. If you are worried about the smell you could add some regular Fabric Softener if you wish. If that's the case, all you need is 1/4 cup softener to 1 cup vinegar when you are making a batch.