☕️ THE LOUNGE 🍸 Check In HERE

[TheFotoShoppe]

Welcome to "THE LOUNGE"----Your Status as a member of team "PROMOTION EXPRESS" entitles you to VIP accomodations!

Here, we can relax, enjoy, put out feet up and sip a coffee (or other beverages) and talk, chat, and share NON-Etsy ideas!! Done creating and promoting for the day? Stop in and chill out!!

Let's share recipes, tips, stories......most importantly....MAKE FRIENDS! Lets vent if we need to, after all, we are a growing family....!!! This is our little corner!! ---Reneé

[TheFotoShoppe]

I'm very excited about our new lounge! I for one, have lots of tips to share not that everyone has to share tips here but I am going to try to share at least a few a week! Now don't hold me to that! LOL but I will do my best! I think the first one I will share is one of my favorites, .....so you use a Brillo pad to clean one pot, then what? The next day it's rusted! Here is a great tip--- use that Brillo pad, stick that sucker in a Ziploc and put it in your freezer! Yes you can go back for it three weeks later it is still perfect and probably still soapy!! It will not rust if you freeze it! Silly yes? Maybe some of you already knew this and I was living under a rock? But for those of you who didn't, there you have it! LOL let me know if any of you try this for the first time and agree! Can't wait to hear what everyone else has to share here at the lounge!

[DeniseBruchmanPhoto]

Cool tip! Thanks for sharing!

[Former_Member]

For a clean smelling kitchen right before company comes over, or to deodorize your disposal, throw a slice of lime or lemon down there and grind away. I like to use lemon/ lime that I've already juiced...usually for a margarita! I think oranges would work just as well. Yummmm!

[AntoniasBazaar]

Add some baking soda first--and your good to go;o)

[TheFotoShoppe]

How's this for the BEST smelling' home........ya know those "Downy unstoppables" they sell now to add to your laundry?? they are like little pellets? well pick up a bottle of those....do add to your laundry....but also put them in a candle warmer (burner) honestly I don't know what to call it but that thing that you put the little tea light underneath to warm oil or candle chips above?.... Someone help me out here......anyway..... You can put candle melts or whatever you want on the top of your warmer with a T light underneath add a small amount of the downy unstoppable's up above and light your tea light underneath! OMG your entire home will smell like fresh laundry it is amazing I live by this!!!

[ADKArtsBoutique]

The only tip I have in the household dept. is for a smelly microwave. Take a mug of water and add a couple of tbs. of lemon juice and bring to a boil. Let set in microwave for about 5 min. This will make it smell better and if there is anything stuck on the sides it will clean easily.

[TheFotoShoppe]

OMG Patti!!! I do that with a sponge!! I soak the sponge and add a lil lemon juice....then put it in there for about 1.5 mins...it not only disinfects the sponge...it loosens up any gunk (especially on the ceiling of the microwave) where we don't look too often!! then all the stuck-on stuff wipes rite off!!

[Former_Member]

Hi Gang no useful tips, I'm in zombie mode, just got Mikey to bed, there is a God! LOL he wears me out.
If any of you get sick of his extreme treasury habit please let me know, seriously, I can't keep up LOL

[TheFotoShoppe]

NO way!! He makes the best treasuries deb!! and don't think we have to post tips here! LOL I wanted that to be a suggestion.....not a guide-line....just something we can do to unwind, after Etsy....a place to come when ya need a recipe, or just to read an idea shared by a team-member!! a thread with no requirements!! KICK BACK IN THE LOUNGE!!

[TheFotoShoppe]

Our Mikey is the BOMB!! we LOVE his treasuries!!

[Former_Member]

Hello all I love the tips what a great idea. I do most of these but the brillo pad is a new one and can't wait to tell my hubby he'll want to try that for sure.

So this is not so much a tip it's a recipe; I have super sensitive skin (all my life) and laundry detergents bother me even the so called "Free of perfumes" etc... and most of the ones that don't irritate my skin do nothing to clean my husbands work clothes. So I found this great recipe and made my own. It only took me 15 minutes to make and I found all the supplies at Walmart in the laundry detergent isle within two shelves of each other.

1 Box of Super Washing Soda 3 lb. 7 oz.
1 Box of Borax 4 lbs 12 oz. size
1 Box of Pure Baking Soda 4 lb
3 bars of Fels-Naptha 5.5 oz. or you could also use Ivory soap
1 container of Oxy-Clean 1.3 lb (save the little scoop)
*optional: Purex Crystals 28 oz. for scent (or you could use Downy unstoppables )

First grate your Fels-Naptha Bar. You can use a cheese grater to do this, but I used my food processor as it was a lot quicker. Using my food processor I first grated the bar like cheese, and then used the regular blade to grate down fine. You could use Ivory soap (just microwave it and it will foam where you can just crush it into a fine grade).
Next grab a plastic bin/trash can and line it with a garbage bag.
Then pour each one of the ingredients inside (I added one at a time and stirred together). Mix all these ingredients up well. Put into a container.
This makes 18 lbs. of laundry detergent which for us will probably last a year. And it only costs around $20.00 to make

To use you only need 1-2 tablespoons per load if you keep the little scoop from the Oxi-Clean (it is exactly 2 Tablespoons) remember it is highly concentrated.

I use 1 scoop 2 tablespoons for large loads and 1/2 a scoop for small ones.
This has worked great my husband's work clothes are cleaner and smell better than ever and I have no more skin irritations (which is the best part for me)

You can use it in your High Effeciency washing machines

Funny I actually look forward to doing laundry now LOL!

[TheFotoShoppe]

Wowwwww Laura Mae!! That is unbelievable! When you think that one big jug of Tide costs about the same as what you're making to last a whole year. How nice of you to take the time to type all that out and share that with us all! We're going to nickname you the mad scientist here at the lounge! LOL I have a quick little tip to share tonight as well, for any of you girls that may use bobby pins still, I know I do when I want to pin my bangs back to wash my face......... Pick up a pack of TicTac's and when the last one is gone save the little tick tac box ....it makes the absolute ideal bobby pin holder! I don't normally buy TicTac's but when I heard of this tip I went out and bought one pack for like $.69 and when they were gone I put all my bobby pins inside the box and now they're neat and confined instead of putting them back on that silly strip of cardboard that they come on, if you're like me they never end up back there they end up here, there, and everywhere! Now when I need one I flip open the lid....shake one out and it's a beautiful thing!!

[Former_Member]

Thanks Renee but I cannot take credit for the Recipe I found it online. I just shared it.

Love your tip for bobby pins.

[ADKArtsBoutique]

Just dropping in to say hi. Very late here tonight so I'll be back tomorrow to play in the threads. Hope you all have a ton of sales. Good Night all :) Happy to be here Renee :)

[TheFotoShoppe]

Hi Patti!!! Im soooo Glad You're happy!! Im gonna share a recipe Called "APPLE AL" Long story how that came to be..... But in a nutshell, a coworker of my aunt years and years ago gave her this recipe and his name was Al so from that point on we call it Apple AL! This is the easiest thing on the planet if you don't even know how to boil water, you can't mess this up! And when I tell you it is absolutely to die for-delicious!

You'll need only 3 things.....
2-cans of apple-pie filling
1 box Yellow cake mix
2 sticks of butter

THATS IT!! (go grab a pen)

**I use a 9X13 glass pan with a light spray of non-stick
**Empty the 2 cans of apple pie filling on bottom
**Sprinkle box of cake mix evenly over it (don't follow box instructions....just sprinkle the loose dry cake mix!! )
**Slice your sticks of butter lengthwise and lay in rows over powdered cake mix

THATS IT!
I can't remember exactly how long I bake it for.... but I know it's at 350° check after about 30 minutes and keep checking until the top starts turning a nice golden brown let it cool...but serve it either warm or even ice cold is phenomenal!

Come back and post some feedback anyone who tries it I'm excited to hear what you think! This is one of those recipes that everyone will ask you for and everyone will rave about because they'll think you slaved in the kitchen all day LOL but it's our little secret here at the lounge!! --Reneé

[AntoniasBazaar]

Thanks! Those cleaning/house smell good tips are great. I have to little dogs that do more than their fair share of adding to the "scent of my house";o)

[TheFotoShoppe · Accepted solution]

If you are just joining in ..here at the Lounge.......READ UP!! for some great tips!! (or down)

[Former_Member]

So I have this new daughter-in-law (less than a year) and I have only met her once and we kind of got off on a rocky start so I have been bending over backwards to try to get her to like me. Well, a couple of days ago she emailed me and asked me if I could make her a custom picture frame. She has a picture of my son and her three daughters that she needs it for. I was so happy I was practically dancing around the house. And those girls are absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for letting me share.

[WreathsByRebeccaB]

Doreen, I will not try that recipe! I will eat the whole thing! :)
Happy Monday.... boys have a two hour delay due to ice, but fortunately it is not cancelled so I will be able to get out and pick up more supplies for Vday.

[TheFotoShoppe]

Thats Awesome Deb! Sounds like it may be the ice-breaker!! Do they live far?

HaHa Rebecca! Where do you live that you had such ice this morning? I'm in New Jersey at the Jersey shore and it's just been raining all day here we've been very lucky so far weather wise!!

[Former_Member]

Nice tips here! I love the idea of sharing non-etsy things with other creative etsians. I want to share with you my super pinterest folder full of DIY
Hope you like it!! If you do something please share! I will love to see your creations! <3

https://www.pinterest.com/myriamoreno/diy/

[Former_Member]

Renee, in our family we have a recipe with a story:

"Footcake" (Chocolate Eclair Cake) It was once sitting on the front steps of my grandparent's house "cooling" when my 7 yr old cousin came rushing in and stepped in it. It didn't hurt it much, and we all love it so much that we ate it anyway. (it was protected by plastic wrap) NO BAKE recipe!

Box of graham crackers
Choc frosting (or melted choc chips)
Vanilla pudding (big box)

Make the pudding per instructions on box and set aside (refrigerate)
In 13x9 pan, layer 1 row of graham crackers (might have to break them to get them to fit)
Spread a layer of vanilla putting on thickly. (half of the batch)
Place another layer of graham crackers on top of pudding.
Spread another layer of vanilla pudding. (last pudding layer)
Cover the pudding (again) with the last layer of graham crackers
Spread frosting or melted chocolate chips on top.
Refrigerate for a half hour or so (it gives the graham crackers time to meld with the pudding)
Make it pretty: You can add decorative sprinkles or crumbles of graham crackers to the top.

SERVE!

[TheFotoShoppe]

OK GAIL.....I'll try yours if You try mine!! LOL xoxoxoxoxo

That sounds as yummy and easy as mine!!!! Funny how it got its name though LOL LOL

[Former_Member]

Antonia,
We have 2 dogs too, and we swear by using vinegar and water for cleaning. It helps to cover any pet stain smells so that the dogs can't smell it themselves. When they can smell pet stains, it encourages them to re-mark over the top of it.
Stay away from any cleaners with ammonia in it. Dog stains contain ammonia and that can also encourage them to mark over the top.