DIY Plantain ointment for diaper rash and skin ailments

Homemade Plantain ointment

Being of natural mind (and being a die hard DIY'er) I jumped at the chance to make my own skin ointment that would not have antibiotics or petroleum or other crap in it.  Here is info on a simple ointment you can make at home.

I remember when I was a kid my mom always had a tube of Mycitracin handy, and any time we had a cut or anything like that, she would reach for it first.  Actually we used to joke . . . "oh, your arm got cut off . . . it'll be OK, just put some Mycitracin on it" LOL!!  The kids would probably say that now about the stuff I make.

I started out when Xian was a baby (11 yrs ago) making a simple Plantain ointment that I read about in Susun Weeds Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year.  Since that time I have added other locally grown herbs that I find in the wild and have come up with an ointment that my family lovingly called Kelley's Bum Rub (a name that stuck).  We use it for absolutely EVERYTHING!!  In fact, since having kids, I have never bought any other type of ointment to use for any of their skin issues . . . from cuts to stings, burns, diaper rash etc.  And others who have tried it love it too.  Plus, I know what is in it and I don't have to spend an arm and a leg to buy something natural.  And besides, I can just walk out the front door for the important ingredients!!  How cool is that!

Making your own herbal ointment is not only very useful but it is a great way to include the kids and let them help out.  They learn about herbs, how to use them, how to identify them, and how to turn that knowledge and a simple plant into something extremely useful.  Plus they make great homemade gifts for family and friends with children or new babies.  My family members can count on a jar every year for Christmas (and of course any other time they run out and need more).

My 3 oldest kids, in the front yard, gathering Plantain

 Plantain ointment is easy to make.  Well, I say easy because it is just one herb, Plantain, that is easy to find and identify and it is just a matter of infusing it with oil, then melting in some beeswax to make an ointment.  But it is also time consuming as the whole process takes like 6 wks.  So if you want to make them as gifts then you need to plan ahead.

Why Plantain?

Plantain growing in our front yard

 Some of you may be clueless as to what Plantain is, but you will know it when you see it (and no, it is not the banana shaped fruit you sometimes find at the grocery store).  It is sometimes called the sidewalk herb because it is often found growing in the cracks of sidewalks.  It is a common yard "weed" and the flower stalks are unmistakable (in fact, you probably played with them as a kid, wrapping the stem around the flower head and shooting it across the yard at friends).  If people only knew the healing powers found in that little weed that invades their yard!  

It has far too many uses to mention here, but to name a few . . . plantain can be eaten in a salad, used internally for mouth issues, colds, kidney issues, blood purifier and has even been used as a folk remedy for cancer.  Externally Plantain is a powerful skin healer (great for diaper rash).  It helps stop bleeding, it takes the sting out of bug bites, it reduces swelling and inflammation, it is astringent, antimicrobial has mild antibacterial properties and is anti-inflamatory.  It contains allatonin and is wonderful for hemorrhoids as well (I hadn't realized at the time and had to research it when a friend told me that the Bum Rub I gave her when she had her baby, worked amazingly for her hemorrhoids)

Making Plantain Ointment

First thing you need to do is identify the plant.  There are 2 main types of Plantain that I use, the Broad Leaf and Narrow Leaf.  Their healing properties are pretty much the same.  I am sure you have seen both of these, though you may not have recognized them.  

broad leaf plantain

narrow leaf plantain

They are common and can be found from spring to fall pretty much everywhere.  Both types are useful in this ointment (I usually try to get some of each if possible).  I don't want this post about making ointment to get tied up in how to identify Plantain.  Instead, a quick google search resulted in finding an excellent post with wonderful pictures and info on Plantain identification HERE

Identifying the flowers makes it much easier to identify the plant. Here you see both broad and narrow leaf plantain flowers

Making the ointment is a 2 step process.  First you need to infuse plantain in oil, then you make your ointment from the infused oil.

Infusing Plantain in Oil

You will need . . . 

• Plantain herb
• A clean, dry jar with lid
• Olive Oil

First collect your plantain.  I like to pick it when it isn't too hot, you don't want it wilted by the sun.  It is important that it is dry as well.  Choose herbs that are bright and healthy looking.  If you have a lot of choices then try to get leaves that are free from damage.  Also, I prefer not to pick any herb from the side of roads where they could have been exposed to run off or exhaust etc. You are going to want to collect enough that after chopping it up, it will fill your jar.  The size of your jar of course will determine how much ointment you can make.

*a note on using fresh herbs.  Some will say you can make infused oils with dried herbs and this is true, but I am of the opinion that fresh herbs make a more potent, healing oil, so I have only ever used fresh herbs to make oils and ointments* 

Newly collected plantain . . . narrow on the left, and broad on the right

After you have collected your Plantain you want to get it into oil as soon as possible.  Start by chopping the plantain coursly.  If there is any dirt on the leaves just brush it off.  It is important that the leaves are DRY as you prepare to put them in the oil.

Fill your jar to the top loosely with the chopped plantain.  Pour Olive Oil in till it is about 3/4 full (almost to the top).  Take a knife (or something similar) and poke and stir the herb into the oil.  The purpose of this is to dislodge any air bubbles that are trapped in the herb.  After you have gotten as much air out as possible fill the bottle to the VERY TOP with oil, then cap.  You want as little air in the jar as possible.

Let sit for 6 wks. keeping in mind that oil is likely to seep out (so you may want to put something under it, or place it on a surface that won't be harmed by oil).

After 6 wks is up you can strain out the herb (though I have let mine sit longer).  I use fine mesh strainer and strain the oil into another clean, dry jar.  After the oil has been transfered I take the saturated plantain and squeeze out any excess oil from the leaves into the oil jar as well.  Place the cap on and let it sit for a few more days so that any water left in the oil is separated out.  After a few days you will notice water and sediment at the bottom of your jar, so simply pour the oil into another clean, dry jar, leaving the water/sediment behind.  And there is your Plantain infused oil!!

Making Plantain Ointment

Making an ointment is simple as it just involves adding some beeswax to make it more solid. You can often find beeswax at the local health food store, but if you have no luck there, there are plenty of places online that sell it.  

Start by heating the oil and beeswax over low heat until the beeswax is melted.  I have heard it recommeded to do 1 Tbs of beeswax per ounce of oil, but I found that to be way too much.  I do 1 Tbs of beeswax per 3oz of oil.  You can experiment with it to see what works for you.  If it cools and is too hard then remelt and add more oil, if it is too soft then remelt and add more beeswax.  

When it is finished pour into jars.  You can use babyfood jars, old cosmetic jars, pimento jars etc. To use, simply apply liberally to any skin ailment imaginable.

You can use label paper with the sticky back, or Mod Podge to attach labels to your jars

 ***If you want to give your oil extra healing properties you can do what I always do and add some Lavender Essential oil and Vitamin E (which also works as a preservative).  I'll typically do around 5 drops of Lavender EO and a few drops of Vit E per ounce of oil.  Add them in after the beeswax has melted and you have taken it off the heat.

Shelf Life:  My ointment (with Vit E added) usually lasts years at room temperature without going bad since olive oil doesn't go rancid very easily.  But since we are using fresh herbs (which have more moisture, if you want to make it in bulk to store I would recommend refrigerating what you aren't going to be using, just in case.)

If you are giving as gifts don't forget to make labels.  And if the kids helped then letting them name the ointment after themselves adds a personal touch!

Healing herbs right outside my front door.  In this picture I spy plantain, burdock and dandelion!

Sources:
Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year - Susun Weed
Petersons Field Guide - Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants and Herbs by Foster and Duke
Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants - Tom Brown

You might be an [instinctive parenting] redneck if . . . . .

When a car drives by your house they see your pantless, long haired, 4 yr old boy doing this . . .

Ever shooting a BB gun . . . pantless

 And then when they walk up on your porch, they see this . . .

Baby in a box.  And notice that blur behind him, a cage of chickens . . . yes, on the front porch!!

 Of course those who know me know that I am not a redneck (though I have some family members who would proudly claim that title!!).  At least, I don't *think* I am, LOL!!

This was just the scene from our house this evening.  The kids were wanting to shoot the BB gun so I set up a box as a target for them.  They were shooting when a car drove by (we are in a fairly secluded area so cars don't drive by too often).  That is when I noticed the scene in front of me and what I can only imagine those people (who were obviously sight seeing on the mountain) must have thought.  For me, parenting by instincts often means I usually just go with the flow, which I am sure may look a bit odd to some.

I had 2 long haired boys shooting a bb gun . . . and I had to tell them to stop so they wouldn't hit the car driving by.  One of them had no pants on (they had gotten wet, and he can't stand wet clothes).  Another long haired boy with the water hose spraying it towards the road.  I had to holler for him to stop too as he totally would have soaked them inside their car . . . as their windows were down (hey, just noticed I used the word "holler" . . . very redneck of me).  I also had a toddler running around the yard butt naked.  His clothing of choice is no clothing at all.  He is ALWAYS naked, and he likes to run down the yard when cars drive by yelling "car, car, car, car, car", oh and of course there was a baby sitting on the porch in a box.

Dagyn, my box baby, 5mo old.

Yes I put him in the box with toys (I was doing lots of bending over picking stuff up which is hard on my body when wearing him, and he was happy to sit and play).   We are always putting Dagyn in boxes and various other containers to play and the kids love to push him around in them.   I have no clue where Piper was, but she was not interested in the gun (surprisingly since when she was younger she expressed an interest in hunting, which is interesting as we have never hunted).

more bb gun fun

 Hey, we were having fun which is what matters.  And I was really proud of 4 yr old Ever.  It was his first time shooting the bb gun and he was able to hit the box after about his 5th try.  I showed him how to aim and he maneuvered his little body to line up the sight!  Actually, they were all really good at aiming. 

It was quite the humorous scene.  I felt better though when I recalled events from earlier in the day. It was calm and peaceful.  All the kids sitting on the screen porch eating 'dang quesadillas', chips and salsa. That isn't quite as 'redneck' is it? (though I still had 1 naked and 1 without pants ;0) 

Where in the world is . . . . ??

Oh wait . . .here I am!!  

Sorry I have been MIA.  

I blame these people

Can I say that having 6 kids has kicked my butt?  I mean seriously.  I have started maybe 1/2 dozen blog posts (and have like another couple dozen topics I want to cover) and I get online to work on one and I either have e-mails I have to answer or some child is hungry, or needs to nurse, or needs to be wiped or is hurt (or is hurting someone else) or is standing on the counter (sometimes standing on the counter AND needing to be wiped) or is getting in to the fridge . . . or getting into the fridge and dumping food on the floor, and often it is multiples of these happening at the same time!

I know I don't have to tell you, anyone with little ones knows what I am talking about.  And then in the evening after they are asleep (which is actually when I usually get any real computer stuff done) I often have stuff to clean, or I get called back to bed by a crying baby or dh wants my attention (that is our "alone" time ya know) or I am just mentally ready to veg out infront of some mindless show with ice cream!  Yes I love my ice cream!!  I love it so much I try to spend some time with it every evening!  And we had been rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer recently (it is amazing how much you can forget it 10 yrs) and now that we finished it, we are rewatching Angel.  Fun times!!  Ice cream and Vampires . . . does it get better than that . . . maybe zombies?  (actually I just really like watching Spike . . . those of you who have seen Buffy know what I am talking about ;0)  And for those who don't . . . . here is a photo . . .

Yes, I just put a photo of Spike from Buffy on my blog, LOL!!

 So our summer this year was not nearly as busy as our summer last year (when we went to the BW conference in Idaho and to the beach in FL and OBX).  And last year I had morning sickness most of the summer . . . but I still think having baby #6 here has made it a bit harder to keep up.  Since I last checked in here we have
 ............................made a trip to Hershey Park in May, made a trip to GA to see my gorgeous niece Olive who was born (in a natural hospital waterbirth) to my little sister Karla in June (her first baby).

Me and newborn Olive

Olive and 12 wk old Dagyn

We also got some baby chicks, painted the front porch (yes, the kids and I spent 2 wks painting all the railings, it was a bit crazy but it turned out great) we had a big birthday party, we had some pets pass away, We got a trampoline . .

In the morning (as you see they are in their PJ's).  They couldn't wait, this is right after we put it up, before we could level it and put up the net and padding

 . . .we had a fun long weekend with family in Lynchburg, built and tiled a shower in the upstairs bathroom (that actually used to be a closet, we are just finishing it up now, just a bit more grouting to do) we got more baby chicks and have spent several days at the lake and with friends.  But I don't think anyone has been doing as much work this summer as this little guy . . .

Dagyn 5mo . . . growing, and growing, and growing . . .

 But I promise.  I am going to try desperately to get back to the habit of blogging, because I always have so much on my mind to share.

Low Water Immersion dying (tie-dye look) with Dylon

 I posted a few weeks ago HERE about how I was taking all my stained baby clothes and dying them.  Duh, I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before (especially considering that my brain functions so well most days).  I did the baby onsies, t-shirts, and then the kids tees and some prefolds too.

So as promised, I am sharing how I did it.  It was super easy really.  The look is that of tie dye, but it isn't technically I don't think.  It is called low water immersion dying or LWI (detailed instructions below).

Those of you who are reading and dye clothes often (or even to sell) know that Dharma and other fiber reactive dyes you get online are superior to anything you can find in the store.  But I was looking for something that I could just run out to the store to buy. Actually I was trying to keep from having to spend too much money all at once, and I could pick up a few colors here and there as needed.

I used Dylon.  You can get it at craft stores like JoAnns (that is where I got mine).  Stay away from Rit, it is a different type of dye and will bleed with every washing . . . no good.  After a couple washes Dylon doesn't bleed and so far the colors have held up and still look great after several washings! 

There are 6 basic steps

1. Wet your fabric (or if it is new wash and leave damp)
2. Scrunch in a small container
3. Mix up dye/salt etc.
4. Pour on dye
5. Wait
6. Rinse/wash

What is Low Water Immersion Dying?

It's easy . . .basically you are dying your fabric using much less water than instructions call for and the fabric doesn't free flow in the dye bath, rather you pour it straight on the clothes in a more concentrated form.  In order to get the contrast in colors/shades with LWI dying you take your fabric and scrunch it up and stuff it into a small container, something that leaves little room for the fabric to move around.  Then when you pour on your dye it soaks into fabric at different intensities since it is all bunched up.  Some fabric will get a direct hit with full strength dye, the crevices and folds will just get a hint of the dye and will be much less intense.  If you use 2 colors poured on separately they will blend where they touch each other making wonderful variations in color and contrast. And best of all . . . did I say it was easy?

Choosing colors

With LWI you can use just 1 color if you like.  If you choose 1 color you will get the same look, with a lot of contrast and swirly patterns, but with, well,  just 1 color (so you will have lighter and darker shades of the same color). I have done it with wonderful results, but unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it (it was a gift for my sister).  If you choose 2 or even 3 colors you will get beautiful contrast and mixing of colors where they meet each other.  You want to choose colors that will complement each other.  For example the first one I did was red and blue.  In the areas where the colors combine they will mix together, so my final product looked like it had 3 colors . . . red, blue and purple. I have also done 2 of the same color (light and dark blue) which was Ever's idea and I loved it!  And some combos (pink and green) didn't turn out that hot.

Some examples 
(click any picture to view it larger)

Red and blue

blue and yellow

prefolds, one with green and pink (not so hot together) the other 2 shades of blue (much better)

When doing black with any color remember that the black is so dark that it will completely cover any other color you add.  I used the same amount of the black and red (1 cup each).  Some of the shirts turned out great, with great contrast, but others in that batch were mostly black.  It just depends on how much of the black got to them.  So next time I'll probably use more color and about 1/2 the amount of black.

Black and Red

But enough of my blabbing on about it lets get to the specifics 
Lets Go Step by Step 

(so you won't have any excuses not to try it, because it is SO easy!!)

1. Wet or wash your fabric

Follow the directions on the back of your Dylon dye packet (as to washing and the type of fabrics recommended).  I mostly used old/used shirts so I didn't need to wash them, they were clean and had been washed MANY times.  I just wet them and rang them out.

2. Scrunch your fabric into a small container.

The idea is to get the fabric as scrunched as possible, so considering what you are dying, try to choose a container where the fabric, when scrunched, takes up the whole bottom surface.  If you are doing just 1 small shirt then you may be able to use a small bowl or even a cup for a baby shirt.  I was doing several small shirts/onsies etc. so I used glass baking dishes.

wet fabric, scrunched into a baking dish and ready to dye, this is several baby t's and onsies

3. Mix up your dye
(First, be mindful that if you spill any of this on your clothes, it will dye them)

This is where it gets a bit tricky (though I have done all calculations, so it should be easier for you).  1 pack of Dylon is supposed to do 1/2 lb (8oz) of fabric.  Yes, I do have a postage scale, no I am not taking the time to weigh all my fabric.  They say that 1 adult T-shirt is approx 1/2 lb, and I figure that what I am dying in this batch (onsies, kids t's etc.) probably equals 1/2 of an adult shirt, so I am going to want to use approx 1/2 a pack of dye.  I am winging it here (no worries, they turned out great).

I want to mix 2 colors so I am going to use 1/4 pack of dye for each color.  The instructions say to mix 1 pack of dye with 4 T. salt and 4 cups of water.  I measured the dye and each packet has approx 4 T. of dye.  So that means that when dying with Dylon, per packet, you will have 4T. of dye, per 4T. of salt, per 4 cups of water.   So you decide how much of each color you want to use. 

Not to get too crazy, but since there are 3t. in 1T if you were doing something smaller, like just 1-2 onsies, and you wanted to use 2-3 colors . . . you could go as small as 1t. dye, 1t. salt per 1/3 cup of water (you get the way it works).  You'd also probably be using a much smaller bowl or a cup even to scrunch them in.

So when doing LWI with Dylon, for the amount of clothes I am dying in these pictures (approx 1/4 lb, give or take) I am using 1 cup of dye per color (each cup containing 1T dye and 1T salt).  That is pretty much the formula I use.  If you are doing more than I am here, and want to use 2 colors, you may want to do 1/2 packet per color (2 cups per color, each containing 2T dye and 2T salt).  So, is that as clear as mud?

I am cheap so I wanted to use as little dye as possible, and though I am pretty sure I used less than recommended for the weight of the fabric they still had vibrant color, I think in part because I was just pouring it straight on.

I mixed my salt directly in my water, and I use HOT water. Once the salt is mixed I added the dye.  MIX WELL, sometimes the dye doesn't dissolve well and if that happens and you pour it on your clothes it will leave speckles (ask me how I know ;0)

Note . . .the packet says to add your cup of dye to a basin of water, but just skip that part, we are pouring the dye directly on the clothes we do NOT want to dilute it further because we are not dying the whole article 1 even color (and that is what the instructions on the packet are for).

So to recap this step
(since I am so long winded above and probably confusing you)

• Choose your colors and how much dye you think you need for the fabric you are dying
  
• Depending on the amount of fabric you are dying and number of colors you want to use, mix 1T dye and 1T salt per 1cup of hot water

See, simple when you put it in just a few words ;0)

dyed baby tee and prefold

4. Pour on your dye

If you are doing only 1 color cover all the fabric, if you are doing 2 or 3 colors you want to pour them on 1 at a time, leaving some white areas for the next color (so that each color hits the fabric directly, and they can then blend where they overlap).  

When doing 2 colors, I do the lighter color first, then the dark.

Red dye first

then I added the blue

Yellow dye

yellow with blue added

For the batch above I did more shirts, so I used a larger container and 3 cups of dye, a different color each (1T of dye and 1T of salt per 1 cup of water for each color).  I used 2 blues and a green.

You want to make sure the fabric is completely covered with dye, and no white showing. There should be plenty of excess dye water surrounding the fabric (it won't soak up all the dye, it should be mostly submerged in it).  I liked using glass because I could look underneath to make sure the dye got all the way to the bottom and that the fabric soaked it up well.  If you feel that you haven't used enough dye to completely soak into all the fabric, then you can either add more dye or add a little water to mix with the existing dye in there and get your fabric submerged a bit more (I have done both and they worked just fine).

Most people recommend not moving the fabric much at all, so that the colors don't mix too much and you get more contrast.  However, I noticed that some of my fabric had white spots where the dye didn't reach it at all, and I didn't want that.  So now I will poke the fabric down into the dye and even maybe lift it up just a tad and drop it back down, to help the dye get into the folds a bit better.  This is something you have to just experiment with.  You have no guarantee how it will come out, you just have to wait and see.

Which brings us to our next step . . .

5.  Wait

When leaving the dye to sit in the dye water, I put a weight over the fabric to submerge it, most anything that fits inside your container will work. I used a pie plate that fit inside the baking dishes and then I put something heavy on it.  That pushed the fabric down in the dye more.  I think it would still work fine if you didn't do this, but a lot of people recommend it. 

My fabric being weighed down, and that is a jar of kefir brewing on top ;0)

 I like to let it sit like 4-6 hrs.  I have not experimented much with the time and the results but I figure longer won't hurt. If I couldn't leave it as long I would probably microwave it in like 30 sec increments for a couple minutes, just to make sure that the dye took well.  I did it for one batch that I did before bed so it only sat for an hour or so, and the results were fine. I figure it can't hurt.  Well actually it could hurt if your fabric was dry.  Make sure to only microwave WET fabric!!

6. Rinse

After you let it sit for the length of time you decide, it is time to see the final results!!  Just follow the directions on the Dylon package.  Rinse, rinse, rinse . . . wash and voila! A tie dye look that only took a few minutes to do (seriously, I am long winded when typing but once you get down to doing it, it is super quick and easy)

The results from the above pictures

My first batch, red and dark blue, just rinsed

The blue and yellow

After washing and drying

Washed and dried

So, to recap . . Wet, Scrunch, Mix, Pour, Wait, Rinse

And your done!! 

And you have now saved all those stained t-shirts that would have otherwise been thrown away (or used as rags) and THAT saves money!!  OR you can dye your diapers, cloth napkins, slings or carriers, curtains, sheets or pillowcases. Let the kids design their own clothes (if they are like mine they are particular about the colors they want) or do matching shirts for the kids or family.  We like to wear the same color shirts when going to like an amusement park, to help us keep up with each other, and I try to dress the kids in bright colors at the park so I can find them amongst all the kids easier.

If you end up trying this out, feel free to send me the pictures (spiraldane@yahoo.com) and I'll post them here!!

Some random kids . . . no clue what their deal is but they look like trouble to me!!

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Yes, I know Easter was several days ago.  Yes, we did dye these eggs over a week ago.  And YES I am just now getting this info up.  Hey, I try.  And I figure if I do it now then I can re-post this link before next Easter ;0)

Since I gravitate towards all things natural using natural dyes is something I have been wanting to do for a while . . . I just never found the time. You can search the internet, there are many websites that talk about using natural dyes for Easter Eggs so a quick search should provide you with a lot of info.  The best site I found was Peaceful Parenting I like everything else she talks about so of course her natural dye info is my favorite.  She also tells you what items will make what colors so it gives a lot of great ideas.

I didn't want to have to buy anything special, I wanted to use what we had on hand.  So I found some frozen Raspberries, Paprika, Grape Juice, Chlorophyll, Red Cabbage, Orange Peels and Carrots.  I also found some Canned Beets that apparently my Mother In Law had bought and left in our cabinets.

One thing to remember when using natural dyes . . . they are not for kids who like instant gratification.  It takes time for the eggs to take the color of the natural dyes, I mean like hours.  So if your kids want to be able to dunk 1/2 an egg in one color and the other 1/2 in another color then they may not like natural dyes so much.  My kids got a kick out of making the dyes and didn't mind waiting for the colors.
An idea, if you have a kid who wants immediate results, is to mash up some frozen fruit (raspberry, blueberry etc) give them a little paintbrush and let them paint their eggs.  I think we'll try that too next time.
For a change we did try to write on a few of the eggs with some wax before dying, but it didn't really work well.

The first thing we did was wash the boiled eggs in soapy water to get off any residue that may prevent the egg from taking the dye.

Next I shredded up the red cabbage and carrots, in hopes that that would help them release dye in the water better.

Then I boiled the carrots, orange peels, paprika, red cabbage and frozen raspberries in water.  I used a couple cups of water but didn't really measure how of the natural material I used, I mostly just guessed what I thought would be a good amount.  I brought the water to a boil then simmered it for 20min or so, till the water was full of color.  The orange and carrots made water that was only slightly colored so I let them sit longer.  Eventually I got tired of waiting and just strained them out and used the water anyway.

the lids were vital in case they got knocked over, which seems to always happen around here

I filled jars with a cup or 2 of the colored water.  For the grape juice I added straight juice.  With the chlorophyll I added like 1tbsp per cup of water (I am cheap and didn't want to use too much, but more would have worked better) and for the canned beats I just strained the liquid straight from the can into my jar.  

I then added about 1-2 tbsp of white vinegar to each jar (about 1tbsp or I think I did a bit more than that per cup) and after each kid had chosen what colors they wanted, we added the eggs.

Now comes the wait.  

I checked them after an hour or so but they weren't very colored.  I think we let them sit somewhere between 4-6 hrs.  But you can leave them overnight if wanted (just stick them in the fridge).  They didn't seem very dark but we were impatient and went ahead and pulled them out. 

Make sure you don't touch them too much as they dry or the color can rub off some.

 When I pulled them out of the dye the color was quite subtle, but as they sat out to dry, and we came back to look at them, I swear the color seemed richer and darker.  

I think the canned beet juice gave the quickest and richest color.  Raspberry wasn't red, it was more of a dirty plumb and the red cabbage dried to a nice blue.  The Paprika was a brownish orange and the chlorophyll would have been darker had I used more, but it had nice green speckling.  The carrot and orange peel actually made a nice light orange/yellow color which was surprising because the dye water for those 2 was really light.

What I found interesting was that the eggs that were put in the fruit juice, the Raspberry and Grape Juice, had this film on them . . . like grainy and almost bubbly as I pulled them out of the dye water.  I am not sure why, but I didn't rub it off, just let it dry (see below).  If I had wiped it off the color would not have been as dark, but equally pretty I think.

clockwise from the top, beet, red cabbage, paprika, raspberry, grape juice, chlorophyll

Overall the kids enjoyed it, and I enjoyed that it was natural and cheap and something we could just do ourselves.

Thrace

I really loved the subtle, beautiful, natural colors, and I didn't cringe as the kids peeled the shells off and the egg inside was dyed too . . . like I do with the artificial dyes. So I think we will definitely make this a regular part of our Easter decorating.

Xian and Piper

Happy Easter!!

Love, love, love me some Phil Wickham!!  This song is amazing and fitting for today.  Enjoy!

Hallelujah!!

How to fix those stained white baby clothes

So I was going through the baby clothes and I realized that after 5 babies that spit up a lot, I didn't really have any white onsies or t-shirts.  I LOVE those baby t's and the long sleeve shirts with newborns. White never stays white (those of you with kids KNOW this is a fact, LOL).  

Being the thrifty (downright cheap) person that I am, and refusing to just throw them away, I was thinking . . . what can I do with these things?  And this is what I came up with.

Dagyn 3 wks

4 weeks

4 weeks

It was SO easy and they turned out so well that I figured . . . why not do all the kids stained white T's (because we have plenty of them)

My crazy kids, Ever (4) Piper (8) holding Dagyn (4 wks) Arah (6) and Xian (10) holding a fussy Thrace (22mo)

I'll put up a instructions soon.  

I had to search around the internet for instructions and nothing I found fit the dye I was using so I had to experiment a bit.  But like I said, super easy!  I have been dying some prefolds too and had I known it was this easy I would have done it years ago (it has always been on my list of things to do that I never get around to).