How to Edit Multiple Pictures At The Same Time On A Mac

The other night a friend on Facebook posed the question about editing multiple pictures at the same time. I shared this "trick" with her and was surprised to learn that not many people were aware that this could even be done.It is surprisingly simple and saves a lot of time, especially when you have a ton of pictures to re-size.All you need to do is open your pictures in the Preview AppI'll show you how I recently edited pictures at the same time to share movie stills from The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part II.How To Edit Multiple Pictures At the Same Time On A Mac (Apple Computer)1. Go to the folder (use Finder) containing all of your pics you want to resize. If you have your pictures in iPhoto simply export them to your Library.2. Highlight all of the photos, and double-click to open in Preview, or right-click and choose Open With Preview.3. Once you're in Preview (this is the default picture viewer for a Mac) go to Edit and choose Select All.4. Next go to Tools and select Adjust Size.5. Next enter the desired size for all of the images.6. Last go to File and choose Save All.That's it! This is unbelievably simple and saves me so much time! xonicōle

Homemade Laundry Soap DIY

I was tinkering around on Pinterest the other day when I came across a link to make your own laundry detergent. My curiosity piqued, I checked out the post and a few others, then I Googled and found this recipe was quite common, with a few variations, some that add in Oxy-Clean for instance. I also found recipes for a liquid version which required boiling water and other things that sounded like cooking. I wasn't particularly in the mood to cook soap, so I opted for this version which did not require the use of an oven. You can check out my "home-made" board on Pinterest for other versions of this recipe or just conduct your own web investigation.

Needless to say I was intrigued by the notion of making my own laundry detergent especially since the cost was a lot less than the laundry detergent I buy.

After dropping my son Michael off at school one morning last week I dashed on over to Wal-Mart with my iPad cued into this post on DIY Suds for guidance.  It actually took me longer to search for glue-sticks (which they did not have!) than it did to find the ingredients for this recipe. I whipped up this batch in my Mother-in-law's kitchen that morning in under 10 minutes.

With my fresh batch of homemade laundry soap in hand I put it to use and found that it worked great! This soap doesn't get all "sudsy" like one would expect from your usual laundry soap, but the amount of suds in the water doesn't relate to how well your clothes are being cleaned and I could see no notable difference in the cleanliness of my clothes using this soap when compared to the store bought soap I usually use.  I've since used it a few other times and will continue to do so.  This detergent doesn't imbue any scent to your clothes, but I do use a fabric softener which does. Keep that in mind if you like your laundry to be scented.

 To make your own laundry soap here is what you'll need:

Homemade DIY Laundry Soap Ingredients:

• Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap (1 bar)
• Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (1 cup)
• Borax (1 cup)
• Cheese grater or similar to "shred" the  bar of soap
• Canister or something to store your detergent in.

To Make Your Own Homemade Laundry Detergent:

Gather your Fels-Naptha soap and cheese shredder thing. Shred the bar of soap-I read that any soap would do such as Ivory but this is what I used. The scent of this soap reminds of me of Pine-sol. However when the clothes are in the wash it smells very lemony and not at all like your toilet bowl.

Shred the entire bar. I varied between really fine shreds and thicker pieces because I thought it looked pretty.Once your done mix one cup each of the Washing

Soda and the Borax. I used a "really" big container I found at Wal-Mart. You could easily fit this into a smaller container or jar.

Use one to two tablespoons of the mixture per load of laundry. (I use two).

I think I'm going to give some of this stuff away as gifts.

I've got plenty of Borax and Washing Soda left over!

Love & making things yourself,

nicóle

Halloween Cupcake Wreath Tutorial

Originally posted on 10, October 2011

Check out this cute little wreath I made today.

 I was in the Dollar Tree the other day looking for (what else) some craft supplies when I came across these cute little mini-cupcake wrappers and thought they would be perfect for a cupcake wreath.This entire craft was made using items purchased at the Dollar Tree for a total of $5. Florists' pins and the purple ribbon I had on hand. This is a great inexpensive wreath that you can make for any occasion, gift etc.To make this 8 inch wreath here is what you will need:1. 8 inch foam wreath2. 2 packages of 100 each mini-cupcake wrappers3.  Ribbon. Depending on how wide the ribbon is you will need less or more. The ribbon I used was about 1 1/2 inch wide. I used one role of ribbon totaling 3 yards.4. Wire embellishment (optional) feel free to use what other embellishment items you like!5. Glue gun6. 4 Florists pins or straight pins. You can pick up a pack of 100 at Wal-Mart for $1. I had these on hand. This is optional you can use glue gun. I like to use the florist pins because they really secure the ribbon to the foam.To make the wreath:Plug in your hot glue gun.Begin by wrapping your wreath with the ribbon. Secure one end of your ribbon with one of the florist's pin.  If you are using one of those green foam wreaths leave the plastic on it and just cut out the centers. It's less messy that way.Once you're wrapped your wreath secure the other end with one another florist pin.Next take your cupcake wrapper and fold it in into a quarter: fold it in half and then in half again.Gently fold over the tip of the wrapper to create a tiny base for your glue to go. Dab on a small amount of glue onto your wrapper and place it on your wreath. Continue placing the wrappers creating clusters that are close together.Once you've covered your wreath in the cupcake wrappers (I used about 120 individual wrappers.)  turn the wreath over and secure a piece of ribbon for the hanger. Use your judgement for length based on where you plan on hanging the wreath. Take the remaining two florist pins cris-crossing them over each other to form an "x". By doing this you firmly secure the pin in place. I leave a little "tail" in the ribbon to fold over and hot glue to cover the pin.Next create a bow and secure another pin by pushing it through the back.That's it your done!

You can hang your wreath practically anywhere of course there are doors, but other nice places include over mirrors and windows.

This wreath is currently for sale in my etsy shop.

Love & Making Pretty Things,

nicole