Day 102: Miracle Cleaner (partial fail / success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I was given this stained shirt, so I have a hard time saying this "miracle cleaner" doesn't work since I don't know what the stain was from or how long it's been sitting on the shirt prior to trying the stain remover  Although it didn't completely take out the stain, it's much, much lighter and I feel comfortable wearing this shirt without the stain being too noticeable!

This is what the original stain looked like:

Ingredients:
1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid (the original blue kind)
2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide

Directions:
Mix together and pour directly on the stain (or use a spray bottle if you have lots of stains to tackle).  Wait a few minutes, give the stained area a little rubbing to agitate it, and then rinse the item out.

I then threw the shirt in with a load of washing, and this is what it looked like after being in the washer / dryer.  The stain is still there, but hardly noticeable, right??

The original blogger even got stains out of a kids' fabric chair that she couldn't rinse out, so I may try this on non-clothing items too!

Verdict: PARTIAL FAIL / SUCCESS!

Day 88: Freezer Paper Stencil Tutorial (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

I've wanted to try freezer paper stencils on t-shirts for a long time, but haven't had a reason to make anything.  Well, my reason presented itself -- my son is recently obsessed with all things Angry Birds.  The app, toys, apparel, coloring books, building game with blocks / sling shot / miniature pigs & birds -- you name it, he wants it.  He has one Angry Birds sweatshirt and has been begging for something else to wear, but I don't want to spend tons of money on Angry Birds clothing.  Enter, freezer paper stenciling.

I bought a $3.99 youth t-shirt, X-acto knife, and a fabric paint pen at Michaels; borrowed freezer paper from a friend; and printed off a free Red Angry Birds Jack-o-Lantern stencil online.  Easy and cheap!

1. I washed / dried the t-shirt, traced the stencil onto freezer paper (with the shiny side of the freezer paper down), and carefully cut out the stencil with the X-acto knife.

 2. I then ironed the freezer paper onto the t-shirt (using a high heat setting), with the shiny side of the freezer paper down. Make sure to iron around all edges of the stencil so that a seal is created for your stenciled image.

3. I used a black, permanent Tulip Fabric Paint Marker to cover the stencil, and let it dry for 24 hours (the recommendation on the paint marker).

Peel off the freezer paper and it's done!

I have a very happy son, and will definitely be doing this again -- perhaps soon with a green shirt and a "bad piggies" stencil?!

Verdict: SUCCESS!

Day 78: Pool Noodle as a Boot Shaper (success).

Pinterest pin and website link.

My boots are in a sorry state, as the way I've stored them in the past is to cram them into a basket that houses my other shoes.  I saw these pool noodles at the Dollar Tree, and thought trying this pin was worth it for $1.  These pool noodles look smaller (width-wise) and are a different shape (a flower versus a circle) than the others I saw featured on Pinterest, but they still did the trick of keeping the boot shape intact.

They didn't do as well, however, at keeping the boot upright (which is fine since I can just prop them against a wall).

Verdict: SUCCESS!