Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (13 page)

HOW TO

1.
Purchase the wood from a home improvement store that will cut all the pieces for you.

2.
Lay out your 4 planks of wood for the frame on the floor on their sides (standing up), so that you can line them up with one another to make a square.

3.
Using an electric drill, drill 3 holes on one end of each plank, and screw the frame together using the wood screws. Now you have your bookcase frame.

4.
Attach your plywood back to your frame, making sure it fits perfectly. Starting at the top, secure the plywood to the frame with finishing nails. Stand the bookcase upright.

5.
Hold the bookshelves in place to make sure they’re going to fit. With a pencil, mark on the plywood where you want your shelves to be. Measure each side carefully, as you want the shelves to be level.

6.
Drill holes on the inside uprights to slide the bookshelf pins into. Put 2 pins on each side for good support.

7.
Sand the wood and then paint or stain your bookcase.

MATTRESS/BEDDING

The one thing that is pretty hard to make yourself is a mattress. However, it is one of the most important items to consider when you’re trying to go nontoxic. Most baby mattresses contain a cocktail of toxic fire-retardants and other dangerous chemicals. The best way to go is 100% organic wool. Wool is naturally fire-resistant and won’t harbor moisture, bacteria, mold, or dust mites. I love Nirvana Safe Haven mattresses (www.nontoxic.com). This company was founded by a lady who has suffered from multiple chemical sensitivities for most of her life. She knows her stuff, and if you look at the list of what chemicals are
not
in her products, you’ll be shocked to see what’s typically in a regular mattress.

A wool pillow is a good idea, too. You could also try a buckwheat and millet
pillow. I purchased one for my troublesome neck and Lola quickly appropriated it as her “can’t live without” pillow. I got it at Serenity Pillows (www.serenitypillows.com). Organic sheets and pillowcases can be very expensive, so start trawling flea markets for vintage sheets. Fortunately, many of the sheets you’ll find at flea markets will be twin-size, which you can use for a crib, toddler, and then child’s bed.

Sweet Dreams Lavender Pillow

This is one of my all-time favorite crafts. It’s easy to make and will become absolutely indispensable to you. You can either make a regular-size pillow for a child or yourself, or a spa/half-size pillow, which would make a wonderful gift.

A cute idea for a gift would be to embroider the recipient’s name with a simple running stitch in one corner. If you want to get ridiculously creative, you could embroider a little message or a flower, too!

HOW TO

1.
For the regular size, fill your pillowcase with enough buckwheat hulls so that it’s malleable—you want to be able to smoosh your head into it at night.

2.
Add 4 oz. of dried lavender flowers and mix it around a bit.

3.
Turn under the opening of the pillowcase and pin. Hand sew it closed. You can machine sew it too, but I like the look of hand stitching (see the basic sewing tutorial on Frugalista).

4.
The spa pillow is made the same way as the regular-size pillow. However, since it’s half the size of a standard pillow, you will obviously need only half the amount of filling.

NATURAL DEODORIZER

Never buy scented diaper pail bags, as they are scented with toxic chemicals. Instead, use borax to deodorize. Once a week, pour ½ cup borax powder into your diaper pail, leave for half an hour, then shake the borax into your trash can.

Shower Curtain

Try to avoid using a vinyl shower curtain because vinyl is an environmentalist’s nightmare: The manufacturing process emits dioxins, which are carcinogenic, and your curtain can continue to “off-gas” formaldehyde for years. This is particularly worrying for children, as their small bodies are extremely vulnerable to indoor air pollution. You can easily make your own adorable shower curtain.