Keep the straws from unwanted drink bottles

If you have a drink bottle with an internal straw, when the bottle cracks, leaks or dies, don't throw the straw out! Remove it from the bottle and keep it in your cutlery drawer for whenever you need a straw, or keep a couple in your bag for use when you're out. I keep three in a little cotton bag in my handbag for when we order a drink that would normally come with a disposable straw (milkshakes, iced coffees, spiders, soft drinks). After use, I just give the straw a quick rinse in the restroom sink, or wrap in a serviette, and give a good wash when I get home. A simple way to reduce waste and help the planet!

NLP means great nails for me!

If nail biting or picking is an issue for you or someone you know, you may like to consider Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). I had just one session and it made a fantastic difference for me. I was sceptical throughout the session, until the end of the session when the problem had completely gone away. I was really surprised and completely pleased! Would definitely recommend.

A much loved gift from Grandpa's shirts

While searching through the craft section in the Vault, I came across a contribution titled 'Loving keepsakes from recycled clothing'. This inspired me to write in and tell you what I did with my late husband's shirts.
 
He had a lot of flannelette check shirts, which he loved to wear in winter. I cut up the shirts into even squares, leaving the pockets on some squares - I replaced the pocket buttons with gold ones from my button tin. I then sewed the squares together and detailed them by sewing some bright blue ribbon down and across each section. After that, I backed the lot with a flannelette sheet – the end result was a lovely shirt rug!
 
I gave this rug as a keepsake to my seriously disabled grandson, who just loved his Grandpa to bits. My grandson could keep his treasures in the pockets I had left on the squares, as they had a flap that could be buttoned up.
 
Even though Grandpa's Shirt Rug is nearly worn out, my family will always think of it as a special keepsake. I thought you might like to read about my efforts; I just love making something new and useful from something old.

Half price ricotta

Make your own ricotta cheese and save at least 50% on the inferior product you buy at the shops!
 
Whenever I buy ricotta cheese it usually goes off in the fridge while I figure out what to do with it! But recently, Better Homes and Gardens featured a very simple recipe for ricotta made from scratch.
 
Ingredients:
 
2L milk
4 tbsp white vinegar
 
Method:
 
Heat the milk until you see small bubbles at the side of the pan. Turn off the element and add the vinegar. Strain the curds off the top and then drain through a butter muslin cloth. Really easy!
 
Two litres of milk makes 500g of ricotta cheese. While in the deli the other day, I noticed they were charging $1.00 per 100g, or $10 a kilo! I shop at ALDI, which charges $2.20 for two litres of milk – that equates to $4.40 a kilo, less than half the price of store-bought ricotta. Plus, I no longer waste the product that I buy and never use. It also sounds super impressive when you tell people you make your own ricotta from scratch!

You can find the footage at http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/tv/watch/-/6888083/ricotta/