MondayUPs


Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

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These past few days have been really hectic... and a bit overwhelming.
And so... even though it's sorta late in the evening... I am having a cuppa coffee. 
Which got me thinking... of ways to recycle coffee grounds.

  
Scrub your hands of odors: Rub a scoop of grounds between palms as an exfoliant to remove dead skin and help eliminate smells from foods like fish and garlic. 

Deodorize your fridge: Place a bowl of dry grounds in your refrigerator or freezer to neutralize odors left by stale or spoiled food.
Also works on cutting boards and counters.

Clean up the grease: Place a few teaspoons of grounds on a thin cleaning rag and use to scour away grease and grime. 
Finish with a thorough rinsing. 

 Fix scratches on your furniture: Dip a cotton swab into steeped grounds and dab on scratches in dark wood furniture to minimize them. Just test in an inconspicuous area first. 

 Contain ashes: Sprinkle damp grounds on fireplace ashes to cut down on airborne dust as you sweep them up. 

Repel bugs:: Mound grounds into a ring to create a protective border around plants that will ward off ants and slugs.
Used grounds are said to repel snails and slugs, so sprinkle them in problem areas. 

Catch Cockroaches: Fill a can or jar with an inch or two of moistened coffee grounds, then line the container's neck with extra-sticky double-sided tape. The scent will draw the roaches into the trap. 

 Make your hydrangeas bluer: Work grounds into the soil at the base of mophead hydrangeas to increase the acidity level. This helps the shrubs absorb aluminum, which you can add to the soil to keep the flowers a vibrant blue. 

In the garden: due to the high acidic content, coffee grounds are perfect fertilizer for acid loving plants such as tomatoes, carrots, roses, rhododendrons and azaleas.

Fortify your plants: Give seedlings a nitrogen boost by stirring grounds into soil or a watering can. 

 Perk up your pedicure… soak your feet in coffee grounds and water. Freshens the skin and helps remove stains, etc.  Both coffee and tea are loaded with beneficial properties that sooth irritated skin and brighten a dull, tired winter complexion. For an instant pick-me-up, combine used coffee grounds with honey or mashed avocado, and apply to your face in slow, circular motions like a face scrub. Grounds will act as a gentle exfoliant, buffing off dead skin cells while the caffeine perks up tired skin. Also good; is a body scrub made of coffee grounds, coconut oil, and a little brown sugar. Gently massage it on in the shower, rinse, be soft. 

Easter Egg dye: sure they won't be  pink or blue, but they will be a dyed a lovely shade of brown.

Fabric and paper dye 

Deodorize your shoes: dried grounds help to deodorize your stinky shoes. 
Also, grounds are said to help shine your black shoes! 

Pet grooming: Mix coffee grounds with water and you have a nice grooming solution that leaves Fido’s hair shining bright. Also helps to kill fleas! 

Cat repellent: Neighborhood cats using your garden as a private bathroom? 
Coffee grounds can help keep them away (and of course, fertilize the garden too). 

whoa!