Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Bon Ami is Mon Ami !!! & Happy Wednesday everyone!!!


I have found a powder cleanser that I like even better than Comet. It's Bon Ami :) :) :)

UPDATE ON JULY 21st at 2:41 p.m. I'm switching to a new blog background. Once I find a matching header, things will look better...hey that rhymes!!!! Thanks for hanging in there with me ;) :) :)

Here's the link where I found the free headers. It's a nice blog and the headers are fantastic. Here's what I did...once I added the text and saved it..when I went in to edit the header, I removed the current image and uploaded the one I saved to my removable USB flashdrive...also I clicked on "instead of title and description" AND there should be a nother link at the bottom that says "Shrink to Fit" YOu must click on BOTH...and it worked for me and I didn't have to crop anything. If my "instructions" are bad, let me know. I'll rewrite this later when I have more time...Love and hugs..I'm much happier with my new header, for sure!!! (added 4:52 p.m.)

Hey there everyone...It's been a bit of a crazy day so far...but very good. If you read my previous post, I got my blog background from "The Cutest Blog on the Blog".. However, they're switching to a new server and I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this blog background or not. I may switch to a new one!!! I was trying to get into their website to see if there was another background I could pick..but no luck. Arrggh...

Anyway, I was looking for a new powder cleanser for the bathtub and sink. I decided to go with Bon Ami. (quick note here...I wasn't paid to talk about the product. I'm doing this competely on my own, because I LOVE the product.) It's been around since the 1880s..and I love the vintage package design.  It's crazy, I know...but I think I'm in love with the product.  I even joined their page on Facebook.  If you want a little more history about the company click here...


I love that it just has a few simple ingredients.

I remember seeing Bon Ami commercials on tv as a kid...but for some reason I had an extreme aversion to it...just like I refused to eat pizza. Weird, I know...but that's just how it was back then. Maybe it was the packaging. Maybe as a child I didn't believe that "Bon Ami" was really "mon ami" ...hee hee hee :) :) Anyway.....that is now no longer the case ...and yes, I LOVE to eat pizza.  It's one of my favorite foods.


See this cute little chicky...Yes, the power of good marketing and packaging design...yes, that is pretty much what convinced me to finally try the product...and it's love!!

....I had used a name brand powdered cleanser and a generic...and while both did the job, they also left a little residue and were fumy. I didn't like either one bit.  The last time I cleaned the bathtub I used the name brand cleaner...and  the fumes made me sick!!! So I decided right then and there it's time to find a more natural cleaner. Now I'm sure I've got a natural powdered cleanser recipe somewhere, but I was too lazy to look for it. I remember seeing ads for Bon Ami...and I remembered that the company had recently changed their packaging. I love the new design don't you? It's vintage and cute!!!


This product has been around since God was a boy...well, maybe not quite, but almost...hee hee hee :) :)...since 1886. That's a long time.

So I bought some Bon Ami to give it a try.  It was on sale and I thought "Why not?"  Well, let me tell you what...I"m in cleanser heaven. I used it on a particularly crusty frying pan and it worked GREAT. It got all the crusty off without scratching my pan. The best part was that it washed off nicely. There was no residue and there absolutely NO FUMES. So that was huge...because as I mentioned earlier the fumes made me sick. Speaking of which, and this is completely random, ever since I've moved towards homemade/natural cleaners...well, if I'm in the grocery store and I walk down the cleaning supplies/detergent aisles...the smells are overpowering and I can't handle it anymore...so natural is definitely the way to go for me!!!

This pretty much says it all here...I'm truly thrilled with this product!!!

Bon Ami worked great and it was a good purchase. I'll definitely be using this product in the future.  I WAS NOT paid to do this. I just really love the product and wanted to blog about it today :) :) :) That's the sign of  a good product, if you're willing to give it some free blog space :) :) :)

In other news, my dad and I had some errands to run yesterday!!! We stopped by our old job site to take some photos and pick up some food. There's a United Way office there on the campus.  Let me tell you, it was wonderful and so nicely decorated and very clean.  The lady who worked there treated us very nicely and with dignity. She made it fun to be there. My father and I have been unemployed since February, with the exception of a short callback to work at the end of April/beginning of May. So things have been really tight for us. Please don't feel sorry for me or my father. Just keep us in your prayers. It's just a season of life that we're going through...but we're still trusting fully that God will provide...and so far He has not disappointed :) :) :) God has been faithful to my little family.

Below are three photos of the farmland near our old job site :) :) It sure is beautiful. I love Oregon and I love this beautiful land!!




The United Way lady was really nice and let us pick out what we wanted/needed. My dad and I made sure not take too much, but just enough. Oh, so not only did they have food but clothes, a few household items etc.  They were running a little low on those things...but here is what I did find..

This doily is falling apart, but it was hand-crocheted with such fine thread. The United Way lady said that doily had been sitting there for a whole month and no one took it. She said that someone's grandmother probably knit that.  Well, I'm giving it a new home in my home. I'll have to fix it...but that's okay!!!! It still has beauty and usefulness!!!



Oh, this was free, too...a complete puzzle.  My father and I are actually going to try putting this together..but when you look at the photo on the box, you'll understand exactly why I couldn't pass this up. it's just my decorating style..well, one of them!!! My dad started laughing when he saw this, because he knew exactly why I took it home :) :) Isn't it cute? Poor dad will lose the kitchen table for awhile...but I don't think he'll mind :) :) :)



Most of you know by now that I love going to yardsales, garage sales, thrift stores etc...AND you also may know that I love participating in some of these lovely tea parties on Tuesdays. It's great fun. Well, I don't have a lot of tea things, so I went shopping WITH A VERY SMALL, STRICT BUDGET..and here is what I found...Now I'm not giving you any details on the tea things..but there some great stories to go with those...You'll have to check in on Tuesdays to hear more about that :) :) I will say this, that two of the items there match invididual pieces that were given to me over 5 years ago. So to find something that matched on a so-called random shopping trip today...that was no coincidence :) :) :)



I also found this cute rubber heart-shaped ice cube tray and those mini-crochet threads at St. Vincent de Paul. Those were not on sale...but they were cheap, cheap, cheap. I told my dad that I'm going to make heart-shaped ice cubes..and then it'll be romantic ice cubes. He just rolled his eyes and smiled :) :) :) Can you imagine a nice cup of iced tea or coffee with romantic heart-shaped ice cubes? 

RANDOM FUN TIP FOR COFFEE: I love to drink coffee..especially the fancy, super sugared ones. Well, I'm making more coffee at home now. Once in awhile, it's just necessary to have an iced coffee. However, when the ice starts to melt, it waters down the coffee...boo!!! So I read somewhere that you can freeze fresh made coffee into cubes. I'ev done that before..and then use those in place of regular ice cubes in your coffee.  It keeps the coffee nice and ice cold...and when it melts, it won't dilute the flavor or integrity of your iced coffee....ahh...big smile on my face :) :) :) Anyway, I thought you might like that random tip.

I'm thinking about changing my blog background and header in the next few days. There are changes going on with "The Cutest Blog on the Block"..and I"m not sure if I'll keep my current background. Hang in there with me :) :) :) :) Oh, I did buy some more yarn today...inexpensive cotton yarn that is a real workhorse. I love it.  It's so fun to knit with!!!! 

Thanks for stopping by. If you're new to my blog, please let me know how you found me :) :) I love it when you all leave comments!!! It really makes my day!! That's the news from Oregon today. Extra love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)

13 comments:

Brenda ~ The Heminger Farmhouse said...

Hi Heather, I would email you, but you don't have your email address in your profile. Anyways, I went to a 3 column because I have so many things on my sidebar that I wanted to have more space for them all. So now all my blog buttons and such are on the left side, and all my personal home pics, Ebay, etsy, etc... are on the right side.

Now, as for my opinion on Etsy...it's okay, but I do so more business on Ebay. Etsy's fees are way lower than Ebay's fee, which you might like a lot better. It only costs 20 cents per item you list on Etsy, no matter how much you are selling it for. On Ebay the cost is determined by the starting bid price. For items that have a Buy it Now only price on Ebay, it costs 50 cents. But then you have the Final value fee charged when it sells, which is a percantage of what it sells for.

But you should go ahead and give Etsy a try...you never know how it will go until you "jump" in :)

Hope this helps you :)

Warmest hugs, Brenda

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the coffee-ice-cubes tip, Heather - that'll sure come in handy.

Sheila said...

Heather,
Boy, have you had a busy day. I love those kinds of days. What nice finds you made today. I can't wait for Tuesday!! I love the pitcher and bowl set. The first thing I bought to decorate our house when we first got married was a bowl and pitcher set. On one of our PCS moves, the movers put the bowl on the bottom of a box of cast iron skillets!! I was beyond upset. I still have the pitcher though! Love the thought of romantic ice cubes--and the puzzle--isn't that just perfect? Love it all.
I tried several times to get onto "The Cutest Blog on the Block" today to change my background, but I never could get on it so I chose another place for my new background. I hope you have a lovely evening!! Sheila

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

Hi everyone...I went to Shabby Blogs.com a nd found a new blog background and I got this header from a really c ool site that has FREE blog headers..but I had to crop it A LOT to get it to fit here :) :) I'll post that link tomorrow...Let me know what you think!!!

@Brenda/Shabby Cats and Roses...thanks so much for the information. I sent you an email...and then you'll have my email address ;) :) :) I think I may go for it!!!

@Mary...you are welcome. I tried it once and it worked great...because your coffee drink will taste like coffee and not like water when the cubes melt.

@Sheila...yeah I went to ShabbyBlogs.com for my new blog background. The header I found on another site. It's really cool!!!! I 'll make sure to post the link tomorrow on my blog

Oh, here's the link where I found the blogger headers. You will have to crop them a lot to get it to fit nicely on your blog, but here's the URL..I"ll post about this tomorrow too!!!! Here's the URL http://bannerofblessings.blogspot.com/2008/03/blog-post_29.html

What's funny is that this blog's background is from The Cutest Blog on the Block..However, the header's are the blog owner's and they're FREE :) :) :) I'm going to make sure and thank her later :) :) :)

Thanks everyone. It's been a bit crazy with the blog...but I'll figure it out eventually :) :) :)

Love and hugs, Heather :)

Jill said...

Hi Heather,
You have good taste, you chose the same background I did for my blog LOL. looks good ;-) I love shabby blogs site! Your puzzle is my style too! And I have done the same with ice cubes, all different shapes for the girls too. Like if we were having lemonade I would put that in the patterned ice trays to freeze, then when it melted it wouldn't water it down.
I haven't tried that cleaner, but I do try to use all natural ones here. For many reasons. I'm sorry to hear you and your Dad have not had jobs. We have been through this too and I know how hard it is. I wish you both the best! Have a great evening!
Blessings, Jill

Unknown said...

Hey heather.. glad you enjoyed my last couple of post.. ya i really laughed at some of those kid sayings.. and how true they are.. toooooo cute..
glad you stopped by.. have a great week.. talk to ya soon my friend..

Cindy Adkins said...

Hi Heather...
I love your background...it's gorgeous...and love your post too and am definitely praying for you and your dad!
I would like to ask you to pray for me...There is a storm in the gulf and I am hoping that it doesn't turn into a hurricane or we will have to pack up and evacuate...
So, hoping you will keep me in your prayers!!!
HUGS,
Cindy
Hmmm...do I sound panicked? I think so! lol
I go between that and denial...I don't know which one is best! (Thought you'd love that one!)

Flat Creek Farm said...

Hi Heather - your new blog look is fabulous! I will keep you and your dad in my prayers. My family was 'in the same boat' for about 10 months. It was scary for awhile, but yes, God does provide. And he will continue to for you and your Dad also. Bless both of you, and I pray things get better soon. -Tammy p.s. I'm a Bon Ami fan as well! Could be the cute li'l chick ;)

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

HI everyone :) :) :) You know what, I didn't want to change from my old blog banner and background...but when The Cutest Blog on the Block said they'd be going over to another server..and it was a mess, yuck...anyway, I'm so glad I went with ShabbyBlog.com and Count Your Blessings...they have the best banners I've seen anywhere so far...at least until I learn how to make my own :) :) :) I"m really happy that I changed it up. Thanks for your compliments :) :) :)

@Karen...keep those cute kid jokes coming. I'm sure I can think of more...but I"ll have to spread the laughs out over the week...

@Cindy...thank you :) :) My friends and I would joke that if it rained any more we'd need to get the ark out of the garage and go sailing....I'll pray that God keeps your home and everything in it safe...and that He'll do the same for your neighbors...and keep all the people and animals safe!!! Yes, I will pray..that's a given. Keep me updated on my blog or on your blog, please!!

@Tammy/Flat Creek Farm...thank you :) :) :) I'm glad I went with ShabbyBlog.com...I like the look. The banner is from another site...I posted a link in my blog post!!! I think I may want to buy PhotoShop some day, so I can create my own blog background...but this is pretty..One of my blogger friends has the same background :) :) :) That's so cool!!! My dad and I aren't scared, but things are getting even tighter than tight..Well, as my dad says, it will be a time to trust God and see the awesome things He can accomplish in this situation :) )

Oh yeah..Bon Ami...the li'l chick is what did for me too :) :) It looked like it came right of the shelf of a 1950s grocery store. I had to buy it. Another product whose packaging I love is "Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day". I have her cleaning book. She raised 9 kids and still kept the house clean...so her tips must work :) :) :) Yeah...so cool to find another Bon Ami fan :) :)

Thanks for visiting me everyone!!! You make my day that much better :) :) :) Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :) :) :)

Annesphamily said...

Heather I love the way you write! I also love Bon Ami and need to buy some! I love all the old school stuff. Have a wonderful weekend. I love that little doily. I am glad you will recycle it to your home Anne

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

@Anne :) :),

Thanks!!! I just write how I think in my head..maybe that's a good thing or not so good.. ): :) :) :) It would be cool to someday turn that into a way to support my dad and myself...but that's something that I'm just praying about at this point!!

Have a great weekend...Remember, Bon Ami is mon ami. Hugs, Heather :)

Bluebelle Quilts said...

Good morning Heather - Bon Ami is a little difficult to find here. I use Barkeeper's Friend or Mrs. Meyer's Lavender scent powdered scrub when I need to scour the kitchen sink or bathtub.

Instead of PhotoShop, you can do some minor editing with any photo software you have. You can even use the "paint" program (Look under start - programs - accessories - paint on a PC) to do some basic editing, including adding text to a photo.

Like you, I'm looking at opening an Etsy shop. I calculated Etsy/Paypal fees to be about 7.25% of the selling price. You might want to make sure you include this when setting your selling price so you maintain a decent profit margin.

Regards,
Teresa in steaming Hotlanta!

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

HI Teresa...

Can you use "Paint" to create a blog background?

I've heard of both of those cleansers you've mentioned. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day has really cute packaging!!!

Hugs, Heather :)