My family gets crafty with Borax

I have already told you about the Getting Crafty with Borax Sweepstakes going on now (see my post here) and the fun pinterest board I have created (see my board here). 

The girls and I decided to make some of our own Borax crystal crafts.  Check out all of the fun we had in the photos below.  I hope they inspire you to pull out your own Borax and get crafting!

The basic process is simple.  We boiled water, filled up mason jars with the water and dissolved borax into them (I added extra Borax because I wanted lots of crystals).  Then we added our shapes and creations (we used pipe cleaners to create fun shapes, fake flowers and a starfish) to the jars.  Our creations were suspended by string and attached to pencils and chopsticks so that they weren't touching the bottom or sides of our jars.  We let them sit overnight and removed them in the morning.  The results were beautiful, Borax crystal creations!

We started with hearts.

We put one in plain water and one in water mixed with red dye.

Removing our hearts

The one on the left was the one dipped in dyed water.  There was only a slight variation in color - both turned out nicely.

We also tried a starfish!

 

 We had to use a bigger jar for this one.

Our crystal starfish

 A had a ton of fun making different shapes with pipe cleaners.

 Here she is adding her strawberry to the mixture.

 B got into the fun as well.

 Our finished flower - love the way this came out!

 Remember the strawberry?  Here it is!

What are you waiting for?  Go have some fun crafting!  And don't forget to enter the sweepstakes over here.

Getting Crafty with Borax Sweepstakes

Do you love pinterest, crafts, contests?  Have I got a great one to share with you!  The Getting Crafty with Borax Sweepstakes has launched!  There are so many ways 20 Mule Team Borax can help beautify your home, learn how to get crafty and get entered to WIN $500 here!  Oh, and this involves creating a pinterest board - which I love :).

 Here is a sampling of the board I created!  Check out my complete board here.

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to the Purex Insiders program for allowing me to be a part of this campaign and providing information about this Sweepstakes!  As part of this campaign I am eligible to win prizes!

122 Years of Borax Sweepstakes

Yes, I have another sweepstakes to tell you about, the 122 Years of Borax Sweepstakes!  One lucky winner will win $1891.  Why $1891?  A long time ago, in a valley far far away, the Pacific Coast Borax Company was born.  The year was 1891, and no one could have known that 122 years later, Twenty Mule Team Borax would still be helping people clean all around the home.

Not familiar with 20 Mule Team Borax.  Check out my review here from earlier this year!

This sweepstakes is going on NOW and will run through September 17th.  Please go here and enter.  You could be the big winner!

Disclosure:  Thanks so much to the Purex Insiders for providing me with this information and allowing me to be a part of this campaign. 

20 Mule Team Borax - Review & Giveaway

 *** Giveaway Now Closed ***

Congratulations to Lynn and Michele!

Okay, you might be thinking - What is Borax?  Great question!  Borax is the common name for sodium tetraborate - a naturally occurring substance produced by the perpetual evaporation of seasonal lakes.  20 Mule Team Borax is 100% natural mineral from the Earth.  It is removed from the ground, washed, dried, and boxed up for consumers.  Absolutely nothing is added :).

Another term you may be more familiar with - hard water.  Do you have hard water?  Hard water is said to be in over 85% of homes and it is defined as water that contains calcium and magnesium (ions).

Alright, how does this affect your laundry?  Well, when you add detergent to hard water, some of the compounds attach to the calcium and magnesium granules that settle on the bottom of your washing machine, eventually retreating down the drain without cleaning your clothes - now that is a waste!

Why, 20 Mule Team Borax?  It naturally softens hard water, protecting your detergent and maximizing cleaning power!

Simply, add 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax to every load, along with your regular detergent.

The water here where I live in Austin is considered moderately hard.  To be honest, I didn't even know that before trying out this product.  Not only have I used my 20 Mule Team Borax as a Laundry Booster but I have also found it helpful in my dishwasher - helping to keep my dishes really clean.  It is a breeze to use and it makes a difference.  I would really recommend it, especially if you know you have hard water.

And I need to tell you about the The Borax - Fresh Year, Fresher Laundry Facebook Sweepstakes going on right now!  From now until February 22nd, 2013 you can sign up daily.  What are the prizes?  You could win the $1,500 grand prize or one of 171 coupons for free Borax!  Why 171 coupons - the total prize value is $2013!  Simply go here to enter.

Want to try 20 Mule Team Borax for yourself?  Keep reading...

Now, onto the giveaway!  Three winners will each receive a free product coupon for 20 Mule Team Borax (coupon max value $3.50 and expires 9/30/2013).

Mandatory Entry:  Follow me on google friend and let me know, that's it!  Please be sure and leave your email so I can contact you if you win! 

Extra Entries, leave a separate comment for each extra entry.  As you can see, there are lots of extra entry opportunities so don't be shy!

1.  Enter the 20 Mule Team Borax sweepstakes found here (5 extra entries)

2.  Follow my google+ page (2 extra entries)

3.  Follow my facebook page (2 extras)

4.  Follow 20 Mule Team Borax on facebook (2 extras) 
5.  Follow me on Pinterest (2 extras)
6.  Follow me on twitter here (2 extras)

Giveaway will end on February 10th at Midnight.  Winners will be selected using a random number generator and will have 48 hours to respond.  If there is no response, I will randomly select another winner.  Open to US residents only.

Disclosure:  I was selected to participate in this campaign as a Purex Insider.  Thanks so much to Purex and 20 Mule Team Borax for providing me with a sample of 20 Mule Team Borax to facilitate my review and coupons for this giveaway.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.