Day 8 of the 30 Day Pinterest Craft Challenge - Smelly Jelly Shark Bowl

The inspiration:  Homemade air freshener by Foodie With Family.

 My version: 

During my day with the BFF, we put a spin on the homemade essential oil air freshener pin (click on the first picture to take you to the post by Foodie With Family) we saw on Pinterest.  

We really didn't know how much gelatin we would end up with so we stopped by the dollar store to get an extra jar.  We knew when we saw the mini fishbowl shaped bowls that we wanted to embed the gel with a fish or two.  Off to the toy aisle to go fishing!  

We mixed the gelatin per the directions on  Foodie With Family's post.  Man, we were not expecting the gelatin to um, smell not-so-pleasantly.  If I had to describe the odor, it would be something like pickled fish.  Luckily, the smell dissipated and didn't linger.  We put 2 drops of blue food coloring into our respective jars and about 20 drops of essential oil.  We then filled the jars halfway with the hot gelatin and stirred to mix in the color and essential oil.  Once it cooled down some, we put the jars into the fridge for it to set but we were impatient.  Once it was in there for about 30 minutes, we took it out, saw that it wasn't quite ready yet so we put it in the freezer to speed up the setting.  Once it was somewhat set, we set the shark in my jar and a dolphin in Marisa's jar and poured the rest of the gel into the containers and stuck them back into the freezer.  Once they were done, they looked so awesome.  From the top.  From the side, there was 1 drop too many of the food coloring so you can barely see the shark/dolphin.  But if you looked at it from another standpoint, it was cool to see something lurking in the murky "water".  

I was having a hard time trying to get the lighting right for my sharkbowl. Not to mention my reflection in the jar was annoying so all you get is just the top view of our Craft Challenge project ;)

Neem Oil as a Natural Pesticide.

Last year, I had an infestation of spider mites that killed my cucumbers. I let the soil get too dry and with the heat in Southern California, it was a perfect breeding environment for spider mites. I lost my will to keep up with the plants after I tossed the cucumbers and forgetting to water. This year, I did some research and found out that neem oil is a natural pesticide that is also good for plants. Neem oil is an essential oil harmful to pests but not to humans (unless you're pregnant).

Neem oil is "harvested" from the fruit and seeds of the neem tree which is from India. It needs to be diluted with water before you can use it directly on the leaves otherwise, you risk killing or burning it. Because it is a natural and organic product, you do not get instant results like you would with chemical pesticides and multiple sprayings on top and underneath the foilage over a few days are needed in order to kill any spider mites. The reason being is the neem oil doesn't instantly kill the mites but instead messes with their body (i.e. breathing, eating, etc) which is why it takes a few days to get rid of them.

Just mix a tablespoon of neem oil with a gallon of water and couple drops of dish soap (the soap helps to keep the neem oil and water from separating) and spray on top and under the leaves of the infested plants every day until the spider mites have been eradicated. The mixture is only good for up to about 8 hours so be sure to make a new batch every time.