As originality increase, so does the use of new decorations. One design beginning to become popular is the use of feathers. This is a new and truly unique bouquet design, and actually has quite and old-fashioned feel. It beckons the feel of the days when boas and feather headbands were popular in the 1920's. For a very classic elegant feel, this is a great option.
Wedding Trends: Bouquet Decorations
Monday, January 31, 2011
As originality increase, so does the use of new decorations. One design beginning to become popular is the use of feathers. This is a new and truly unique bouquet design, and actually has quite and old-fashioned feel. It beckons the feel of the days when boas and feather headbands were popular in the 1920's. For a very classic elegant feel, this is a great option.
Friday's Fab Etsy Finds: Celebrating Groundhog Day With Etsy
Friday, January 28, 2011
Every February the country anxiously looks toward Punxsutawney, PA in hopes of predicting the near future. I am talking about Phil, the famous groundhog and his infamous shadow. Will he see it, or will we have any early spring? We will soon find out this Tuesday. But unless you live within 50 miles or so of good ol' Punxsutawney, chances are this underappreciated holiday is barely on your radar. For shame, I say. Why not embrace it as an excuse to celebrate the whimsy in life? And where can you find whimsical, celebratory Groundhog Day supplies? Why, Etsy of course.
Groundhog Day Button Set
Happy Groundhog Day Rubber Stamp
Valentine's Day Cookies
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. meringue powder
- Pink sanding sugar
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 lb. confectioners sugar, sifted
- 2 1/2 tbsp. meringue powder
- 1/4 cup water
- red or pink food coloring
How to Remove Static Cling
Thursday, January 27, 2011
- Moistening my hands and running them along the shower curtain, hoping the moisture would release the static.
- Hanging the curtain and letting the hot water run in order to create steam.
- Ironing the curtain and spraying it with Magic Sizing. It did the best job, however the fabric continued to stick together slightly; annoying me still.
- Running a wire hanger smoothly over the curtain. The action breaks the bond of the negatively charged electrons, which reduces static cling.
- Rubbing a fabric softener sheet along the curtain with moist hands. I did not want to purchase the sheets, so I asked a neighbor for one and it worked the best.
- Lastly, the most effective and most obvious solution to the problem was to throw the curtain in the dryer with a fabric softener sheet for a few minutes. This would have been my first choice had I not lived in an apartment without my own dryer.
Thursday Throwback: Earthlust Bottles
EarthLust water bottles are made from the highest quality food-grade stainless steel and a BPA-free plastic cap. Prices range from $16 to $21 and are available in three convenient sizes (1L, 20oz, 13 oz).
Handmade Wednesday's: The Bathroom Decoupage
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
- Your container of choice
- Rubbing alcohol or vinegar
- Creamy colored acrylic craft paint
- Paint brush or foam brush
- Paper Napkin of choice
- weather proof clear coat
- Fine, sharp scissors
- Clean the glass jar with the rubbing alcohol or vinegar to help the paint adhere.
- Paint the jar with two coats of the craft paint and let it dry.
- Use the scissors to cut out the designs you want to use, separating the napkin layers so that you are working with only one thin layer.
- Then decide where you want them on your container by messing around with placement
- Paint the clear coat on the area of the container where you will be placing the decoupage, then carefully place the napkin design over it.
- Smooth gently to eliminate wrinkles.
- Finish with one or two layers of the clear coat.
Keeping Romance Alive
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
And the Winner of the $15 Olive Garden Giftcard Is......
50 Clever Uses For Common Household Items
Monday, January 24, 2011
1.) Toothpaste: Buff a CD/DVD
Apply toothpaste to a cotton ball and wipe the disc. Wash with water afterwards and you've got an lost brand new disc!
2.) Cornstarch: Untangle Knots
Sprinkling cornstarch into tough knots, such as shoe laces can helps loosen them.
3.) Walnut: Buff Dings Out of Wooden Furniture
Get rid of unsightly scratches and dings on wooden furniture by rubbing a walnut on the areas. The blemishes will vanish quickly and your furniture and money will be saved.
4.) Club Soda: Make Your Breads Fluffier
When baking, where recipes call for water, add club soda instead of water to make pancakes, waffles and any other breads fluffier.
5.) Salt: Keep Windows Frost Free
Pour a cup of salt into a liter of water. The, sponge the liquid onto the inside of window to prevent frost from forming during the winter months.
6.) Rubbing Alcohol: Remove Permanent Marker
Dab the surface with permanent marker on it with a cloth or cotton ball covered in rubbing alcohol to make it disappear quickly.
7.) Chapstick: Stops Bleeding When Nicked Shaving
Cut yourself shaving? Just swipe chapstick over the cut to stop that constant bleeding. No more tissue squares!
8.) Apple Juice: Removes Dandruff
Don't ask me how it works, but it does! Instead of buying a special shampoo, just wash your hair in apple juice to rid your scalp of pesky dandruff.
9.) Aspirin: Get Rid of Armpit Stains on T-Shirts
Mash up an aspirin tablet or two, then make a paste out of it using water, lemon or vinegar. Spread the paste on the stained area an let sit for an hour before washing.
10.) Olive Oil: Make Pets' Coat Shinier
Add a bad of olive oil to your pet's food to give them a healthier, shinier coat of fur.
11.) Newspapers: Clean Windows and Mirrors
Instead of using a spray and a streaky cloth, use only newspaper clean off your mirrors and windows for a streak-free finish. No wonder homeless guys use it ;-)
12.) Baking Soda: Remove Bugs From Windshield
Mix baking soda with warm water to make a paste. Spread the paste over your windshield for fifteen minutes. Then wipe off or spray off with a hose.
13.) Bleach: Extend Life of Flowers in Vase
Add a few drops of bleach to vase water to prevent the build up of the slime caused by bacteria. It works just like chlorine in a swimming pool.
14.) Kitchen Dish Soap: Flea-Killing Dog Shampoo
Kitchen dish soap (not dish detergent) can double as dog shampoo for its flea killing abilities.
15.) Coke: Remove Blood Stains From Clothing
Soak the stain in coke until the stain is dissolved, then wash the clothing as usual. Wash before the coke dries, though.
16.) Honey: Remove Blemish Overnight
Have a blemish you need to get rid of by tomorrow? Put a dab of honey on the blemish and cover it up (it's best to use a bandaid) and the honey's natural antibacterial properties will clean out the bacteria by the morning.
17.) Wax Paper: Clean Can Opener Gears
Run a few small strips of of wax paper through the can opener to clean out of the bits and pieces that have built up in the gears through out the year. The wax will also rub off on the gears to protect for future use as well.
18.) WD-40: Remove Crayons From Walls
Use the lubricant and a cloth to remove stubborn crayon marks from the walls just by spraying the wall and wiping with a cloth.
19.) Chalk: Keep Ants and Slugs Out of the House
Ants and Slugs Won't Touch Chalk. So, simply draw a line in front of your doorway where you are having problems with these pesky critters and they won't cross it, meaning they won't be able to get into your house.
20.) Vinegar: Kills Weeds and Helps Flowers Grow
Vinegar is a magic wonder when it comes to gardening. It not only kills weeds but they help flowers grow as well. Douse vinegar all around your garden to prevent weeds from popping up and to help your flowers to grow healthy and strong.
21.) Mayonnaise: Remove Bumper Sticker
Spread mayonnaise on the bumper sticker and let sit for at least thirty minutes. Then, rub the sticker off with a towel, leaving a clean bumper!
22.) Tin Foil Ball: Replace Dryer Sheets Permanently
Instead of using a dryer sheet, ball up one or a few sheets of tin foil and toss it in the dryer. It removes the static electricity from your clothes and one can last up to a year.
23.) Banana Peel: Polish Leather Shoes
Use the inside of a banana peel to give shoes a professional and natural shine that will last for quite some time.
24.) Mouthwash: Cure Athlete's Foot
Pour mouthwash on cotton balls and then swab your feet. The alcohol will disinfect the bacteria completely if you continue this for a week or so.
25.) Baking Soda: Clean BBQ Grill
Mix a cup of baking soda with half a cup water to make a paste. Dip your brush into the paste and scrub the grill. The caked on pieces and black residue will come off much quicker, and using baking soda is much safer and cheaper than using cleaning chemicals.
26.) Coffee Grounds: Fertilizer
Coffee is full of nutrients and vitamins that are very beneficial to soil. That's why some people include it in compost piles. If you want to get the most out of your coffee, pour the grounds on areas where you want more grass or flowers.
27.) Olive Oil: Shaving Cream
The smoothness of the oil can replace the need for shaving cream, and it also provides great moisture.
28. ) Dryer Sheets: Gets Rid of Static Electricity
Use dryer sheets to remove static electricity from things such as clothing, TV screens or your own hair. Tame fly away strands by running a dryer sheet over them.
29.) Freezer: Freeze Candles to Make Them Last Longer
For at least 2 hours before using, put candles in the freezer. Once you burn them, the wax will melt at a much slower pace, making them last much longer!
30.) Two glasses of water: Cure Headache
Water is the cure to most common headaches. To make the headache go away quickly, drink two cups of water very quickly.
31.) Lemons: Deodorize Garbage Disposal
Toss whole slices of lemon into the garbage disposal, then run it. The acidity of the lemon will rid your sink of all odors and leave a fresh scent that usually lasts for a few months.
32.) Alka Seltzer: Remove Burnt-On Grease and Food Stains
When letting your pots and pans soak, throw in one or two Alka Seltzer tablets and the caked on residue from cooking will come off easily when you scrub/wash.
33.) Apple Cider Vinegar: Relieve Diarrhea
Mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar into eight ounces of water to soothe your stomach. The taste may not be the greatest, but the antibacterial properties of the vinegar will end the unpleasantness of the bowel problems.
34.) Toothpaste: Remove Scratches From Glass
Apply toothpaste to scratch, then rub with a cloth until the scratch is gone. Make sure the glass is clean beforehand.
35.) Cheerios: Relieve Pain From Poison Ivy, Chickenpox and Sunburns
Pound one to four cups of Cheerios into a powder and add to your bath to soothe your skin while you soak. You may not feel relief while in the tub, but you will soon after.
36.) Buttons: Sort Earrings
Organize your earrings and prevent them from becoming entangled by using spare buttons as holders for each pair.
37.) Corn Oil: Prevent Hairballs for Pets
Add a few drops of corn oil to your pets' food to prevent hairballs from forming. The thick oil helps the fur pass through the animal's system much quicker and easily.
38.) Whipped Cream: Remove Gum From Hair
There are many remedies for removing gum from hair, but this is a lesser known one. Give it a try rather than peanut butter the next time you're in need.
39.) Coke: Remove Oil Stains From the Driveway
Oil stains are very difficult to remove pavement, but one method guaranteed to work is Coke. The highly acidic drink will eat away at the oil until clean.
40.) Brown Sugar: Facial Scrub
I use this one all time. A scrub is good to do about once a month to remove dead skin and bacteria built up in pores and remove excess oil from the skin. Brown sugar does just as well as expensive products and will definitely result in a clearer and smoother complexion.
41.) Dryer Sheet: Lint Brush
You know dryer sheets remove lint in the dryer. Well, it can do the same thing out of the dryer, too. When you're in a fix, use a dryer sheet. It works just as well as a lint brush, and if you like the scent, it's an added bonus.
42.) Newspaper: Deodorize food containers and Food Drawers in the Refrigerator
For that stinky tupperware or smelly refrigerator drawer that is too much to deal with, toss in a sheet of newspaper overnight before yo deal with it. The paper will absorb the smell greatly reducing it or eliminating it completely.
43.) Olive Oil: Unstick a Zipper
The oil will help help the zipper slide more easily, fixing the problem!
44.) Salt: Cool Something Quickly
You know that feeling when you're having a BBQ and someone asks for a drink and you realize that no one has put them in the cooler? There's nothing worse than a warm drink on a hot day. Chill a drink quickly, by adding salt and water to your ice. The drinks will be cold in a matter of minutes, saving your party and making you look smart all at once.
45.) Scotch Tape: Prevent Wall From Chipping When Nailing
The wall can leave unsightly chips when hammering in a nail. Prevent this by simple placing a piece of scotch tape over the area you're going to nail. The wall will be held tighter, preventing chips from occurring.
46.) Alka Seltzer: Soothe Insect Bites
Dissolve two tablets into a glass of water. Then use a cloth or cotton ball to apply it to the effected area. The red will go down and most importantly, the itchiness will vanish usually in fifteen minutes.
47.) Lemon: Whitens Whites
Add about half a cup of lemon juice to your load of whites to makes them extra white. You can use lemon juice with bleach or detergent, so don't worry about mixing chemicals withe the acidic lemon.
48.) Banana Peel: Whiten Teeth
This may sound a little odd, but rub the inside of a banana peel on your teeth twice a day for two weeks and you will receive the same effect from a teeth-whitening kit. Plus, you'll save yourself money and the hassle of using chemicals.
49.) Hair Dryer: Free Photos Stuck on Pages
If you have a photo stuck on a page that you can't get free, try using a blow dryer on the back of the page. It will loosen the photo from the page and the adhesive holding it there.
50.) Banana Peel: Heal Most Skin Problems
Bananas are the magical fruit, because they heal many common problems on the skin. By rubbing the peel on your skin, you can heal bruises and cuts and eliminate rashes, itching and warts. Basically if you have a common skin problem, it can be cured by this fruit.
Hope you can put these to good use to save money and make your home more natural. There are many more clever uses for common household items like these. Do you have any?