Organizing Tips - Home Organization Strategies
Ever pop in on a friend unexpectedly and everything’s in its place? She had no time to clean up, yet her house is immaculate. How does she do that? We wanted to know, so we went to the neat and organized— readers whose homes always look great— to find out their best strategies.
dye 101
I'm slowly making my way through dye 101... Previously: a post about what dye to use and where to find it. Now: preparing a basic dye bath. Soon: preparing your fabric (including clamping it).
Hanging String Balls
Whattya need? BalloonStringScissorsGlueJar How do I make glue string balls? Step 1: Hang inflated balloon from ceiling. Step 2: Put string and glue in the jar with a hole in the lid. Next, pull string from hole while wrapping around the balloon.
Basic dyeing
A while ago, Caroline asked if I could go into more detail the next time I did a batch of dyeing, and yesterday morning I felt the urge to haul out the ol' dye-pot again... so here 'tis! A short tute on basic, one colour, flat dyeing. Firstly, if you are being scientific about this process, weigh your fabric and check the instructions on your dye packet to see how much is the recommended amount for this weight of fabric.
Frugal Tips
Being frugal has become downright fashionable these days. There are so many great ways to make the money last longer that I’d like to hear from you about how you help stretch the family budget and make the dollars go further. In honor of Smart Money Week, I thought it would be appropriate to have a good old fashioned pot luck, but instead of each bringing a dish, everyone should bring their best tips for being frugal so we can all share ideas. To make it fun, I decided to throw in a little giveaway and since pot lucks are social affairs, I thought I’d make this a Facebook event.
Hand-dyed Fabric Trims
* As I mentioned earlier, I've been working on a new tutorial, but yesterday I saw that Sew, Mama, Sew is having a tutorial contest this month so I thought I'd go ahead and enter. For a chance at some of their terrific fabrics? Of course!
15 Ways to Be Irresistibly Attractive
Be true to your values. Be honest. Do your best.
DIY Screenprint T-shirt
Chris and I are going to a Dodgers vs. Angels game next week for opening day. I don't know much about baseball, I usually just fill up on food, sun, and beer. I just cheer when everyone else does. Chris has his own dodger gear. But I wanted something to wear to support the team.
My Collection of Funny Emails. Send funny emails to your friends!
Why didn’t I think of that? You’ll be uttering those words more than once at these ingenious little tips, tricks and ideas that solve everyday problems... some you never knew you had! Hull strawberries easily using a straw. Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes. Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or computer screen with WD40. (also works on walls).
DIY Alcohol Inks, Mod Podge and more
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been experimenting with some more cost effective alternatives in the crafting/scrapping/art journaling area and I want to share some of those with you. 1. Alcohol Inks and Spray Inks. They are easily and cheaply made with every day ingredients.
The Fun Cheap or Free Queen: "You're Welcome" Wednesday: Tons of home remedy tips and tricks
I’m sure we’ve all gotten the email before. You know what I’m talking about, the spam email that you actually happened to read. You know, the one with tons of random home remedy tips in it that you think, “Huh…I should remember this….”
Reverse Tie Dye Scarves
First of all, we’ve got a secret to share. A jersey-knit scarf is also known as a quarter yard of jersey-knit fabric available at your local fabric store. Jersey is the same as t-shirt fabric, and comes in a variety of blends and softnesses (just like that scarf you bought at American Apparel). Next up, the bleach.
Containers That Help Clean Your Home
Remember when I told you about my plans to simplify and reorganize in the New Year? Well I’ve been sticking to it! Case-in-point, my newly reorganized and amazingly efficient kitchen! So, I’m going to be completely honest. “Kitchen clean-up” had been on my to-do list for an embarrassing long time, to the point of humiliation anytime someone other than myself or the hubs had to look for something in the cupboards… I bet you all are feeling pretty good about your own kitchens right about now.
Dyeing Jeans
It is officially jeans weather and I got a little surprise. Turns out the Kidney Stone Diet followed by the My Dog Has Cancer Diet followed by the Grief Diet (I do not recommend these diets At. All. It isn’t healthy and stinks on ice) made me lose enough weight to make my fat jeans too big. I need a pair of temporary transitional size jeans. Colored denim jeans might be fun because now things are settled and I plan to start Wii-ing and biking on our new bike trail my way back to the normal range of my Body Mass Index (BMI).
