Homekeeping. Rebecca's Cure: This One Nearly Killed Me! Liveblogging the January Cure 2014. This assignment is tough! I don’t care how clean or organized you think your kitchen already is. If you do this task properly you are going to find dirt and disorder where you never imagined it, and your arms and legs will be like jelly from all that cleaning and rearranging. I got through it with black coffee, sugary snacks, Doris Day and lots and lots of vinegar. I am a new and zealous convert to the cleaning powers of vinegar. That stuff is magic. It’s green, it kills germs and it’s super cheap.
Pretty disgusting. I’d love to say the vinegar plus a green oven cleaner cut right through the muck in the oven, but it didn’t. Once I was through with the cleaning, I had a major sort out. Maxwell advises you get rid of 25% of your stored foods, discarding anything old or unlikely to be used. I swept away all the random clutter of playmobil figures, cat comb, tick removers, etc and dug out my old weighing scales instead. Helpful Links: Rebecca's January Cure: (Image credits: Rebecca Bond) Craft Beer Bottle Tumbler DIY Stylelist. Indoor Window Box Ideas. Organization Inspiration: 10 Wonderful Workspaces from Our Tours. 15 Crazy Ideas to Make Your Life Saner.
Don't knock it til you try it, the saying goes, and in this case it applies. While some of the things I'm suggesting might sound insane or perhaps a little (okay, a lot) OCD, they're tricks that work, and hey, isn't that really the bottom line? Keep a marker in the freezer: If you're the type of person who cooks a lot and freezes the leftovers, or someone who likes to buy in bulk, keeping a marker in the freezer might mean the difference between "what is this? " and "here's the pasta sauce I made last summer when the tomatoes were at their peak".
Use it to label and date whatever you're freezing. Bonus: no more frozen mysteries, no more wondering where to find a marker to label stuff. Collect pint size versions of your favorite toiletries and store them in your suitcase: This is one of those silly ideas that I used to scoff at until the TSA changed the rules and mini became the rule. Pack up your beach or ski stuff: As for traveling, so for sports. Got any crazy tricks of your own? Downsizing Design: 5 Tips for Planning Your Smaller Living Room. The Simple Styling Trick that Instantly Makes Any Room Look Neater.
How To Drill Holes in Plant Pots. Previous image Next image Sometimes the planters we like don't come with drainage holes. I'm sure we all have them: plant pots sans drainage hole(s). Sure, sometimes they can be perfectly fine as a decorative piece. What You Need MaterialsA clean planter in need of a drainage holeSmall amount of waterTarp (optional) ToolsDrill, fully charged (mine is a hammer drill)Diamond hole saw kit (can be purchased at Home Depot or other online retailers for around $20)Hammer Instructions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Additional Notes: You may want to do this on a tarp, a piece of old cardboard or something else that can't be damaged. The diamond hole saw kit was not with the rest of the drill bits in the tool section of the hardware store. (Images: Michelle Chin) You Can Do It! First-Time Vegetable Gardening for the Black-Thumbed. Some of you may feel like no matter what you try to grow, it dies. Too much water, not enough water, too much sun, too much shade, or… it just dies for no reason at all. This has been my experience with gardening for a long time, and when I tried to grow a vegetable garden for a few years in a row, it was a total disaster. I fought a never-ending battle with weeds — and lost. Bugs ate more vegetables than I did those summers, and "working in the garden" involved lots of standing and squinting, hands on hips, uttering curse words under my breath. Cut to the past two summers — minimal weedings, efficient worry-free watering, easy pest control… and a picturesque bounty of gorgeous vegetables!
2. Sunset has an excellent tutorial on building a raised bed; the final project is about 8' x 4' and costs about $175 to build yourself. 3. 4. For your first garden, get some easy wins; get some advice from locals on what works, and stick with that! 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 15 Repurposed Planters: Just Add Dirt. How To Make An Oil Can Planter. Use Folk Wisdom to Keep Your Food Fresh Architizer. How To Make a Ladybug Feeder & Attract Them to Your Garden. Last week, I showed how you can make natural pesticides for your plants.
While these sprays pose less risk than the toxic ones, they also rid your plant of beneficial insects like the ladybug. Unlike most pesky bugs that you want to purge from your garden, ladybugs live up to their cute little name. They pose no harm and are actually beneficial to your plants by feasting on a few of your plant's nemeses such as aphids, mealybugs, leaf hoppers, scales and mites. Along with insects, ladybugs also look for pollen for a food source, so there are numerous plants you can grow to help attract them. Flowers and herbs such as cilantro, dill, fennel, caraway, yarrow, tansy, angelica, scented geraniums, coreopsis and cosmos are good choices for luring the ladybug. If you're still having trouble attracting the little buggers into your garden, you might want to consider buying ladybugs to release in your garden. What You Need MaterialsBamboo, about 10" in length by 1 1/2" - 2" in diameter. 1. 2. 3.
How to Make Modern Cement Planters Using Packaging. Previous image Next image Make this planter! I started making these eco planters for gifts a year ago and haven't stopped. They are simple, stylish and downright lovable. Each pot is unique and has an organic, handmade feel. It is not an instant gratification project and you will have to commit, but the results are well worth it. I like to make about six at a time. What You Need IngredientsCement (it's the glue that binds the other ingredients)Vermiculite (you can use sand instead, but the planters become very heavy)Peat moss, pearlite, gravel or rock (add for fun!) Materials and ToolsGlovesApronFood containersPlastic BucketSucculentsShovel3 - 9 x 12 pieces of sheet metal or plexiglass.
Instructions The ratio is one to four. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Thanks, Sofie! The "4 Spots" Rule for Easy Moving Days Renters Solutions. Moving out is stressful! Packing everything up so it won't break and knowing you have to unpack everything again can be a real energy drain. What makes moving out of a rental even worse? Having to spend hours, potentially having to douse a part of your home in chemicals, just to clean a spot you neglected while you were there.
Certainly you should be aiming for an all-over clean house all year long, but after years of moving in and out of plenty of places, we've noticed a pattern. There are four spots that, if neglected throughout our stay, were absolutely heck to clean. . : Baked on grease? : Stains can be a nightmare when they've been sitting for awhile. . : Many folks' nemesis. . : Another spot that gets worse and worse almost imperceptibly slowly. Do you have any tips for keeping trouble spots clean so that you don't have to struggle on moving day?
(Images: as credited in the links above) How To Clean Your Toilet. Best Natural Toilet Cleaners. The Story of Keep Calm and Carry On. Save Your Plants With Soda Pop Bottles Blomsterverkstad. 20 Small Kitchens with Style Inspiration Roundup.