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Every-day Solutions to Staying Organized

Every-day Solutions to Staying Organized
source: peter lee This post was originally published several years ago but continues to be one of our most popular. If you’re looking for simple, effective strategies to get organized, start here! The number one question I get from my readers is “help, I’m so overwhelmed with my home, where do I start?” Maybe you can relate? Sometimes it isn’t so much about starting with this pile here or that pile over there but more a matter of introducing a few daily organizational habits to help keep the clutter and chaos from becoming more than you can manage. Here are 10 things you can do today to help you stay organized. 1. Often chaos ensues because we are trying to juggle too many things in our brains. Grab yourself a notebook and just start brain dumping all that needs to be done. source: organizing junkie 2. Now take your list to your calendar (and if you don’t have a central family calendar, get one quick!) 3. You may not be menu planning for the whole week yet, but you can menu plan for TODAY.

on display: wall gallery inspiration » ann beck photography We have had so much fun featuring real client homes, and have gotten a lot of questions from those of you looking to recreate a similar look in your own home but don’t know where to start. We’ve collected some of our favorite layouts that can work in a variety of spaces an created these samples for you to view and get inspired! The sizes of the images depend on the size of the space you have to work with, and whether you are framing the pictures or ordering gallery wrapped canvases, so you can find a style and layout that fits your home and the images you want to showcase! Of course, if you have a session scheduled with us already, we’ll be happy to go over all of this in person, and even put together some samples using your own images, but we thought this could be helpful to get you started, or for displaying old family portraits… or anything in between!

My Home Remedies - My Home Remedies - Home Remedy Forum Easy Ways to Save Energy - Products Apparently the average home has 40 devices plugged in drawing constant energy, even when they're turned off (this is called, creepily, 'vampire energy'). To combat this, Belkin has created a slew of products, in their 'conserve' line, that help consumers track, monitor and control energy use in their home. Here's the Conserve Socket, which turns off automatically after 30 minutes, three hours, or six hours of use. (They also make another socket, the Conserve Valet, that turns off when an electronic device is fully charged): Here's a surge protector that reduces standby power to electronic devices like your TV and entertainment system: And here's my favorite gadget of the bunch, the Insight, a plug-in energy monitor that displays electricity consumed (wattage); the carbon dioxide produced to create that electricity; and the actual cost, in dollars and cents, of that energy use.

Cleaning Tips - Spring Cleaning Tips,House Cleaning Tips, cleaning products reviews,Good Housekeeping Magazines Simple Life Wall Display Inspiration Want to make a BIG impact on your order sessions? Wow your clients with these totally customizable display guides featuring photo print (with optional customizable frames and mats) and canvas grouping ideas on a variety of modern room backgrounds! You’ll get: 16 groupings to get you started – modular template pieces make it simple to add as many as you can dream up. 8 room styles in horizontal and vertical formats with customizable colors for wall, floor and ceiling so you can easily build your own “rooms” (try using digital papers to make “wallpaper” in your rooms!) 22 print and canvas sizes from 4×6 to 30×45, all ready to drop in wherever you’d like. Print and bind a few of these to hand out to clients, or easily swap out the placeholder frames with your client’s images for a truly customized experience! These templates were created with Photoshop CS5, but are compatible with Photoshop CS and newer.

How to Make Your Own Beauty Products from Scratch - Lifestyle Let's keep things simple this week. When it comes to personal-care products, we are big believers in streamlining what you use—see "Eight Products You Think You Need But Don't" for a refresher—buying less in general, and getting creative. We have both always loved experimenting in our kitchens and our bathrooms, checking ingredients in products we love, isolating the main ones, and then trying them on their own. Simple body scrub Many body scrubs, even the ones that claim to be sugar- or salt-based, actually contain beads made out of polyethylene, which is environmentally deplorable (it all goes down the drain, remember)—to say nothing of the preservatives, fragrance, penetration enhancers, and sulfates that typically bulk up these products. Honey face wash One-ingredient eye liner For the ladies (or the gents with a flair for the dramatic) this is as easy as it gets: Grab a capsule of activated charcoal, which you can get at most pharmacies and any health food store. Perfume Shave oil

Homemade Floor (and All-Purpose) Cleaner This homemade floor cleaner also works as an all-purpose cleaner and disinfectant! Clean nearly every surface in your home with just 5 simple ingredients. NOTE: This post started as a very simple recipe for a homemade floor cleaner. Over the years I’ve experimented and refined it to it’s current form. Today, it’s not just a floor cleaner; it also doubles as a great all-purpose cleaner. It does use alcohol and vinegar, so if you’re looking for a cleaner without these ingredients, you can check out this other post for a simple all-purpose cleaner. When I was growing up, the only thing we used for cleaning our tile floors was a certain pine-scented concoction with a mop and bucket. And although that pine cleaner is still around today, we’ve also become much more conscious of the products we bring into our homes. We want to know exactly what’s in those products. So what exactly is in Pine-Sol®? Ethoxylated alcohol Fragrance Ditch the Harmful Chemicals Once & For All! More grime-fighting power.

25 clever ideas to make life easier Via: amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com Why didn’t I think of that?! We guarantee 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! (Above: hull strawberries easily using a straw). Via: apartmenttherapy.com Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes. Via: unplggd.com Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or computer screen with WD40 (also works on walls). Via: athomewithrealfood.blogspot.com Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box by securing with a rubber band. Via: marthastewart.com Overhaul your linen cupboard – store bedlinen sets inside one of their own pillowcases and there will be no more hunting through piles for a match. Via: realsimple.com Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone / iPod in a bowl – the concave shape amplifies the music. Via: savvyhousekeeping.com Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags. Via: iheartnaptime.net

Homemade Body Wash - Keep Scary Out Of Your Shower - To Be A Farmer - Little Seed Farm Our Homemade Lavender-Lemongrass Body WashWhat do you put on your body every day? By the time I’ve finished my morning routine I’ve used shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, toner, moisturizer and sunscreen for my face, and lotion for my body. Somehow, it took me close to a year before I started wondering what the heck was actually in those bottles in my shower. All of that changed a few weeks ago when a friend recommended The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database which rates products according to the chemicals they contain and how harmful they are. I decided to replace some of the items in our routine with safer, natural products - preferably something homemade (well, yeah!). I searched out different recipes and ingredients that would be good for my skin -not so easy when you have been fighting a lifelong battle against the frustrating combo of hypersensitive skin and acne. Scrapple and I have been using it for about 2 weeks now and will never go back! 1. 2. 3. 4.

Make Your Own Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo … Why spend a lot of money this summer on condiments from the grocery store that are, in most cases, loaded with corn syrup, artificial flavors, and preservatives? It’s easy to make your own ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and more right at home with ingredients you probably already have. Here are a few simple recipes for these favorite summer cookout staples: Homemade Ketchup Ingredients: 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée 1 medium onion, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt Directions: Blend tomatoes and purée from the can in a blender until smooth. Homemade Mustard Ingredients: 1/2 cup dry mustard 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup water 2 egg yolks 1 cup sugar 3 teaspoons cornstarch Directions: Dissolve mustard in vinegar. Directions: In a small bowl, beat together egg yolks, salt, mustard, sugar, pepper, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, until very thick and pale yellow.

Everyday tricks everyone should know « Daily Kitten Chat Forum Tricks every woman should know…Nik The last several are a few of my own I’ve discovered… Peel a banana from the bottom and you won’t have to pick the little ‘stringy things’ off of it. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a Couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in beat them up. For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. for 15 minutes!!! Easy Deviled Eggs gone.

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