Top Ten: clever tips for house and home

Who doesn't need life to be a little more simple...and a little more organized...and a lot more clean?

Here are some of my favorite tips for a simpler, more organized and more clean life at home this summer:

1. Turn a mason jar into a sugar dispenser -

 I am ashamed that I never thought of this.  Cut the top of your empty salt container to fit a mason jar ring.  Screw it on and fill it up.

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2. Reuse a squeeze bottle as a batter dispenser

No instructions necessary : )












 

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3. How to fold a fitted sheet-

Directly from Martha Stewart.  ( I have to admit that if I ever fold a fitted sheet and it ends up looking like the one above...I will throw myself a party). 


1. Stand holding the sheet by the two adjacent corners of one of the shorter edges. With the sheet inside out, place one hand in each of these two corners.
2. Bring your right hand to your left, and fold the corner in your right hand over the one in your left, enveloping it. Next, reach down and pick up the corner that is hanging in front; bring it up, and fold it over the two corners in your left hand; the corner that's showing will be inside out.
3. Bring the last corner up, and fold it over the others; with its right side showing, it should envelop the other three corners.
4. Lay the folded sheet on a flat surface and straighten it into the shape shown.
5. Fold the two edges in so all the elastic is hidden.
6. Fold the sheet into a rectangle.
7. Continue folding until the rectangle is the size you want it to be.

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4. Keep brown sugar fresh-

Toss a couple of marshmallows in with your brown sugar to keep it soft. 

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 5. Save your paint brushes-

Soak gunked-up nylon brushes in hot vinegar for up to 30 minutes to remove paint and soften the bristles. Afterward, wash them in hot, soapy water, brushing off paint as needed, then rinse and let dry—good as new.

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6. Organize your cabinets-

Use small tension rods to organize your serving dishes and your baking pans

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7. Keep your stove-top spotless-

Preserve a pristine stove-top by applying a thin layer of car wax, then wiping it off. Future spills will lift off easily.

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8. Clean your iron-

Remove gunk from the soleplate of an iron. With the setting on low, rub the iron over the dryer sheet until the residue disappears, and you're left with a pristine press.

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9. Remove sand painlessly-

Sprinkle some baby powder on your child's skin after a day at the beach and the sand will fall off painlessly.

10. Catch the drips-

Use a cupcake liner to catch all of the drips as your children enjoy those summer popsicles.

The perfect camera bag: Functional and Stylish!

Image from Ketti Handbangs

I take my camera everywhere with me now.  I never know when I will see something that I have to take a picture of.  

The one thing that absolutely drives me insane is the fact that I look like a tourist everywhere I go.  

I am determined to find a camera bag that is stylish, but also protects my camera from everything else I carry with me.  

In my search for the perfect camera bag, here are my favorites:

1. The Lola (in Black) from Epiphane  $164.99

2. The Rose (in Marigold) from Jo Totes   $89

3. The Libby bag (in distressed gray) from Kelly Moore

 4. The Classic Canvas Tote from Emera   $169

 5.  The Chevron by Ketti handbags   $195

Now, a decision has to be made.

So excited that I will soon look like a resident rather than a traveler.
A stylish one at that : )

Organization: Color code your bookshelf

I have often looked at my bookshelves and thought...how can something meant to organize, look so disorganized?  My particular issue is that Jason's engineering books and my art/photography/and all around more interesting books have nothing in common.  His books are mostly hardback.  Mine are paperback.  His books are bland (white, black, tan and grey).  Mine span the whole color wheel.

In summary...his books are...let me just say it nicely...UGLY.   Mine are not : )


Design problem: How can I bring the two together and make it look cohesive?


I decided to approach the bookshelves the same way I approach everything else- by color.  I have seen this done before, but did not think it would translate very well in my own house.  But, here it goes...

Here is the inspiration picture:

Granted, I don't have a floor to ceiling white cubed bookcase...and I do not have bright white walls and an absolutely awesome broken down leather chair... but I do have books and I do have a bookshelf.  Yeah!!!


Here is what our bookshelf looked like before:

and here is our color-coded bookshelf:

I found when I was separating the books by color, I had more of some colors, and less of others.  At that point, I thought it would be nice to break the books up with a few objects anyway.  So, I went scrounging through my house and found a few things to fill in the bare spots.

Obviously, this idea would not work well if you are a true book lover and had thousands of books.  But, in small book collections, it is a nice way to have your bookshelf make a design statement rather than just performing a function.

At the end of the day, my goal was accomplished- Jason's books are well blended with mine.

ROYGBIV comes to the rescue once again : )

Here are a few other examples of color coded bookshelves:

Looks great using children's books...

...or cookbooks...

 ...with just a few books...

...or a ton of books.