Condo Blues: February 2014

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Would You Paint a Room With Scented Wall Paint?

If there is one thing blogging has taught me about people, it is that smells and scents are an individual and highly opinionated thing.  It makes sense (har!) Scientists proved smell is the most powerful mnemonic trigger there is.



Trust me I get this. There are smells that I love such as lavender. There are other smells that make me gag. Wall paint is one of them. The scent of conventional paint reminds me of my parents in progress fixer upper house that I swore was such a pit when I first saw it I wasn't going to live there. Of course since I was a kid I had no choice and my parents and grandparents worked their butts off to transform the house into something I was proud to call home.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

How to Make an Easy Glass Bead Bracelet

I like to browse the bead and jewelry section of craft stores. I like looking at all of the pretty shiny things but get overwhelmed when I think about combining them. I choke and end up putting the items back on the shelf.

Then I see a beautiful handcrafted piece on Pinterest, think Hey I can make that!, go to the craft store, get overwhelmed trying to combine all of the beads I like but don’t quite go together, choke, and go home.

Rinse. Repeat.

One day as I was yet again, admiring the beads in the craft store, I saw a string of  glass lampwork beads similar to these  I thought would make a cute bracelet. (I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)


how to make an easy lampwork glass bead bracelet
 Husband says my bracelet is very moleculey.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Saint Patrick’s Day Shamrock Skirt

Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. I figure I better get some green duds in my new and smaller size or I will run the risk of getting pinched. No Saint Patrick owies allowed!



Thursday, February 13, 2014

How to Hang a Floating Shelf

In a small house, you have to be creative when it comes to storage and display space. This goes double for my craft room/guest room. I built a wall of wrap around shelves to go with the new decor and had to use every bit of it to hold my craft and sewing supplies. I don't have room on them to display some of the creations that inspire my DIY madness.

The wall space over doors is often forgotten although you can make it work for you with a simple shelf or by hanging artwork. Making an over the door fence board shelf works well in the guest bathroom, why not hang a floating shelf over the door in the guest bedroom and use it to display my doodads?

This is project sounds harder than it really is, I promise.





Tuesday, February 11, 2014

12 Gorgeous DIY Greenhouses

My fantasy house would have a gorgeous greenhouse full of lush and lively plants growing year round.
I change the design from Victorian to salvaged windows to secret garden style because I love them all and I don’t need building permits when I’m designing in my day dreams.

Endless winter is making me day dream a bit more about spring, summer, and greenhouses. I collected 12 of my favorite greenhouses to share with you.

Let’s take a little break and dream of spring!




Sunday, February 9, 2014

Anthropologie Crock Pot Makeover

January's Eat from the Pantry Month (aka Eat This and Give Me Back Cabinet Space/No Way I'm Driving To the Store in Sub Zero Cold and Snow Month) was a success! I reclaimed some shelf space, rediscovered my tea collection, and fell back in love with the slow cooker by creating new recipes like my Slow Cooker Mexican Beans and Beef recipe (you can read about it on Lazy Budget Chef.)

Aaaaaand the loose handle finally snapped off the lid of the crock pot.

Because we are not allowed to have nice things.

An futile attempt was made to glue the plastic handle to the screw in the lid. FAIL.




Buying a new crock pot was silly because it works fine otherwise. We muddled through by popping the back of a serving spoon under the lid to remove it. It was kludgy but it worked, sorta.

I found the answer to my crockpot problems when Husband kicked me out of the house because a recent cold and Cabin Fever was making a less than pleasant person to be around. He said I needed Me Time to become human again. I ended up at Anthropologie (no big surprise) where I found the fix for my broken crock pot - an Anthropologie cabinet knob.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

How to Make Lavender Calming Candles

You know you are a DIYer when,  instead of giving you a candle for your birthday, your mom gives you soy candle wax and forces you to make your own gift from her.

It makes sense. I got into candle making because of my mom. Thanks Mom!

One of my favorites to make are lavender soy candles because the scent of lavender oil can have a calming effect. Who doesn't need a moment calm every now and then? *Raises hand*

In fact, both Lacey's behaviorist and our vet recommended Lacey wear a calming dog collar that contains lavender essential  oil to help with her anxiety. I wasn't so sure it would work until I noticed a difference in her behavior for the worst toward the end of the month when the collar ran out. (you can learn more about the dog calming collar we use here.) (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)


how to make lavender calming candles the easy way

Pin this post on Pinterest for later! Share this tutorial with your friends!


Monday, February 3, 2014

Sawdust Valentines with Mod Podge Stencils

Sometimes it is hard to find Valentine's Day cards for men. After a day of card shopping, I came home without a card for Husband because most of the cards I found were a wee bit too girly for a guy like him.

I decided to make a masculine Valentine's Day card featuring the manliest craft material I can think of - sawdust!