Condo Blues: February 2017

Sunday, February 26, 2017

How to Make a Travel Mason Jar Coin Bank

I’m putting my Annual Winter Restlessness (trademark pending) to use by periodically cleaning out and reorganizing a drawer and such to help combat our chronic Out of Sight Out of Mind Disease.

I gave myself an extra pat on the back for chucking the coins I found lurking in the kitchen junk drawer into an empty mason jar instead of tossing them back into the drawer to be forgotten. That happens more than you care to know.

The only thing this is my mason jar coin bank is not cute.

Let’s make it cute!

DIY Adventure Fund Adult Piggy Bank

 

Husband and I love to travel. In fact, almost all of the money saving tips and hacks I do here on Condo Blues and my food blog Lazy Budget Chef are so we can put more money into our travel fund.

My Annual Winter Restlessness always comes with a serious case of wanderlust, so why not make my coin jar bank with a travel theme?

Friday, February 24, 2017

Chinese Takout Container Drawer Organizers and Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 360

I'm embarrassed to say that not only do I have a kitchen junk drawer, I actually have two. They are full of flotsam and jetsam and who knows what else because I can't buy a set of drawer organizers that fit what I need to store inside such a large drawer. Please tell me I am not the only one!


How did you cram all of this stuff in a drawer and actually shut it, Lisa?!


Turns out I already had the perfect size junk drawer organizers on deck in my craft room - plastic takout meal prep containers! (affiliate link for your convenience if you end up running out of containers in the middle of the project like I did.)

I emptied each junk drawer, sorted what should stay and what surprising things should go (like the owner's manual to a car we got rid of three cars ago!), and organized like with like in the containers. Once I finished with one junk drawer I moved onto the next messy drawer.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

12 Small Space Fabric Storage Ideas You Need To Try Right Now!

Recently during some serious Girl Time with a fellow costumer and my BFF, our conversation turned to to talking about how our fabric storage is out of control and threatening to take over not only our sewing studios, but the house as well.

Or at least it seems that way when you live in a small condo.

Most of the time I sew with nontraditional fabrics such as upholstery fabric, velvet, tulle, and plush fleece and they are more difficult to store than traditional cotton quilting and apparel weight fabrics because, even their scraps  require much more space!

12 of the Best Ways to Store Non Traditional Fabric

After spit balling fabric organizing ideas with my costumer friend and coming up short, I turned to the Internet. I found a bunch of small space fabric ideas to add to my ever growing To Do List and thought I’d share.

Ready? Set. Organize!

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 359

There is nothing better to chase the Winter Blues away than decorating with fresh flowers. Husband spruced up our shared home office this week for Valentine's Day with a gift of pink and red roses. Pink roses are more special to us than red (although I think they are beautiful too) because we exchanged anonymous pink roses the day our story began.

And the rest is history!



I was surprised to get a new vase. Frankly I was looking forward to the possibility to using one of the cute Valentine's Day vases lining the top shelves in my craft room. When I asked  Husband why he gave me a vase when I have several, he simply said, "because they are full of wine corks!"

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Quick and Easy DIY Industrial Farmhouse Kitchen Utensil Holder

We recently outgrew our ceramic kitchen utensil and spoon holder. Trying to cram gently fit and remove wooden spoons and utensils from it was like playing Kerplunk on a daily basis.

After a losing round of kitchen spoon Kerplunk for the third time that day, Husband made the off hand comment that we need a new utensil organizer. He's right and we did what happens a little too often than I care to admit.

We totally forgot about doing something about it until the next round of quickly grab a ladle and everything else comes with it. Grr!

After losing that game one night  after cleaning up from making crock-pot chicken enchilada soup recipe (read it on my food blog Lazy Budget Chef here)  I liked how the empty red El Pato Enchilada Sauce can looked in contrast to the green ceramic utensil holder on the counter. Instead of popping the empty aluminum can into the recycling bin, I  washed it out and plunked my short handled Instant Pot paddles into it. Whimsical and functional!

But I needed more.

Fortunately, that was only a cup of coffee away. The next time I opened a can of Cafe Du Monde coffee (Cafe Du Monde has been on of our favorite brands of coffee long before we visited New Orleans - so good!) I got the "medium" in my low, medium, and high food themed kitchen spoon organizer to follow the decorating rule of three: odd numbers of objects look better clustered together than even numbers.


Pin this idea for later!
I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience in case you don't have a local international grocery store that carries these super yummy (and now decorative) products.

Not to mention, using low, medium, and high kitchen utensil caddys saves counter space because I can cluster them together and still find everything I need.

What do you think?


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Sunday, February 12, 2017

3 Year Old Boy Starts a Recycling Company to Save the Ocean (and for College)

At three years old my only ambition was, um, not much beyond what any other three year old was into: toys, meals, and playtime.

Because 3 year olds.

Not Ryan. When he was three, actually three and a half as he always emphasizes in interviews, he started a recycling company called Ryan’s Recycling. Ryan was fascinated a trip to a recycling center and asked his parents if he could give bags to his neighbors so maybe they could give their recyclables to him.


 Pin this post to share Ryan's fantastic story!
 Photo courtesy of Ryan's Recycling.

Four years later Ryan is now seven years old and estimates he has recycled over 200, 000 glass and plastic drink bottles and aluminum cans. He’s saved 10 thousand dollars from his recycling buisness and wants to to put it toward new business equipment – a garbage truck!

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 358

It's time to link up your favorite DIY, decorating, and craft projects and tutorials and drool over your fantastic recipes!





Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Christine at Light and Savvy - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Dawn at LeroyLime - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin
Sheree at Stage Presents - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

 

You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!
 
And if you love all of this week's favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week's linky party!

Monday, February 6, 2017

How to Make a Quick, Easy, and Ergonomic Computer Monitor Stand

When I look down slightly at my computer monitor on my desk I get the most horrendous and awful migraine headaches because my head acts as a counterweight and gives me a migraine that makes me want to cut off my own head and pain that makes me feel beaten up all over my body. Pain shoots down my extremities and I feel like I want to vomit when I’m supposed to be productive at work.


If I lower my office chair so my head is level when I look at the computer monitor, I’m so short that the keyboard tray on my desk is too high and gives me a slight shrug while I work. Bam! More migraines and pain.

It took years to find the right person to tell me the cause of my very real  but mysterious pain issues are a poor ergonomic work station not tailored to someone of my petite stature.

 I’m just a small pint size girl living in a lanky world. Short girl problems.

Luckily, since I already use a desk with a lowered keyboard tray, it was easy to adjust my office chair to to make sure my arms are wrists are parallel to my keyboard and remove the slight shrug when I type.  I use an adjustable office desk foot rest to make sure my feet touch the ground otherwise my knees ache because my feet dangle. Disclosure: I included affiliate links in this post for your convenience.

DIY Duck Tape Computer Monitor Raiser to Kiss Those Headaches Goodbye!

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 357

Happy Groundhog Day!

The little guy saw his shadow this morning. It looks like six more weeks of winter will be heading our way.

But that's no so bad because it gives everyone six more weeks to stay inside and create your fabulous home improvement, DIY, and craft projects and yummy recipes!

 Let's party!



Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Christine at Light and Savvy - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Dawn at LeroyLime - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Maisy at Becoming Alice - FB | G+ | Pin
Sheree at Stage Presents - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

If you are featured this week, be sure and grab a featured button for your blog!

 
You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!
 
And if you love all of this week's favorites, please pin, share, and invite your friends to this week's linky party! Now on to this week's picks!