Condo Blues: 2019

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 509

Our Christmas holiday celebrations and visiting took over so much of the holiday week that I posted the linky party very, very late. Don't worry! You can still add  your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!



Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | 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
Lauren at All About That Mommy Life - Pin | Inst
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 508

ime to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!



Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | 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
Lauren at All About That Mommy Life - Pin | Inst
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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

Sunday, December 15, 2019

How to Go Zero Waste on a Budget: Use the Rule of Half

When someone brings up trying to reduce their household waste with zero waste living and one of the first things they ask is me is why does it have to be so strict, expensive, and hard?

I understand how you can get that impression seeing photos online of DIY everything, people using plastic free as a synonym for zero waste (plastic free living is a noble goal but is not the same thing, ) and mason jars full of one year’s trash, but those are the rare, edited for the Internet exceptions, and not the reality.


zero waste ideas that dont cost money

Save this list of ideas to your Pinterest Boards for later! Share it with your friends!

I get it. I truly do. Local laws prohibit me from using my own containers at bulk bins, my farm markets are only open during the summer, and frankly both of those options are more expensive than Aldi where I can do a monthly grocery shop in under an hour.  However, over time I was able to reduce my household weekly trash to a small grocery store size bag a week.

How do we do it?

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 507

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!



Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | 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
Lauren at All About That Mommy Life - Pin | Inst
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 506

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Condo Blues World Headquarters and Thunderdome!

This year our family broke a decorating record by having our Christmas tree decorated after we came home from Thanksgiving dinner! Take a look.

Other houses have Christmas gnomes. We have Vikings!

Our tree is actually a rosemary bush our Thanksgiving host and hostess gave us at the end the evening. I decided to have a laugh and decorated it a few German Christmas ornaments friends gave us on their vist last fall. I' bought the Viking gnomes from a friends shop at the renaissance festival as a birthday present to myself after admiring them for the last 2 summers. 

We need to put our Christmas tree up soon. This one's not going to last long for as much as we've been using it to cook with fresh rosemary. Nom! Nom!

Be sure to pop over to my food blog Lazy Budget Chef and enter our $175 Amazon Gift Card Givewawy after you've shared and read all of the amazing party posts!

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

$175 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

December is here and we are in full swing getting ready for the December holidays! Woohoo!


I'm always looking for giveaway opportunities to thank you for being part of my blog community
s community. A bunch of my blogger friends want to find a way to reward their readers in the same way.

We got together and thought what would people like? The December holidays are coming up. Everyone has a different opinion on what is and is not the perfect gift. Many of you don't celebrate the same holidays as I do.   We thought....

What would you do with an extra $175 to spend this holiday season?




That would buy a whole lotta cookies like the Peppermint Gingerbread Cookie Ball Recipe I wrote on my food blog Lazy Budget Chef.



Peppermint Gingerbread Balls! Nom! Nom! Nom!

Wait. What?! You didn't know that I have a food blog?! Well I DO!

Well know is the perfect opportunity to check it out! Not only do I have a fantastic cookie recipe for you to try but you can ENTER TO WIN A $175 AMAZON GIFT CARD RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW!



After you enter the giveaway before sure to check out the links to the yummy holiday recipes my co-hostesses have created!

Don't dawdle! The $175 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway runs from December 2 - December 16, 2019 on Lazy Budget Chef!




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Thursday, November 28, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 505

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Or Happy Random Thursday in November to our readers outside of the US, LOL.

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | 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
Lauren at All About That Mommy Life - Pin | Inst
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!



Sunday, November 24, 2019

How to Make Tomato Cage Christmas Gnome Decorations

I saw a big Christmas gnome decorations on line at IKEA and knew two of them would look perfect decorating both sides of my front door this Christmas. Unfortunately they were already sold out of them by the first few days of November!

I was severely bummed.

It was all the encouragement I needed to shop IKEA for the materials and go with my original plan of making a set of outdoor Christmas gnomes built around tomato cages.  Since storage space is at a premium in my condo, I made my Christmas gnomes (which we Scandinavians call Tomte or Nisser) as a temporary slipcover. That way I can use the cages in my summer garden, clean them, and use them again during the Christmas decorating season.  If you have the storage space you can permanently hot glue the fabric to your tomato cage instead of holding it in place with clothes pins like I did.

how to make outdoor Scandinavian Christmas gnome decorations
Save this tutorial to your Pinterest boards for later! Share this decorating idea with your friends!


How to Make Scandinavian Christmas Gnomes


Thursday, November 21, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 504

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | 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
Lauren at All About That Mommy Life - Pin | Inst
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!



Monday, November 18, 2019

10 Quick, Easy, and Eco Friendly Kitchen Cleaning Hacks

I love a clean and tidy kitchen but I don’t love spending all of my time cleaning and organizing it.  That especially goes for the holiday season when I’d much rather be entertaining my guests than slipping out to the store because I ran out of some disposable cleaning doo dad or supply in the middle of cleaning up after dinner.

Because if I run out of something, it is always going to be when I need it use it immediately.

It. Never.Fails.

 
Pin this list of ideas to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

Luckily I developed have several hacks that replace disposable kitchen cleaning tools with reusable and others that make those disposables last a little bit longer so you aren’t stuck with a Holiday Hostess Fail in the middle of your party fun!

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 503

Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away!

Eek!

I barely have Halloween put away!

I have no idea what I'm making for Thanksgiving dinner, besides something that goes with turkey. What are your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes? Help a girl out!

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | 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
Lauren at All About That Mommy Life - Pin | Inst
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 502

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | 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
Lauren at All About That Mommy Life - Pin | Inst
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 501

Happy Halloween! Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 500

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Sunday, October 20, 2019

What to Do If You Find Black Mold in Your Bathroom Remodel

It’s time to get started on my guest bathroom renovation.

With demolition!

Because Demo Day is the best day.

It can also be the worst.

My demolition plans included removing the rest of the flooring, the toilet, and vanity. I planned to makeover the bathroom vanity if I could get it out in one piece. The builder installed all of the sink cabinets in the house first and installed the plumbing in around them. When I removed the vanity in the powder room remodel I had to destroy the cabinet which wasn’t the plan.

Joy.

I cut holes for the plumbing in the cabinet with this exact Rockwell oscillating tool (after reading a lot of specs and reviews I chose the Rockwell because it is the only oscillating tool that can use bits and blades from any brand not just its own.) I was pretty stoked this DIY idea actually worked until my husband and I lifted the vanity up and over the plumbing to discover black mold on the wall and wood vanity. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)

Oh yes, my friends. We sang the Condo Blues.

How to Get Rid of Black Mold



Thursday, October 17, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 499

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 498

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Allergy Free Trick or Treat Ide: How to Make DIY Bottle Cap Halloween Pumpkin Pins

I know first hand how much it stinks to get a bag full of Trick or Treat candy on Halloween and can’t eat most of it due to a severe food intolerance or allergy.

It’s a total bummer.

That’s why I display a teal pumpkin to let my Trick or Treaters know that I have food allergy safe treats to hand on out Halloween. We let the kids decide if they want a Treat or a Prize.  My husband mans the Treat bowl full of candy. I woman the Prize bowl with food allergy friendly non food treats. 

This year’s food allergy safe Trick or Treat Prize are Jack o’ Lantern pins I made from caps in my bottle cap collection.

My quick and easy bottle cap pins are a kid friendly craft if you are looking for a Halloween party craft activity. You can also make them ahead of time and give them out as party favors.
 

How to Make Recycled Bottle Cap Pins


DIY Teal Pumpkin Project Trick or Treat Pumpkin Pin idea
Save this Pumpkin Party Favor to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 497

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Sunday, September 29, 2019

How to Dye Suede Shoes

I bought a pair of cream suede oxford shoes similar to these thinking they would look cute with jeans but didn’t wear them very often because of the color. Changing the color is easy as dying the shoe. Since these are basically an extra I have and don’t’ wear I decided to go with something fun and dye my suede shoes blue with this exact suede shoe dye. *Cue Elvis joke here* (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience)

I was very nervous about messing up this project and put it aside for quite awhile after I bought the dye. Once I got up the nerve to do it I learned dying shoes a new color isn’t hard, just a little messy so make sure you protect your work surface and you’ll be fine.

how to redye suede shoes a new color
 Pin this tutorial to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

How to Dye Shoes a New Color

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 496

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Sunday, September 22, 2019

How to Make a Jester Costume

One of the things I love about sewing costumes is the challenge and I try to do that with every jester dress I make. Normally I cut each piece of my sewing pattern out of a different color fabric to create a color block jester costume, I load it up with jingle bells, and I’m good to go with a costume that’s close to jester’s motley.

I need a new jester costume for renaissance festival and historical performances and when I want to dress to empress on Halloween.

This time, I went for the Crazy Person Challenge of sewing a jester costume with a homemade diamond pattern quilted fabric. I made new everything from the skin out:bloomers, hoop skirt, skirt, bodice, and hat. This project took four months to complete.

Which just goes to show you I don’t just play a fool on weekends, it’s more of a 24/7 lifestyle. I’ve never quilted before and after this project I may never quilt again!

how to sew a jester costume
Pin this costume tutorial to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends! 
Photos by Jay Robinson and Checkmate Photography

How to Make a Female Renaissance Jester Costume

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 495

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Monday, September 16, 2019

How to Make an All Weather Elizabethan Jiffy Pop Hat

I need a new jester hat for my renaissance festival character that will still hold its shape when it gets wet in the rain or snow. In the past I have used the traditional buckram (learn what buckram is here) which unfortunately can quickly lose its shape and not really recover it when it gets wet in a thunderstorm. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)

I’d like to make something a little different than the traditional jester asses ears I’ve worn in the past. (Asses ears are the name of the jester’s hat with the points and bells on the end.) Since Elizabethan jesters and fools often made fun of their betters and sometimes wore parodies of the style of the nobility to mock them, I decided to make a HUGE British bonnet as an homage to my jester mentor who wore a GIANT flat cap.

But most importantly, I want a hat with a brim to keep the sun out of my eyes.


 Save this Halloween costume hat tutorial to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends! 

This style of brimmed hat with a poufy top goes by many names: British toque or bonnet, Spanish toque or bonnet, Italian toque or bonnet, or by the modern nick name The Jiffy Pop Hat because it looks like a Jiffy Pop pan after it has popped (learn more about Jiffy Pop here if you are unfamiliar with this treat that’s fun to eat.)

Elizabethan men and women wore this style of hat. The poofy hat in the sepia photo is made with buckram. The hats in the color photos are made with plastic canvas. As you can see you can't tell from looking what the hat form is made from. the only difference is the plastic canvas is weatherproof and also stands up any and all abuse an actor may put it through.

How to Make a Hat with Plastic Canvas Instead of Buckram

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 494

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!

Sunday, September 8, 2019

How to Clean Rusty Chrome the Non Toxic Way!

Taking my bathroom décor que from hotels I stayed in I hung a chrome towel rack shelf in the Master Bathroom shower. It is handy as a towel rack and even better when I need a place to hang some hand washing up to dry. I popped a little plastic tray on top so I can use it as a storage shelf for shampoo and such.



how to clean chrome the quick and easy way
Save this cleaning hack to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!


Unfortunately, the chrome is developing tiny rust spots.


Fortunately there is a quick, easy, cheap and non toxic way to remove rust from metal chrome.

Sunday, September 1, 2019

5 Quick and Easy Bottle Cap Refrigerator Magnet Craft Ideas

The kitchen refrigerator is the main information hub of our home. Even with all of the organization, texting, and communication apps on our phones, the most effective way to remind or remember something important is to stick a note on the fridge with a magnet.

I have a fairly bare refrigerator and a big bottle cap collection just waiting for a quick and easy upcycled craft idea.

Bottle cap refrigerator magnet crafts are only limited by your imagination and the craft supplies you have on hand. They are easy enough for kids and quick enough for impatient adults *raises hand*. 
You can make the magnet with either side of the bottle cap. You can use plastic bottle caps as well as metal. Although today I am featuring metal bottle caps because that what I collect.

5 recycled bottle cap refrigerator magnet craft ideas for kids
Save this Make and Take recycled craft idea to your Pinterest Boards for later!
Share it with your friends!

You can paint them, use stickers, use printed or hand drawn designs, or just slap a magnet on the back if you like the design on a printed bottle cap.

Consider this the Choose Your Own Adventure of Bottle Cap Magnet Craft Tutorials.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 492

Wow how summer has flown this year! I can't believe Labor Day is here! Let's kick off the long weekend early!

Time to add your fantastic and creative craft and DIY projects, recipes, and ideas!

Let's Party!




Please support and follow our lovely blog party hostesses:



Jerri at Simply Sweet Home - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Lisa at Condo Blues - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst
Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL
Jennifer at Busy Being Jennifer - Twitter | FB | Pin | Inst

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!