Thursday, February 4, 2021
Mason Jar and Wine Cork Centerpieces and Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 567
Sunday, January 31, 2021
DIY Plastic Free Pot Scrubber
Disposable kitchen pot scrubber sponges are one thing I was happy to kick to the curb after trying washable and reusable Paperless Kitchen sponge scour pads (you can learn about them here.) Finally I had a plastic free dish scrubbie that I could pop in the top rack of the dishwasher to clean on the regular! (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links for your convenience.)
Until the garbage disposable tried to eat one.
RIP pot scrubber.
So much for zero waste :(
Fortunately More than one reusable dish scouring pads came in the package so it wasn’t a total loss. I also used it as the motivation I needed to try an idea I have been mulling around for awhile: crochet a plastic free pot scrubber from jute twine.
Well, that and Cabin Fever.
But you know what? It worked!
How to Crochet a Jute Dish Scrubber Sponge for Absolute Beginners
Thursday, January 21, 2021
The Best Ever Sea Shanty and Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 565
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
12 Real World Ways I Went Zero Waste This Week
Some of the things they don’t tell you about trying to reduce your household trash with zero waste living is that it depends a lot on where and how you want to live. Most of the year’s worth of garbage in jar folks have access to big fill your own container stores, year round farm markets, or huge gardens where they can grow almost everything they need. Not all of us are that lucky, would rather not drive all over the place, or crunched the numbers and found some the prices in those shops sky high. *raises hand*
But’s not to say that zero waste is impossible! Instead try the more realistic goal of concentrating on reducing your household waste than making it absolute zero. By focusing on reusing, the Rule of Half, recycling, reducing, and composting (when the bin isn’t frozen shut) my family has reduced our weekly household waste to approximately one grocery store size shopping bag (ish. We reuse any packaging, dog food, etc. bags for garbage which means the size varies) a week. We average a 3/4 full recycling bin every two weeks. We also give ourselves a break if our output is more than that because we have seasons and that can determine what we can do and how we do it.
To give you some realistic ways to reduce your household waste (and possibly save some money doing it) I made a list of the zero waste practices, tips, and tricks I do in a normal week to give you some ideas and jump start your thinking machines to find a zero waste solution that works for you!
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Slow Christmas Ideas and Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 560
Christmas is my favorite time of year because there are so many fun places to go, things to see and performances to do before we get the extended family together for a big, happy celebration on Christmas day!
Except this year. It's a pivot. pivot. Christmas pivot kind of year.
But you know what? I'm enjoying the change.
- No quick, wolf down dinner, we have to book it out the door and to an event.
- No fighting traffic, crowds, or stores because everything is being picked up or delivered to our door (let's give an extra shout and thank you to all postal and delivery drivers. THANK YOU!)
- There's the chance to put the holiday things you don't always enjoy aside for something new because it's just the household this year. For us, we're going to start our day with mimosas and end it with either fancy lobster tails or super causal homemade pizza for dinner. We haven't decided yet. Which one would do you think we should have for Christmas dinner?
Thursday, December 10, 2020
Happy Hanukkah and Linky Party Week 559
Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah! I hope you start your holiday off right and celebrate happily and safely.
Time to show off your creative recipes, projects, and ideas!
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 558
Time to show off your creative recipes, projects, and ideas!
Sunday, November 8, 2020
How to Make Bottle Gnome Christmas Decorations
Many folks in the Scandinavian countries like to decorate their homes with gnomes for Christmas. There is a tradition where they enjoy an appetizer of rice porridge for Christmas Eve dinner and put a small bowl of it outside for the gnomes to thank them for protecting the family and helping them prosper during the year.
The gnomes get very upset and will play tricks on you if they are not rewarded with their Christmas porridge!
So personally, I think it is best to decorate with the not so fickle recycled variety and make quick and easy bottle Christmas gnome decorations. Although, just like the Irish leprechaun, gnomes don’t go away after the holiday and you can decorate with gnomes all year round if you like.
This is a very forgiving Christmas craft project because the way you make your gnome is only limited to your imagination and what craft supplies you have on hand or want to use for this project.
Thursday, November 5, 2020
DIY Cotton Bath Puff and Friday Favorites Linky Party 554
While everyone else was baking sourdough bread during quarantine, I was making hot process soap. I took notes on what I did right and wrong and while I can't quite get it as thick as commercial liquid soap like I want, it cleans and lathers beautifully especially when I use a plastic bath puff. While a loofah is zero waste because I can compost it, it doesn't perform as well as a mesh bath poof that has to be tossed after awhile due to bacteria buildup. I tried washing one once and it fell apart.
I hadn't crocheted since I was a kid and recently picked up a hook to make a dishcloth. I looked for more quick beginner crocket projects on Pinterest (follow me @condoblues on Pinterest pretty please?) and found the answer to my zero waste bath puff problem - crochet a bath puff from cotton yarn!
I followed this crochet shower puff pattern from Hooked on Patterns and it was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. My shower puff isn't perfect but still not too shabby for the third thing I crocheted as an adult. Best of all, I can wash it in a mesh lingerie bag in the washing machine when I need to - no more bath puffs in my trash can ever again!
Time to link up your best projects, home improvements, recipes, and creative ideas!
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Sunday, October 25, 2020
18 Cozy Gift Ideas for the Whole Family
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Marble Look Porcelain Bathroom Tile and Friday Favorites Linky Party 549
Thursday, September 24, 2020
DIY Fall Pennant Banners and Friday Favorites Week 548
Monday, September 21, 2020
Quick and Easy Foam Pumpkin Makeover
I have a love hate relationship with foam crafting pumpkins. I love that they are reusable. I hate that most of them look horrifically fake.
Yes, I know I could use real pumpkins. I do for indoor decorating and puree them later for Thanksgiving desserts.
Outside it’s fake pumpkins all the way where real pumpkins are most likely squirrel food and when performing at Fall festivals where real fruit is likely to get smashed.
This sweet little girl was fascinated by the pumpkin clip I made over. I am forever grateful to the photographer that captured this moment!
How to Make Mod Podge Cloth Pumpkins
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Friday Favorites Week 547
Sunday, August 2, 2020
Blah Builder Condo Bathroom Remodeling Plan
After putting it off for too long, I am planning the end of the Bathroom Remodel Trilogy with Master Bathroom: Revenge of the Leak.
This time around I am not even going to even try to consider reusing the bathroom vanity. We learned from Bathroom Remodel 2: Mold Sneak Attack the micro leak around the sink shutoff vales may have caused the vanity to mold like it did on the subfloor.
This isn’t a great loss because when we removed the guest bathroom vanity we found just how cheaply it was made. We realized that all of the cabinets in our condo would eventually need replacing. Then we sang the Condo Blues because part of the reason of we bought a new build is the expectation of quality cabinetry – ha!
On the upside, since we knew ahead of time that everything needs to be replaced in the main bathroom, I was able to do a little scouting while I was sourcing a new vanity for the guest bathroom last year.
Sunday, July 5, 2020
1950’s Wrap Sundress
A good long while ago, I fell in love with the 1950’s vintage wrap sundress sewing pattern Simplicity 8085 (you can read about it in detail here.) I bought a super cute cotton cherry print fabric with the intent to make a dress for myself. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convince.)
Two years later I still had a sweet vintage sewing pattern reprint and super cute cotton cherry print fabric in its shopping bag in my sewing room. *sigh*
I need a dress for a wedding reception (hopefully? maybe? We’ll see how group events play out when the time comes) later this summer for a wedding my husband and I attended on Zoom. That’s all the incentive I need to finally sew my 1950’s wrap sundress. I made a few tweaks to the pattern because as my husband observed long ago, I always hack a sewing pattern in one way or another.
Save this fun retro dress to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!
How to Sew a 1950’s Inspired Wrap Sundress
Monday, May 11, 2020
20 New Sewing Tips, Tricks, and Hacks for Beginners to Professionals!
Lately I’ve been fielding questions from folks who are breaking out their old sewing machines after a long hiatus – a quarantine will do that, you know. I’ve also been brushing up on new sewing hacks from fellow sewing and costuming friends as we dive into sewing cloth face masks for our family and friends. I figure it is my turn to share what I know to help you make your sewing projects go a little easier, a little quicker, or allow you to make that one little unexpected tweak that takes your sewing project from OK to Wow!
20 Sewing Hacks That Will Make Your Life Easier!
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
How to Deep Spring Clean Your Bedroom with a Free Checklist!
Save this Spring Cleaning checklist to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!
According to my allergist, I have been dusting my house all wrong for someone who has seasonal allergies. He told me to stop using a feather duster (or Swiffer type dusters like these) to dust shelves and doodads because they don’t actually remove dust. Dusters clean by throwing the dust on the shelves into the air. Oops! (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience. If you make a purchase through these links I receive a small commission that allows me to keep the lights on. Thank you for your support!)
He also told me to stop using dusting sprays, especially the scented kind, because they can affect seasonal allergies too. He told me the absolute best dusting spray to use is plain, old fashioned water.
He’s right.
I cleaned and filled an empty spray bottle with water, sprayed it onto a piece of an old towel I cut up to use as dust rags, and was amazed (and kinda grossed out) and how much dust plain water on a rag picked up from a surface that didn’t look dirty or dusty. Oh, and the price is right too!
My Bedroom Deep Spring Cleaning Checklist for Dust Allergies
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
How to Plant an Indoor Hydroponic Herb Garden the Easy Way!
Also there is the whole I forget plants need water to grow thing. The only reason I can keep a succulent alive is that they thrive on low light and neglect.
I’ve been interested in hydroponic gardening (growing plants in water instead of soil) ever since my husband and I saw an exhibit on aquaponic gardening (similar to hydroponics except fish in a tank fertilize the plants.) I looked at several of them off and on but most of them needed preparatory (and spendy) seed pods that weren’t always what we were interested in growing or eating. Fortunately, on Christmas morning my husband unwrapped our gift and learned that you can use your own seeds to grow whatever you like in an AeroGarden.
We set up our indoor hydroponic herb garden and have been enjoying cooking with fresh herbs all winter which feels decadent because up until now, that as been a summer only thing.
How to Set Up an AeroGarden Indoor Hydroponic Herb Garden
Sunday, March 8, 2020
How to Install a Bidet Attachment
I’m working on the details of the guest bathroom renovation while looking forward to the master bathroom renovation. Well planning actually. I’m not looking forward to this even more involved project where are water leak began.
Anyway.
I would have liked to add a bidet in the bathroom to save on toilet paper because according to Tushy it takes 37 gallons of water to make a roll of toilet paper and most people use 1.5 toilet rolls a week! That is a lot of water to flush down the drain, which doesn't include the amount of water it takes to flush it all down the drain.
But more importantly, with a bidet, even if you run out of toilet paper at the time you need it most, you have an option.
Unfortunately all of our condo bathrooms are too small to add a free standing bidet. I didn’t think much more of it until friends raved about just installing a bidet toilet seat. I was intrigued. A bidet toilet seat attachment I can do. Then I promptly forgot about it because I'm awesome like that.