Easy Zero Waste Summer Food Options and Friday Favorites Linky Party 379

Husband took time off to play over the long Independence Day weekend. Naturally part of that was taking in a local Fourth of July parade with Lacey in a way that was as convenient as was it Zero Waste.

We can't eat out when Lacey is with us because Ohio law prohibits dogs on the outdoor restaurant patios we used to patronized when we were waiting for the parade to start.  It is way more convenient to bring our own and impromptu picnic.

Pin this idea for later!

It was super simple to pop some snacks in  containers and a few reusable water bottled from the fridge into the bottle holder in our backpack picnic cooler (aff links to the best family Christmas present ever!) and set up Parade Central. Even Lacey goes low waste with a sweet insulated double tiffin we just used as a water bowl since Lacey ate before we hit the road.

A Chinese parasol for shade, cloth fan for the heat, and mineral sunscreen for the sun and we were good to go!  A green life doesn't have to be full of angst and woe unless you want it to be.


Let's party!

Friday Favorites Linky Party 378

Let's party!

Friday Favorites Linky Party 377

Wahoo! Yesterday was the Summer Solstice and the Official Start of Summer!!!!

As I was running errands yesterday, I popped into a nearby craft store (as one does) to find the employees putting out aisle upon aisle of Christmas supplies and decor where I hoped to find Summer stuff for First Day of Summer project inspiration for you.

*sigh* 

Let's party!

Friday Favorites Linky Party 363

Sunny days are here again! We moved our clocks forward which is a sure sign Spring is just around the corner. I   found a stash of viable seeds when Spring Cleaning and I can't wait for the weather to warm up enough to put them in the ground.

That is the inspiration behind my featured pick from last week's Linky Party The Three Easiest Vegetables to Grow and Enjoy from Green Talk. Anna is a terrific gardener.  I practically have her on speed dial when I have gardening questions but it sometimes feels like I  kill more plants than I  grow.

Let's Party!

Friday Favorites Linky Party 362

To deal with this summer to snow temperatures, I'm working on small fiddly projects I've been putting off like updating all of my blog goals and statics.

The fantastic thing is I am just. this. close. to reaching my Pinterest goal of 20K followers by SIX people. Wow!

If you do'n't already can you follow me @condoblues on Pinterest to help me reach my goal of 2)K followers?  If you like my blog you will love my Pinterest feed! I pin waaaaaay more awesome projects and ideas to my Pinterest boards than I can share on my other social media feeds. It's easy. Just click the Condo Blues Pinterest box below. Thank you so very much!

I if could find a job curating and sharing fantastic ideas on Pinterest full time I would!
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

Jen at Creatively Homemade - Twitter | G+ | Pin

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

Amy at A Day of Small Things - Pin

Penny at Penny's Passion - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst

Kelly at Under a Texas Sky - Twitter | FB | G+ | Pin | Inst | BL

15 of the Best Scrap Fabric Projects

After spending an afternoon finding hidden fabric caches around the house (and wondering if I am turning into a ferret,) I organized the larger than I realized fabric stash into my super big DIY under bed fabric organizer

And oh my goooooooooooodness I learned I have a lot of scrap fabric! More than I thought.  I figure I should celebrate National Craft Month by sewing some scrap fabric project to clear out my stash so I can buy more fabric.

 Pint these all new and fantastic sewing and no sew ideas for later!

Friday Favorites Linky Party 361

My master bathroom remodel hit a scheduling snag because we have to remove the floor down to the studs and replace it due to mold found around the base of our current toilet. I have a feeling (but no concrete confirmation) that micro leaks from the seal may be the cause.

Which is a fantastic reason to replace the toilet I hate with a toilet I have come to love for how easy it is to install AND its super sealing wax ring - the Delta Faucet Company Corrente toilet.
 

 Toilets courtesy of our friends at Delta Faucet Company.

Yep, after installing the easiest toilet in the world in my powder room (you can read my Delta toilet review on Condo Blues here) we like it so much that I have two of those bad boys sitting in my garage waiting for our flooring guy to do his thing so I can do my thing with the rest of the remodel.
 
I showed you my project, now you share yours. Let's Party!

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!

Surprise desk decor from my Valentine! ❤️💏❤️ #valentines #valentinesday #roses #red #pink #love #sweetheart #husbandandwife #husband #lucky #blessed

A post shared by Lisa (@condoblues) on Feb 14, 2017 at 10:14am PST

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!"

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

Jen at Creatively Homemade - Twitter | G+ | Pin

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

Amy at A Day of Small Things - Pin

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!

Sears sells Craftsman Brand and Friday Favorites Linky Party Week 354

Super big news in the tool world last week. According to Business Insider, Sears sold the Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker who also owns the Dewalt tool brand. According to The Motley Fool:

"Rather than buying Craftsman outright, Stanley Black & Decker is buying the rights to use the Craftsman brand outside of Sears-affiliated sales channels. Meanwhile, Sears Holdings will be able to continue producing and selling its own line of Craftsman-branded products in Sears and Kmart stores. Sears will start paying royalties to Stanley Black & Decker for use of the Craftsman brand after 15 years.

Since non-Sears retail outlets account for just 10% of Craftsman sales right now, Stanley Black & Decker is essentially paying for the growth potential associated with making Craftsman products more widely available. The deal was deliberately structured this way to protect Stanley Black & Decker from Sears' ongoing decline."

I can't say I'm surprised because the writing has been on the wall for Sears Holdings for quite awhile. For example, last Christmas Kmart made it impossible to buy a few items I was interested in both in local store and on line. They were little extras so it wasn't a loss that I didn't buy them. Although I know Husband had to jump through a quite few hoops to buy the Craftsman orbital sander I wanted for Christmas. Originally he wanted to give it to me for my birthday but couldn't find it.

I hugged my Craftsman sander like an eight year old girl getting an American Girl doll for Christmas.

The 10 Best DIY Projects of 2016

We’re celebrating the New Year by taking a look back at some of our favorite Condo Blues DIY projects for 2016.
From the looks of it, we all like to decorate and make things with recycled materials and add green home improvements to our homes, myself included!
 

Our Top 10 DIY Projects and Posts on Condo Blues in 2016

How to Cut Wine Corks for Crafts the Easy Way!

 

21 Unique Bottle Cap Crafts to Inspire You!

I remake and makeover a lot of things using bottle caps but as our collection grows I need new recycled DIY ideas.

If you look at my Pinterest Crafts board you will see I have bottle cap projects on the brain. It seems like after I complete one bottle cap decorating project I see and pin a bunch more. (Follow me @condoblues on Pinterest pretty please?)

I can’t be the only one that doesn't this, can I?

Pint this post for later!

I thought I’d share the bottle cap craft love and show you some of my favorite recycled bottle cap projects from around the web to inspire you.

You can just drool over them like the bottle cap house. I doubt my Home Owner’s Association will let me do that or Husband for that matter.

How to Cut Wine Corks for Crafts the Easy Way!

Have you ever tried to cut a wine cork in half?
 
Neatly?

Without the cork flaking and shredding?

Or  accidentally cutting your fingers to shreds?

ME TOO!

I need to cut a wine cork in half for an upcoming project. I want to cut the cork quickly, easily, and safely. Most of all I want to cut the wine cork without cork bits shedding all over the place. A nice, clean, cork cut is all I ask.

How to Neatly Cut a Wine Cork in Half

Cutting wine corks for crafts isn’t hard to do. If you want to cut a wine cork without it falling apart, you’ll need to do one simple step before you cut into it.

 Pin this post for later!

 

Wine Cork Coat Hooks

Just when I think my kitchen is organized, I find out it is not.

 Pin this idea to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

I’m making progress on ant proofing and reorganizing my kitchen and pantry. It looks organized, right?
Not so fast.