Condo Blues

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 498

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

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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

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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!

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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

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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
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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!




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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

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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!

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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

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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

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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

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You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

Sunday, August 25, 2019

How to Wash a Baseball Cap the Easy Way

I like to wear hats. Hats keep your head warm during the winter and jazz up your outfit any time of the year.

Not to mention, putting on a hat = instant good hair day!

Baseball caps are my casual hat go to. I often wear one when I am working in my workshop to keep my hair out of my face and out of the way of power tools.

Which means over time, my baseball hats can get sweaty, yucky dirty.

How do you wash a baseball cap without ruining it?


how do you wash a baseball cap
Pin this baseball cleaning hack to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends


There is no way I am ruining my favorite baseball cap by using one of these ball cap washing things to wash my hat in the dishwasher. Washing dirty clothing in the same place and time I wash the dishes I eat off of skeeves me out. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)

More importantly, most dishwasher detergents aren’t made to clean fabrics and have ingredients that fade fabric.

But mostly it’s the heebie jeebie skeeved out thing.

Fortunately there is a very easy and non toxic way to clean a baseball cap that doesn’t involve doing dishes or ruining your hat in the dishwasher or washing machine. Here’s how.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 491

August has flown by at record speed. I can't believe we're already at Labor Day weekend! Fortunately we have an incredible number of projects to read while my US readers are hopefully relaxing on this last long weekend of summer.

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

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You can show your love for this week's favorites by going over and commenting on the posts and by pinning or sharing!

Monday, August 19, 2019

How to Make a Pendent Necklace into a Pin Brooch

I was going though my costume jewelry collection to bling out my Husband’s and my Halloween costumes. I have more costume jewelry necklaces than I do pins in my princess treasure chest. Naturally I actually need the opposite.

No worries! It is super quick and easy to turn a necklace charm or pendant into a pin brooch!


how to upcycle a necklace into a pin brooch
Pin this easy tutorial to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!


Thursday, August 15, 2019

Friday Favorites Linky Party 490

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!