Condo Blues

Thursday, December 15, 2011

How to Make Lavender Sugar Scrub


It’s not all power tools with me. I have my girlie girl moments too. One of the ways I like to pamper myself is with a nice sugar scrub. When I found out that my favorite spendy sugar scrub was nothing more than olive oil and white sugar, I decided to make it myself.

I’ve been experimenting with sugar scrub recipes ever since.

 Pin this recipe to your Pinterest boads! Share it with your friends!


Lavender Sugar Scrub Recipe

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Winter Outdoor Living Spaces an Interview with HGTV’s Dan Berger

HGTV landscaping shows make me jealous of big backyards because my tiny place will not hold a big deck, fire pit, or a little grotto with waterfall. I have a thing for gazebos too. *Wistful sigh*

To compensate, I designed our front porch to be as inviting as possible.


Now that it’s fall going into winter, my perennials are gone and my yard looks a little sad. I wish I had an HGTV designer on speed dial to help me make the outside of my Midwestern home as inviting and usable in the fall and winter as it is during the spring and summer.

I recently given the opportunity to interview Garden Designer and HGTV.com contributor Dan Berger and ask him all my questions about transitioning my outdoor spaces for fall and winter. Dan’s work is gorgeous! He really knows his stuff when it comes to landscaping and garden design. Dan is the owner of LandPlan Landscaping. He has appeared on numerous episode of the HGTV show "Landscape Smart." Dan has also worked with This Old House and been featured in Sunset Magazine.  

Monday, December 12, 2011

Make Christmas Shimmer Placemats

I’m using the holidays as an excuse to bling up the two tonecloth placemats I made yesterday with a little shimma shimma pizzazz..

Green and glitzty!

It's also an excause to play with the Tulip Fashion Glitter Shimmer Transfer Sheets  and the Tulip Fashion Glitter Shimmer Fabric Paint I got from I Love To Create.

I shy away from glitter because it's a hot mess to work with and often sheds from a project. Fortunately neither of these things is true with Shimmer products I used for this project. I rubbed the designs with my finger after the paint dried and the glitter stayed put!

If you do not sew, you can dress up a set of purchased placemats following the same tutorial.

You can also use the Tulip Shimmer products to give new life to thrift store or past its prime duds you already have by artfully covering a worn or stained area with a design cut from the Tulip Shimmer sheets or camouflaged with the Shimmer paints.

How to Make Glitter Placemats

Sunday, December 11, 2011

How to Make Two Tone Cloth Placemats


I want to replace my placemats for the holidays. Me being me, I figure why buy, when I can DIY? 



This project will also help me in my New Year’s Resolution to use my fabric scraps for impromptu projects before buying new fabric.  I made a deal with myself that I cannot start on the sewing room/guest room/room where-furniture-goes-to-die remodel I want to do until I do something with all of the fabric and supplies I’ve been hanging on to for Someday.

Today is Someday.