Condo Blues

Monday, July 31, 2017

36 of the Best Zero Waste Lunch Bags for Back to School

I'm on a bit of Zero Waste kick lately. Well, more like Trying to Reduce Our Household Trash Each Week Without Living Like Little House on the Prairie Because Electricity and Indoor Plumbing Are Fantastic but that is too much to write over and over in one blog post.

Specifically, I'm looking for low waste lunch bags and container ideas.

I'm finding it is better for me to pack a dairy free lunch, dinner, or snack to better deal with my food allergy when I'm on the go. I like to travel as light as I can (especially if I'm at an event and have to cart stuff with me all day,) I don't want my food to dry out before lunch (which means cloth snack bags are out) and as much as I love my glass food containers they are too heavy and impractical.

All of that and it must be attractive without looking like something a preschooler would carry.



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Sunday, July 30, 2017

How to Fix Rear View Mirror

The rear view mirror came off my car windshield. Luckily I wasn’t driving at the time.
I’ll admit it was odd to get into the car and see the mirror was sitting on the front seat like it expected me to drive it somewhere after it popped off.

Replacing the car would be a fun way to repair the rear view mirror until I remembered that as much as I love cars (and I really do) I hate car shopping.

I despise the haggling, the fake let-me-talk-to-my-manager dance (seriously. they are salespeople who know how, when, and where they can go only so low on the pricing,) and worse how I’m often treated like I am an idiot who doesn’t know anything about cars (my father worked in the industry.)

That may not be an exclusively female customer thing because a male friend who is a car nut also gets treated like he can barely put the key in the ignition when he goes to a car dealership.

Besides, the car is paid for. Fix instead of replace it is!

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Thursday, July 27, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party 382



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Monday, July 24, 2017

How to Sew an Easy One Seam Sundress

We’re deep into what I call Three H Summer Weather – Hazy, Hot, and Humid.

Ugh.

The type of weather that makes a sun dress the most appropriate way to stay cool (while still looking cute!) which you can barely find in a store because it is full of Fall Back to School clothes and gear.

Double ugh.

Fortunately, while shopping for costume fabric, some pre- shirred and pre-smocked with elastic flamingo fabric caught my eye. I adore flamingos! Most of work was done for me and the kids maxi length fabric is just the right length for my wee 4’11 frame to be a sundress to the knee. I popped the bolt in my cart and starting shopping for the actual reason I went to the fabric store in the first place.

As I shopped, I put the fabric back on the shelf since I was drawn to it only because I have a made crazy love of all things flamingo. It’s an impulse item and I’m trying to stick to my shopping list.

Later I went over and put the bolt in my cart. I do need some summer clothes. I can wear to the annual luau!

Again, I put the fabric back. Would I have time to make an unplanned sewing project or will the fabric sit and take up space until I forgot why I bought it in the first place? Not that there is already any cut fabric like that in my stash already…

I stood there looking at the fabric I put back and though,”Oh for Pete’s sake you are TOTALLY overthinking this! It is a quick and easy one seam sundress. You can sew in less than an hour because most of the work is done for you.. Life is short!  BUY THE FABRIC!”

So I did.

How to Make a Sundress in an Hour or Less

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party 380

It's raining.

It's pouring.

The old man is snoring. (I don't see how with Lacey barking at thunder all. day. long.)

So we woke him up and said it is more fun to DIY, craft, and cook recipes and share them on line with all of your friends while you have electricity to use the computer than let him bump his head, go back to bed, and not wake up until morning which is a terrible way to deal with a rainy day. Who writes these old nursery rhyme anyway?

Let's party!



Sunday, July 9, 2017

Quick and Easy DIY Wood Shower Floor Tile

I absolutely adore high end teak in a bathroom, especially the trend of using it for a shower floor. It is warm, it has texture, and not to mention wood is more eco friendly than the vinyl shower pan that came with my house.

On the flip eco side, keeping the current shower floor during our bathroom remodel to be is uses less new resources than ripping it out and replacing it with a new shower pan and wood shower tile just for looks sake.

Fortunately the solution was a quick, easy, and split the eco friendly middle IKEA hack away – install removable outdoor wood deck tile over the current the shower floor.

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Thursday, July 6, 2017

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!



Tuesday, June 27, 2017

How to a Make Tomato Cage Plant Stand

This year’s Tabasco and Habanero pepper plants aren’t doing as well as they could planted discretely in our front flower bed as they could on the sunny backyard patio. They only way to do that is to eek out space for two more plants on my small patio container garden with  four plant stands.

Which was a fantastic excuse to check out our new IKEA store! I saw a self watering planter and stand on the IKEA website that would do the job nicely.


Until I got to the store and an associate told me they were discontinued. *sad face*

No worries! I swung by Home Depot on my way home to buy tomatoes cages to make into a quick and easy modern plant stand.

Quick and Easy DIY Modern Plant Stands


Pin this idea for later and to share with your friends!

You will need:

Sunday, June 25, 2017

How to Make Compost Tea Fertilizer

Every evening as part of my post dinner cleanup,  I try to dump our kitchen compost collector into the big tumbling compost bin outside to keep the little guy from stinking up the joint.

This particular evening I gave the compost bin a crank like I have done so many evenings before only for the half full bin to suddenly become much easier to turn, like it was practically empty – because it was.

The hinges and latch on the door to the compost bin failed and dumped compost all over the yard.
For the third time.

I didn’t have enough finished compost to fertilize my garden but instead of singing the Condo Blues, I used it to make compost tea. Compost tea is an excellent plant food and fertilizer and well earns its nickname – Black Gold.

How to Brew Compost Tea Concentrate the Easy Way

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Thursday, June 22, 2017

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!

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Sunday, June 18, 2017

Mod Podge Wallpaper Update: How Does it Last?

Shortly after buying our condo, I used Mod Podge to wallpaper a bathroom with old book pages.
I frequently get email asking me how using Mod Podge as wallpaper glue holds up after the 10+ years I used it to remodel my bathroom.

I thought I’d give you an update.

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Thursday, June 15, 2017

Chemical Free Sunblock Hack and Friday Favorites Linky Party 376

I'm very good about applying sunscreen before I spend time in the hot summer sun. (My current mineral sunscreen favorites are Goddess Garden Sport, Bock Island, and Jason Sun Sport. (aff))  Unfortunately, I am rubbish about replying sunscreen throughout the day, especially when I'm having fun at an outdoor festival or street fair - which happen almost weekly in our fantastic city.  Which means it doesn't take long for my prolific perspiration powers to blow through my screen screen and allow me to fry like bacon in the sun.

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Easy DIY Camp Chair Makeover

I used a fun nautical fabric to make replacement camp chair carrying bags (read the Condo Blues tutorial here) to go with my blue camp chairs. Unfortunately while there are many shades of blue in my fabric, the exact color of the chair isn’t in the fabric - and it bugs me.

A lot.

Putting an anchor on the back of my chairs would tie them in with the anchors in the fabric chair tote bags. I’m not a great painter so painting is out.

But sewing?

Sewing I can do.

How to Embroider a Folding Chair

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party 375

Hello Friends! Do you have plans this weekend? If not, GO SEE WONDER WOMAN! Husband and I went to see it opening weekend and IT WAS AWESOME!

I see folks talking about the Wonder Woman movies as some sort of statement or Thing which I suppose it can be if you are looking for something like that. (Although I almost fell out of my chair when I saw frail little Princess Buttercup from one of my favorite guilty pleasure movie The Princess Bride plays the Amazon general that trains Wonder Woman because she is their best fighter. Also they cast a ton of female champion athletes to play the Amazons who are also drop dead healthy and gorgeous,)

In all honesty, this is the first DC Comics superhero movie in a long to,e that makes me WANT to cheer for the hero. She's not there to be all "statementy", she's there to fight the bad guys and save the day - and she does.

I gotta say, I was scared Warner Brothers was going to mess up the Wonder Woman movie and make it deep, dark, depressing, broody, and totally unlike the character I like and remember as a kid. You, know, just like they did with the recent Superman and Batman movies. I felt like I lost several hours of my life I cannot get back after I watched those poor excuses for superhero movies.

So yeah, I totally recommend this movie. Best of all it is kid friendly! This isn't a sponsored ad or anything. I just really, really like the movie and hope everyone sees it, especially men and boys so movies studios will get over "this type of movie does't make enough money to make female lead character movies" because Husband is totally ready to movie to Thematically if they'd let him!

Let's party!

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Tuesday, June 6, 2017

How to Make a Hanging Self Watering Herb Garden

Husband and I like to cook with fresh herbs and the easiest and cheapest way to do that is to grow them on the patio off our kitchen. Unfortunately for my herb garden to be, most of the patio space has already been claimed by tomato and pepper plants.

No problem -  if you can’t go out, go up!

I made last fall’s hanging flower pots into a self watering hanging herb garden. I hung them on hanging plant pulleys I bought from Amazon here so I can water then more easily using the pulley to lower the pots to Lisa height and then raise the planters so no one else bonks their head on a low hanging plant. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience)

Easy DIY Self Watering Hanging Planter



Pin this post for later! Share this clever planter idea with your friends! 

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Easy DIY Captain America Wreath

I want a new patriotic wreath to hang on my front door for the Fourth of July. I grabbed various bits and bobs from around the house (I always shop my house first so I don’t potentially buy stuff I end up not using for the project) and started to play with layouts and designs.

The design I kept coming back a floating star in the center of the wreath form which reminded me of Captain America’s shield. I wasn’t quite sure how to make the floating star work and joked it would be easier to hang Cap’s Shield on the front door and call it a Fourth of July wreath.

Then I thought why don’t I?

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party 374

I can't wait to see the creative DIY, home improvement, and craft projects, and yummy recipes you have to share with us this week!

Let's party!

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Tuesday, May 30, 2017

How to Make a Folding Camp Chair Carry Bag

Last summer I upgraded our first generation arm less quad chairs (they look like this) to these captain's camping chair with arm rests. (I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience) I didn’t go nuts with the bells and whistles because the two most important things to us are:

  • The chair has a study carrying and storage bag
  • The folding chair and bag are lightweight. We’re often carting a cooler, picnic basket, chairs, and an overly excited dog from a parking area which always seems like a million miles from where we want to be.
Oddly the more money you spend on a quality lightweight camping chair the cheaper and more flimsy the nylon chair bag that comes with it..

After barely two years of service, the seams of the bags are barely holding  together. The nylon fabric is so shredded I can’t repair it. The chairs are in great shape but the carrying cases are not.

I want a sturdy replacement camp chair bag.When I can’t buy, I DIY! I made one myself.

DIY Replacement Camping Chair Carrying and Storage Bag

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party 373

 It's a holiday weekend so let's get this party started!

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Sunday, May 21, 2017

How to Make a Self Watering Flower Pot

Last summer Husband and I planted green and Apache peppers in my DIY self watering planter box the Mark 2. Self watering planters are fantastic for nightshades like tomatoes and peppers because they looooooooove being watered from their roots.

There are other benefits to growing vegetables in self watering containers: you conserve water by only watering the plant and not the surrounding sidewalk or patio with the sprinkler (or is that just me?) and may be less likely to kill the plant if you forget to water it every day (also me.)

I built the Mark 2 in the Earthbox style (learn more about it herewith a plastic aeration screen making a false bottom to fill with water. Unfortunately the aeration screen collapsed during the winter under the weight of snow and heavy wet soil. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)

There is another style of self wicking planter that creates the water chamber with gravel and allows the water to wick to the plant roots using a layer of  landscaping fabric as a wick. Both water conserving planter ideas work well but I want to to reduce potential spring maintenance of replacing aeration screens that collapse under weight of wet soil or decomposing cloth wicks on a yearly basis.

I combined the two styles to make self wicking and watering tomato planters from pretty flower pots for my container garden.


How to Make a Pretty Self Watering Container Garden

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party 372

Hello friends! Before we get this week's party started, I want to remind you that we are looking for a few new host and hostess blogs to share and expand our circle of fun!

If you are interested, plase complete the form at the bottom of this post.


 Let's get this party started



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Friday, May 12, 2017

Easy DIY Three Pocket Zipper Coin Pouch

 I don’t like my wallet because the dividers and padding make it quite thick when it is empty and worse when I put dollar bills in it. Which is an issue because that’s what wallets are supposed to do – hold money.

I’ve been hunting for the perfect wallet off and on for quite awhile. Ideally, I want something the same size and thickness as a coin pouch. Alas, those I like don’t have slim interior pockets for my ID and debit cards.

 Keep reading to learn how to more pockets than you could ever hope to fill to a coin purse!

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party 371

I really enjoy discovering the DIY and craft projects, recipes, and clever ideas you submit to our link party every week. You make it difficult to select only one project as my favorite to feature each week!

For example, there were three projects last week that I would have chosen to features if I could:

A Wagon for the Riding Mower by Just Measuring up because it is MAD GENIUS side of cute dog giving the wagon a test ride. I am a sucker for dogs hands down.

Discovering Nara: Japan’s Ancient City from Sunny Coastlines because it makes me want to go back to Japan and discover this beautiful city with Husband.

My third pick is actually my first pick. Let's get this party started so you can read it below!



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Monday, May 8, 2017

How to make an Embroidered Dog Poop Bag Dispenser

When you have a dog, poop happens.

Being responsible pet parents means we need to carry potty bags to clean up after Lacey when she does her her business outside and on walks.

Being the green minded people that we are, I keep and fill two grocery bag holder for the stray plastic bags that cross my path.  I keep the empty grocery bag holder hanging in the kitchen to fill with random bread, frozen vegetable, and the occasional plastic grocery bag when I forget my canvas grocery bags when running a quick errand. When it is full I swap it out with the grocery bag holder I have hanging in the closet by the front door so we can reuse the bags for doggie duty. It isn’t perfect green solution but it works for us.

The big grocery bag dispenser in the closet is too big to take with us on walks. I sewed a small plastic grocery bag holder that attaches to Lacey’s leash to fill with repurposed bags from hall closet holder.


How to Sew a Clip on Dog Waste Bag Holder

Friday, May 5, 2017

Friday Favorites Linky Party 370

My apologies for posting this week's link party so late in the day. LinkyTools was down yesterday and wouldn't let us generate and run the code we use to let you add your fantastic projects, recipes, and ideas to our weekly party.

Now that it's up and running let's get started!

We are looking for a new Hostesses for our Friday Favorites Linky Party. If you are a blogger and would like to co host our weekly party, please fill out the interest form at the bottom of this post or send it on to an interested friend.

Let's party!


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Tuesday, May 2, 2017

How to Naturally Kill Grubs, Fleas, and Fungus Gnats

Japanese beetle grubs decimated our “easy to care for landscaping” shortly after we bought our condo because our builder planted the entire neighborhood with plants that attract Japanese Beetles.  Our final solution was to rip out every bush and plant in the yard and let it lay fallow for a year. It wasn’t pretty but it worked.

They’re back.

Dang it!

Commercial grub killers from the big box store do not work for me (hich I only tired as a last resort.) I was leery of what the "90% OTHER INGREDIENTS" listed on the label actually were next to the warning about not using the stuff around kids, dogs, and fish ponds.  So, yeah. I'm glad it didn't work.


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Sunday, April 30, 2017

How to Make a Self Watering Planter Box

Husband and I were cruising the nursery when an apache pepper plant caught his eye and we decided then and there to  grow peppers in our patio garden. Yummy!

Unfortunately the self watering planter I made from a plastic storage tub had different ideas and cracked when visiting the Land of Ice and Snow (although most people call it Winter.) I wasn’t surprised because I used a light duty storage container to make the first planter.

There wasn't any love lost because while the self watering planter worked great, having a plastic storage tub taking up space on my patio wasn't' very pretty. I promised Husband a new and more rugged planter box we won’t be embarrassed to have in our back yard.


Pin this How To and share it with your friends!

 

Self Watering Planter Box Tutorial

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Zero Waste Candles and Friday Favorites Linky Party 369

I like to clear cooking smells after dinner with a scented soy wax melt in the candle warmer  I keep in the kitchen. While Husband is fantastic about giving me eco friendly wax warmer melts (affiliate links for your convenience)  as gifts, I want to switch up the scents in my collection (thanks Honey!) I decided to burn a soy candle and wouldn't you know it, all but one were spent.

I spent a rainy Saturday morning making my old spent candles into new soy candles. It didn't take very long at all and I got a fancy two toned candle out of the deal because I had more purple wax than I felt comfortable pouring into that candle jar.


A post shared by Lisa (@condoblues) on

 Who knew a mistake could look so fancy?

I showed you my project, now you show me yours. Let's party!





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Tuesday, April 25, 2017

9 Ways to Replace Plastic Wrap in the Kitchen


I have a like – hate relationship with plastic cling wrap. I like on those rare occasions that it actually and fully sticks to a container to keep food fresh. I also hate it most of the time because, no matter what type or brand, it never sticks, food dries out or gets freezer burn, and I end up tossing the spoiled food and the plastic wrap in the trash.

So it was no great stretch for me to find a way to keep food fresh without plastic wrap. Once I started using my Swiss Army knife of easy alternatives,  I noticed we also reduced the amount of weekly household trash by quite a bit. Yay!


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Sunday, April 23, 2017

How to Make a Brick and Pallet Rain Barrel Stand

There is an issue with the French drain in my side yard which leaves my side yard is wet and spongy days after it rains. I installed a rain barrel as a temporary fix until I can get my Homeowner’s Association to repair the poor drainage problem. Not to mention being able to capture and use rainwater to water our flowerbeds. A quick drainage fix, free plant water, and being green – high fives all around.

Originally I planned to hook a soaker hose up to the rain barrel as a lower waste way to water the front yard and garden but it didn’t work as well as I hoped because the rain barrel water pressure was practically nil. Turns out the height of your rain barrel determines how much water pressure flows from it and not what I thought – the amount of water in the rain catch system.

How to Increase Rain Barrel Water Pressure the Quick and Easy Way

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Renaissance Noble Dress Project Part 3: Princess Dress Reveal!

I blogged about designing a new Elizabethan Nobility Dress to perform with Husband at Renaissance Festivals. This project was harder than any other costuming project I’ve done. I like the finished dress for the most part, but I don’t love it as much as I do the costume it replaces. There are a bunch of mistakes, and the bodice fit (among other things) needs tweaking which is why I haven’t shown you the finished project.

But I promised you a DIY renaissance festival princess dress and that you shall have, warts and all.
I started with a sketch after pouring over my favorite Elizabethan costuming books working backwards by buying the fabric first and coming up with a dress design second. I like to work the other way around.


Disclosure: affiliate links appear in this post for your convenience.

I started with the overskirt and underskirt (forepart) first. I attempted hand embroidering the brown velvet trim but didn’t liker my test pieces, not to mention  that kind of hand embroidery means an extra year for construction I didn’t have.