Yes, every garden needs a little gingham! You know I love gingham, right?

My yard is pretty small and the amount of space I have to grow vegetables is not very large. This keeps me on the lookout for more spots to grow food and start gardening. Maximizing growing space in a small yard takes a bit of creativity and a keen eye. If you’re on the lookout for more areas to start a garden so that you can grow more of your own food, these 5 spots are ready to be discovered.

5 Spots to Start a Garden

1. Look up: “Sky gardening” as I like to call it. Green beans love to climb and a ladder may be necessary for harvesting. You don’t need much ground space but climbers like to go up. Staking the plants is key so find a source for inexpensive materials. Ask a neighbor who has bamboo growing in their yard when harvest time is!
2. South side and sunny: Any spot that faces south and gets afternoon sun is a good location. Look for walkways or driveways where you can line up pots. Pots can be inexpensive or free plastic ones. My neighbor gave me his plastic ones when he planted small trees.
3. Replace hedges with vegetables or fruit trees: Slowly replacing non-edible plants with edible ones is my gardening goal and this keeps the project easy. By not taking on too much – I’m ripping out the entire laurel hedge today! – it’s more a manageable job and it can be a process.
4. Raised beds: Adding raised beds to a grassy area takes a morning of work but results in a summer of fresh vegetables. Make sure to use non-pressure treated wood (no chemical leaching) for your building project.
5. Flowers need greens: Add a spinach plant to your flower pots! Every pot of flowers needs a little greenery. Add spinach or arugula and those pretty pots of flowers can have something edible in them, too.

A tour of my garden with additional space…

This a walkway along a porch that faces south. Plastic pots were given to me by my neighbors and would have otherwise been recycled.

And by the end of summer they filled in nicely. It was a great spot for peppers and tomatoes.

By the end of summer, this walkway was productive growing space.

“Sky gardening” works for green beans in this spot that used to be a hedge.

Pole beans grow up and salad greens “mesclun mix” get planted below in this very small space.

By the end of the season, my husband had to use a ladder to pick the green beans.

Hubby on ladder picking green beans for dinner!

This was an unused spot on the south side of our house.

South side and next to the house – tomatoes love to grow here!

It produced so many tomatoes last year that my regular staking methods tipped over and I ended up with a tangled – but delicious – tomato mess! Start saving your eggshells for planting with your tomatoes, too.

Tomatoes gone wild – they even grew underneath the wood siding!

All of my flower pots get a little greenery. Lettuce and flowers look pretty together.

Every pot of flowers gets lettuce, spinach or other green. Eat those veggies!

Whether your yard is large or small, look around for places to maximize your vegetable growing space. It takes a bit of creativity and a keen eye but if your goal is to grow more food, be on the lookout! These 5 spots to start a garden are probably in your yard. Go look! You’ll be eating fresh vegetables from your “farm” this summer.

What’s growing in your garden right now? Inspired to find new spots to grow food?

Go Gingham related links:

I also like to save seeds and re-use those in my garden!
How to stake tomato plants – a very stylishly frugal method!
Why my tomato plants are happy – what I plant with them
My non-gardener-gardening-strategy – yes, non gardeners can fake it
Three easy herbs to grow – you won’t be able to kill these, I promise!
Easy grids for your garden - get square foot gardening!
Composting tips - add richness to your soil with scraps from the kitchen

More related links:

Amy from “Frugal Mama” has a list of edible flowers you’ll want to check out. Flowers that you can eat – a win-win in the garden!

Rita from “This Sorta Old Life” is sharing her “lawn to garden” conversion. She claims she doesn’t know what she’s doing but it looks professional to me.

I have collected recipes for over 40 years and have quite a few!! Also cookbooks!! They are overwhelming my kitchen and book cases!! Help!! Please before my hubby starts to burn them!!

Oh my do I feel your pain! I share your love of exclamation points, too!! I had to do this several years ago and it was hard. A major purge is in order.

How to Organize Recipes and Cookbooks

Before beginning this project, make yourself a nice drink like a cup of coffee or tea. And, make sure to wear clothing that can get dirty! After 40-years of collecting, you’re going to need a refreshment and once your bookshelves are empty, you’ll likely want to clean them, too.

Let’s start with the books…

First, clear them ALL off your bookshelves and put them in the middle of the room. Next, make 2 piles:

• Keep
• Giveaway

How many to keep? Pick out 7-10 of your favorite cookbooks and then plan to give the rest away. Tell your husband there is no need to burn books. The cookbooks can go to your local second-hand store that accepts donations. Make sure to ask for a receipt so you can use the donation on next year’s taxes. You could also invite friends and relatives over for a “cookbook giveaway” party and send the books home with new owners. Another option is to pass them along yourself, giving them to those who you think might enjoy them.

Now, onto the recipes themselves…

Get all of your clippings and printed recipes and sort by food type (main dish, side, vegetarian, etc.) and recycle all duplicates and similar ones. Once you have an idea of how many recipes you want to keep, check HERE for tips on setting on binders for your recipes.

If all of this sorting seems too overwhelming, consider recycling the whole lot of them. With the internet and so many excellent food blogging sites, it might be very freeing for you to start completely over. I give you permission to do this if you promise to recycle them! 40+ years of collecting is a long time. If you have the urge to purge, go for it! (My apologies for the rhyming but I couldn’t resist.)

One thing that has really helped me when I find a recipe that sounds good, I put on the brakes and do the following:

I read the recipe again and ask myself the following:

• Is this similar to something I already have?
• Am I really going to make this?
• How many recipes and cookbooks do I really need?

Be strong. You can do it!! Good luck.

What do you collect that needs sorting or purging? Are you a clipper of recipes? Or a collector of cookbooks?

Go Gingham related links:

National Match-Up Day: A step-by-step on how to clean and organize your food storage containers!
I love to collect chairs! Yes, chairs!!
A free chair – that was rejected!
Wrapping presents with free maps makes for pretty gifts
Green and frugal living – the sweet spot where green and frugal meet

With my backyard chickens back in the swing of laying eggs for spring, I have lots of eggs, which means lots of egg shells. I use them in several ways and you can, too.

1. Plant
2. Grind
3. Toast
4. Compost

How to Use Egg Shells in Garden

Here are 4-quick ways to use egg shells in the garden:

1. Plant

Sprinkle crushed egg shells around plant bases to keep slugs off of your tender plants. Make sure the egg shells are crushed up nice and small (read: sharp!) so that those pesky slugs and other garden munchers get hurt and “hurry” away from your plants. It’s important to make sure that plant leaves are not touching the ground and providing an easy way for slugs to get onto your plants.

You can also use sharp gravel at the base of plants to achieve the same effect – just in case you don’t like the egg shell look. These egg shells are at the base of an artichoke plant.

Egg shells at the base of my artichoke plant keep slimy-slugs off my veggies!

2. Grind

Mix egg shells with fish scraps or fish heads ground up and drop a cup into the hole you dig to plant with your tomato plants. (My tomato planting routine can be found HERE.) Make sure to dig deep holes for your tomato plants so that the egg shells and fish scraps are buried deep beneath the surface. This will keep critters from digging in your garden! These will break down by the end of the season, fertilize your plant and you’ll be left with wonderful soil for the following year.

Not appetizing to me but my tomato plants love it! Fish heads and egg shells.

3. Toast

Crush egg shells and toast them to feed to backyard chickens. Placing them on a baking tray on low in the toaster oven works well. Chickens need calcium, which egg shells are rich in. The reason the shells need toasting is so that chickens don’t get a taste for egg shells. We don’t want chickens eating their precious eggs! This process smells somewhat so be ready to have your window or doors open.

(You can also give your backyard chickens crushed oyster shell which can be purchased at a feed store.)

4. Compost

Add crushed egg shells to your compost bin to put nutrients back into your soil. When eggs get used in the kitchen, we toss them into our compost pail that we keep on the kitchen counter. It gets emptied into our compost bins outside and ends up back in the soil.

Be sure to crunch up small first, before adding them to your compost bin, to speed the decomposition. You’ll find egg shells scattered around your vegetable patch if they don’t get crunched up.

Beautiful rich soil straight from my compost bin. Notice the brown egg shells?

Those are my quick and easy uses for egg shells in the garden.

What do you use egg shells for? Any tips for keeping slugs away?

Go Gingham related links:

Egg salad sandwiches – this is the best ever! I promise
How to hard boil eggs – it’s easy and takes 10 minutes for perfection
Brownies – with whole wheat flour, eggs, and yogurt – practically health food
Egg strata that gets assembled at night and baked the next day – delicious!

Quickie Cleaning, a household power scrubber, made by Jarden Brands, asked me to review their new Quickie Cleaning “power tool”, as I like to call it. I used it to clean our basement bathroom, which doesn’t get a good, thorough cleaning very often (read: pretty much ever!).

The basement bathroom is not my responsibility to clean and as long as I don’t wear my reading glasses down there, it looks clean to me! My kids clean the bathrooms as part of their allowance chores. They clean the toilets, sink, and floors weekly. My husband and son, who share this basement bathroom, are responsible for cleaning the shower. Let’s just say I’m thankful that I don’t have to shower down there! (You’ll find my bathroom HERE!)

The floor is painted concrete and is not very smooth. Dirt gets into the grooves and doesn’t come out with simple mopping.

Before:

During:

My daughter helped me with the cleaning!

After:

With the brush attachment, I was able to really get into the crevices of the concrete and really clean it!

In my spray bottle, I used 1-teaspoon of Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds mixed with water and then I sprinkled baking soda on top of that spray mixture. If you can, let the Sal Suds sprinkled with baking soda and sit over night. The longer it sits the better!

After I finished the shower area, I spotted the wainscoting on the walls and trim. I love how this trim looks on walls and it looked really great when we added it when we re-did this bathroom. After years of not cleaning it, moisture and dust had done this to it:

Before:

This is rather gross. It’s best when I can’t see this dust build-up.

After:

For cleaning, I sprayed the area with Sal Suds and had that Quickie cleaner working away with the brush attachment on it! I had to add extra water to the brush but it worked really well on all of the wood details. When I was finished, I wiped down the entire area several times with a wet cleaning rag. I’m sure cleaning wood trim was not what this hand-tool was meant to do but it worked really well and was easier than I imagined.

Here’s what I liked:

• It’s very easy to use and set up.
• It comes with batteries. How many times have you bought something that requires batteries and they don’t come with them?
• The package came with extra cleaning heads so there’s nothing new for me to buy for a while.
• It put a nice shine on my stainless-steel kitchen sink with the all-purpose head and baking soda.
• It was fun to use! This may inspire my kids to scrub the entire basement bathroom floor!

Here’s what I didn’t like:

• It was hard to get close to the corners with the scrub brush because the ring that holds the bristles got in the way. It seems like this could be remedied by making the plastic ring smaller or making the brush angled or an extension to it. Either would be helpful to get those corners cleaned!
• The big plastic packaging. I realize this seems standards to most companies but the packaging was as big as the actual product. Fortunately for me, I have a place that I can recycle the packaging but many areas don’t have this as an option.

You can purchase the Quickie Household Power Scrubber HERE and you can “like” their Facebook Page HERE.

This was a sponsored post. I was compensated to write this review. My disclosure policy can be found here.

I have been trying to get rid of our disposable kitchen items over the last few years and it has been a slow and painful process. I’m no longer purchasing paper towels, paper napkins, paper plates and cups – basically anything that gets used once and thrown out or composted. Paper napkins were the last to go and have been the hardest disposable to part with. Paper napkins are just so darn easy and inexpensive!

These cloth napkins for the kitchen are absorbent and cute but that doesn’t change the fact that having a new routine in the kitchen is hard to get used to. Change is hard especially when it means trading convenience for saving money and the environment.

This was my criteria for dropping the convenience of paper napkins for cloth napkins.

• I am willing to do it if I don’t have to buy something new, including fabric.
• I don’t want to waste more resources – as in more loads of laundry.

Cloth Napkins for the Kitchen

Here’s the outcome of the cloth napkin switch over…

1. The cloth napkins were all made with fabric that I already had on hand (YES! using those scraps is good in the kitchen and the sewing studio – love it!)
2. They can be tossed into the washing machine with other loads – meaning I don’t have to add to our laundry piles.
3. Each person has their own napkin which is a different fabric and you’re not to use someone else’s (gross).
4. Each person gets to decide when their napkin needs laundering. I’ve been known to gather up cloth napkins after barely a smudge on them. This was not helpful.
5. Each person in our family gets at least 4 napkins. Messier people can request more.
6. After breakfast (or whenever, really), your napkin gets neatly folded jammed into the drawer for the next eating time.
7. Be my guest and use the “guest cloth napkins” – yes, I made a couple extra in case friends come over for after school snacking – which seems to happen often.
8. We also needed enough so that we had spares as the just washed napkins were line-drying after washing. Household furnishings (and clothing) lasts a lot longer if it’s line dried. These single layer napkins line dry in almost no time.

We don’t actually have a table in our little kitchen but do have an island with two stools and mostly eat dinner in our dining room. We have different cloth napkins for dinner dining and I switched those a while ago. The dining room cloth napkins get laundered once-a-week on Sundays. We keep those tucked away on our chairs and if we switch seats, everyone is sure to grab their napkin! (I just re-read this and laughed! Perhaps too much information here!)

The napkin drawer: it used to be all paper until cloth took over!

These cotton cloth napkins are all different sizes but basically are 12” to 18” squares. Some are rectangles but about that range. I used my serger and did a rolled hem. They are single layer. If you’d like to do fancier cloth napkins, I have double-layer napkin directions here. There are also instructions for making napkins with contrasting fabrics.

Rolled hem on the edges. I used my serger for this but you could also use a sewing machine with a very tight stitch.

This is the last time the drawer will look like this so we need to live it up.

The drawer will never look like this again.

If you don’t sew and would still like to transition away from paper napkins, check end-of-season sales at Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Cost Plus. They seem to have plenty to choose from and maybe you can find a few gingham napkins, too.

Are you a cloth napkin or paper napkin household? Are you inspired to switch?

Go Gingham related links:

A dining room table table-cloth for Flag Day – many of my festive scraps came from this project!
How to tutorial on the dining room table ping-pong - what our dinner table looks like
Why I use an inside laundry line and not an outside laundry line

I am always so ready for Easter! To me, it signifies a rebirth and a springing back to life that we all need after winter. All around us, birds are chirping, trees are bursting, and spring flowers blooming. Thankfully, too, our backyard chickens are back to laying which means lots of eggs.

Easter also brings the end of Lent which I’m always ready for! There are so few vices I have left and then I have to give up more?! Thankfully, it’s only 6 weeks.

Easter Go Gingham Style

Easter at my house is gingham (come on – what did you expect?!) and pastel. Little yellow plates from Goodwill and these vintage place-mats given to us by my mother-in-law. I never wash them but just shake them off and store them. I don’t want the paint to rub off.

These vintage place-ments are from my mother-in-law. Pretty sure the stains are all my husband’s doing.

Easter baskets were purchase new at Trader Joe’s years ago and I lined them with vintage inspired fabric and gingham. I made the linings removable so they could be washed but I’ve never needed to wash them. Homemade items always make a holiday special. If you’re not a sewer, line baskets with fabric that hasn’t been sewn. Just wash fabric, press it with a hot iron, and cut it with sharp scissors so that it will drape over the edges.

Easter baskets lined with vintage inspired fabric and gingham.

Silver cups filled with these spring-time flowers. These flowers grow like weeds in my yard and I have no idea what they’re called but I love how pretty they look.

I found these little bags at Goodwill, too. They’re felt and super cute.

But I didn’t like the ties they came with.

These ties are not cute and need to go!

So I cut the ties off and strung ribbon through the holes. Yes, I strung gingham ribbon in those holes. Somebody please stop me!!

Here’s how they look in the Easter baskets.

Please don’t tell my teens what’s in their baskets for Easter!

People always want to know what a “Frugal Mom” gives her kids as gifts so I’ll share what’s in their Easter baskets. (Please don’t spoil the surprise and tell them. They haven’t seen these yet.) For gift giving, I try and balance wants and needs. Here’s what my teens are getting:

• Junk food (Annie’s mac and cheese isn’t really junk food but it’s white pasta which I don’t buy and my kids both love it!)
• Tennis balls or leg shaving gel (depending on how you like to spend your time – shaving or playing tennis)
• Chocolates in the little bags (much like my routine at Valentine’s Day, I buy a bag and then divide up and place in small bags)
• Toothbrushes (everyone needs a new toothbrush now and then!)

Happy Easter, Happy Passover or Happy Spring! Whatever holiday you celebrate, enjoy and thank you for reading.

How do you like to celebrate spring?

Go Gingham related links:

Kid’s birthday party gifts that are budget friendly and very sweet
Frugal gift ideas for teachers – lovely and homemade
Frugal and easy gifts to give – very easy
Frugal and green wedding gifts – simple gifts with an upgrade element, too
Wrapping paper alternatives – old maps!
Mother’s Day gift giving – frugal and fancy gifts to give

The 1-nail method with jute twine: stays put and it’s cute.

Then, this past Friday we had a beautiful spring like day. I must have spring fever because I was out in the garden getting ready for early spring planting. Then, I convinced my husband to help me make these. These are grids used for square foot gardening.

The square foot gardening approach is based on planting in squares rather than long rows. I like the concept because it’s not based on long rows or planting a bunch of seeds then thinning. There’s not much space in our yard for gardening so the efficiency of keeping the crops fresh and planting more is appealing to me.

Square Foot Gardening

Here’s what made this project the best – we used scraps of wood that my husband had in the garage “just in case” and we didn’t have to purchase anything. (Side note: I have fabric on hand for “just in case” and my husband gives me a hard time about the fabric and I give him a hard time about his extra wood. Equality in marriage!)

The backyard chickens stayed in their coop during the project. They weren’t much help.

After measuring our raised beds (we have 4 and how to make them is here), we decided that 18” or so (for each square) was a fine amount.

After measuring and cutting the wood, we used 1 nail to hold the wood together. Then I added jute twine to keep it from twisting and so that it looked cute. Come on – it’s scrap wood and it needed to be cute-ed up a bit!

The grids sit on top of the dirt and can be lifted out when the rains arrive in the winter.

The soil is soft and the weeds came out easily. Yes, weeds are my cover crop.

Here’s an image for Pinterest!

Check that off the to-do list! My early spring planting will be sown directly from seeds and I’ve got beets, spinach, arugula (from seeds I saved last year), and peas. Oh, and radishes. I’m not a radish lover but my husband is. Hey, there are perks to helping me in the garden with scrap wood.
If you want to read more about square foot gardening, this book is helpful: I checked it out from our library.

What are you planting this spring?

Go Gingham related links:

I also like to save seeds and re-use those in my garden!
How to stake tomato plants – a very stylishly frugal method!
Why my tomato plants are happy – what I plant with them
My non-gardener-gardening-strategy – yes, non gardeners can fake it
Three easy herbs to grow – you won’t be able to kill these, I promise!
Growing vegetables in small spaces – I call it “sky gardening”

More related links:

Mel Bartholomew, who is the founder and inventor of the Square Foot Gardening method, can be found here. You can read all the details about square foot gardening and the good work Mel is doing.

Valentine’s Day decorations are out at my house earlier than any other holiday mostly because I use the small, red lights from Christmas as part of the Valentine’s Day decorations. I just leave the red lights out and add a few Valentine’s Day decorations to those. Honestly, this is the only way I can get my husband on board with taking the decorations and tree from Christmas down is if I promise to drag out the Valentine’s Day items right then!

No-sew goodie bag: a square of gingham fabric tied with a ribbon with chocolate inside.

This works because I’m ready for the Christmas décor to disappear (it’s been out since Thanksgiving) and he’s ready for the next holiday. Luckily, the switch out is easy because my Valentine’s Day decorations are simple and take minutes to transform our home from Christmas and winter to cozy and hearts – and gingham!

Valentine’s Day Decorations

• Red lights
• Table throws
• Fabric bags
• Homemade cards
• Sweetheart’s dinner

Red lights: placed on the dining room china cabinet, these warm the room and give it a glow that makes even my teenagers think about writing me a love-y, dove-y card!

Table throws: think hearts and gingham here! Can I just say that red and white gingham is the most versatile fabric? It can be mixed with hearts for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and any of the U.S. patriotic holidays. My “fabric” is actually a Ralph Lauren king size sheet I found on the sale table at Marshall’s (or was it TJ Max?). Sheets are a great way to get lots of fabric for not much cost. Check the sale table and get a sheet for decorating, wrapping gifts or….

Fabric bags: to fill with chocolate or whatever little treats your sweethearts enjoy. These bags are simply rectangles of fabric that I folded in half (right sides together) and sewed. Cut with pinking shears, they can be left with the seams out. Are you a non-sewer? Just cut a square big enough to place treats in and gather up the sides and tie with a ribbon.

Gift bags: seams on the inside and seams on the outside. Pinking shears look super-sweet here.

Homemade cards: I know that Hallmark wants us to buy Valentine’s Day cards but these are simply folded card stock paper with punched hearts. Stamping is too fussy for me (my hand moves or something always gets smudged) so I printed the greetings and cut them.

Here’s a PDF for your cards: Valentine’s Day Card

Valentine’s Day cards that are heart punches and printed, not stamped.

Sweetheart’s dinner: beets are the best to serve on Valentine’s Day. Whether you make beet salad as a side dish or roast the beets and process them with a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese to serve over pasta, either dish is a gorgeous color – pink!

Roasted beets with whole wheat pasta: hearty, healthy, and colorful.

That’s it! An easy Valentine’s Day routine that says “I love you” to my family and is easy and will be repeated again next year.

What’s your Valentine’s Day decorating routine?

Go Gingham related links:

A dining room table table-cloth for Flag Day – or another summer holiday
Frugal and green wedding gifts – simple gifts with an upgrade element, too
Mother’s Day gift giving – frugal and fancy gifts to give

My friend, Rebecca, of Natural Mother’s Network has lots of wonderful ideas like these on her site. Please go check it out! If you’re a blogger, she has a weekly link-up and you’ll find lots of wonderful resources.

I have tried several “natural” or “green” cleaners over the last few years and have come to two conclusions: either the cleaners didn’t work very well or they were so expensive, I couldn’t justify the cost. As a result, I decided it was time to try to start making my own. The ingredients in my homemade cleaning solution are ones that you probably have on hand and if not, they’re easy to find. Aside from my double-duty cleaning supplies, I now purchase very few cleaning supplies.

I didn’t actually mean for this cleaner to get used everywhere – meaning on ALL surfaces in the house except our wood furniture – but my kids do most all of the cleaning around the house as part of their chores and they are the ones who started using this homemade cleaning solution on our wood floors and bathroom floors.

Where else do we use this spray? The kitchen sink, on the stove top, wood floors, all painted surfaces, as an after bathing spray in the shower, on shower curtains, on the bathroom fixtures (porcelain sink and toilet), on windows, mirrors. If I’m cutting raw meat or fish while cooking, I spray this on the cutting board and knife before cleaning the surfaces with hot, soapy water and a sponge.

I have not done any scientific testing to see if germs are actually gone but I use it regularly. Just this morning, I tried it with Borax on a stubborn laundry stain. We’ll see if it works.

Sprayed on a mop-head cover this cleaner gets used on our kitchen wood floors. That’s my daughter doing an “extra chore” for me.

Do test this at your house before embracing it hog-wild. I would not want it to ruin your floors or anything. It’s been a good solid cleaner at our house and I don’t worry about wearing rubber gloves while making it or cleaning with it.

Homemade All Purpose Cleaning Solution

This recipe makes enough to fill a 32 ounce (1 quart) bottle or about 1 liter.

Here are the supplies needed to make this all purpose cleaning solution at home:

• Spray bottle – 32 ounce or 1 quart or 1 liter
• white vinegar (I buy it by the gallon)
• rubbing alcohol
• Dr. Bronner’s pure castile (liquid) soap
• tap water
• 1-Tablespoon measuring spoon
• 1-cup measuring cup
• funnel (if you’re careful, you don’t need this. I need this.)

In an empty 32 ounce or 1 liter spray bottle combine the following in this order:

• 2 cups (16 ounces or 474 milliliters) white vinegar
• 4 Tablespoons (60 milliliters) of rubbing alcohol (70% Isopropyl Alcohol)
• 2 Tablespoons (30 milliliters) Dr. Bronner’s classic liquid soap
• 2 cups or about that (16 ounces or 474 milliliters or until container is filled almost to the top) water

Notes about this homemade all purpose cleaning solution:

1. Depending on the exact size of the container, sometimes I can fit all of the water into the spray bottle and sometimes not, which is why adding it last works out.
2. You can use just white vinegar and water as a cleaning solution if you’d like to simplify even more. Use equal amounts of both and put in spray bottle.
3. If you can’t find the Dr. Bronner’s cleaner at the store, you can add a few drops of your favorite citrus essential oil. This addition is more expensive than using the Dr. Bronner’s but is an option if you’re trying to change the smell. I couldn’t tell enough of a difference using essential oil to justify the cost.
4. The Dr. Bronner’s container packaging has plenty of cleaning solutions (and other tid-bits of knowledge) on the bottle itself. If you’ve never bought it, enjoy. Look for it online at Dr. Bronner’s or Trader Joe’s or in the health food section of your grocery store. I use Dr. Bronner’s in our camping supplies as dish detergent and hand soap. It’s organic and very easy on the environment.
5. There is a reaction that takes place and makes some of my cleaner thickened and leaves little chunks in the bottom of the spray bottle once the cleaner is gone. This could be the Dr. Bronner’s being cold in our house or it could be the Dr. Bronner’s interacting with something else. Either way, I use these “chunks” at the end by sprinkling them in the bathtub and adding baking soda to make a scrub paste.
6. If I’m cleaning windows with this and the windows are VERY dirty or outside, I clean the windows with a wet sponge and a few drops of dishwashing detergent in a bucket of warm water, first. Wet, soapy sponge and then spray this on and wipe to a shine with a clean, dry cloth.
7. Dr. Bronner’s has plenty of unscented items but I use the peppermint scented version. My favorite spray bottle is a Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day spray cleaner I bought. Again, I liked Mrs. Meyer’s cleaner but it was too expensive for what it was. The spray bottle itself is a good one that doesn’t leak either. Her cleaners smell wonderful!
8. Finally, the rubbing alcohol. At the risk of over-sharing, someone in our family has a nasty case of plantar warts and shared them at home via our shower. Adding the rubbing alcohol to the cleaner seems to have stopped the spread of them. I’m thinking about sending the culprit to school with a spray bottle of this solution to clean the locker-room floor before gym class! Bare-feet on middle school gym locker-room floors? Very bad.

That’s my super simple homemade cleaning solution. It’s simple to make and will save you lots of money in the long run on purchasing cleaning supplies. Make some today and enjoy a clean house without the cost or lots of chemicals. I’d love to hear if it works for you, too.

Do you make your own cleaners or buy them? What’s your favorite all purpose cleaner?

 Go Gingham related links:

Cleaning supplies that do double-duty: simple cleaning products that you probably have at your home already
Cute and clean for the kitchen: make a baking soda shaker for soaking those stubborn pots and pans
The mop cover is a re-purposed t-shirt: how to make a mop cover
Parenting: Children’s Allowances – yes, I like my kids doing chores!

Want to know the cleaning products that I use regularly around my home? You may even have several of these products in your cleaning supply tool belt right now. The best part about these cleaning products? They’re cleaning products that do double-duty. No, they aren’t cleaning services (that’s what kids are for!) but they will save you time and money. What makes them so special? They’re inexpensive, quick, easy to use, and you won’t have to spend your money buying lots of different, expensive cleaning products because they all have double uses.

Cleaning Products That Do Double Duty

Lemon oil: Lemon oil is a great product for cleaning all of your wood surfaces. Squirt a little on a cleaning rag and wipe away the dust while protecting and moisturizing the wood. Next, use that same cleaning cloth to wipe down and clean all of your stainless steel appliances. Get double-duty cleaning credit by wiping your kitchen appliances and removing those pesky finger prints. Just like cleaning wood, go with the “grain” of the stainless steel. I like Weiman brand but make sure to only poke a small hole in the top when first opening it rather than removing the entire plastic covering. This will keep the oil from dispensing too quickly.

Rubbing Alcohol: Did you get sap on your hands while cutting down your Christmas tree or while doing yard work? No problem. Pour a little rubbing alcohol onto a cotton round and rub that sap right sap off. Double-duty job? Use another cotton round to give your bathroom or kitchen sink faucet fixtures a quick wipe down. You won’t believe how quickly your sink fixtures will be gleaming and germs are gone in an instant.

Baking soda: Baking soda is great to use on food that’s stuck to your pots and pans. Don’t spend time scraping or scrubbing that pie pan. Sprinkle baking soda into the dish with soapy water and let it soak over night. While you’re sleeping, the baking soda is working. Make yourself a baking soda shaker, too. It’s easy to make and pretty to look at. Double duty use? Once your sink is empty but still wet, sprinkle baking soda into your sink and rub it in for a paste. Leave for 20 minutes (or longer) and with a quick wipe and rinse, your sink will be gleaming.

Borax: Borax is a laundry booster and can help add an extra punch when cleaning your clothing. If you have a soiled garment, get a small bucket and place the item inside. Add 1 scoop of Borax and cover with 2-3 inches of water. Let soak a couple of hours (or a couple of days) and then add this mix to your laundry load when you’re running the next load of wash. You can also soak garments in the bottom of your washing machine if yours allows you to fill it a little and stop it. Double-duty use? Add a scoop to your toilet bowl and let it sit over night. When you wake in the morning, give your bowl a quick once over with a brush, flush and voilà – done!

White vinegar: White vinegar can be used as a multi-purpose cleaner around the house and is especially good at getting rid of mildew. Make sure to dilute your white vinegar with water so that it’s not too strong. Undiluted vinegar is quite acidic. Double-duty use? If you’ve bought a new pair of jeans for the holiday season, let your jeans soak in a cup of white vinegar and water mixture overnight prior to washing them the first time. After soaking and a quick spin in your washing machine, your new jeans will retain their color longer.

These household cleaning products are great for cleaning. And, because they have double duty uses and don’t cost a lot, you’ll find that they’re great to keep in your arsenal of cleaning products or your cleaning tool belt or whatever you prefer to call it.

What’s your favorite cleaning product?

Go Gingham related links:

Ottoman slipcover hides shoes, socks and whatever else my kids stuff under there!
Why I use an inside laundry line and not an outside laundry line
How to install an inside your home laundry line my son helped me install ours
Looking for more readers’ questions? Check HERE. The answers are there, too. Do you want to ask a question? Check HERE. Do you have something you’d like to share? Check HERE.

Once I decide to add to my collection of seasonal decorating items for Halloween (or any holiday), my first place to look are estate sales, garage sales or at the Goodwill Clearance store (“The Bins”). While shopping second-hand, I try and keep my eyes peeled for decorating items that I can use for Halloween. Halloween really lends itself to old items – books, vases, heads – all of which are plentiful at these haunts.

The last option is to buy new and shop the after-holiday-sales. If you can wait until after the holiday to add to your seasonal decorating collection, you can usually find items marked down considerably. That’s when I try and buy items that are new and that I simply must have – after the season when they’re more than 50% off the original price.

How to Decorate a Mantel for Halloween

1. Start by clearing off your mantel. This is when I clean the big mirror, too, otherwise I make excuses for not cleaning it when it’s all decorated.
2. Look around your house and garden for Halloween or harvest items. What are Halloween or harvest items? See note below.
3. Start with candlesticks and tall items on the outside of the mantel and work your way into the center.
4. Look for ways to cluster items in groups – groups of three usually look good together.
5. Leave the must haves on the mantel. My family goes crazy if I move the clock off of the mantel so I just tuck it in the back to keep everyone happy.

To keep my people happy, I left the clock on the mantel.

Here’s my mantel cleared off and mirror cleaned. Please ignore all the spots that need repainting. That will be another post.

Next, I add the candlesticks. Tall items on the sides of the mantel.

Then I add interesting pieces that add height – a chalice and an old iron fence post top.

Next, I added groups of items.

Vegetables….

Books with ends….

And a head…

The skulls I bought new at Michael’s Craft Store years ago. They’re ceramic and hold tea-light candles.

What do I look around for when shopping for items that are Halloween-ish or have a harvest theme to them?

• garden pots
• candlestick holders
• string lights
• statues or heads
• pictures
• books
• vegetables – pumpkins, dried corn, squash (think about decorating with nature – usually free and can be composted or eaten when you’re done)

My mantel all finished and ready for Halloween!

By using what I have around the house and garden, buying second-hand items, and splurging at the end of the season when decorating items are on sale, I can decorate my house or mantel for very little cost. The decorations I did purchase new are ones that I can use for years to come.

Go Gingham related links:

Homemade Halloween decorations – sewing tablecloths for Halloween transforms a room quickly
How to sew a Harry Potter cape complete with wand pocket
A little wine cozy sewn from an arm of old dress shirt – that was turned into a paint shirt!
What every room needs: a tissue box slipcover
Toilet tank slipcovers – I know this is wrong but I couldn’t help myself
Pretty lanterns – perfect for a backyard or a wedding celebration
Using nature to decorate your home – frugal and fancy decorating

Since now you know I’m lazy when it comes to drying laundry outside and how I picked up the idea of inside laundry line from a previous home exchange our family did, I want to show you how easy it is to install an inside laundry line in your home.

Most hardware stores, big and small, have these supplies. The wire needed for this project is sold on large spools and is cut to the size you need by a store employee. Have the wire cut slightly longer than your measurements (perhaps by 10% or so) and then you can cut it more precisely at home while doing this project. You need a little extra wire, as you’ll read in the instructions, to get around your turnbuckles and screw eyes – oh my!

How to Install an Inside Laundry Line

Materials needed:

• hammer – to hammer in your screw eyes to get them started twisting
• screw driver – to stick into the screw eye hole to help screw it into your wood
• wire cutter – to trim your wire to the right length
• tape measure and pencil for marking
• electrical tape – to cover the sharp ends of the wire with (you can buy something for this purpose but tape works fine.)
• screw eyes – to screw into the wood and attach your wire to
• wire – long enough to cover your length plus extra for getting to the turnbuckle
• turnbuckles – to tighten your wire so it doesn’t sag

These are pretty easy to follow and you’ll get the idea from my very busy pictures below. It helps to lay the wire out on the floor and visualize how it works together before you start cutting. Measure twice, cut once is good advice for sewers as well as laundry line installers!

Instructions:

1. Measure your area and mark with a pencil where your screw eyes should be placed.
2. First, place your screw eyes in the wood, using the hammer, pound them a few times to get them started in the wood.
3. Next, put the screw driver in the eye hole and turn it/wind it into the wood. The screw driver is easier to grip than just the screw eye.
4. Add your turnbuckle to the screw eye and figure out how long to cut your wire.
5. Take apart the turnbuckle (it unscrews) and attach your long piece of wire.
6. Clamp your wire end to the turnbuckle end.
7. Screw the turnbuckle back together and adjust the tension so it’s not too tight or sagging.
8. Finish by covering the ends of the wire with electrical tape so they don’t snag your clothing.

While my line is installed in our basement, it could work in a garage as well. Our home exchange family had theirs in a very small porch area, in front of their washing machine. I wish I had thought to take measurements of their space but I didn’t. It could also work on a much smaller area. If your laundry area walls are finished, make sure you’re attaching your screw eyes into a stud so that they don’t tear apart your drywall.

I have 3 separate lines that are 14 feet long and are about 8 inches apart.

I like the wires that are coated (it’s either plastic or vinyl? I’m not sure which but they’re thicker) rather than the smaller, more narrow lines.

When you buy the wire, make sure it’s longer than the space you want to add lines to. You have to add room for the turnbuckles and the wire clamps.

Wire clamps keep the wire in place. They’re available in either screw on type or hammer on type, depending on your store and your wire.

When you’re done, don’t forget to add electrical tape so that the sharp ends of the wire don’t snag your clean laundry.

This project required a small step stool – our basement ceiling is not very high, which is good since we’re not very tall! I did this project with help from my son when he was 11-years-old (thanks, sweetie!) and it really helps to have 2 people on the job. If you live alone, why not find a friend and each help one another on this project?

Next up, I’ll share my techniques for maximizing the inside laundry line drying space.

Do you have a laundry line drying system? Do you live in a house with a basement?

Go Gingham related links:

Laundry chute evolution and the re-purposed door we found
Our fun adventure to find a claw foot for our claw foot tub – it was missing a foot – and we traded!
DIY project redoing the missing claw foot
Gingham shelf liners I made for our bathroom – yes, gingham
Grommets and shower curtains – easier than sewing button holes!
Bathtub in old bathrooms – shower curtain holder

This chair was reupholstered – it was formally orange velour.

When it comes to having chairs and sofas redone, there’s usually two choices: slipcover or reupholster. But, which to choose? Either will give you a lovely end result – a new outside garment for a piece of solid furniture – but slipcover or reupholster? Having this type of sewing work done for you can be expensive, too, if you’re hiring someone else to do it. Which to chose? Reupholster or slipcover? Do the work yourself or hire someone?

Here are some points to consider in making that decision and they involve love and desire. Who knew furniture could evoke such emotion?

My slipcover projects: a day bed with pillows and a cushion with pillow – easier to sew than a slipcover for a sofa but still good for napping.

Slipcover or Reupholster? Which to choose?

Love: do you love the chair? the sofa? If so, invest the money and pay to have your piece reupholstered or slipcovered. If the furniture is well made and quality workmanship, then do it. If the furniture is cheap and flimsy, don’t bother and keep looking. I think second-hand or vintage furniture is usually well made and better constructed than what most of us are buying today. To buy quality, new furniture today is very expensive. I have purchased new furniture (well, it was 20 years ago) and have been very happy with it but it was when I worked for Ralph Lauren and I got a big, fat discount on my purchases.

A cozy reading corner in my daughter’s bedroom with a chair and ottoman. I pulled the ottoman from a dumpster years ago!

I’ve also paid nothing (free chairs are plentiful on street corners in my neighborhood) or spent as much as $25 for a chair at an estate sale. I’ve had chairs reupholstered and been happy with the results. I haven’t had a chair or a sofa slip-covered but I’m not opposed to the idea especially since it can be washed. This sofa of Annie’s of Plenty Perfect is very appealing to me because fitting a slip-cover or cushion cover back on can be a bit like re-stuffing a sausage. Annie’s sofa slip-cover seems like it’s easy to wash and put back on quickly.

Pillows are a good starting point for slipcover sewing and they’re smaller. These are in our office otherwise known as “The Lincoln Bedroom.”

Desire: do you want to sew a slipcover or tackle reupholstering? If so, go for it! According to every sewing book I’ve read, they’re easy to make and if you can sew, you’ll save a bundle of money. I’d practice with inexpensive muslin fabric, first. I’m always happy when I make mistakes on inexpensive fabric rather than sewing with a more expensive, finish fabric. I like to sew a practice version of a new pattern, even if I’m just sewing a skirt.

I’ve only sewn slipcovers for ottomans, tissue boxes, or other small items because a chair or sofa is too much of a project for me to think about. If I keep my expectations low (and small) of what sewing projects I can start and finish, I’m much better off. Don’t get me wrong – I have lots of sewing projects that are almost done – but I know better than to start a chair or sofa because that would take me a while.

Yes, tissue boxes need slipcovers, too.

Be sure and use upholstery fabric, too. Upholstery fabric is heavier and thicker than regular fabric or home furnishings fabric. I had a chair reupholstered and didn’t use upholstery fabric and it’s now wearing through in several spots. It’s lasted about 14 years which isn’t too bad but I’d rather not spend the money to have it re-done again. My strategy is to drape a wool throw or blanket over the worn spots and act surprised if anyone notices what’s underneath.

The wool throw is hiding worn spots on my chair. My strategy is to act surprised if the wool throw gets moved.

This was a question asked by Ruthie. Thanks, Ruthie! That’s what I would do and I hope that helps.

What would you do? Slipcover or reupholster? Sew it yourself or hire someone else?

Go Gingham related links:

iPod slipcovers – small and cute -you can easily sew these
This began as a joke but it’s super cute: wine bottle slipcover from an old dress shirt
What every room needs: a tissue box slipcover
Toilet tank slipcovers – I know this is wrong but I couldn’t help myself
A tray table with a slipcover – because tables need slipcovers, too
Ottoman slipcover hides shoes, socks and whatever else my kids stuff under there!
A tour of “The Lincoln Bedroom” is here

My longtime friend and fellow sewer, Lisa, e-mailed me recently with a question. Lisa wrote, “I’m wondering with all the sewing you do, do you do your own sewing machine tune-ups? Or is there a good deal around town?”

Short answer:
I do my own now but I’m not allowed to disassemble items that have moving parts. It seems that after taking apart an old dial telephone I found in our garage to clean and not being able to put it back together (yikes!), I lost my privileges. A similar situation happened when I took apart my “new to me” Kitchen Aid Mixer to clean. It had to be taken to a repair shop (double yikes!). I swear there were only a few extra pieces left over when I exclaimed, “Finished!”

Long answer:
For several years, I automatically took my machine into the shop when it started acting up – skipping stitches or making funny noises. Then, I got tired of the expense and picked up a book from the library on servicing sewing machines. It was a bit dry reading (trust me on this!) but inspired me to oil my machine regularly and make small adjustments on my own.

Oiling my machine (with sewing machine oil – don’t use just any old oil on it) has made the biggest difference in keeping my machine running properly. The manual that came with the machine shows the spots to lubricate. Word of caution – don’t let it spill on your table or on fabric you’re about to sew. Please learn from my mishaps!!

Sewing Machine Tune-Up

Here are few books to check out: My daughter liked this one and it’s simple, easy reading.

It’s meant for a child and is well written. The library has it, too.

This is another book to check out but the local  library system has several books by William Ewers (Amazon doesn’t have them) about sewing machine repair. They’re worth checking out (literally, from the library) to see what his professional advice is.

Montavilla Sewing is the local spot to take your machine and the only place I take mine to have it serviced. They also work on my serger machine, too. They usually give a discount if you ask and the local, neighborhood newspaper (Southeast Examiner) sometimes has coupons. Montavilla Sewing also sends out a mailer that lists their classes and any good sales they have on thread or sewing machine attachments.

My sewing gets done on our dining room table sometimes.

Montavilla Sewing replaced the motor on my grandmother’s old sewing machine that my kids sew on (although good luck trying to get my 15-year-old son to admit he’s ever sewn on that machine!). It’s a great old machine from the 1960’s and runs like a tank but had sat unused for many years.

Want to see how a sewing machine works? Check here on Answers.com for a history of sewing machines and the different components that make them work.

Have you taken something apart to “fix” it and been sorry? Do you lubricate things regularly?

Go Gingham related links:

All the sewing projects I’ve done can be found here
Easy steps to remove pesky tags from clothing
Want to learn to sew? Start here with easy cloth napkins
How to take apart a skirt – use your seam ripper on this project!
Mitered cloth napkins made from an old skirt
Sew your own homemade lunch sack
How to sew a Harry Potter cape complete with wand pocket

Happy Independence Day! As our country celebrates its independence, I wanted to share with you my Flag Day Tablecloth that can dress up my dining room table for all the summer holidays.  After I did the post with directions on how to sew this very patriotic tablecloth, a reader requested I share how the tablecloth looks in my dining room with the entire room showing.  So, here it is.

Happy Independence Day

We’re not actually celebrating the 4th of July in the United States today – we’re somewhere in Spain – maybe Seville but who knows – because it’s part of the camping portion of the trip.  (Yes, please cringe for my poor back!)

Our home exchange portion is done and we’re heading to southern Spain. We’ll be raising our Sangria glasses in honor of today and hoping to not get eaten alive by mosquitoes!

And, here’s the view from my front door.

Hope you’re enjoying your day.

What are your plans for July 4th? Do you have any special decorations?

Go Gingham related links:

A dining room table table-cloth for Flag Day - or another summer holiday
How to tutorial on the dining room table ping-pong
A little home office in our dining room
And our piano is in our dining room, too
The rug from our dining room – bought on Super Bowl Sunday
Thanksgiving table-cloth made for our dining room table
Matching napkins for the table-cloth – made from an old skirt
How to make a waistband smaller without pins!
How to turn jeans into capris – easier than you think!
How to make skinny jeans from wide leg jeans – make your own “jeggings”
How to mend pillow cases to improve your sleeping – hah!
Easy steps to remove pesky tags from clothing
Want to learn to sew? Start here with easy cloth napkins
How to take apart a skirt – use your seam ripper on this project!
Sew your own homemade lunch sack
How to sew a Harry Potter cape complete with wand pocket