Keeping a house cool in the summer can be expensive. Awnings are a great way to keep your home cooler while not increasing your electrical bill. Anytime you can create a barrier between the sun and the outside of a window, the inside of your home will stay dramatically cooler. We had a retractable awning… Continue reading How to Make Awnings
Year: 2011
How to Fix Outdoor Chairs
I’m always on the look out for chairs that no one else wants. Chairs that have torn seats, missing parts or wobbly legs are easy to find. Sidewalks, garage sales, and second-hand stores are wonderful resources for broken down chairs. If you’re willing to do a little sewing, oiling or putting a fresh coat of… Continue reading How to Fix Outdoor Chairs
How to Make a Harry Potter Cape
Kids love to dress up and play pretend games. Having dress up clothes around your home is an easy way to encourage that type of play. When the “Harry Potter” books started being read out-loud in our family, our kids were smitten with the characters and all of their adventures. Who doesn’t love Harry, Ron,… Continue reading How to Make a Harry Potter Cape
Camp Cooking Supplies
With camping season upon us, I thought I’d share with you how my camp cooking supplies are organized. My goal while camping is the same in my kitchen – healthy food that tastes good, minimal packaging, and keeping waste to a minimum. In this case, waste not only with food but also keeping the amount… Continue reading Camp Cooking Supplies
How to Remove Tags from Clothing
If you’ve ever received a pile of hand-me-down clothing from me, you’ve probably wondered: Why does none of the clothing have tags in the back of the garment? Tags in clothing drive me nuts! If they drive you crazy, too, you’ll love these easy steps to removing those pesky tags while not damaging your clothing.… Continue reading How to Remove Tags from Clothing
Growing Vegetables from Saved Seeds
Remember the seeds I saved from our vegetable garden last year? The seeds that I kept in these little bowls with high hopes of planting them this year and watching them grow? Well, I’m pleased to share that growing vegetables from saved seeds is going quite nicely. Pumpkins, squash, and arugula have all come up.… Continue reading Growing Vegetables from Saved Seeds
Goodwill Finds For Backyard Decorating
Look at how pretty this is. My friend, Maria, sent me these photos. The charger plates, vases, and table runners all came from, “The Bins” and were purchased second-hand. This is a great example of decorating with used items to create a beautiful lifestyle. You don’t have to spend lots of money on decorating and… Continue reading Goodwill Finds For Backyard Decorating
Frugal Grocery Shopping
To clip or not to clip; that is the question. It is often assumed that people who are frugal use coupons, coupons and more coupons. It is possible to be frugal and not use coupons for your grocery shopping needs. Unless it is the exact item you want, using coupons means you must spend money… Continue reading Frugal Grocery Shopping
Strawberry Picking Adventures
This was to be a post about my famous strawberry freezer jam. Unfortunately, the strawberries at the organic farm where we went to u-pick were slim pickings. The strawberries were in desperate need of sunshine to ripen them. Our family usually heads to Sauvie Island, just outside of Portland for our fruit and vegetable picking… Continue reading Strawberry Picking Adventures
Computer Recycling
Recently, I had to buy a new lap-top computer. Mine was 8 years old and a hand-me down from my husband. Needless to say, I wasted lots of time waiting for it to work. Our “home office” also had an old desk top computer, a laser printer, a color printer, and a fax machine. While… Continue reading Computer Recycling
Go Gingham 