A Nifty Little Soap Trick

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Rita

Today’s post goes along with the knitted dishcloths and everyone is going to have the cleanest kitchens in town!

One of my DIL’s showed me this great new product. It is foaming dish soap! I love it for when you want to just wash a dish or two or wipe up the counters. It works like a charm and since it is foaming you do not get a gooey slimy mess all over!

Then she told me that it is refillable too! Bonus! But what is even better is that she told me about this nifty little soap trick! You do not have to use the refillable soap for this you can make your own!

You have to have a foaming pump bottle to do this, but once you have purchased one you can refill it over and over! Just fill your bottle about 1/4 of the way or less, with any dish soap. Go easy, though, if you get too much “regular” soap the end result is slimy. Slowly add water to about 2/3 of the way to the top. You need to leave a little breathing room. It helps to tilt the bottle and pour the water in at an angle, hitting the side of the bottle first so it doesn’t go directly into the soap and create premature bubbles. Put the lid back on, shake it all up, and you are good to go! A brand new bottle of foaming dish soap, for pennies.

My friend gave me this cute foaming hand soap dispenser for Christmas and I am so excited because I can do the very same thing with my hand soap!Just use your regular refill soap and make it into foaming soap! I think that this big refill bottle will now last me through the millennium! :)Do any of you have any great household tips? I would love for you to share them with me!

If any of you would like to view my DIL’s blog to see about this go here.

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Knitted Dishcloths

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Rita

When I was a little girl, only 4-5 years old my mother took me to a yarn shop called Hiendselman’s, in Provo, Utah. They taught me how to knit! It seems hard to believe now, but I can still remember the lady telling me “In – around – and through” and I remember even at that early age how I loved all the colors and textures of the yarns that were in slots on the wall! So I guess that I have my mother to blame for all my craft making. Even though she is no longer here, she started it! Thanks mom!:)

It seems like every winter that I get the urge to start knitting these dishcloths. They are the most wonderful things because they are made with all cotton yarn and they absorb the water when you are wiping your kitchen counters. They are also a nice big size for washing dishes! I have made so many different colors and styles, but this is the pattern that I always come back to. I use the Sugar and Cream yarn and I can get two dishcloths out of one skein. Although the with new “twist” Peaches and Cream yarn, I could only get 3 dishcloths out of 2 skeins of yarn, even though they are the same yardage and weight, it is a finer yarn. (They are the red and green ones.)

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The Smell Test

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Rita

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

new Glade® Expressions™ fragrance mist new Glade® Expressions™ oil diffuser

Oh wow! Have any of you tried the new Glade® Expressions™ I decided to try the fragrant mist and I was very pleasantly surprised with it. I sprayed it in my kitchen which is a big open room along with the dining room and also in a small bathroom. I left the house for a couple of hours to go to lunch with a friend and I had forgotten all about the spray. When I returned home I was welcomed with the most pleasant fragrance! I was surprised by how much I could still smell the aroma. Even my husband made a comment about how he could smell something good, which is surprising because he is has lost a lot of his sense of smell! But what was even more pleasant was the next day when I woke up I could still smell the wonderful, fresh, pineapple and mangosteen smell! I was sold. It comes in some wonderful scents like: Cotton and Italian Mandarin, Fuji Apple and Cardamon, Spice Lavender and Juniper Berry but the one I liked the best was the Pineapple and Mangosteen. Walmart.com - Glade Expressions Air Fresheners It has the most refreshing clean, citrusy smell that really made me feel like it was spring inside when outside it was a cold wintery morning. I like the easy to squeeze trigger and that it is refillable. Glade® Expressions™ has a fragrance satisfaction guarantee or your money back at http://bit.ly/xMScbO and right now you can buy it at Walmart and they have a money saving coupon of $1.50 off, available at http://bit.ly/zus6F5)

Glade® Expressions™ also has an oil diffuser that last 30 days and does not require any electricity. It has a fun no-spill design and would fit in any décor and you can use the coupon for it also.

I Love You Because…

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Rita

I saw this idea the other day when I was out shopping for things for our princess party and I fell in love with it. So I decided to make one for me, and one to share with you!

I tend two of my grandchildren a couple of times a week and the 6 year old is just starting to read and she laughed and laughed when she figured out what I had written. For some reason it really tickled her funny bone. I thought this might be fun to write something different every day.

You will need a frame with a glass front and a dry erase marker.

I did mine in an 8 x 10 frame, but you can use whatever size you wish. You do not want to go too small because then there is not a whole lot of room to write the “because”s. You will need to print it off;

To print, just right click and go to copy. Open your favorite program like Word or a Presentations program, right click again and go to paste.
Insert print into your frame, tie a cute ribbon around the frame and tie the marker onto the frame so that anyone can write their special message.

Place it where everyone will see it…like in the middle of all these goodies on the kitchen counter! :)

Have fun with this and let your imagination and your gratitude go wild!

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Winter Blossoms

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Rita

We have had a very mild winter here in Utah with hardly any snow. We have had unseasonably warm weather and it seems like it should be spring, not the dead of winter! But all good things must come to an end and the forecast for the next week is snow and rain almost every day, with winter storm warnings. Ugh! I got way too spoiled with the good weather and do not look forward to the cold so I decided to bring some of that spring time feeling into my kitchen.

This arrangement sits right behind my kitchen sink and I love how much it brightens up that corner! Every time I walk into my kitchen this is the focal point.

My next door neighbor and great friend, Susan, works at a greenhouse and she lets me know what is blooming and when to plant different plants and how to fertilize etc, etc, etc. I really do not have the best green thumb but with her help I am learning a lot about different plants and how to take care of a lot of different flowers.

She told me about this pink plant and that it was in bloom right now, so I went down to see her at work and I got this “cyclamen” flower. Isn’t it beautiful? The blooms do not last for very long so I will have to enjoy it while they do. There are several new buds coming so I should be able to enjoy it for a little while.

I also saw this fun heart topiary and thought how cute they would look together for Valentines Day!

I tied a couple of ribbons into bows and made a vinyl with “Hugs & Kisses” to put on a tile to finish off this little winter arrangement.

I love the sunlight of the morning coming through my south window in this picture, it really does make me happy! Now I just need to look at this picture during the coming week when all the snow storms are here (Ugh) and remember that spring can be here in my kitchen!

What do you do to chase away the winter blues?

Valentines Subway Art

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Rita

Is it too early to put out Valentine decorations? I know the stores had them out the day before Christmas, but that is just plain crazy! I know that there are a few of these already out there in blog land but I wanted to create my own version of a Valentines subway art. It was fun to create and I think that perhaps I shall have to try my hand at this for Easter!

I found this frame at the dollar store and I spray painted it with a Krylon, red gloss paint. The color really adds to the overall look of this project.

Here is the printable for you to use! Just right click and go to copy, then open your favorite program like Word, or Presentations and right click again and go to paste. The original is 8 x 10, but you can re-size it to whatever you would like. I had mine printed on glossy card stock and I think it looks great!

I have mine on my kitchen counter and it really brightens up my kitchen on these cold, dreary, winter days and makes me happy! :) These would be a great little gift for teachers, friends, sisters, SELF etc!

Ruffled Christmas Pillow

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Rita

I made some of these pillows for gifts and I love the way that they turned out! It took me a little more than a hour to sew each one, so it is definitely a project that you could do in an evening!

So, let’s make a pillow or two!

Supplies:

12″ x 16″ pillow form

5″ x 32″ strips- you will need five different fabrics

1/2 yard fabric for pillow front and back (I used white on white fabric)

1/2 yard ric rac or ribbon

Cut one pillow front 12 1/2″ x 16 1/2″ rectangle, cut two 12 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles for the back. Cut ruffles 5″ x 32″. Fold ruffle strips in half lengthwise, wrong sides together and press.

Sew a gathering stitch 1/4″ from edge along the long raw edge of the ruffles. Pull gathers until ruffles measure about 12 1/2″ long.
Next, mark on your pillow front fabric:

1st row: 3″ from edge

2nd row: 4 1/2″ from edge

3rd row: 6″ from edge

4th row: 7 1/2 ” from edge

5th row: 9″ from edge

I marked on both edges and down the middle. Beginning with the first ruffle, line up the raw edge with the marks that you made and stitch gathered ruffle to pillow . Continue sewing on all five ruffles matching the raw edge with the marks you made.After all five ruffles are sewn on, you can cover the last seam with ric-rac or ribbon. Or you could just leave the raw edges. Next take the two back pieces and on the 12 1/2 ” side, fold down to the wrong side, 1/2″ and press and then fold down 1/2″ again and press. Stitch close to the inside edge as shown.Pin all of your ruffles so that they are even with the edge of the pillow.Place one of the back pieces onto the pillow. Right sides together and pin.Then pin the other side overlapping the first piece by about 2″Stitch all the way around the outside of the pillow and trim the corners.Turn through overlapped opening and gently poke corners.

Woot, Woot!

You have made a ruffled pillow! All you have to do is insert the pillow form!Now all you need to do is find a nice warm blanket and a good book, or movie and you are set!

May you all find a moment to wrap up with a pillow, blanket and hot chocolate and remember the true meaning of Christmas & the real Reason for the Season!

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Framed Ornaments

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Rita

My daughter and I did another craft together! I think that is a record for us to do two projects in about 1 weeks time!

My daughter found the idea on Pinterest. If you have never looked at Pinterest, you need to go there. Just click here and you can follow me!

This is a cute, fun, easy craft that you can complete in couple of hours!

It is framed Christmas ornaments!

First of all, you need to start with a frame. This is one that I picked up at the DI and I took the picture and glass out and spray painted it lime green. (This frame was a little bit bigger than I would have liked, but it was the only one they had that would work! The thicker the frame, the better!)

I used this Rust-oleum ultra cover, 2x paint. I love this stuff! It really covers well and I only have to do a couple of coats! This color is Key Lime Green!

After painting the frame gather all your supplies together. We hung each of the ornaments on a ribbon at varying lengths. We then just used a staple gun and stapled the ribbons to the back of the frame.This is the bow that my daughter was experimenting with, but then changed the silver flower to a big candy cane striped ribbon. I told her that I needed a picture of the frame and this is what I got! Just a goof off! (do you love the plastic bags hanging on the stair railing? This is the catch-all area of my house!)

We added a big bow, tulle, curly cues, and beads to the front of the frame.I think that it looks quite festive and I am starting to get the Christmas Spirit! I have most of my decorating done, and it is a good thing, because this week a lot of the parties will start at our house!What are some of your favorite Christmas decorations? Have you had them for a long time and are they priceless, or are you getting/making a lot of new, updated things? I have a couple more projects that I am working on and hopefully I will be able to get them done this week, before the parties! I will share when they get finished.

Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Rita

I had to make some centerpieces for a small dinner last weekend and this is what I came up with. I thought that they looked festive without too much work!

I found this black fabric with gold glitter in the design, so I thought that I could just use the gourds and pumpkins leftover from Halloween. I used the gold Krylon Glitter Blast spray paint to paint them and then just simply tied ribbons and tulle on them. For the jars, I filled them up with black beans and put a battery votive candle down in the beans. Then I tied the jars with a pretty metallic gold ribbon…

And I think that they turned out pretty cute with out a lot of time or money! You could also put popcorn kernels, candy, rice, or just about anything in the jars to make your candles. I think I will have to use this idea again for Christmas, with red and green candies in the jar!

Do you have any fun, easy ways to decorate your tables? I would love to hear from you!

Give Thanks Banner

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Rita

Here is the cute “Give Thanks” banner that I did as the guest post last week. It is a free printable, that you just print out, laminate if you wish and tie together with cute ribbon. This would be cute hanging above your Thanksgiving table, a doorway, or on your fireplace. (Look how cute it is with my Thanksgiving subway art board, that I made at Landee’s craft night!)

Here are the printables.

To print, just right click and go to copy. Then open your favorite program, like Word, right click again and go to paste. They are in an 81/2 x 11 format, so you can just print them. You can also email them to your favorite printer. In my area (Utah) you can send them to Alphagraphics and they will print them for about 55 cents each and that is on card stock. So that is pretty inexpensive!

I used an oval paper punch to punch out the holes, but you could just use a regular punch, or cut them out with your scissors. The ribbons cover up the holes, so you do not see them anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving!