Month: August 2011

Fold Over, and Over, and Over

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So, this is by far the most earth-shattering post to date.  Not really, though.  Only my fellow OCD geeks will think it’s the coolest thing since sliced bread.  Today, kids, we will learn how to fold a fitted sheet!  See, I told you it was earth-shattering.  As in any class, some of you will already know how to do this, but for the rest of you, read carefully.  In today’s lesson, we’ll learn how to go from this:

To this:

Ready? Okay!  (That was by best, most obnoxious cheerleader impression to get you psyched.)  First, find one corner.  Place a finger in the right side of the sheet, so you see the inside.

Do this to the opposite corner, too.  Then, bring your hands together and touch your fingertips together.

Keeping your hands together, roll one of the corners over the other.

Allign the seams according to your OCD specifications.  Then, do this to the other two corners.

Once you’ve done that, keep your corners together and lay the sheet on a flat surface.

Straighten the elastic some.  Then, fold into thirds or quarters.

I fold my outer edges toward the center, just so the outside edges aren’t showing.

And finally, into thirds or quarters again, or whatever size will fit in your closet.

Now, wasn’t that fun?!?  More fun than a barrel of monkeys.  For extra credit (and even more folding fun) try folding your plastic bags to save space.

Did you already know how to fold a fitted sheet?  Or do you already fold your plastic bags?  Got any other space-saving tips you’d like to share?  Are you crazy like I am and have to have all towels, sheets and blankets folded the same way?  Please tell me I’m not alone.

Our Humble Sponsors: August

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July came and went before we could get a sponsor post out, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate Jen at IHeart Organizing and our newest sponsor, Samantha Kay Jewelry.

You all remember my blog bud Jen.  How couldn’t you?  She’s amazingly talented and we recently visited with her and her family.

Jen is an organizing guru, sharing real life organizing solutions on her blog, like keeping Tupperware containers contained.

And, you can snag printable check lists and labels in her Etsy shop.

Samantha Kay Jewelry is a new Etsy shop, but chock full of beautiful accessories.  The Mary Kay Cadillac Necklace is beautiful and simple.

The Lil Jon Necklace is interesting and unique.

How about this Cinderella Necklace?  So pretty.

I really love Samantha’s interesting jewelry designs and creative names.

Two amazing sponsors, two great Etsy shops, and one blogger keep this humble blog running.  Thank you so much for your support and sharing your creative gifts with the world.

Thread House Numbers

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I don’t know what I did before Pinterest.  So many fantastic ideas in one place, I finally have a motivation to get things done.  I have Pinterest and Young House Love to thank for today’s post inspiration.  YHL offered up a Pinterest challenge, so I thought I’d take part.  What did I make?  Thread house numbers, inspired by this pin.  We have house numbers on our mailbox, but we’ve been told they’re hard to see.  To remedy that situation in a stylish, non-traditional way, I thought a DIY thread project was in order.

To start, I painted a scrap piece of MDF and created a template in Photoshop.  If you don’t have Photoshop, you could print large numbers and make dots with a pen to mark the nail holes.

Then, gather tons of one inch nails and pound them in.  Here’s a tip: to keep the nails the same depth, use a 1/2 inch piece of scrap lumber to pound against.  Here’s another tip: if you are terrible at pounding a nail in straight, try this around your husband.  If he’s anything like mine, he’ll get annoyed with your stupidity struggling and help finish pounding nails for you, at a much quicker rate, too.

Because the nails I used were white, the hammering scuffed up the surface.

With the nails in place, spray paint your MDF and nails for a crisp white look.  This is what happens when your three-year old steals your camera.  Apparently my spray painting is pretty interesting to Vincent and Jack.

Now, use a heavy-duty thread to wrap around.  If you’re keeping this inside, plain thread would probably work.  Start by cutting a long piece, tying one end to a nail and working from nail to nail in a criss-cross pattern.  I waited to wrap the edges until I had filled in the center.

Once wrapped, tie the loose end around another nail.  I wrapped several numbers and propped the board up to see if they showed up well.  I decided to add a second layer to darken the numbers.  It helped to make an even more random cross pattern to fill any gaps.

Much better.  It was time to hang my masterpiece.  I attached a picture hook to the back.  To keep the numbers from getting damaged, I placed several 3/4 inch thick pieces around the edges while hammering.  A three-inch wood screw holds tightly against the house.

I like the interest the depth adds.

The price wasn’t bad, either.  We had all the supplies on hand, making this project completely free.  MDF from our basement trim, white paint leftover, thick thread from Ben’s leather sewing machine and tons of nails left from the previous owners.

Dania Mania

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We’re back from Minnesota, back to reality.  Our vacation included visiting family and friends, eating at my favorite Minnesota restaurants (hello Panino Fries and Green Mill spinach dip), and shopping at a few stores Montana lacks.  Like Ikea, Home Goods, and recently, Dania Furniture.  My mom, sisters, their boyfriends, the boys and I decided to hit up the Rosedale mall for bonding time.  We took a wrong turn on the way there and passed Dania Furniture.  My sister just bought a house, and she’s always wanted to go to Dania, so we made a pit stop.  And, I’m glad we did because Dania had tons modern home furnishings with decent prices.  Sure, certain things are overpriced (in my opinion, but I’m super cheap), but overall, I feel it is a good value.

This chair is super cool in a mid-century modern way.  I couldn’t pay 200 bucks for a single chair, but two of these would look really great with a set of cheaper, basic chairs.

And, here’s the matching bench.  Cool at the foot of a bed, and cool in a dining room in place of two chairs.

My sister loved this modular L shaped shelving unit.  Shelving units like these are versatile because several pieces can be joined together or stacked.  Or keep two units close as shown or, pull the pieces further apart for a different look.  If pulled apart, the area between could be a small bench for a multi-tasking piece of furniture.  I think each piece cost around $150, but something like this could easily be built for less than 300 bucks.

A large canvas divided into nine squares with four raised art panels would also be an easy enough diy art project.

I’m hoping we can update our current end tables with chrome spray paint and new wooden tops to look something like this:

I desperately want a coffee table, but it’s still a hazard for little kids.  A sleek white and chrome table is perfect.

In my dream world, I would have the coffee table from Whatever, Martha.  I’m seriously trying to convince Ben to weld something similar.  After all, our last welding experience went so well.

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Dania’s upholstered furniture seemed to be the best deal, though.  A club chair, available in a variety of fabrics is between three and four hundred smackeroos.

A large (and comfy!) sectional with chaise is only 1100 bucks.  Not too shabby.

Dania’s furniture was great, and I found a little more than furniture inspiration during our visit.  The landscaping was fabulous.  Wooden slat walkways under a modern pergola are welcoming, but the creative borders caught my eye.  I love the mix of simple, easy to maintain hostas with evergreens for a lush look year round.

And, it seems simple enough to do almost anywhere.  Maybe in place of a fence along a property line?  Or, along a walkway?

Inspiration is everywhere.  Have you been inspired by a store design recently?  Do you have a creative landscape design?  Do you know where I can find the Whatever, Martha coffee table?  Maybe you love to watch or listen to Whatever, Martha?  Love it, or hate it?  Personally, I think it’s hilarious and odd that Alexis is Martha’s daughter.  And, until some Googling today, I didn’t know Alexis was 45!  She looks amazing.

Please note:  We were not compensated for this post, we simply loved Dania Furniture and want to share with you.