Chalk Paint has grown in popularity for all sorts of projects. My daughter did a makeover on a coffee table with the Anne Sloan chalk paint and it came out beautiful in only one afternoon. I looked up the paint to see what else you could use it for and came across this DIY on Pinterest by Nancy at ArtsyChicksRule.com and found out you can use this to re-do and upholstered chair, how clever! She brought home an old chair and did a great job making it look brand new and gorgeous!
If you are thinking of a chair, table or another item in your home to use this paint for, check out Nancy’s step by step how she did the chair.
Don’t throw away that cracked mirror, tea cup with a broken handle or that video baby monitor so quick. Turn your trash into treasures with these easy recycle fix ups.
For a cracked mirror turn it into a chalk board or a magnetic board.
Fill in the crack with a bit of glue then paint it with chalkboard paint your can find at your local hardware store. You could use it for a doodle board, message board or simply cover with a favorite with a favorite picture and frame. Love magnets? Make your mirror magnetic with a primer that is infused with magnetic particles, then paint with your favorite color.
Turn that beautiful tea cup now with a broken handle into a mini garden or candle holder.
A tea cup or even a coffee mug is just the right size to add water and a couple of pretty flowers to set out on a breakfast table or add decor to your desk. Once the flowers look wilted, just add new ones. If you love fresh herbs, fill it half way with potting soil, seeds from Parsley, Basil, Oregano or any herb you like, cover with more soil and set in your kitchen window.
Since a coffee or tea cup are made to hold heat, make your pretty cup into a candle holder. Fill the cup 1/2 way up with melted wax, and add a cotton wick for a candle. Once melted down, refill again with any scent or color wax you like.
Speaking of Wax it can be recycled too..
Don’t throw away those little bits, or knobs of candles left over. These are great for sticky drawers, glass door runners, sticky doors. Just rub the knob of candle wax on the moving parts of the drawer, the hinges of a door and along the runners of your glass door to help them slide more easily.
Video Baby Monitors are wonderful, keep yours around for another purpose once baby is grown.
Want to know who is at the front door with out going to find out? Stick your baby video monitor in a window pointing to your front door, when someone comes up you can check the monitor before opening the door. You also can use the monitor for keeping an eye on kids who may not be feeling well, pets or seniors who may need your assistance.
Clutter, were all guilty of it. Take a look at your breakfast or coffee table, what is on there right now that you don’t need. From kids backpacks, to last months issue of your favorite magazine, we all accumulate clutter in our busy lives.
Clean up can be easy if you do it in an organized fashion. Start small, one room at a time. Say you start in the living room or family room, where you and your family gather together the most. Grab a laundry basket, a box, or large container and a garbage bag.
Use the box/laundry basket for those thing you need to put in other rooms to sort out, mail, clothes, socks, books toys, etc. For the garbage bag, throw away things you know you will not use again, old newspapers etc. Once you have divided everything into your Put Away and Throw Away, your clutter is gone.
Raise your creativity by taking a few minutes to clean off your work area, it will make you feel more organized.
Tip: Old toys, books, magazine, video’s, games, clothes and more can be saved in a large storage container or a few storage containers in the garage or room you do not use very often for your next Yard Sale!
This appliance cost you money everyday even when you are not using it, your electric hot water heater. Making a few adjustments to this appliance can save you money all year long.
First make sure it is set to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot water above 120 can be considered hazardous. The higher the degree, the more your hot water heater has to work to keep that high temperature, coming on more often and making you have a higher energy bill.
Setting a timer on the hot water heater to come on and off will certainly help out. Contact a plumber to install the timer, or do it yourself. If a timer is not what you want, you could schedule a time of day that you and your family will need showers, cook and wash dishes, etc.
If your family is out of the house for the day, you could to be at work, the kids at school, etc, then why have the water heater going all day with no one home. Turn it on when you get home and allow 20 minutes or less, depending on what kind of water heater you have, to heat up.Going on vacation? Turn it off and save money while your gone.
Hold in the heat by adding an insulator also known as wraps, jackets or blanket. You can find these at your local hardware store.
Save money on household cleaners using natural products that you may already have in your home.
Have a plugged drain?
Unplugging a drain can get expensive with over the counter products or even more if you have to call in a plumber. Try this first: Snake the drain then add Baking soda and vinegar. Pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Then pour a cup of vinegar down the drain. This will cause a bubbling reaction like a mini volcano. Leave for 30 minutes then run hot water down the drain. If the clog is still stubborn, try again and it should do the trick for you. Make an investment in a good snake for unclogging pipes at hardware store.
Mold and Mildew Stains?
The one place in your home where mold and mildew can gather up fast is your bathroom and can also leave stains. Grab the peroxide. Add peroxide to a spray bottle and mark it peroxide. Spray on the mold and mildew stains and let sit for about an hour. Wash off with clean water.
Easily make Wood Furniture Shine
Shine up your wood furniture with Olive oil and lemon juice. These two ingredient together smell wonderful and do the job without chemicals. Olive oil is not only good for you and tastes great but add moisture and shine to the wood while the lemon juice goes after the dirt. Mix, 3 TBS Olive Oil and 1/2 tsp Lemon juice to a bowl. Mix well and rub into wood.
We love Candles and Air Fresheners, but they both contain chemicals that some people may have a reaction to and some contain up to 10 hazardous compounds. Make your home smell inviting with your own fresher in just minutes. Boil a couple cups of water and add a few cinnamon sticks. Let simmer for 20 minutes and turn off. Your home will smell delicious. Want a citrus smell, add lemons to the the water instead for a fresh smell.
Ever notice how one mirror can brighten up a room. They also can do double duty by making a room appear bigger.
If you have a small dining area and a flat wall even on one side, take down the pictures and add a large mirror. The reflection of the room around it makes it look bigger. You could also get a group of mirrors and fill the wall for an even bigger effect. I had a friend who took one foot by one foot mirror tiles and covered a wall in her dining room and it not only looked elegant but the small dining room was brighter and appeared bigger.
Even your entrance can be brighter by positioning a mirror by the front door on the wall or over a small stand/table. A great way to check yourself before leaving the house and just see how many of your guest do the same as they enter.
Put a mirror flat on a table and add lit candles to add a romantic effect.
Try putting some mirrors in different rooms of your house and see what works best for you.
Cleaning in this house also leads to redecorating at times. I came across this great website Homestyler.com that helps you redecorate your home before you even move a stitch of furniture.
You can layout your furniture, try a different color paint and flooring. You can create 2D and 3D home designs for your living room, kitchen and more.
Chalk Paint has grown in popularity for all sorts of projects. My daughter did a makeover on a coffee table with the Anne Sloan chalk paint and it came out beautiful in only one afternoon. I looked up the paint to see what else you could use it for and came across this DIY on Pinterest by Nancy at ArtsyChicksRule.com and found out you can use this to re-do and upholstered chair, how clever! She brought home an old chair and did a great job making it look brand new and gorgeous!
Maggies Mentions 