diy project : ribbon sticks

When I was buying materials for the wedding two years ago in CA I went to LA and bought a handful of colorful satin ribbons. I bought them mainly to make our flower girl ribbon wands but I had a lot left over after the wedding. Since our anniversary was this week I thought I'd do a little decorating in our apt using our wedding ribbon. 

1. I just happen to have a couple of large dried out branches from the winter (I'm telling you - hoarder tendencies) that I had used for winter decor. First thing I did was use a stiff brush to take off any dust or dirt from the branches. Since we rent our apt I really didn't want to risk getting paint anywhere inside so I used a big box as a drying rack/splatter guard for the paint outside. 

2. I used plain ol' white acrylic paint and an old brush. I went for the solid white look but if you add a touch of water to the acrylic paint you could also achieve a whitewashed look too. If you need to walk away mid-painting wrap your paint and brushes in plastic wrap so they don't dry out. Spray paint would work for this project too. Just remember to spray in a continuous stream if you use spray paint.

3. Check out the box in action! After the first coat dries do some touch ups and a second coat if needed. 

4. While the paint dried I cut my ribbon to the length I wanted. I used satin ribbon but you could use strips of fabric too. After the branches are completely dry knot your ribbon along the branches. I always do the thicker ribbons first and do all of one color at the same time. This way it's easier to get color and size balance between your branches. 



5. Be creative with how you use the ribbon sticks. I decided to hang mine from the ceiling using twine. Our apt doesn't get a lot of natural light so having some color inside is kind of nice. That's it, enjoy!

diy love

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'm already thinking about the weekend....

Recently my sweet hubby came up with the great idea to rearrange some furniture and the results were wonderful but the huge wall that was once covered with the TV became bare. I thought I'd add a little seasonal flare with a Valentine's installation.

I used twisted brown paper that was used as packing material and tacked it on the wall. Sidebar: what is the deal with the overkill of packing material these days? The only part I had to be careful with was twisting gingerly on the perforated parts of the paper because it had a tendency to tear.

Next, I painted some sheets of paper green and cut them out for the leaves. Lastly, I made a few 2-finger pompoms for flowers out of baker's twine using Creature Comforts' method, here.

rain drops keep falling on my head

 

I had never experienced hard water until I moved to IL and when we moved into our current apt the shower head was so clogged that it resembled a leaky faucet more than anything. It was getting difficult to shower and annoying as hell so I knew something had to be done. I wanted to try to clean the shower head using products as natural as possible and after doing some research online I decided to try a few methods.

Method #1: So one method I found suggested that I pour a mixture of white vinegar and water in a plastic bag and then tie that bag around the shower head while submerging it for at least an hour. Result: Fail, 2% clear. I guess maybe "Fail" isn't an accurate description. This method helped as much as a 10 year old can "help" you with your taxes ... maybe a little but not much. Tying the bag around the shower head while keeping it submerged was actually really difficult because of air bubbles and gravity pulled the bag down little by little.

Method #2: I figured the degree of hard water built up on this bad boy needed full strength, 100% white vinegar with no dilution.  So the next method I tried I unscrewed the shower head, tapped out any debris from the back end (by the way, YUCK!, see picture below), put the shower head in a tall cup, poured baking soda inside the back end of the head, poured enough white vinegar (slowly) to submerge it, and let it set for a couple of hours. Result: A little better, 50% clear. It still wasn't the free flowing shower head that I knew it could be.

Method #3: Last thing I did was to repeat the baking soda +100% (non-diluted) white vinegar method but this time I let it sit submerged over night, 8+ hours. Result: 98% clear! There were only a few holes that were still slightly dribbling water so I used a safety pin to poke through the last remaining clogged holes and after that I was golden!

After proudly announcing that I had successfully unclogged the shower head to my sweet hubby he then immediately suggested we get a brand new shower head with a hose so we could wash the dog in the tub. Bastard.

that stinks

One thing I've noticed about living in the midwest versus Southern California is that I very often have the problem of lingering food smells in my apartment from cooking. In CA, my family would have the doors and windows open most of the year and the natural circulation of air would take cooking smells out of the house without a problem. I've discovered that because of more extreme weather in IL (snowy winters and humid summers) I am less able to utilize this technique. But what am I supposed to do when I can't stand the smell of food in the apartment?! I've used a four step process to help alleviate this nagging problem when cooking with the window or doors open is not an option. It's not perfect but it helps.

Step 1: Before cooking, close all doors to bedrooms or bathrooms when cooking. This is a preventative measure and will hopefully keep cooking/food smells out of these rooms.

Step 2: During cooking, use any venting fans (like above the stove) available in the cooking area. If you live in an apartment like me try propping your apartment door open to help draw smell out of your living space and in to the hallway (this plus opening a window or sliding door to the outside is best but we're assuming you can't).

Step 3: After eating and washing dishes, clean any surfaces used in cooking (stovetops, counters, and even the floor around your stove) with a vinegar/water solution. I use equal parts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. This is not only good to disinfect your surfaces but cleaning after each time you use the stove is good for general cleanliness in the kitchen. The use of vinegar will help dissipate the smell of food.

If at this point the smell of food is still lingering I have two options for Step 4.

Step 4, option A: Light a candle or use a spray that is specifically made to deodorize air. I've used "Good Air: Just Plain Fresh" candles from Yankee Candle and they work pretty well. I've also found that the smell of brewed coffee is also a good way to deodorize air.

Step 4, option B: This option will work better during the winter months rather than the hot, humid months. Turn off any heaters that maybe on and open all your doors and windows at this point and hide in your bedroom with the door closed where it's warm and hopefully not smelly (because of Step 1) and hang out there for a good hour or so until the air circulates the smell out of your apartment or home. If you have a portable fan, turn it on and use it. We're trying to push the smelly air out and bring fresh air in. If you're comfortable enough it's best to keep your front door open as well but do this with caution if you live in an apartment (since you will be tucked away in a closed room with your front door open). After an hour, put a sweater on and go close all the opened windows and doors. Hopefully at this point the bulk of the smell will be gone and you'll be able to bring these rooms back up to a livable temperature.