Darling Fall Decorations

You will need:

1 Roll of Toilet Paper
1 Fall Patterned Fat Quarter
1 7" Strip of Green Patterned Fabric
1 4" x 4" Piece of Brown Paper Bag
1 Piece of brown string

Set the roll of Toilet paper in the center of the fat quarter, with the fabric print side down. Pull the fabric up around the toilet paper roll and tuck it into the center of the toilet paper roll, wrapping it completely. Roll the paper bag piece and tie a string around it. Lay the piece of green fabric across the hole in the toilet paper and stuff it down in the toilet paper hole with the rolled up paper bag piece to make it look like the leaves and stem.

Saving Garden Spinach

Saving Spinach from your garden can be tricky. It is a very particular vegetable but it makes any summer salad a lovely treat. Right after harvesting your spinach, take it directly in the house and rinse it in cold water. This will allow it to "go to sleep" and the deterioration process will immediately be slowed. Take it right out of the water, shake it off, bag it and put it directly into the fridge. This will make your spinach last about a week longer once you get it into the fridge and it will stay nice and crispy.

Dress Your Home in Fabrics

DIY home decorating is quickly becoming the norm in our beautiful state for many reasons. It's easy, any beginner can make a couple of throw pillows to accent her couch. It's cheap; compared to hiring a home decorator, DIY is pinching some serious pennies, but even compared to purchasing pre-made Window Treatments, Drapes, Valances, Swags, etc., you are still saving a bunch. You have options; stores just do not have the ability to carry every color and/or pattern or combination to make your home look just the way you want it. It's fun; especially with friends and family. I am sure most of you scrapbook or stamp or have some other gathering that includes getting together with family and friends to create your masterpieces. Home decorating can be just as much of a social gathering. Get your friends together and have a home redecorating at your place. Next month, her's! It's so much fun. Or if you prefer to work alone, it can be just as fun. Get our your needles and scissors, put on some good music and enjoy a fun and relaxing afternoon, turning your home into your home.

There are so many small things you can do to make a HUGE difference. Starting small will give you the confidence to tackle larger projects. Start with some throw pillows for your couch. Look around your living room. Is there a picture or a certain color that you would like to draw into your decorating? Personally, I have a curio cabinet with all my dolls and a light pink picture of dolls that was given to me years and years ago. The picture has always gone with my dolls, but it does not match my new living room. However, I was able to find a fabric that had the same pink from the picture and the brown and blue from my couch, a strange combination I agree, but once I made some throw pillows, it pulled the whole thing together seamlessly.

Now Valances and Swags are not my thing. I know you can do them yourself, but for me, I prefer to purchase them. However, I can still have control over the colors, patterns and textures but finding the right place. Fabric Workroom is a wonderful option to actually making your own. You have the ability to mix and match a myriad of designer fabrics, you can choose from classic styles or create your own custom window treatments. Their prices are affordable and their selection is great.

Other great DIY options are blankets and throws. They create a carefree, cozy, "this is my place" kind of feel to any room. Blankets and throws are so easy to make and can be done in an afternoon with minimal supplies. Tied fleece throws are great for kids rooms, dens or family rooms and fleece comes in many, many different colors and patterns. You can even find sports prints, animal prints or licensed character prints to match just about any decor. Light fabrics combined with a very thin batting can be quilted into a heirloom couch blanket in a matter of a day or two. With blankets and throws, the possibilities are endless.

I hope this gives you some inspiration and a desire to get out there and DIY! Turn your home into "your home".

Moving? Make It Easy On Yourself!

I am adding this under Tuesday Tips and Tricks because I am so impressed and I just don't think enough people know about this option! My friend T just moved here from South Carolina. She didn't have a HUGE house, but she had accumulated the things she needed to live. Furniture, books, computers you name it. Look around your house, you'll know exactly what I mean. Just lots of stuff.

Well, she was going to drive here but her little car was WAY to small to fit even the smallest of furniture, except, I think she did somehow manage the computer chair, without the wheels? She looked into renting a U-Haul truck but the price on a one way rental was astronomical! Then she found this thing called a Moving Pod!

I had never heard of any such thing! It's a portable storage container. They bring it to you, drop it at your doorstep (figuratively), leave it there while you load it and then when you are ready to go you schedule a pick-up, they load it up and haul it to your destination for you! Once there, they secure it in their storage lot until you are ready for it again and once again, they bring it to your doorstep for easy unloading! The whole idea ofmoving pods is just amazingly simple. But the best part about the whole thing was the price! Nearly half the price of a U-Haul, more than half the price of a moving company and yet, all the transportation is done for you. It is just such a convient option to regular moving, I can't believe I had never heard of it!

Keeping Kids Bedrooms Tidy

I have struggled, trying many different ideas to get my children to get their rooms cleaned and keep them that way. I finally found something that has worked! We made a bedroom cleaning chart that has worked so well. We had to tweak it a little the first time we went through it to accommodate everything in their individual rooms and their individual personalities as well as to not make any one step over whelming but the finished product has worked like a charm.

They start with their 30 minutes of cleaning every day and get as far through the list as they can. Then the next day they start at the top again so as not to get behind again and work as far as they can until eventually they finished the last thing on the list and the next day they started at the top and got through the whole list in a matter of minutes and were able to get on to other chores in the house.

Now their rooms have this quick checklist that they go through everyday to keep their rooms clean and they are much happier and so am I. Below are the two lists that I created. Feel free to use them and adapt them to your children's individual needs.

Boy’s Bedroom Cleaning
 Make Your Bed
 Pick Up All Blankets, Pillows & Stuffed Toys
 Pick Up All Dirty Clothes
 Take All Dirty Clothes To The Laundry Room
 Pick Up All Clean Clothes & Put Away
 Put All Shoes In The Closet
 Pick Up & Throw Away All Trash
 Pick Up Lego’s
 Pick Up All Other Toys And Put Them Away
 Put Away All Things That Belong Somewhere Else

Girl’s Bedroom Cleaning
 Make Your Bed
 Pick Up All Blankets, Pillows & Stuffed Toys
 Pick Up All Dirty Clothes
 Take All Dirty Clothes To The Laundry Room
 Pick Up All Clean Clothes & Put Away
 Put All Shoes In The Closet
 Pick Up & Throw Away All Trash
 Pick Up All Dolls And Put Them Away
 Pick Up All Other Toys And Put Them Away
 Put Away All Things That Belong Somewhere Else
I hope you can find this as helpful as it has been to me.