You can do it – Here's how!
Category: $ave it
All you need is baking powder & orange essential oil
It is also nice to have an empty Parmesan cheese container, or some other shaker.
Mix the baking soda & several drops of the orange essential oil together in a bowl using a whisk. Then, spoon the mixture into your shaker.
Fabulous idea – and what a money saver! – from Mrs. Happy Homemaker
From apartmenttherapy: We were recently treated to homemade butter at a friend’s house and it was the best thing we’d tasted in ages (the raspberry muffin it rode in on may have helped, too). It never occurred to us to make butter, but apparently it’s super easy and a great kitchen project to try with kids.
We found plenty of online resources for making butter and they all focus on one thing: shaking your groove thing. That’s right, making butter involves lots of shaking which is really fun for kids. It can be tiring so the more kids you have on hand to share shaking duties the better. (If you’re in a hurry, you can always use a food processor, but really now where’s the fun in that?)
Okay, are you ready for the complex instructions?
From Apartmenttherapy
1. Check The Drains: This might sound silly, but we’ve had two homes with the same issues in the last several years. Somewhere between the house and the sewer line, there’s a backup. Usually tree branches or a collapsed pipe, but either way, it’s hard to spot unless you run a load of laundry, fill up the tub and sinks and let them all attempt to drain at the same time.
2. Open All The Windows: Replacing windows isn’t fun and it isn’t cheap either. Open them all to find out if they stick, are stuck or just plain old won’t open.
3. Turn On All The Faucets: Although changing out faucets isn’t exactly rocket science it’s always a pain to lay under a cabinet and reach for the sky with funny tools to get things removed. Just check to make sure they all work before buying to eliminate the back ache.
4. Light A Fire In The Fireplace: Even though chimneys are usually installed by professionals, that doesn’t mean they’re always in pristine shape. Cleaning them is as simple as a phone call to a local chimney sweep, but finding out if all the fireplaces in the home draft correctly is another.
5. Taste The Water: This lesson is always learned the hard way. Even if your city has great water, your pipes might be old enough that they’ll send a little extra something out of the tap and into your glass. Knowing up front if you’ll need to install a whole house filter or invest in a few Brita pitchers is always helpful.
6. Flush The Toilets: Knowing that all the toilets in the home can handle toilet paper is a bonus. Although they’re easy enough to replace or fix, finding ones that flush well are a bonus. If you’re dissatisfied they could issue you money back to make the replacement in order to get you to sign on the dotted line!
7. Open The Electrical Panel: A clean and labeled panel is a happy panel. Something that looks like squirrels got up inside can signal trouble. Look for loose wires or ones that simply don’t connect to anything. It could signal that there’s live wires inside the walls!
8. Turn On The Heat/Air: Knowing that both of these things work prior to actually needing them can be a serious bonus. Check to make sure they blow their respective temperatures in addition to just turning on.
9. Pull The Carpet Back: Before you move in, you’ll want to find out if there’s hardwood floors and also any mold or mildew under the carpets. Look for the lowest side of the room and if possible pull a corner back. Many homeowners will have a section of carpet removed in a closet to allow you to see the condition of the floors below.
10. Basement Moisture: Although most home inspectors will sniff this one out for you, look for signs of dampness. Even if the walls aren’t apparently wet, look for things like dehumidifiers, bucks of silica or other things that grab moisture from the air and keep it at bay. If the home owners are smart enough to move these things, look for places near outlets that look clean (or leave a dust ring) where something like this might have sat.
Tipnut has collected so many free designs for using those fabric scraps. You need to check it out! Lots of cute projects.
Remove a pocket from the jeans. The point is the pocket, so use your scissors to cut it away when necessary. A seam ripper is too wimpy for this task. I didn’t want to use the fabric underneath, so I didn’t worry about making nicks in it.
Cut off a length of the waistband, including the buttonhole. I trimmed it close and didn’t bother finishing the tiny threads hanging down. That gives it character.
Cut the legs off the jeans.
Cut up the inside seam. I chose leave the more attractive outside seam to use for the spine of my cover.
Here is what I have of my jeans, ready to use for the book cover — two legs, cut open (I actually only needed one leg), one pocket, and a buttonhole on a waistband.
Cut a piece from the leg that is plenty big to cover around your book, including seam allowance top, bottom, and sides.
Test the size by wrapping the sides inside the front and back covers of the book. I liked the look of having that outer leg seam as the spine, so I positioned it in that way. Trim your base as necessary. Remember, you can always trim more, so it’s okay for it to be big to start with.
Position the pocket on the front of the cover and sew it on.
WAIT! Don’t make my mistake. Add velcro to the pocket before affixing it to the cover. I forgot to add the velcro until the end. By that time, I had to sew through all thicknesses of my cover, and it made one half of the pocket unusable. When I make the second one, I’ll do better.
Position your closure flap on the other side. This takes some pinning and practice folding to get it just right. Test as you go (using the book inside the fabric) to make sure it looks and works like you want it. Pin or baste in place.
Make side flaps that are the same height as your base fabric and over half of the width of the front cover of your book. Mine turned out around 5 inches wide.
Fold up and hem one long side of each flap.
Sew the flaps on the base, right sides together, sandwiching in the waistband closure on one side.
At this point, I BASTED the pieces together and sewed across the top too. I tested the size on my book, made adjustments, and rebasted.
Cut another piece of contrasting fabric the same size as your base. (I used fabric cut from some hand-me-down seersucker pants.) Layer this lining on top of the existing piece, right sides together.
Sew along your basting stitches, joining all three layers all the way around. Well, not ALL the way around. Leave a spot at the bottom to turn the cover right side out. (Yes, I admit I often forget to leave the turning spot. No matter. A seam ripper works for correcting that mistake.)
At this point, I had some huge seam allowances. So I used pinking shears to trim all around my stitches. Then I clipped the corners.
Turn the entire cover right side out and press it flat. Sew the hole close to the edges to finish the cover.
Test the closure and put the velcro on the buttonhole area where it fits to match the velcro you put on the pocket.
Put in your Bible or book. It will fit like a pair of well worn jeans. (smile)
Do It And How 