You are here: Home / Archives for DIY

Host Your Own At-Home Wine Tasting With These Pro Tips

August 18, 2016 by

Having a wine tasting in the comfort of your home is an inexpensive and simple way to find new wines you might love. Invite a few friends over, gather a group of bottles, a cork screw, and maybe some food to pair with the wine, and you’ll be good to go. Follow these simple tips to help host your next get together!

  • Gather a white tablecloth, big wine glasses, spittoons, crackers, and some coffee grounds to use as an odor neutralizer between wines.
  • Prepare your wines to their ideal temperatures. Serve white wines at around 50 degrees and red wines at around 60 degrees. Open the bottles at least 30 minutes before you plan on serving.
  • If you’re planning on serving a variety of different wines, be sure to start with the least refined and work your way to the most refined. You should always start with the lightest wine first.
  • Pour the glasses an inch below the equator, or the widest part of the glass.
  • Don’t rinse the glasses between servings, as water can dilute the wine.
  • After tasting all of the wines, discuss with your guests the aromas and tasting notes of them all and your likes and dislikes.
  • After listening to everyone’s thoughts, re-taste the wines to see whether they have changed with aeration.

How To Have The Perfect Wine Tasting At Home [The Huffington Post]
How to Host a Wine Tasting Party [Real Simple]
How to Host a Wine Tasting [Food & Wine]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

Where to Shop Unique Art and Wall Decor for Kids’ Rooms

August 4, 2016 by

Your kids' bedrooms should be the most fun rooms in the house when it comes to decorating, and that means that you likely want to keep them as colorful and creative as possible. If you’re looking for wall art designed especially for the little one that will add some flair to their bare walls, these are three great places to shop.

Minted
This hip wall art retailer has an entire section of its site devoted solely to art for kids. Expect to find minimal prints of cute quotes, personalized designs with your child’s name. and watercolor paintings of animals, crayons and other sweet scenes.

The Land of Nod
The Land of Nod is a favorite amongst stylish parents with a flair for all things mid-century modern, and its selection of kid-friendly art is just as adorable. It includes handmade weavings and tapestries in bright colors and soft neutrals, as well as framed prints, fun maps, Periodic Tables, and other educational prints.

Etsy
If you’re looking for something truly unique, Etsy has a number of sellers who create their own handmade art just for the little ones. Simply search for children’s art to discover the best the site has to offer.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

Think Outside the Frame With These Unique Wall Art Ideas

July 21, 2016 by

Looking for a way to decorate your walls without using the usual photos and posters? Here are three fun ideas that go way outside the frame—and best of all, you can even make them yourself.

3D Colorblock Wall Art [curbly.com]
If you’re a fan of all things mod, you’ll love this 3D display of colorful circles. Take a few different sized wooden circle cutouts from the local craft store and paint them in your choice of bright shades (or even soft, neutral hues). Use dowel rods to make some of them stick out farther from the wall, and then arrange them in a burst that creates a focal point in any room.

Paper Wall Art [ohohblog.com]
Attach two layers of decoupage leaves, flowers, or any other shape of your choosing to a large, paper sheet. Hang it banner-style using sturdy dowel rods for a modern take on the old-fashioned nature print.

Pixel Painting [witandwhistle.com]
This relaxing project is a fun one to do with a few free hours after work or on the weekend. By reducing the size of a photo down to just a few pixels wide, you’ll be able to see the photo in square, colored blocks. Imitate these blocks in a large scale on watercolor paper and then arrange them to create a truly unique work of art.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , ,

When Life Gives You Lemons, Use Them to Clean! Here’s How!

June 16, 2016 by

Did you know that lemons work as a natural disinfectant, a stain remover, a polish for metals, and so much more? Try these simple cleaning tips using the power of citrus!

  • Scrub your dirty dishes or plastic containers with a recently juiced lemon and a little bit of coarse salt to remove any stains or smells. This also works for wooden cutting boards.
  • Rub some lemon juice on a sponge and leave it in your refrigerator for several hours to remove any odors.
  • Give your microwave a good cleaning by mixing three tablespoons of lemon juice and one and a half cups of water into a microwave-safe bowl. Place the bowl into your microwave and put it on high for five to ten minutes. Then just wipe away any remaining spots with a dishrag.
  • Make your own eco-friendly household cleaner with citrus peels and white vinegar. Simply place citrus peels in a glass mason jar, then pour enough vinegar over top to cover the peels. Let the mixture infuse for two weeks, then strain out the vinegar into a spray bottle!

Cleaning With Lemon Juice [DIY Network]
10 Clever Ways to Clean With a Lemon [The Kitchn]
34 Useful Reasons to Load Up On Lemons [Reader’s Digest]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

How to Speed Through Household Cleaning Tasks

January 21, 2016 by

Whether you’re pressed for time before dinner guests arrive or simply overwhelmed with the amount of items on your to-do list, just about everyone could use some help when it comes to cleaning. Here are a few smart ways to help you speed through household cleaning tasks.

  • Work in a circle. Instead of attacking things in each room at random, make a plan to work in a circle. In the kitchen, that might mean wiping down the refrigerator and tossing out expired foods, giving the stove a good scrub, wiping down counter and tabletops, then loading the dishwasher last.
  • Start with the worst first. If you dread cleaning the bathroom or tidying up the bedroom, start with that room first. By getting the hardest part out of the way when you have the most energy, you’ll speed through the rest of your chores.
  • Take inventory while cleaning. If you notice that something doesn’t need to be cleaned, such as the already-spotless windows, then eliminate it from the list to save time. Unless it’s something requiring sanitization, like the toilet, there’s no shame in leaving it be.
  • Do a final sweep. Once you’re done with the major cleaning tasks, give your home a final sweep, putting everything in its right place and creating an organized look.

Speed Cleaning [The Inspired Room]
30 Quick and Easy Cleaning Tips [Woman’s Day]
9 Tips For Speed Cleaning [About Home]
Clean Your Home in Less than 20 Minutes [SheKnows]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

How to Get the Most Storage Space Out of Your Freezer

December 17, 2015 by

If you’re looking for a way to add extra storage space to your current freezer, these smart tips may be of service.

  1. Know what to freeze. Start streamlining what you freeze in the first place by knowing what will last and what won’t. In general, leafy vegetables, dairy products, and fried foods are not meant to freeze.
  2. Separate items into portions. If you’re freezing something that would otherwise stick together after freezing, such as chicken breasts or soup, separate it into serving-sized portions so that you can easily thaw only the part that you need.
  3. Use containers. Instead of piling all of your food into one large pile in the freezer, invest in freezer-safe storage containers from the local home goods store.
  4. Use labels. Label everything in the freezer, from individual food items (unless they’re still in the original packaging) to your storage containers.
  5. Mind the door. The door of the freezer is the warmest part, so don’t store things that can easily melt on its shelves. Save this space for less delicate foods, such as nuts, alcohol, or frozen fruits.

Fridge and Freezer Organization [The Container Store]
The Best Way to Organize Your Freezer [The Kitchn]
8 Better Ways to Keep Your Freezer Super-Organized [Good Housekeeping]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

Check Out These Quirky (and Useful) DIY Projects Using Mason Jars

October 22, 2015 by

You’ve seen mason jars used in hip cocktail bars, at rustic weddings, and even in friends’ homes, but did you know that these cheap containers can also be used as the foundation of DIY projects? If you want to make new use of all of those old mason jars, these simple (and useful) projects can help.

Mason Jar Wall Planter [notjustahousewife.net/]
By attaching a few glass mason jars to a piece of reclaimed wood, you can create a whole new type of hanging planters. Use common pipe clamps from the hardware store to attach the jars to the wood, and then fill them with soil and plant whatever types of herbs or houseplants that you like best.

Baby Food Jar Snow Globes [craftaholicsanonymous.net]
If you just had a new baby and have lots of used baby food jars lying around, repurpose them into quirky snow globes that make wonderful gifts this holiday season. Simply place some miniature trees or other figurines in the bottoms, fill the jar with water and glitter, and seal it all off with waterproof adhesive.

DIY Mason Jar Sewing Kit [juliettelaura.blogspot.ru]
While it is inspired by pricey versions sold in trendy stores, this DIY project will show you how to make your own adorable mason jar sewing kit right at home.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

Cool Ways to Organize Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers

July 23, 2015 by

Kitchen cabinets and drawers can be difficult to keep neat and organized. If you’re tired of your messy cabinets and drawers, use these simple tips for keeping them more organized.

  • Clean out your cabinets. Empty your kitchen cabinets and drawers completely, tossing out outdated or unused foods and consolidating anything that you have multiples of. You might also want to give the bottoms a good wipe-down.
  • Put spices in jars. Instead of having dozens of spices in various sized jars, take the time to put all spices in matching glass jars that you can easily organize.
  • Add a Lazy Susan. Add a rotating Lazy Susan to your kitchen cabinet to corral small food items and keep them easily within reach.
  • Group similar items together. Store all of your baking supplies on one shelf, all of your dried foods on another, all of your plastic containers on another, and so on. This makes it much easier to locate items later on.
  • Add drawer dividers. Your silverware drawer isn’t the only one that could use dividers. Invest in cheap plastic dividers to keep all of your drawers neatly separated.

24 Smart Organizing Ideas for Your Kitchen [Real Simple]
10 Steps to an Orderly Kitchen [HGTV]
6 Clever Kitchen Storage Ideas Anyone Can Use [Houzz]
10 Clever Ways to Keep Your Kitchen Organized [DIY Network]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

Love to Cook? Master These Must-Know Knife Techniques

May 21, 2015 by

If you love to cook, you know how important it is to use the proper cutting techniques in every recipe. Many people don't know the proper names of these techniques, however, which often leads to using the wrong one. Here are three important types of cutting that are essential for everything from entrees to desserts.

  1. Julienne. To julienne, you want to cut vegetables or other food items into stick-shaped pieces that are long and thin. Start by cutting the item into a square, then slice it into rectangular-shaped pieces lengthwise. Repeat the same step on each of the rectangles until you're left with pieces that resemble matchsticks.
  2. Chiffonade. This type of cut sounds fancy, but it actually just refers to cutting herbs or thin leaf vegetables. Roll the herbs up into a tight tube, then roughly chop across with a sharp knife. It doesn't matter how the cuts look, just that the pieces are small enough to sprinkle throughout a dish.
  3. Dice. Dicing is similar to chopping, but it creates entirely uniform pieces for dishes like stews or fruit salads. Begin with a rectangular shape and continue to cut it both directions until you're left with uniform pieces in the size that you desire.

Knife Skills: Different Types of Cuts [The Culinary Cook]
Top 10 Knife Skills [How Stuff Works]
Perfect Your Knife Skills With This Chef's Guide to Knives [Lifehacker]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,

Essential Beauty-Enhancing Products You Already Have at Home

December 4, 2014 by

The next time you want to try a new beauty product, you might want to start by browsing your kitchen cabinets instead of heading to the drugstore. Many common foods and oils can double as creams, scrubs, and skin treatments! Here are a few beneficial beauty products that you likely already own.

  1. Tea bags. Instead of investing in a pricey eye cream to get rid of those dark circles after a night out, use some tea bags instead. Soak two green tea bags in warm water and lay them on your eyelids. The caffeine will shrink the appearance of blood vessels, while the antioxidants reduce inflammation.
  2. Oatmeal. Make your own face treatment by using your favorite breakfast oats. Place a handful of whole oats inside of a washcloth and secure it closed with a rubber band. Soak the whole thing in a sink of warm water until the water turns cloudy, and then splash it onto your face. This will create a protective barrier on the skin that seals in moisture and provides anti-inflammatory properties.
  3. Oranges. Use oranges to get rid of pesky dry patches on the skin. Squeeze half of an orange into a bowl and mix in 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Rub the other half of the orange on dry knees or elbows to loosen the dead cells, and then rub on your homemade scrub to slough them away.

Have A Spa Day…At Home! 10 DIY Beauty Treatments! [Seventeen]
Our Favorite All-Natural Home Beauty Treatments [Fitness]
Crazy Beauty Tricks That Really Work [Whole Living]
6 All-Natural Beauty Fixes [Woman’s Day]

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Tagged With: , , ,
Next Page »

Pin It on Pinterest