Want one, too? Check out her FB site at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Out-of-the-Loop/588844904478674?ref=ts&fref=ts
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| My new coffee cozy made by Laura! |
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Wordless Wednesday - April 10, 2013
Want one, too? Check out her FB site at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Out-of-the-Loop/588844904478674?ref=ts&fref=ts
Monday, April 8, 2013
How To Line Your Own Curtains Without Having To Sew
Anyone who knows me, know that I don't sew. I don't even own a sewing machine, to be honest. The last time I can actually remember using one was in grade 7 Home Ec. class, where I made bermuda shorts, and two letter pillows that spelled the word "yo". Oh, there was those curtains I made in college, but they turned out horribly wrong, i can sew on buttons, and hand-stitch things, but I don't think I should be licensed to use a sewing machine :)
I found a great deal at my work on curtain panels, but since they were cotton I knew they would fade in the sunlight. Lined curtains can be VERY pricey. So, I devised a way to line them myself without sewing. I purchased 10 cotton grommet curtain panels, 10 light-weight tab-top white panels, and some sticky-back velcro strips. The two different curtain panels need to be the same size - mine were 44 x 84"
I found our good scissors that work great on fabric, and cut the tabs off the white curtains. Then I put the two pieces of velcro together, and cut them into squares (one strip of velcro made 18 squares - enough for 3 panels). I placed the orange curtain down, with the backside facing me. I then put the white curtain on top of it and folded it back a bit. I removed the backing off of one side of a velcro square and placed it below each of the grommets on the orange panel. Next, I lined up the 'liner' curtain, and removed the other side of the backing off the velcro, lined up the curtains using the already existing hem-line under the grommets as a guide, and pressed down. I did each outer edge first, slowly working towards the middle. My liner was a little bit wider from my curtain, so this ensured I wasn't hanging out over an edge.
That's all there is to it, Now, if I ever need to wash them, I can separate the panels so there is no colour bleeding, and the life of my curtains should be a bit longer. I was able t get my orange curtains for a out $11 a panel, the 'liner' curtains for $4 a panel, and the velcro strips for about $5 each...and they look great!
I found a great deal at my work on curtain panels, but since they were cotton I knew they would fade in the sunlight. Lined curtains can be VERY pricey. So, I devised a way to line them myself without sewing. I purchased 10 cotton grommet curtain panels, 10 light-weight tab-top white panels, and some sticky-back velcro strips. The two different curtain panels need to be the same size - mine were 44 x 84"
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| My supplies. |
I found our good scissors that work great on fabric, and cut the tabs off the white curtains. Then I put the two pieces of velcro together, and cut them into squares (one strip of velcro made 18 squares - enough for 3 panels). I placed the orange curtain down, with the backside facing me. I then put the white curtain on top of it and folded it back a bit. I removed the backing off of one side of a velcro square and placed it below each of the grommets on the orange panel. Next, I lined up the 'liner' curtain, and removed the other side of the backing off the velcro, lined up the curtains using the already existing hem-line under the grommets as a guide, and pressed down. I did each outer edge first, slowly working towards the middle. My liner was a little bit wider from my curtain, so this ensured I wasn't hanging out over an edge.
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| Lining up the velcro and curtains - thanks to my husband for the brilliant idea of one square per grommet (if you have tab curtains, it would work too - just one square per tab) |
That's all there is to it, Now, if I ever need to wash them, I can separate the panels so there is no colour bleeding, and the life of my curtains should be a bit longer. I was able t get my orange curtains for a out $11 a panel, the 'liner' curtains for $4 a panel, and the velcro strips for about $5 each...and they look great!
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| Leave a little bit of space at the ends - I used the seam as a guide on the top and sides. a little bit of 'bunching' on the liner is fine. |
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Pinterest Pin Review - Mini Meatloaves and Sweet potato fries
My little girl is a carnivore....plain and simple. She likes her meat. So I figured that mini meatloaf would be one of her favs, and it was! I found the pin here: http://www.makeandtakes.com/mini-meatloaves-in-a-muffin-tin
It basically lets you use your own recipe, and gives you cooking instructions. I'm a pretty basic meatloaf cook, so here is what I used:
2 pounds of extra lean ground beef
1 pkg. of lipton onion soup mix
2 eggs
2-3 pieces of bread, made into bread crumbs
...and I squirted in a bunch of ketchup (I am not always a recipe follower!)
Spray your muffin tins with Pam, and put in mixture. After making it, I would suggest not having the meat come up past the top of the pan - probably about 1/2 inch below it would be perfect. The pin also suggested making a little hole, or crater, and putting something in it. I of course used a little dallop of ketchup :) then bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
I also made sweet potato fries, using this pin: http://www.wikihow.com/Roast-Sweet-Potatoes
Again, a simple recipe - I just used one sweet potato cut up, and some oil. I have made these twice now, and they turn out much better if you watch that you don't use too much oil, and if you cook them by themselves (without something else in the oven)...or they will be soggy! I have discovered that I LoVE sweet potato fries! My family...they don't like them so much. The mini meatloaves on the other hand were a hit.....carnivores.....
It basically lets you use your own recipe, and gives you cooking instructions. I'm a pretty basic meatloaf cook, so here is what I used:
2 pounds of extra lean ground beef
1 pkg. of lipton onion soup mix
2 eggs
2-3 pieces of bread, made into bread crumbs
...and I squirted in a bunch of ketchup (I am not always a recipe follower!)
Spray your muffin tins with Pam, and put in mixture. After making it, I would suggest not having the meat come up past the top of the pan - probably about 1/2 inch below it would be perfect. The pin also suggested making a little hole, or crater, and putting something in it. I of course used a little dallop of ketchup :) then bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
I also made sweet potato fries, using this pin: http://www.wikihow.com/Roast-Sweet-Potatoes
Again, a simple recipe - I just used one sweet potato cut up, and some oil. I have made these twice now, and they turn out much better if you watch that you don't use too much oil, and if you cook them by themselves (without something else in the oven)...or they will be soggy! I have discovered that I LoVE sweet potato fries! My family...they don't like them so much. The mini meatloaves on the other hand were a hit.....carnivores.....
Friday, April 5, 2013
Dining Room Colour
This was our little project over Easter weekend. When we bought the house, the dining room paneling was painted a dark grey-brown, and there was a white border painted around the top of both the dining and living room. We painted the paneling white within the first couple months of being in Sydney. Last weekend we tackled painting the walls (Benjamin Moore - Northampton Putty) and putting up new shelves and curtains (my post on DIY no-sew lined curtains will happen at another time).
We're plugging away at it and getting it done!
We're plugging away at it and getting it done!
A Little Kitchen Update...
I realized that I hadn't published the results of our ripping out the kitchen and trying to rebuild it in a day....or five....
It definitely was an adventure.
The idea came because we had my husband's family coming for Thanksgiving - 6 adults and 4 kids (plus us) in our little house. We realized that we didn't have a lot of usable kitchen space to make a big dinner, so why not rip out the kitchen, throw it on the back deck, and put up new cabinets, countertop, and a new sink. Yes....why not....
When we finally ripped everything out, we realized that the entire wall behind the sink had serious water damage, and it moved...the whole wall, with the window. Thanks to a friend (who is also a carpenter), we were able to fix the wall, and install the cabinets (which were a great deal from Home Depot - but they don't come with bases or the top part for the countertop to rest on, so you have to know what you are doing!), and get the sink and faucet in.
Ah yes, the sink....two sinks later and numerous trips to hardware stores to speak with people who probably shouldn't be working in plumbing sections, we finally had a sink that fit (we had to go with a sink and a half), and the kitchen was usable again. Much thanks for all the hard work my husband put into it! There is still a lot left to do in there, but at least it is usable space now :)
And Thanksgiving was wonderful!
Kitchen before pics:
Kitchen after pics:
It definitely was an adventure.
The idea came because we had my husband's family coming for Thanksgiving - 6 adults and 4 kids (plus us) in our little house. We realized that we didn't have a lot of usable kitchen space to make a big dinner, so why not rip out the kitchen, throw it on the back deck, and put up new cabinets, countertop, and a new sink. Yes....why not....
When we finally ripped everything out, we realized that the entire wall behind the sink had serious water damage, and it moved...the whole wall, with the window. Thanks to a friend (who is also a carpenter), we were able to fix the wall, and install the cabinets (which were a great deal from Home Depot - but they don't come with bases or the top part for the countertop to rest on, so you have to know what you are doing!), and get the sink and faucet in.
Ah yes, the sink....two sinks later and numerous trips to hardware stores to speak with people who probably shouldn't be working in plumbing sections, we finally had a sink that fit (we had to go with a sink and a half), and the kitchen was usable again. Much thanks for all the hard work my husband put into it! There is still a lot left to do in there, but at least it is usable space now :)
And Thanksgiving was wonderful!
Kitchen before pics:
Kitchen after pics:
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