Good Idea #26: Eco-vacation in the Virgin Islands

I'll be taking a hiatus from blogging for the next couple weeks, but I wanted to share a little bit about where I'm going!  I'm not just excited to got to the Virgin Islands for the first time and spend a week on the beach during away from the rainy Portland spring, but I'm also excited that the resort we'll be visiting is entirely environment friendly.  I'll share pictures of our trip when we return, but for now check out more about the resort at www.maho.org.

Good Idea #25: Happy Birthday Birthday Cake

Today is my Birthday!  How fitting that Apartment Therapy just featured this awesome birthday cake mold today from Generate.  Such a good idea.  The only thing that would have been better is if I could have gotten it in time to make myself a cake for today!  Here's what I did instead:

Husband and I began the morning early with breakfast at Black Sheep Bakery, a local (mostly) vegan bakery that is just a couple blocks from our apartment.  I was planning on trying the vegan biscuits and gravy (the gravy is vegan, too) but they were out of gravy.  So we went ahead and got some very non-vegan egg, cheese and bacon on our vegan biscuits.  All parts, vegan and non-vegan, were a delicious and filling beginning to the morning.

Husband headed off to work for the day and after washing down my breakfast with some coffee and delicious chocolate-covered macaroons (a birthday gift from husband) I got a rare chance to chat with my very busy east-coast best friend, Marcie.  It is always wonderful to hear from her!  Her lovely little daughter's birthday is today, too, so I know I will always have a chance to chat with them on March 10th!

I also got to talk to my whole family today.  My sister, Nana and parents all called to say hello and wish me a good day.  I got to do a little writing, too, before Husband came home to make me a birthday dinner.  After dinner I made myself a batch of cupcakes.  Yum.  And finally I got to take a little time to sit down and share my day with you.  Happy Birthday to me!

Good Idea #24: Getting Rid of Fungus Gnats

Hi my name is Caroline and I have fungus gnats.  Gross.  But actually not all that gross.  If you have houseplants you may be familiar with this pesky little problem.  Fungus gnats are little flies, similar to fruit flies, that live in the moist soil of house plants.  They are completely harmless but are annoying and can quickly get out of control if you don't take action (note:  by "out of control" I really just mean "very annoying and difficult to get rid of").  Today however, I came across some very timely help for getting rid of fungus gnats.  Let me begin by telling you the story of this very sad little lemon balm plant:

I've had trouble with fungus gnats in the past and have often resorted to throwing out entire plants to get rid of them (sad story, I know).  This time, however, I am determined to save my little plant.

Lemon balm is supposed to be an extremely easy herb to grow.  It grows quickly and can be invasive if planted in a garden but on it's own it thrives.  Recently, my lemon balm started to deteriorate and I discovered that it had been growing so well that it had outgrown its little pot.  So I re-potted it in this nice big terracotta pot, but now I have a new problem.  The number one way to get rid of or prevent fungus gnats is to let the soil dry fully between waterings.  But this pot is so big and the terracotta hold so much water that I can't seem to get the soil to dry completely before the plant starts getting very thirsty.  Now I have fungus gnats AND my plant is dying. 

I was just noticing a few little gnats flying around my apartment when I sat down at my computer to scan through a few of my favorite blogs.  Almost immediately I came across a post by Ashli from Maillardville Manor on getting rid of fungus gnats!  Ashli suggest a few things that I already knew about like drying soil thoroughly and using those little yellow sticky fly catchers, but she also gave me two new tips.

I will now by adding potatoes and sand to my fungus-gnat-fighting artillery.  Apparently, if you cover the top of your soil with fast drying sand the gnats will think your soil is dry and won't lay eggs there.  Also, the larvae are apparently attracted to potatoes, so placing a fresh potato wedge on top of the soil each day will allow you to easily throw away many of the little guys before they become annoying adults.

I will be trying both of these tactics and I hope they will help other plant owners out there, too.  Check out all of Ashli's tips at her original post by CLICKING HERE.

Now I'm off to meet with a real estate agent for the first time about possibly buying our first house!  Have you been following all of those new developments?  Check it out at: www.twoseekhome.blogspot.com!

Sweet Home 3D Update

I've been working on finishing up my apartment in Sweet Home 3D and wanted to share the results.  Now that I'm done, if I want to rearrange my apartment all I have to do is move furniture around in the program and see how it looks.  Here are the photos of my finished product as my apartment is now:

Read my original post on Sweet Home 3D or visit www.sweethome3d.com to learn more about it and download the program for free!

Good Idea #23: Sweet Home 3D

This week design sponge contributor Kate Pruitt shared her Top 5 Apps for Design Lovers on My Life Scoop.  One of the five is a free, downloadable room design program called Sweet Home 3D.  This program is so much fun and, once you get the hang of it, very easy to use (I recommend watching the video tutorial first).  You can start from scratch or upload a floor plan of your house or room as a guide.  I found a floor plans for my apartment building on a rental website.  It was a slightly different model apartment, but I only had to measure a few walls to make the corrections.  You can change the wall and floor color, add doors and windows and then start adding furniture.  The furniture database is pretty complete, and you can manipulate the dimensions and color of pieces to match your own.  This is my apartment so far:



It's a bit time consuming to get all the furniture right (I've been at this for a couple hours now and this is as far as I've gotten).  But once you get all the furniture in there you can start having fun.  Has there ever been any easier way to rearrange your furniture?  You could try endless configurations and even move things from one room to another with no sweat.  This will be great for figuring out how furniture will fit into a new place, too!

Speaking of which, did you know that you can find out more about my current place and my hopes to move at my newest blogging endeavor?  Click here!

Good Idea #22: Best Potatoes Ever

Here's another irresistible and incredibly easy dinner idea.   These are the best baked mashed potatoes I have ever had, let alone made myself.  The trick is loading up on the bad stuff.  The recipe actually called for whipped cream (as in, real cream that has been whipped, not sugary stuff from a can).  I didn't have any cream so I used almost an entire small tub of sour cream and it worked great.  Then add in a ton of Parmesan cheese.  For the amount above (about 6 good sized potatoes) I used about 3/4 cup.  Of course a little butter, salt and pepper to taste is always welcome.  The cheese and cream make the potatoes amazingly light and fluffy.  Then you just butter a dish and coat it with bread crumbs, plop the mashed potatoes in and stick them in the oven until they brown up on top.  I would have browned these longer, but I misjudged how long it would take and started the rest of my meal too soon.  Next time I'll make sure they have at least a good 30 minutes on about 400 degrees to get good and crispy.  Paired with a grilled steak (my cast-iron grill pan is a good idea in itself) and some steamed asparagus this meal was about as delicious as they come.

A note for budget-conscious carnivores:  we save money around here by splitting one fat steak and loading up on delicious and more reasonably priced potatoes.  Eat your steak and keep your money, too.  Yum.

 

Good Idea #21: Love of My Life

One of my favorite bloggers, Jen, got a pretty awesome Valentine's gift from her husband Kev.  He set up a website where people from all over the world can share their love.  Participants simply print out the Love of My Life flyer, take a picture of it wherever they want, upload it to the site and dedicate it to a loved one.  In just a few weeks there have been posts from all over the world.

So get in the Valentine's spirit and dedicate a flyer to a loved one.  Head over to withoutyouitsjustnot.us to see all the posts and to share the love!

Good Idea #20: Two Free Projects

We're getting to the point in our lives when we're thinking about buying a house.  The lease on our apartment is up in a few months so in hopes that we might not have to renew we're saving like crazy.  This means we're working on a zero dollar decorating budget.  Here are two quick updates that I did this week without spending a dime:

I am always up for some good shelving.  Unfortunately floating shelves haven't ended up being a priority in our decorating budget.  I decided, money or not, I really wanted a shelf above the little desk that we have in our bedroom.  So I made one out of a cardboard box.  I had a really sturdy shoebox lying around, so I simply cut the end off the cover, angled the corners and covered it with my favorite sturdy wrapping paper from Ikea.  Covering the corners was a little tricky and took some patience, but it's hung pretty high up so you can't see the imperfections.  Of course a cardboard shelf doesn't do much for our book collection, but it makes a perfect little decorative display for some photo mats and a little mahogany buffalo.

I think it adds a little height and interest to the wall over the desk.

We've also had this big blank wall in our apartment for the two and a half years that we've lived in this apartment:

This September we bought two large photographs of Zion National Park for ourselves for our first wedding anniversary.  They came mounted on museum board but not framed.  For the last five months they've been sitting in our bedroom just waiting for a mischievous cat to take a good swipe at them.  Needless to say we've been getting pretty anxious to get them up on the wall, but with no budget for custom framing I had to resort to other methods.  There was no way I was going to ruin the photos or museum board with double stick tape or by sticking tacks through it, so I ended up simply tacking the top and bottom of the pictures with nails:

It ended up working really well and is a great temporary way to get the photos off the floor and fill that empty wall at the same time.

Little things like this freshen up and add new life to a living space and of course save money for bigger and better things! 

And... Click here for four more quick and easy project ideas on ApartmentTherapy.com.

Good Idea #19: Nick Dothée

There are so many things that I love about Nick Dothée.  Since I have the privilege of knowing him personally I can testify that he is one of the sweetest, most down-to-earth, honest souls that I know.  These traits translate perfectly into his music.  Nick's first Solo EP, My Own Devices, set to release tomorrow comes straight from the heart.  Listening to it you can feel Nick's  process of learning, growth and discovery and the importance that music holds in his life.  I have had the privilege of interviewing Nick twice in the last year.  Once shortly after his move to Portland and again in anticipation of the new EP.  Check out both interviews at: www.nw23rdav.wordpress.com.

Photo by Corey Bruce www.aislinncreative.com

My Own Devices will be available tomorrow, February 8th on iTunes, Amazon, and in select stores.  Mp3 downloads and hard copies are available now and always at www.nickdothee.com.

Click here to read my first interview with Nick from June 2010.

Click here to read my new interview with Nick and find out more about the music, the EP, the release and upcoming shows.

Always visit www.nickdothee.com to find out more.  And tell your friends.

In April, Nick will release a live EP, The Secret Society Sessions.  Personally I am really looking forward to that release.  In the little bit of a preview that I've heard, the live setting really brings out the honesty in Nick's music.  It will include vocals by Jordan Harris as well live piano and violin.  It's just a little teaser, but I love love love this video and I'm so very excited for the release and to see Nick perform live starting next month.

Good Idea #18: A Secret Ingredient

Before today I had never, ever heard of adding cinnamon to beef stew.  But I heard it this morning on a morning show cooking segment and I thought I might as well give it a try for dinner tonight.  Well.  Let me tell you.  If you didn't know about this little secret already you simply must try it.  Also, this dish happens to be super healthy.  Bonus.

I didn't have all the ingredients that were used in the TV segment so I had to improvise a little.  We're on a budget around here so we use what we have.  Click below to keep reading and see what I did.

Good Idea #17: Josh Ritter

Another new(ish) discovery on my part.  Josh Ritter has been around for a while, but has remained a low key singer-songwriter type.  What I love most is that he really can sing.  This must be such a hard song to do live but he kills it.  The song is "Idaho" off Animal Years (2006) and it is one of my favorites.  Check out www.joshritter.com for more info and to listen to more tracks.  Enjoy.

Good Idea #16: Pink Polka Dots

www.pinkpolkadotsguild.net

This week three lovely young ladies from the Seattle area were on The Nate Berkus Show to share their mission of raising money for the research and treatment of brain tumors at Seattle Children's Hospital.  They are the creators of the Pink Polka Dots Junior Guild, created in 2006 in memory of their eleven year old friend Sydney, who died from a rare form of brain tumor.  The Guild raises money through donations, events, and the sale of handmade crafts including a collection of cards.

If you're in the Seattle area look for the girls and their products at local farmers markets and craft fairs, as well as at Seattle Children's Hospital.  Otherwise you can donate or buy the cards online at www.pinkpolkadotsguild.net.  I'm excited to buy some of these cards myself and to support these amazing young ladies and their cause.

Good Idea #15: Bicyclepaintings.com

I love love love this website.  It has paintings and prints of all sorts of bicycles.  Everything is original and priced for every budget - from $20 to $500.  I can't wait to pick something up from here.

Check it out at: www.bicyclepaintings.com

Good Idea #14: Super Easy DIY Pins

This is pretty much the easiest thing ever and a great use for some old jewelry.  I acquired some clip-on earrings from my grandmother that I loved, but who has use for clip-on earrings?  So I went to Michaels and got myself some pin backs and E6000 multi-purpose adhesive.  I also got some plain pushpins at Home Depot; amazingly, the only place I could find them.  I swear there have to be plain flat pushpins meant for crafting somewhere in the world, but I couldn't find any for the life of me so regular rounded ones would have to do the trick.  It turned out that with the super-thick E6000 glue it wasn't a problem.  I was able to pull the clips off the earrings pretty easily with a pair of pliers.  The rest is kind of a no-brainer, so I won't do a step by step, but here are photos.

 

If you're wondering, the lovely ornaments are from Jackie Bos.  Find similar items in her etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/jackiepeppermint

Good Idea #13: Get Rid of 50 Things -or- Use It or Lose It

This is a great idea for anyone trying to declutter, organize or simplify (and who isn't?).  It's kind of like doing a detox to jump start a diet.  Just getting rid of a couple things here and there might help, but it's not going to make a major difference.  Getting rid of a full 50 things on the other hand, you will notice.  Yes, I'm saying if you detox your belongings and your home will get skinny.  It's not as easy as it sounds, either.  Does it sound easy?  If it does, just wait.  Start making that list and you start running out of things to get rid of real fast.  And no cheating.  The trash from the back seat of your car doesn't count.  You have to get rid of 50 real things.  And I'm making it even harder for myself by grouping similar items.  It would be a lot easier if I counted all of the old magazines I want to get rid of individually.

 

So here's my personal twist on the Get Rid of 50 Things idea. I may want to live clutter free and I may be restricted on storage space, but I am also budget conscious and environment conscious.  Going around just throwing things out left and right doesn't necessarily mix well with saving money or saving the earth.  For example, if I get rid of all my old t-shirts that I wear to bed, I'm just going to have to buy new pajamas sooner, right?  And what a waste if I throw out magazines that I've never read.  Professional organizers around the world just cringed.  But I came up with a solution to this dilemma and I'm calling it the Use It or Lose It plan.  All those old magazines?  If I can't get rid of them without reading them first - read them!  Then I can toss them in the recycling bin in peace.

I'll get to work on those magazines, but my first Use It or Lose It project is the bathroom.  My bathroom has a pretty decent amount of storage compared to a lot of city apartments and apparently this has turned me into a hoarder.  I'm a pretty minimalistic beauty product using / makeup wearing kind of girl.  I don't need a vanity full of lotions, sprays, perfumes, lipsticks and hair products.  But somehow I acquire these things; things I needed for a certain occasion, was given, or got as sample.  Ohh the samples.  I absolutely can not turn down free stuff and I'm not afraid to admit it.  The problem is, I'm always saving this stuff for a special occasion so I never end up using up any of it.  So here's my plan:  I put out a little organizer right on the counter top in my bathroom and I put all the stuff I want to get rid of in it.  Right where I can see it all.  And I'm going to use it.

So I can make any day a special occasion and try out that little lipstick sample.  And next time I go out to dinner I won't forget to spray on some of that old perfume that's only about 10 sprays away from being empty.  And next time I get out of the shower I can use the lotion out of that little hotel bottle I swiped instead of the lotion that I just bought.  And soon enough those little things will be gone and I won't have any moral dilemma about getting rid of them.  Anything that I can't use when it's sitting right in front of me gets chucked, too.  Use it or lose it, sister.  Good idea.

Good Idea #12: Mumford & Sons

I might be a minute or two behind the times in discovering Mumford & Sons but if there was ever a great example of better late than never this might just be it.  I recently decided that I was in need of some new music and happened to have a fresh new Amazon gift card gifted to me for Christmas (thanks Yeomans!).  So what better album to choose than Amazon's number one album of 2010?  What a fantastic decision.  It turns out this London-based band's energetic take on an irishy, folky, bluegrassy sound is exactly what I needed to warm up my winter playlist.  Mumford & Sons first album, Sigh No More was released in October 2009 in the UK and February 2010 in the US.  They are nominated for two Grammy Awards and three BRIT awards.  Visit www.mumfordandsons.com to find out more.

Good Idea #11: DIY Dresser Makeover

Update:  July 6, 2011

Thanks for visiting These Good Ideas!  My husband and I recently bought a house and I've since transferred most of my writing energy over to our new joint home-owning blog.  If you want to see more of my designs, DIY projects and good ideas check out the new blog:  www.twoseekhome.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading!

Original Post:

This dresser makeover has been a long time coming.  The dresser is a thrift store find, and while it is in good condition, it's not the highest quality construction.  Over the three years that I have owned it, the bottom of the top drawer has warped and broken free of the rest of the drawer, leaving my delicates free to wander out into the depths of the back of the dresser.  Our attempts at fixing this problem include both packing tape and slightly more successful gorilla tape, and finally some drawer organizers that simply kept small items contained rather than wandering free in the still sagging drawer.

Recently, however, a few things happened that moved my dresser makeover along a little bit.  First, the second drawer of the dresser broke completely.  The back of the drawer fell clear off, leaving no support for the flimsy bottom or the clothes contained therein.  Then I came across an old DIY tutorial on Design Sponge describing how to construct drawer dividers out of cardboard (click here to see the article).  While I was not in need of dividers, I was inspired by the suggestion to cover the bottom of the drawer with wrapping paper.  This was just the motivation I needed to pull those drawers out and get fixing.  Furthermore, I recently inherited some jewelry from my grandmother who moved out of her home a few months ago.  This left the top of my dresser in disarray and in need of organization, so I figured I might as well find a fix for that too.

Keep reading to see my full dresser fix-up and clean-up project and for some helpful tips.

Holiday Recap

I may be a bit late on this, but I just couldn't wait until next Christmas to share all these holiday memories and ideas.  So here is what my Christmas and New Year season looked like, along with a few good ideas to stash away in your stocking until next year:

Leavenworth, WA 

 

Our Christmas season began with an early-December trip to Leavenworth for the annual Lighting Festival.  The residents of this little Bavarian village nestled in the mountains of central Washington deck the whole town in lights, line the streets with fire pits and open the doors of shops full of candy, clothing, home good and novelties to Christmas shoppers. 

If you're in the Northwest during the holidays, Leavenworth is a fun and festive way to get in the spirit. 
To learn more about Leavenworth, visit www.leavenworth.org

Holidays Around Here

This year we went for simplicity in our holiday decorating, focusing on natural elements and neutral colors.  I went a little green, re-purposing paper bags from holiday shopping as wrapping and chose the rest of my wrapping paper selection to match.  My favorite new addition to my wrap collection this year was heavy weight black and brown paper from Ikea.

These holiday penguins were hand-made by my very talented mother.  She sent them to us along with the hand-made Christmas trees that you can see above the gifts in the first picture the first winter we lived in Oregon.  They have made an appearance ever year and will continue to for many many more.

This leather Zuny reindeer is one of my most prized Christmas decorations.  It is actually a memo clip (the head is attached to the body by a magnet) and the movable head makes it all the more adorable.  Zuny has an amazing line of leather animal home accessories that are beautiful, sometimes useful and will brighten up any home.  Go to http://www.zuny.info/

Keep reading to see more of my natural Christmas scheme and more holiday adventures!

Good Idea #10: New Year's Resolutions

I mentioned before Thanksgiving that I wanted to Take Advantage of the Holidays this year and I think I've done a pretty good job.  At Thanksgiving I kept track of the things that I am thankful for, at Christmas I gave, although there is always more we can give, and now at the start of the new year I'm making some resolutions.

1. Watch less television.  We don't even have cable, and I still manage to watch hours of TV on some days.  Now mind you, this isn't the sitting-around-staring-at-Judge Judy-doing-a-whole-lot-of-nothing kind of TV watching we're talking about here, but it's not much better.  I think I've just become accustomed to the sound of voices in the house, especially when I'm home alone.  The problem is, whether it's The Today Show, reruns of I Dream of Jeannie or the news, it can be distracting.  Especially when your daily chores are things like laundry, dishes and vacuuming it's easy to procrastinate when Matt Lauer is talking about dog wardrobes for winter.  So this year I'll be leaving the TV for movie nights and other such special occasions and, I hope, getting a whole lot more done.

2. Save more money.  I hope that in the near future I will be able to quit barista-dom once and for all in the interest of focusing on writing, school and family.  However, choosing to enter the world of the starving artist takes a little practice.  Living off one salary will be a little bit tight, and if we want to continue saving for a house it will have to be even tighter.  So with my new found time from watching less TV, I will plan our budget more carefully, clip coupons and hunt for bargains.  Save more money now, worry less later.

3. Read more.  For someone with a degree-and-a-half in English (yeah, that's right), my Goodreads list is pretty pathetic.  To make matters works, Portland has pretty much the worlds best bookstore and I've had very little opportunity to take advantage of it.  But, in the interest of resolution #2, I'll start by reading all the unread books I've collected over the past few years and go from there.

4. Write more.  I want to be a writer, so I should probably be writing... right?  Yeah, probably.  I've been saying for a while now that the key to writing is to do it every day.  Well, what better time than the new year to start sticking to it.

5. Be more conscious of what I eat.  This isn't a weight-loss kind of thing, but rather a health kind of thing.  When your second resolution is save more money, eating nothing but pasta and potatoes sounds like a pretty good idea.  Fresh vegetables, lean chicken and fish, not so much.  But there must be some kind of balance and I aim to find it.

6. Exercise more.  When you pull a muscle reaching for something on the top shelf, you should probably be taking advantage of those yoga dvds you have lying around.  Just saying.

7. Leave the house every day.  I have this problem where I REALLY like being at home.  Don't get me wrong, I think it's great to like to be at home; the home should be a sacred space.  But leaving the house at least once encourages things like exercising and socializing... and putting on real clothes. I think these are good things to aspire to.

8. Learn more about design.  I've always had an interest in design, but for some reason it has never occurred to me that I could do anything with it other than redecorate my bedroom.  This year, I plan to make a full-blown hobby out of it and if it takes me nowhere else, at least I will have the most awesome house in town.

9. and 10.  I don't want to jinx it.  All I'm saying is, if I stick to these resolutions 2011 will be a very good year.

Good Idea #9: Design Sponge

I just discovered a great website. Since Grace Bonney began her blog in 2004, Design Sponge has squeezed out much more than just design advice. Along with several contributors, Bonney supplies readers with everything from recipes to gift ideas to diy projects to current trends and even a brilliant guest blog. It's really everything a blogger could hope to aspire to and is an awesome inspiration for so many parts of life.

Check out Design Sponge now at:

www.designspongeonline.com