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Cleaning |
Cheap
décor
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Pretty
pots
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Car
advice crafts |
Broccoli & Vitamin K |
Dumplings |
Paying bills |
Garden catalogs
Clean
and green
Next time you get the urge to clean, consider natural alternatives
to the harsh and sometimes toxic chemicals stored beneath most kitchen
sinks. Rather than breathe the fumes of ammonia, chlorine or lye,
discover the virtues of vinegar, baking soda and borax.
Grandma's Attic has a list of vinegar
cleaning tips, including this one: remove the soap scum from
shower curtains with a vinegar bath. For the tub, Grandma suggests
dipping a sponge in hot water and then borax. Works on tile, too.
The New Homemaker cleans her tub with a homemade soft scrub cleanser,
a combination of baking
soda and dishwashing soap. She admits that elbow grease is the
ultimate green cleaner, but suggests some easier natural
alternatives.
Decorate
for pennies
Myria
says you can do a lot of decorating for a little money if you work
with the things you already own. Start like the pros: inventory
your attic, basement, closets looking for photos, frames (both with
artwork or without), china, baskets, candle holders, silver, fabric
… you get the picture.
Use one wall to display similar items together, such as a montage
of old family photos or a grouping of plates. Paint old or unsightly
frames to coordinate with each other. Remember: A collection is
anything you have more than one of, such as candlestick holders,
photo frames, painted boxes, tea cups, or dolls. Show the world
what your interests are.
Pretty
pots
It won't be too long before houseplants will
be moving outdoors and you'll be celebrating spring with indoor
pots of daffodils and primroses. Decorate
terra cotta pots to make each arrangement special.
You don't need to be a fine artist to decorate a pot; even the
kids can grab a brush and help. The New Homemaker lets little ones
brush on a base coat, then applies tape before painting a second
coat to create stripes or checks of a different color.
Think of scenes from gardens, portraits of the flowers that will
go in the pot, handprints of your child, or arty squiggles. Anything
will work, especially if you group pleasing colors together.
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