If you are looking for something fun and easy to make for friends And neighbors, you may consider this edible wreath made from clementines. It was so much fun putting together these healthy and affordable gifts. I originally saw this adorable wreath idea a few years ago on this blog Omiyageblogs. Jump over to their site for all the DIY info on how to construct this wreath. Below is the original inspirational photo. They used Red bakers twine so Cute!! I changed it up a bit and used what I had on hand. (Raffia, sprig of fresh greens from our yard) Tip: you can find rolls of cellophane at Michael’s Craft store.

To learn how to make your own birdseed ornaments

please visit my original How to post here….

Cone-shaped Christmas trees made from sweaters are so fun to make…. just look for those perfect colored and patterned sweaters that fit with your Christmas color scheme.

Make your own cone bases or purchase cones from your local craft store.

For more ideas-

Check out our sweater cone trees shown in Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Craft Magazine.

Scroll down the page and click on the magazine image located on the bottom right.

up cycle some sweaters into Christmas trees

We’ve been working on it over this past year.

Go here to see the before Pt. 1 and here for part 2.

It’s actually been done except for cabinet hardware

for  several months. I just haven’t had time to take

pictures and post them.

Things we did to save money on this bathroom makeover:

!. painted existing wood cabinets gray.

2. purchased white counter from Ikea- $50

3. used peel and stick tile over the existing laminate floor (saved time and money)

4  purchased frameless mirrors off the rack at Lowes

5 lighting from Lowes or Home Depot (can’t remember which place)- $25.00

6 Sinks- Amazon- $79.95 each Ceramic Vessel Vanity Sink Art Basin

7. faucets- Amazon $54.95 Contemporary Bathroom Lavatory Vanity Vessel Sink Faucet

8. drain- Amazon $19.95 Bathroom Faucet Vessel Vanity Sink Pop Up Drain Stopper Without Overflow Brushed Nickel

9. Shower curtain- West Elm $30.00

10. Our biggest expense was covering the walls with bead-boards. 9 boxes- $144.00

11. DIY gold painted anchor art- so easy to make!! $10

Here’s a look at the before: For more pictures of the process… click HERE and HERE.

making sweater trees. I guess that’s

one way to stay warm.  Hope you all are snuggled up

and enjoying this Christmas season.

Here’s what is left of the old up-cycled sweater.

I normally don’t think of roses when I think of a fall table display, but this

photo captures a fall feeling in an unexpected way.

I love the charming vintage glasses that add that beautiful touch of autumn color.

100 Layer Cake

the inspired room

The fall-ish table display above showcases some fun owl accents:)

It seems like these days everyone has something that helps them get through the day, whether its an energy drink or coffee or a 44 oz drink from the gas station. I know for me when I need a pick me up I pull into the closest gas station or restaurant and get a Dr. Pepper. For most it is coffee; that rich, dark, wonderful brew! Whether you brew it at home or pick it up somewhere, that coffee maker is going to need to be cleaned. Here’s the best way that I have found to clean my Keurig one cup coffee maker.

You will need just a few things to complete this job and most people have them around the house. What you will need is vinegar, a clean microfiber cloth, dish soap, and if you have it a cleaning toothbrush. (This is just for the nooks and crannies so if you don’t have it don’t worry!)

First you need to take your Keurig apart. Remove the water tank, the bottom trays, and the K cup holder. Take apart the K cup holder and the water tank. All of these parts are dishwasher safe. If you don’t have a dishwasher just soak them in the sink with some dish soap for ten minutes and wipe clean. After that you want to assemble all the parts and get it ready to brew.

Fill the tank half way with vinegar and run it through the brew cycle until all of the vinegar is gone. Now fill the tank with water and repeat. This will get out any remaining dirt and clean away the vinegar taste. You Keurig should now be ready to brew you fresh cups of coffee any time you need it!

****
Getting less coffee in your cup each morning? Try the cleaning process above
and watch this video on how to clean the Keurig K-cup and brewer needles.

STARBUCKS LEMON LOAF

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
zest of one lemon

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
juice of 1/4 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat over to 350. Grease and flour one 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon extract and lemon juice with a mixer. Add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Add lemon zest and oil. Mix again to combine.
Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool just slightly while you make the glaze.
Prepare glaze by whisking ingredients to combine.
Remove bread from the pan and place on wire rack. Pour glaze over bread. Cool completely.

My friends and I had a great lunch complete with sandwiches, iced tea, homemade salsa and guacamole (yum) and this lovely lemon treat. Friends and food – now that is a great way to spend the day!

You can find a very similar printable version of this recipe HERE.

I find it rather interesting that the things that clean us, our clothes or our dishes are usually some of the dirtiest things in our house! Shouldn’t they be the cleanest? They always have soap or cleaning supplies in them so why not?!?!! This thinking is what led me to clean my washing machine after I noticed that there was caked on filth on the agitator and of course on the top and under the lid.

Once again I was cruising on Pinterest and I found an easy cleaning recipe for a top loading washer from One Good Thing By Jillee, a fellow blogger. She also has a cleaning recipe for a front loader which you can check out if you have one. However since I have a lovely top loader, I figured why not try it out?! If it doesn’t work it’s just a little time and even fewer supplies (once you see the simple recipe below you’ll understand what I mean!) So with that mindset I set to work. Unfortunately, I forgot to take some before and after pics, but we linked some of One Good Thing’s tutorial pics so you can get a better visual. If you are going to be home for the afternoon you can do this while you do other things around the house.

So according to her instructions, you want to fill your washer with the hottest possible setting for water first. Once it is filled, you add 1 quart of chlorine bleach. Set the washer to agitate for a minute and then let it sit for 1 hour. I set the alarm on my phone so I wouldn’t forget and that helped a lot!

Photo Credit: One Good Thing by Jillee

After the hour, I let it run through its longest cycle. When this was done, I filled it again with hot water and added 1 quart of distilled white vinegar. Once again, I let it agitate for a minute and then let it sit for an hour. This time, I took advantage of the gallons of hot water at my disposal and cleaned all around my dryer and the top of my washer and under the lid.

Photo Credit: One Good Thing by Jillee

When the time was up again, I ran it through the longest cycle one more time. I could see all the filth come pouring out!!! It’s rather gross…well at least mine was! After my cleaning I stood back and admired my new looking washer and dryer and felt such a sense of accomplishment and I hope you will too!

If you try this recipe, please let us know how it worked for you in the comments below!
Happy cleaning!

We’re just loving J.crew factory. But although their prices

are less than the regular J.crew store they still can be

over budget. With some

patience and in home closet shopping we were able to put together a

look for less that closely resembles the J.crew factory look on the left.

We shopped Nancy’s closet and found her Forever 21 $8 jeans

that fit the look of the j crew style. Her shoes were purchased at

TJ Maxx several months ago at a great price.

We were patient and waited for the purse and the white tanks

to go on clearance at

the Jcrew outlet mall and online at the Factory store.

Below are the pics and prices. We loved the

white tanks so much we grabbed two different styles.

Jcrew factory Look: Jean $74.50,  pumps $70.50,

tank original $78, purse original $148.

Our look: Jeans Forever 21 $7.80 (Nancy’s closet), pumps TJmaxx (Nancy’s closet),

J.crew factory white eyelet tank $34.99,

j. crew factory purse $44.98