There are luxuries, but in bad economic times this isn't the time for luxuries. If you're looking to whittle down on your budget, be sure that you're not giving in to luxuries.
We all seek joy and happiness. That seems to be the very purpose of our being. But in the U.S. especially, we continue to believe happiness comes from things we buy, whether it's a Porsche, an exotic trip, a fabulous haircut, or an upscale cup of cappuccino.
It's no secret that a thick, healthy lawn reduces the need for using water and fertilizer. If your lawn is starting to look thin and tired, and the weeds are starting to creep in, it may be time to give it a boost by overseeding it.
Now we all love warm sweet muffins, but there are a group of muffins that never get any recognition. They are called savory muffins because they are not sweet. They can be a herb muffin or one with vegetables instead of fruit.
This is the time to prepare for winter if you live in one of our colder states. Waiting until the last minute to prepare for the cold or an outage most often results in spending extra money or putting money out for repairs.
Price matching, asking a store to sell an item for the same price as another store, is a way to get the best deal in town. It's also a way to get the exact item that you're looking for.
I remember as a child, my mother would save small soap pieces and put them it hot water and mush them up, making liquid soap. We would use it to wash our hands. There were other things she did, such as saving any food containers.
Our 11 year old daughter is hosting a Halloween Party this year for about 10 kids. We plan on wearing costumes, trick-or treating and watching movies But what would a Halloween Party be without some Tricks and Treats?
Leaves are a type of free fertilizer, and yet we pay our cities to haul our free fertilizer away every fall, and then buy unnatural, non-organic chemicals, or organic fertilizers in the spring to replenish our lawns.
What do you get when you use a five gallon bucket as a tea pot, a burlap sack as a tea bag, two shovels of compost as tea leaves, and molasses as a sweetener? The answer is compost tea.
A "fool the eye" bookcase made from wallpaper borders. Depending on the size you want your bookcase, cut the border featuring books into pieces of equal length. For the "shelves", cut the wood grain border into narrow strips.
This is a LCD tea light in a jar with a lamp shade made from scrapbook paper. I used a vintage glass jelly jar, but you can also use a baby food jar or any other small jar.
Towel Hanger in the shape of a dress. Chain 27, join as a circle. Chain 3 and turn. Row 1: Make 2 double crochets in each of the stitches, for a total of 54 around.
Story Jar made from recycled kitchen jars. After the contents of the jar is emptied, wash and dry. If you want a "peep hole" in the front, cut peel-n-stick shelf paper the desired shape and place it where you want it, then paint the jar.
Take a man's size large crew neck white tee shirt. Take pants and shirt that fit your toddler and lay them out on the shirt. Cutout around the pants and shirt 1 inch larger. Cut out large "spots" from black fabric.
Fold the paper in half to make a triangle, then fold again. Starting from the folded edge, but parallel to the long side of the triangle, make 5 equal cuts, stopping about 1/4 inch from the opposite side.
Popeye's arms are two pairs of tights (one inside the other) stuffed in the middle with stuffing and sewn to the sleeve of his shirt. I used some red material to pin around his neck for his collar and his yellow karate belt for his waist.
Felt mittens make handy bookmark. Draw a template of a mitten 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Use it to cut four scraps of felt. (The palms of the mittens can be a contrasting color.)
We cut the stake body out of a photocopier paper box and spray painted it black. For the logs, we cut foam swimming pool noodles down to size and 'strapped' them in with a length of duct tape. We used a pair of suspenders to hold the box onto our son's back.
This is a very basic and clean costume that uses 2 button down shirts, a pair of gray cut slacks, white/gray striped leggings and a pair of boots. The hair style would be best if it was a big curl at the top of the head.
This is a LCD tea light in a jar with a lamp shade made from scrapbook paper. I used a vintage glass jelly jar, but you can also use a baby food jar or any other small jar.
Story Jar made from recycled kitchen jars. After the contents of the jar is emptied, wash and dry. If you want a "peep hole" in the front, cut peel-n-stick shelf paper the desired shape and place it where you want it, then paint the jar.
Hi, I always wanted to purchase granite countertops but could never afford them. After accidentally coming across your website, I decided I can try to paint my cream Formica counters to resemble granite.
Trixie is a two year old Pug. After much research into the perfect dog for children (young and old alike) that could handle apartment to farm lifestyle we found Trixie from a local breeder in the area of FL where we were living at the time.
Jack Daniels is a one and a half year old German Shepherd/Red Husky. I rescued him from a broken home. He loves to play frisbee! He's a great guard dog, very intelligent, and always playful.
Pooh Bear is a Chinese Goose, that we think is three months old. We've had Pooh about a month. He was a runt and since I've gotten him he has shown a malformed foot and wing. He is handicapped and loved.
Lady is a four year old Pomeranian. I got her 4 years ago as a birthday gift. She loves to grab hold of her 'boyfriend's' tail. He drags her all over the yard. A sight for sore eyes indeed! In this photo, she is ready to go to a luau with us.
I'm searching for patterns for Christmas ornaments that are made from plastic canvas and hold a Hershey Kiss inside. I've seen a Santa and a reindeer. They are great gifts for kids or to use as a decoration on packages. Does anyone have the patterns that they could share?
I'm a newbie here, but not a newbie to DIY. Somebody's gotta do it. I've spent 2 days reading and looking at all of your beautiful countertops and making notes. Now I'm down to trying to figure out what sealant to use, so would like to take a vote.
I love my Formica countertops (they look like granite and need less maintenance), but am looking for a way to add a permanent glossy/shiny finish to them. I've been using the polishes that Formica recommended (such as Counter Top Magic, etc.) for quite some time, but they always have to be reapplied.
Any tips to rehydrate dried beans in hard water? I tried a tsp of table salt, but no luck. I soak over night, but they stay hard. Cooking and cooling doesn't work either. Thanks and God bless.
I have had an ongoing problem that is driving me crazy. My system appears to be running correctly and I have Norton 2009 internet security installed. My computer is set to automatically run any tests and updates.
I'd love to make a ham loaf, but I never see ground ham anywhere. I have a meat grinder, could I buy a canned ham and grind it? Would it be too salty? What should I use?
The house my husband and I are about to purchase has beautiful tile countertops and nice floors in the kitchen. The cabinets have been painted white though, and I'm not too crazy about it. Any suggestions on what to do to improve the kitchen?
My house had a small fire. The dryer caught on fire, and the pantry it was in had a little fire damage. The kitchen and bathroom have smoke, water, and black soot and a heavy black dust on them. What should I do?
I need some new inspiration. What does your Thanksgiving Day menu include? I am looking for ideas from main dish, to sides, to dessert etc. (Links to recipes online if you have them would be great as well.) Many thanks.
