Why Didn't I Think of That?

My mom sent me a forward that had all these pics and this info in it. I have no idea where it came from, but I thought there were some interesting ideas here. Some I had heard before, but some were new to me. We all need more tips for the everyday problems, right? I figured I would pass on some enlightenment! :)

Above:

Overhaul your linen cupboard, store bed linen setsinside one of their own pillowcases and there willbe no more hunting through piles for a match.

Below:

Install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles.

Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV orcomputer screen with WD40.
Hull strawberries easily using a straw.

Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniturewill disguise dings and scrapes.

Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch boxby securing with a rubberband. Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone & iPodin a bowl. The concave shape amplifies the music.. Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags.

Add this item to your beach bag. Baby powdergets sand off your skin easily, who knew?!
(I see this pic is from i heart naptime.)

Attach a Velcro strip to the wall to store soft toys.

Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rollsagainst the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the floor.

Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting astocking over the vacuum hose..Make an instant cupcake carrier by cuttingcrosses into a box lid.

For those who can’t stand the scrunching and bunching: how to perfectly fold a fitted sheet.

Forever losing your bathroom essentials? Usemagnetic strips to store bobby pins, tweezersand clippers, behind a vanity door.

Store shoes inside shower caps to stop dirtysoles rubbing on your clothes. And you can find them in just about every hotel.

A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy. Magnetshold the plastic cups down to make themtip-resistant.Bread tags make the perfect cord labels.

Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones, so much more fun and easier for kids to eat.

Microwave your own popcorn in a plain brown paperbag. Much healthier and cheaper than the packet stuff.

Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-doughover the top and voila, you have cookie bowls for fruitor ice-cream.

Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothingsunburn relief.

Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.

Use egg cartons to separate and store yourChristmas decorations.

Sailing on the O'Day

My step-dad, Ken, is a sailing man. It's really where his heart is, and we were lucky enough (thank you Lord for decent wind) to get to experience sailing with someone who has such a passion for it. It was a beautiful day in Beaufort, with unseasonably cool (in the 80's) weather. Andre, Cash, Ken, and I went out in the Beaufort inlet for a relaxing morning on the O'Day23.

Downtown Beaufort is centered around a main street, Front Street, and it sits...literally...right on the water. One side of the road is filled with boat docks, and waterfront restaurants, and the other side with charming little shops. Anyway, when you are walking by the docks, you can look out and mere yards away is Carrot Island running parallel to Front Street. On this island there are wild ponies that have lived there for hundreds of years. They are beautiful, and have a really interesting history of how they arrived on this island. It is said that the horses swam from Spanish ships that were sinking off the coast. The islands that the ponies live on is a wildlife reserve, and has been untouched by man. I am totally intrigued by the ponies, and thought you might like them, too. Apparently, there are wild horses all along island down the Outer Banks.

Click on photos to enlarge, and see them better!

A BIRD AND A BEAN GIVEAWAY

My good friend, Erin, over at A Bird and A Bean has a super cool giveaway going on until June 16th. Her dad hand makes these really neat pens ( ahhemmm....great Father's Day Gift...ahhemmm...) So shoot over there and enter . You might find yourself lucky!
OH! And be sure to tell Erin I sent you!
Can you believe these are handmade? That Dave Zimmer, he's a genius. (That's Erin's dad who makes them.)

Hope everyone is having a fab weekend!
Tracy

Yard Sale Fabulous FInds!

When we were visiting Erin and Kevin's house last week, we went yard sale-ing. We hadn't gone in a long time, which is weird cause we have always enjoyed it. I guess we thought it would be too much of a hassle with the kids tagging along. Anyway, we went and I fell in love with it all over again. We took the kids and went at it again this weekend. Here are our FABULOUS FINDS from both weekends:
KY finds... aluminum tray with tulips

another aluminum tray ...this one with a handle and birds (love it!)Vintage embroidered pillow showing different birds in all four seasons. Super cute.

Vintage fabrics
I also got two vintage rings (costume jewelry) and a vintage pair of earrings. I forgot to photograph them, though. OOPS. Take my word for it....super super cool.:)

TN finds
vintage mushroom pic. Andre hates it, but I am going to spray paint the frame black, and I think it'll be perfect.
A large metal tin to keep my homemade laundry detergent in (this will come in later post)
A lovely striped pillow to add to my front porch bench.

Awesome picnic basket/carrier. Still had the tags on it, AND it's orange!
SEE?!?!!? Aren't these fabulous?

Not a Moment Too Soon

We finally found a time to hang this ...wall art...up. Yes, it's an X-RAY. Actually, the poster on the left was my Valentine gift to Andre, and we had the x-ray already. Why? Why would a normal non doctor have an x-ray, you ask? Well, we like interesting stuff. Andre worked at a doc's office for 3 years, and during that time we accumulated loads of odd pieces that were office cast offs. When I bought the poster, Andre decided it was obvious...the pair was made. I really like how it turned out, and it's in a great spot.

It's hard to tell, but the poster points to the heart and says, "You are here." Go on...say it..."awww..." I am a sweetie, right?

Our upstairs use to be the attic, so the stairs are really narrow. The x-ray hangs right as you walk up the stairs. It's going to be a great night light. :) It's quirky, but cool.
The view as you are walking up the stairs.
The view once you are on the landing looking down.

What Color Are You?

Every time I see one of these silly quizes, I feel a compulsion to take it. I think I just want to see if the outcome is really at all on target. This COLOR quiz was fairly accurate. At least, the definition was. I tend to be drawn to warm reds and oranges, but this one says yellow is my color.

"You are quite the powerful thinker. It’s this talent that allows you to overcome a plethora of great obstacles. Luckily, this doesn’t affect your ego and you give off a pretty easy-going appearance. You enjoy the finer things in life and also have an attraction to art. If you can help it, you try not to rock the boat. But you also can’t stop yourself from searching for new ideas, methods or styles. "


What do you think? Me? Or no? What about you???