The Saturday Solution

Today’s Saturday Solution is really twofold.

Blog Sunroom 1

1)  Everybody knows this, but it’s always amazing to me to see what a difference a fresh paint color and a new window treatment makes.  We had the old “builder’s white” in the sun room, and ivory honeycomb blinds along with drapery toppers.  It looked pretty parlor-like.  This was intended to be a TV room, although we often watched TV at the kitchen table.

Blog Den 1

We changed things up, with the thought that the sun room would become the Hubster’s domain…and the kitchen table would only be for EATING.  That worked out pretty well, except that the SUN room has a lot of windows, plus it faces the southwest.  It gets pretty warm in the summertime, and the brightness (even through the blinds) isn’t the best for TV and computer screen viewing, which is probably why we watched TV in the kitchen.

Blog Den 2

Two coats of Benjamin Moore Grasslands and some fairly heavy drapery panels from Bed, Bath & Beyond later, it’s a much happier Hubster hangout.  All the draperies easily pull closed — it actually gets dark in there!  It also didn’t hurt that we put in a new (bigger) TV, a comfy recliner, moved the old kitchen table with a couple of chairs in there, and a…

Blog Bar 1

2)  BAR.  Okay, truthfully, I’ve never know the Hubster to ever go and just fix himself a drink.  It’s more of a liquor storage cabinet in our house, but that’s pretty awesome by itself…it freed up a cabinet in my space-challenged kitchen!

Blog Bar 2

This functional spirits cabinet is from Crate & Barrell.  It’s the Parker Spirits Cabinet, and I love how unobtrusive and compact it is when it’s all closed up.  It’s right around the corner from our living room, so the location is perfect for entertaining, and the size is just right for townhouse living.

Blog Bar 3

Cheers! and thanks for stopping by.

Sue

 

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Design Wall Monday

I’ve been making kits and cutting up kits I already have.  I now have six kits completely cut and ready to sew:

Blog Kits

This will be great for retreats because I won’t be hauling around extra fabric.  Or waiting for a turn at the cutting tables.

As a follow-up to The Saturday Solution where I shared One Good Thing by Jillee’s post for folding a t-shirt in two seconds…I went back to Jillee’s post and read some of the comments that came in.

Blog Folded shirt

There was a comment by “Jo” (sorry, I don’t have a link or more information than that) stating that she takes it a step further.  After doing the two-second fold, she then folds it in half again, from top to bottom,

Blog Folded upright

then places the shirts in the drawer on end, reminding me of file folders.  She even arranges hers by color.  I think this will really work, because you can see enough of the shirt to identify it.  You can just pluck out the shirt you want without disturbing ten other shirts!

Go HERE to see The Saturday Solution post about folding t-shirts in two seconds.  Then come right back and click on the link below to visit Judy Laquidara’s Design Wall Monday!

Sue

Linking to Judy Laquidara’s Design Wall Monday post.

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The Saturday Solution…T-Shirts

(Yes, “Put-It-Away Saturday” only lasted one week…it was too limiting.)  So now it’s The Saturday Solution — my best organization, homemaking, or better-living find of the week that I think is too good not to share!

This week’s find is from the blog One Good Thing by Jillee.  I enjoy reading her blog, and she is listed in the right-hand sidebar under “Fun Places”.

June 23_edited-2

This week Jillee shared Skylar Grey’s method of folding a t-shirt in two seconds!  Okay, I have to admit, I didn’t time it, and I doubt that I was QUITE that fast, but I was maybe done in three seconds.  The good news is how much more fun t-shirts are to fold.  Bonus:  The Hubster was interested in seeing this technique (it sorta looks like a magic trick), and so of course he had to fold a few too!!!  I only wish I knew about this when my three sons were teenagers and there was basket after basket of t-shirts every week.

Click HERE for the specific “One Good Thing” t-shirt folding post, complete with excellent photos and a video.

Give it a try.  When you have the technique down, be sure to demonstrate it in front of your family members.  I’m betting they will want to try it too!  Worth a shot…

Sue

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What’s on My Needles?

ShawlI’m still working on the Aestlight Shawl by Gudrun Johnston.  So far, it couldn’t be easier.  I’m about five rows from starting the lace pattern, so I have to say I’m a little excited over the prospect of doing something other than garter stitch.

The yarn is Crock-O-Dye by Knit One Crochet Too.  Color 559.  It is lovely to work with as it’s 65% superwash wool, 20% nylon, and 15% silk.

Linking to Judy Laquidara’s Patchwork Times.

 

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Put-It-Away Saturday

I am slowly working my way through my house, trying to restore order, and finding new solutions in organization (and purging all along the way).  I thought some of you might be interested in my best organization find of the week, and so that will be my Saturday post for a while.  A major emphasis will be on my quilting/sewing/crafting room , but today I’m starting with my kitchen counter.  I didn’t take a “before” picture, so I looked for a reasonable facsimile on line (hahaha):

While I was trolling on line for a sewing room ideas, I found a great counter solution instead on Lovely Craft Home.  This is similar to other systems I’ve seen but this one was JUST RIGHT for me.

The supplies are simple:  a desk-top file container (bought at Office Max for $8.99), some hanging files, a couple of binder clips, and some files labels.  You could also add a pencil cup and a magazine holder.

BlogKitchenFile

I added a magazine rack laying on its back alongside for my personal planner, a journal, and a couple of notebooks.  Yes, I am a notebook junkie!

I like our family calendar clipped to the side of the file box.  If I wanted a cleaner look for company (or wanted the calendar to be more private), I will just turn the calendar to the wall.   This particular desk file is rigid, and I can tip the whole thing on its side to write on the calendar without unclipping it.  The old home for the calendar was on the side of the refrigerator.  Every once in a while, it would fall down between the cabinet and the ‘fridge.  Well, that problem is history!

BlogKitchenFileClose

I have a place for a birthday list, action items, coupons, addresses, quilting (paper items waiting to go down to the sewing room), recipes that haven’t made it to a book yet, things I want to save temporarily, a personal one where I put a couple of medical notes I want to keep handy, and a travel folder.  I’m sure I’ll be doing some editing of these categories, but it’s a good starting point.

Everything is at hand, and I’m done straightening and re-straightening my paper piles.

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