How to make a gift bow....

I am the worst gift wrapper in the world....truly!  One Christmas I actually hired a girl in our youth group to wrap our gifts because I was too embarrassed to take mine to the family Christmas......(This was earlier in my marriage.....I've since learned!)


So I always stress when my kids go to birthday parties or we have gifts for weddings because my wrap-job looks like a 4 year old did it!


The other day, I was in Walmart and was getting school supplies but I walked past their bow section.  Now for some of you, this is basic bow making 101....for me, it was complete enlightenment and I suddenly realized how to make a fluffy-looking bow!


So...just in case there are others like me....gift-wrapping inept....here's how to make a store-bought bow!


Cut some long lengths of ribbon.......about 3-4 feet each.

After you have cut about 20ish lengths of ribbon, fold them in half and tie with another piece of ribbon to secure the bunch.

Using scissors, curl your ribbon lengths.  (I only have a few lengths here, but when I made my actual bow I had a lot more ribbon!)

And that's it....truly an awakening for me!

Now if I could only learn how to wrap!!

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How to fix a clogged drain.....

{Bathroom grim at it's best!}

Warning:  GRAPHIC photos of moldy bathroom, grimy, drain-clogged goo to follow.......

I'm growing my hair long.....my husband has been asking me to do this for 14 years and I've always found an excuse not to.....I'm now out of excuses......

What that means in real-life is a constant supply of CLOGGED DRAINS!!  (It's not just me....my daughter has long hair, too! )

So I am making this post for myself so that I have picture instructions for next month when I need to do this again!

Now I realize....not all drains are alike.....if you happen to have one like mine, you are in luck, if not....go ask your husband for help! LOL

So.......crawl under you sink and look at the pipes.....your drain-plugger thinger is attached to stuff underneath...(Sorry....I have no idea what this stuff is called! ) 

I needed to squeeze the clip that was attached to the skinny metal rod to remove it.

After I squeezed it together I was able to slide it off that skinny metal rod.....that made that skinny metal rod loose....do you see the big screw in the top center of the picture....

You want to remove it.....remember "lefty loosy, righty tighty!"  (See Dad....I learned something! )

Once you have loosened that screw the whole piece will slide out of your pipe......

*Now here's an important little note......you've now made a HOLE in your pipe...any water you run will pour OUT OF THAT HOLE!! 

(Yes...the first time I did this, I didn't know about that wee-little hole and had to use about 5 towels to soak up all the water...grr!)

Once that piece slide out of your pipe, your drain-stopper-thingy will come right out of the drain......and this is where it's about to get GROSS!

There was just no way to crop this photo.....every time I did, it made the drain-stopper bigger and the mold come closer to the viewer!

The first thing I do is stick a paper towel down the drain to get the first round of gunk.....

And then I spray lots of this......like mist hanging in the air a lot!

Truly...it's like a science experiment down there.....hair + toothpaste = a substance that could be used as a weapon of mass destruction!  The smell alone made me want to vomit! (.....but I take comfort in that fact that we ALL have drain innards that look like this! )

If you drain is really bad (like mine!), you may need to dive down there with the needle-nose pliers.....

And for anyone still reading this post.....just work the directions in reverse and put everything back together.....always making sure to CHECK FOR LEAKS before you walk away and call the job done!

Happy plumbing!!

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How to Hang Beadboard Wallpaper

{An easy backsplash idea}

I was very nervous to start this project......I really was indecisive about whether or not I would like the beadboard....would it be yet "another color" in the kitchen to match?.....would it be a hard project?.......did I really know how to hang wallpaper on my own??....didn't I vow to myself to never again use wallpaper???  (I drive myself CRAZY with decision making!)

One Saturday morning, my hubby had our kids at the AWANA games and I just decided to go for it.....to take the risk.....afterall, the entire roll only cost $16!

I am SOOOO glad that I did because hanging beadboard wallpaper was a SUPER easy job and I just LOVE it!!  My kids were amazed by the progress I would make in only an hour's time!

Unfortunately, while I was hanging the wallpaper, the stabilizer on my camera was turned off so EVERY picture was blurry.....I'm going to do my best to recreate the scene!

First, pick a starting point.  I decided to paper to the door so that was my starting point.   I also had an easy break at the window! (Please ignore the blurry, it looks like a 2-year old-took-the-shot picture!)

I decided how high on the wall I wanted the paper to go and I used a little level and drew a level line.  The big thing about wallpaper is that the first piece HAS GOT TO BE STRAIGHT!  Otherwise, it just continues to get "out of plumb."  (I think that is the official way to say it just gets more and more crooked!)

I lined my piece up with the framing around the door.  I figured that since the contractors put that in, it should be straight. (HA!)

I was careful to use my husband's T-square to make all of my paper cuts so that I was working with straight lines.

As I worked my way around, I had some issues......I wasn't worried because I knew that I was going to cover that with trim. 

See.....all gone!

A $2.00 piece of foam trim took care of that problem!

Make sure that you pay attention to the "top" and the "bottom" of the wallpaper.  The right and left side look different to help you line the ends up.  I almost hung a piece upside-down!

Right now, the seam is a little more noticeable because there's orange paint underneath it....I've yet to actually paint the wallpaper....which you are supposed to do!

I topped the wallpaper off with some foam chair rail.  Truly, the stuff costs about $8.00 for an 8 foot section, but mine was all scrap that I had leftover from my Fake Wainscoating Project!

Overall, I couldn't be more pleased! 

Beadboard wallpaper looks real....it's easy to hang....and it's super cheap!  I'm thinking of putting it on the bottom of my daughter's room........hmmm, will that be my next room overhaul???  

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How to paint a room. . . . .

Many times I am able to completely paint a room in about a day.....people often ask me how I do it, so here are some of my tips.....

Tip #1:  Painter's Tape

Take the time to tape.....really, it takes less than 30 minutes to tape off your baseboards and cabinets or trim....

When I first started to paint, I also would tape my ceilings....tape is what gives you that gorgeous finished line.....in my kitchen project, I have painted so many colors on the wall that I needed to use a small watercolor brush to paint my finish line on the ceiling....so I skipped the tape.

Truly....tape makes painting "mistake-proof  (Unless, of course, you happen to drop a gallon of dark brown paint on your cream carpet.......tape doesn't help that! )

Tip #2:  Use an edger

An edger makes life so easy!  I usually do one wall at a time and I begin by edging.  I usually work left to right.....I'll edge an area and then I will roll it right away while it's still wet. 

Edging and then rolling eliminates lines left in the paint from the edger.  (Just always make sure that the wheels on the edger are free from paint....I carry a damp paper towel with me so that I can keep wiping them off.)

Wow....look at that gap in the molding....never noticed that!  And that was done by a professional builder!!  I guess that my cuts aren't all that bad!



Tip #3:  Don't clean your brushes

Instead of washing your brushes every time you finish painting, you can put the brushes on the tray and put the entire tray into a garbage bag.  Just seal it with a twistee.

Usually, by the time I work my way around the room, I will come back to the start of my "circle" and my paint will be dry enough for the second coat! 

(Because usually....hours will have elapsed because of all of my "interruptions" to make lunch, do laundry, answer a millions questions......you get the picture!)

The "big reveal" is coming Friday.....that is if I get myself motivated to "stage" my kitchen for photos....right now there are legos, art projects, ear buds and other miscellaneous things that just do not contribute to a pretty picture!  Whatever you see in the photos will not reflect my true life at all!

Happy painting!  You can find Behr products HERE at a discount.

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