Tips For Choosing Blinds- And Next Day Blinds Discount Continues!

This week is all about windows and light

And Blinds!  We're talking about how to choose the right blinds and how different blinds affect the feel of a room!

This is all courtesy of the great people at 

Next Day Blinds!  The Experts at Next Day Blinds are sharing their tips with HouseHold Tips Readers this week, and they've extended their discount to run all through this week to HouseHold Tip Readers,

so read the Tip Below, and use the Promo Code to get your discount on blinds from Next Day Blinds... just for reading this blog :)  

So here it is:

When shopping for new blinds, visualize the atmosphere in the room you want to create.  Are you looking to create a sophisticated setting?  Look for soft roman shades to compliment the space.  For a more basic look, pleated window shades won’t fail you.
(pleated window shades are pictured)


Now for the Discount!  
 Memorial Day/HouseHold Tips Blog Promo code is BY610
this promo code gives you the opportunity to take
$100 off $1000 or more,
$250 off $2500 or more and
$500 off $5000 or more!!

You can go to Next Day Blinds for premium quality, custom-made window blinds, shades and shutters.  And they have been around for nearly twenty years!  Next Day Blinds is available in 34 retail locations throughout the Washington Baltimore area, online and through Shop-at-Home design consultations from the comfort your home.  All Next Day Blinds materials are custom-designed and manufactured in Maryland (woo, woo!) to ensure the highest level of quality and craftsmanship!






(I have received nothing for this promotion.  Next Day Blinds approached me with this discount and I simply want to share this with you, my readers.)

Discount on Next Day Blinds For HouseHold Tips Readers

Discount!  Discount!  Discount!

Promo!  Promo!  Promo!


The Wonderful People at
Next Day Blinds are
Big Fans of HouseHold Tips Blog!!
So they are offering HouseHold Tips Blog
Readers a Memorial Day Discount!
Next Day Blinds is offering HouseHold Tips Readers the Memorial Day promo code- BY610
giving you the opportunity to take
$100 off $1000 or more,
$250 off $2500 or more and
$500 off $5000 or more!!

You can go to Next Day Blinds for premium quality, custom-made window blinds, shades and shutters.  And they have been around for nearly twenty years!  Next Day Blinds is available in 34 retail locations throughout the Washington Baltimore area, online and through Shop-at-Home design consultations from the comfort your home.  All Next Day Blinds materials are custom-designed and manufactured in Maryland (woo, woo!) to ensure the highest level of quality and craftsmanship!

So if you have been thinking about new blinds- use the HouseHold Tips Promo Code and  

Get That Discount!

This Promo runs through Memorial Day Weekend 2010!

ReUse Plastic Newspaper Bags

Today- a fantastic tip about recycling
and ReUsing those plastic newspaper bags
that your newspaper is delivered in every day.

I take every newspaper bag,
fold it up,
and put it in my son's lunchbox!
He uses this to put any food that he doesn't eat into,
and ties it up, and puts it back into his lunchbox.
(Our school asks that children take home any uneaten lunch so that the school dumpsters will not be filled with food and attract varmints).

What a Great Kinda-Free (you already paid for the paper, I know) Solution to supplying plastic bags for your kids' lunches!

It's not always about acceptance...

I have a bone to pick with some people of late... something that just rubs raw. Many professing Christians are rather fond of quoting the verse in Matthew 7 about not judging in some form or fashion. You know the one about not judging others. I am in no way saying we are to condemn others, however is not ever forming opinions or holding up a moral standard really what that verse means??? We are told in 2 Tim 2:15 to study the word that we might rightly divide it or handle it accurately, in an effort to do so lets look at what it says shall we?

First some definitions for Judge:
MODERN: to form a judgment or opinion of; decide upon critically

WEBSTERS 1828: One who has skill to decide on the merits of a question, or on the value of any thing; one who can discern truth and propriety.
A man who is no judge of law, may be a good judge of poetry or eloquence, or of the merits of a painting.To compare facts or ideas, and perceive their agreement or disagreement, and thus to distinguish truth from falsehood.To discern; to distinguish; to consider accurately for the purpose of forming an opinion or conclusion.

Just from a cursory reading of non-biblical definitions one can see that judging in and of itself is not a horrible thing.

And then the use of the words in the text from Vines Exspository: Matt 7:1 Krino - to assume the office of a judge. (Meaning to take God's place in this instance in that persons' life.) 7:2, condemnation, to condemn.
But is it taking God's place in someones life to point out sin? Especially sin that the Bible specifically addresses?

This section of Scripture, is part of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus was telling those following Him how to live righteously. In fact we are told as Christians to hold our brothers and sisters accountable, to help them return to righteousness if necessary unless they will not (James 5:19-20). Non-believers do not fall under that command - that doesn't mean we are to be judgemental all the time but rather that we ARE to hold up a moral standard for them. Many times I have to wonder if those who accuse me of being judgemental on something,and believe me I know I can be at times but it often seems to happen on things I truly am not being, are not themselves under conviction? Living loving lives and praying for others to come to Christ does NOT mean refusing to call sin sin....

We just bought Jessica a new Bible for a graduation gift and I love it! It's an Apologetics study Bible and has many notations including ones called "Twisted Scriptures" about common texts taken out of context, here's the notation on this subject:
..... "In our politically correct age, we are told that it's not our right to point fingers and pass judgment on others. However this actually a judgment in and of itself, and thus it contradicts the principle that we should not judge others. So when someone tells you that it's wrong for you to judge, ask, "So then why are you judging me?" Anyone who says Jesus prohibits all judgment in Matthew 7:1 has taken His words out of context. It is a self-righteous, hypocritical judgment that Jesus condemns (Rom 2:1-3) Elsewhere He actually commands His followers to "judge according to righteous judgement" (John 7:24). Paul said Christians are responsible to discern the actions of other Christians (1Co 5:9-13, 6:2-5). Of course, our goal must be correction rather than scorn when we make righteous judgments. We must keep a humble, non-hypocritical spirit when we judge others, but we should never buy into the idea that it is wrong to practice and communicate discernment"

It's not about you or I it's about God and what He says! We aren't judging people's salvation or God's love for them or His plans for them by calling sin sin.

Closet Organization Tips!

Today a tip about closet organization.

It's very important to use ALL YOUR SPACE.

2 EASY ways to do this ARE:

1. Get a 'hanging closet rod'.  This is a closet rod that you just hang from the top one and creates an extra closet rod.  The one pictured on the bottom simply hangs from the top one.  There's no installation.  You're done!

This is especially great for kids' closets since there clothes are smaller!

This is my son's closet.  The extra closet rod creates so much space!

The second tip is this-
2.  Get a 'hanging sweater bag'.  This is on the right side of the picture.  You don't have to put sweaters in here.  I keep his swimming trunks and school gym uniforms in here.  It creates extra shelves in your closet!

I got both of these wonderful closet accessories at The Container Store, you can also check Target; both stores are great for helping you get organized!

Happy Closets Make Happy HouseHolds!

Utilize Storage Space with Shelving

Hello HouseHold Tippers!

Today we're talking about using space.

A Great Way to utilize ALL your space is with shelving.
And a Great Place to do this is in your basement/garage/storage area.
The back portion of our basement is for storage, so I went to
Target, and got 'platinum' shelving,
AND LINED THE WALLS OF STORAGE AREA!
That's right, I lined the walls with storage shelving, all in 'platinum',
and got them in varying heights to accommodate as much storage space as the wall allows.

The amount of room that I created is incredible!

I then did the same thing in our washer and dryer room, down in the basement!

Sports Equipment, all tools, and all kitchen stuff that I don't use regularly (Huge pans, special glasses), fits on these shelves!

Then, in the washer and dryer room shelving I have all holiday decorations (except Christmas).  I have a 4th of July shelf, a couple of Easter shelves... you get the idea.  This makes decorating for a holiday easy- no going up in the attic!

Use Shelving- It Makes Life Easier!

Try Fabric Softener Sheets for Repelling Mosquitoes

We're ending what became 'Bug Week' Here with 1 more
Helpful Hint
about
Keeping Bugs Away!

I first wrote about this last year
on my Mom Blog,
BananaBlueberry...  Here it is:

 I’m sure a lot of you have heard this before: 

Fabric Softener Sheets will repel mosquitoes.  

Instructions say to tie a ribbon of fabric softener around a belt buckle and mosquitoes will vanish.

I looked on the web about this and lots of people say it doesn’t work,

On the Other Hand, my mother, who does a lot of gardening, swears by it;

She wears two sheets when in the garden.

(Try tucking 1 or 2 underneath bra straps).

So the answer is: everyone’s skin is different,

I think, and I'm not a dermatologist, that they work depending on your skin make-up, 

how much oil or dryness, yada, yada, yada...

 so it may work for you,

So give it a try!

Or just use OFF! Familycare, Smooth & Dry- Powder Dry Fomula,

I use this and I love it-

Just make sure you get the Powder Dry Formula!

Get Rid of Bugs Around Your Backyard... and Deck... and Eating Area

Wanna Get Rid of Flies
and Gnats
and Mosquitoes?
Yes, we all do!

Here's your answer!
I first heard about this solution last year, and blogged about it on my mom blog,
BananaBlueberry.  Basically, here's what you do-

Fill up clear plastic bags with water, close them, and sit them on tables, or around your deck to keep bugs away.  Make sure they are in the sun; the light hitting the water is confusing to flies and bugs in general, and creates a prism- creating a bug-free zone!

But wait, there's more!  I looked this up on the web and found a great video about it on eHow...
Put a couple of pennies in the little plastic bags filled with water- this makes the prisms even more confusing to bugs!  Hang them in trees around your party area, or eating area and all bugs will be gone,
again, you'll have a bug-free zone!

** Just make sure to take down and collect the plastic bags when you go inside- we don't want to leave plastic outside that squirrels or birds or other wildlife could harm themselves with!

Happy De-Bugging!

Keep Bugs Away While Gardening!

It's the time of year for gardens, and flowers...

And Bugs!

Here's a great little tip that I just read to keep bugs
AND TICKS off of you while you garden!

*Spray your clothing with insect repellent-

BEFORE YOU EVEN GO OUTSIDE

to garden!*

Thanks to Adrian Higgins of The Washington Post for this great tip!

Pay Attention To Lighting

Today, some discussion about lighting.
Your lighting in a room can make
or break a room.
I just re-evaluated our kitchen lighting,
and, getting tired of the lack of light in our kitchen-
I went to work...

First I got a big circular light that provides a lot of light for the front of the kitchen at Home Depot ($100).

Then I tackled this, pictured to the left- the track lighting.  This is in the back-half of our kitchen.
I had been putting this off because of 'what I thought would be' the hassle, and the expense...
Good News- Boy, was I wrong!
At Home Depot, I spoke with the manager of the lighting department, he told me exactly what I needed- the fixture to attach the lighting, the track, and the lights and lightbulbs- I got it all- for under $100.

Next I called our trusty electricians that we know and had them install it.  They brought a saw and sawed off the track to make it fit perfectly.

And get ready for this- they installed the Big Circular ceiling light and the track lighting in

45 minutes!

And charged me only- $155.

So what is the lesson here?

Nowadays, stores like Home Depot and others, have all the fixtures you need to update your kitchen or anywhere else in your house.  You don't need to go to a very upscale lighting store, which I did, and get intimidated by the prices.  

Next, just ask for help at these stores and they will tell you exactly what you need.

Next, find a good electrician, keep his, or her, number handy,

and call them, tell them exactly what you need done,

AND DO IT.

I cannot believe it took me 2 years to replace the previous lights in our kitchen,

THE ROOM we are ALWAYS in.

Lesson Learned!

So Walk Around Your House... Look at the Lighting.

Do You Have Enough Light in a Room?

Lighting is a GREAT WAY to 'update' a room too!

Go, take that walk :)

Hydrogen Peroxide Gets Out Magic Marker Stains Too!

Hi HouseHold Tippers!

I am happy to report that my favorite cleaning solution, Hydrogen Peroxide-

GETS OUT MAGIC MARKER STAINS TOO!

How do I know this?  I have a kindergartner.

My son accidentally marked up my cotton/denim olive green jeans with NAVY BLUE magic marker... (Super Tips by Crayola, to be exact).  And,

I made 'my solution'

of 

Hydrogen Peroxide plus a little dishwashing liquid,

soaked the stained areas last evening,

and the stains are GONE.

I told you Hydrogen Peroxide ROCKS!

I have yet to find anything,

Hydrogen Peroxide will not get out!

If you have- comment or email me :)

Saving Clothes- one Stain at a Time!

Dining Room Chair Slipcovers....

Ok so I wanted something to cover our chairs with -- we had six that matched and in the course of moves,etc two have broken. Now there were two ugly, painted badly, needing to be stripped, not the greatest but servicable chairs in the garage when we moved in (they had lovely lines at one time but layers of paint and whatever they did to make it bubble up ruined that)...Anyhow so I got online and managed to find a slipcover tutorial here (http://consumption-rebellion.blogspot.com/2009/04/simple-chair-slipcover-tutorial.html) but decided I would post my own with photos for you so here goes....Tools you will need: Pins, scissors, pinking shears, measuring tape, sewing machine, iron and ironing board, ribbon, buttons,fabric, etc.
First decide what type of fabric you want to use, vintage linens? Calicos you have on hand? Corderouy? (make sure you have a heavy needle!), etc... here's my pile of vintage white linens I've amassed in our travels (I love linens, they call to me!) - European Shams, tablecloths,etc Mend any small holes in your linens with a satin stitch or well placed buttons,etc.If you wish to make patchwork ones sew up the fabric to the size needed first and then cut.
One ugly chair or mismatched,what have you... Take your Measures:
"drop" (how long you want it to hang - do you want your chairs completely dressed or showing a little leg?). From where you want it to hang to top of the chair...
Top of chair to seat seat to floor (make sure you measure this with the tape or string as if someone was sitting on it) For this type of chair because it has knobs that are higher than the actual back make sure you measure from that point to that point across, otherwise just measure the width of the widest point of your chair...Front to back
side to floor or where you want the drop

Once you have all your measurements written down then add 1/2" to all sides for your seam allowance and you're ready to cut! If you want a form fitting cover then cut out your fabric exactly, if like mine you want them a little loose and flowy then you will still want to cut the fabric to your measurements but it's ok if it's a little large. If you use vintage tablecloths and such, make sure to cut your pieces so you don't have to hem them! :) You can also cut out your front seat, seat to floor piece in one piece otherwise go ahead and sew those two pieces together first with a 1/2" seam, pink & iron your seams flat/open as you go (Or if you are making a light fabric one and want to you can always make double sets and use it to self face the inside...) Then sew your front piece to the back piece. Once that's done lay your piece wrong side out over your chair and pin the sides - just pin from the top to the seat, adjust fit and sew with 1/2" allowance. (This photo shows the whole thing pinned up but that's just for picture purposes as it looked weird without the sides pinned and I didn't want to confuse people, which I may have done anyhow!). Check your fit again and then pin on your side pieces easing in/gathering as needed by machine or handpleating as I did. Sew. I found it easier to sew up the sides and then the seat portion. If your edges aren't already hemmed then turn under 1/4 edge, turn again, pin and hem. Turn inside out and dress your chair!

For our "captain's chairs" I didn't adjust the pattern but just tucked the "ears" in but you can adjust if you wish a closer fit to a curved seam at the top!
If you like you can add ribbon,button or piping easily I added ribbon ties to the sides once they were done to keep the seat from sliding forward as it tends to when you move the chairs or sit. FYI - I can't say exactly how much yardage I used but it took 4 Euro shams, 2 twin bedskirts, 1 queen bedskirt, 1 square tablecloth and a little extra to dress 7 chairs, mind you I was keeping the edges and decoration on several of them, however if you add up all your measurements you should be able to get a good idea of how much you need. They can be as cute, country or elegant as you like! Thinking of making a lightweight denim set next -- although cranberry silk would be lovely!

Use Paint As An Accent

Good Morning HouseHold Tippers!

I'm a Big Paint Fan!

Today, another idea and use of paint-

Use paint as an accent to a room!

For example, we have built-in bookshelves in our living room, so I painted just the inside of them.

And then painted just the molding around a door that leads to our screened-in porch!

Using paint as an accent is FAST and EASY!

Plus, you don't have to buy a lot of paint!

And what a nice PoP! it gives a room.

Happy Decorating!

Paint is a Great Decorating Tool!

Good Morning HouseHold Tippers!


Today we're talking about paint.  Paint is a FANTASTIC Decorating Tool!  


Paint is easy and instantly gives a room a pick-me-up!


Paint is cleanable (thanks to this other HouseHold Tip) and looks much more modern than wallpaper.

Just change the shade of paint in a room to update it!

** AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: to instantly update any room re-paint THE CEILING!

And Use, 'Ceiling White'.

Every brand of paint now offers a 'ceiling white' or 'bright white for ceilings' shade of white.  This is an extra white and extra bright shade for ceilings that really opens up the room!

Get out your paint brushes!