Shine Up Your Bling!

Spring is here, and so is wedding season.

In fact, we have a wedding coming right up in our family!

Am I the only one who hates to head off to a bridal shower or reception with my ring looking all grimy? It seems as though everyone is checking out rings and other bling at weddings, so I like mine all shined up!

Here's a quick way to shine up your bling before heading out on the town:

All you need is a glass bowl or container, some vinegar, and a soft scrub brush.

Start by pouring enough vinegar in your glass container to cover your jewelry.

Let it soak in the vinegar for about 20 minutes.

Next, pull it out and scrub all the cracks and crevices with the soft scrub brush. I love using a fresh toothbrush from the dollar store for this.

Rinse it with some clean water, and you're all ready to go!

Now I'm ready to head off to this wedding!

Party Decor Transforms to Nursery Decor

1st Birthday Party:

Nursery:

Creating an adorable birthday party can take a lot of preparation and work. When I was working on the party decorations for my baby girl's first birthday I spent a lot of time making each piece, purchasing the necessary items, and matching the style and colors. After the party was over, I wanted to put all of the decorations to good use. I found that using the party decorations as nursery decorations is actually really easy and so cute!!!

1st Birthday Party:

Nursery:

First Birthday Party:

Nursery:

One of my favorite decorating items that transformed from party to nursery perfectly was the rag banner. I hung my banner behind Kirra for her cake smash and after the party created a window treatment in her room out of it. 

1st Birthday Party:

Nursery:

Another perfect piece of decor for both parties and a baby's nursery is garland. I made a dot garland out of paper and string. I used it as decor behind the "one" sign at her party and then hung it above her crib afterwards. 

1st Birthday Party:

Nursery:

I purchased a gold "K" for the refreshment table at Kirra's party and it has been really versatile and cute in the nursery!

1st Birthday Party:

Nursery:

If I learned anything through this process, it is that decorating should be fun. Just let loose and use whatever style you love. It will all come together.

Magic Cleaner

Last year at about this same time my mom called me to chat one day. 

She said, "Hey, what are you up to?" 

I replied, "I'm just scrubbing the top of my fridge with a toothbrush."

"...You're what?"

And I'm not sure that I'll ever live it down...

I'm now The Woman Who Scrubs The Top Of Her Fridge With A Toothbrush. What do ya do?

Anyway, have you ever crawled up there to check it out? It gets all greasy and gunky, especially if it's close to your stove top, like mine. 

My favorite secret weapon for tackling that nastiness is Magic Cleaner.

You haven't ever heard of it? Well, it's made of two things you already have in your cupboard, and it's perfect for tackling everything from grease and grime to hard water and soap scum.

It's super easy to make.

First, take a cup of vinegar and heat it up for one minute in the microwave. Then, add a good sized squeeze of Dawn Dish Soap to it and swirl it together. (I've seen other recipes for this cleaner that require quite a bit more Dawn, but when I've tried them they created so much suds that I couldn't wash them off. This ratio works best for me) Voila! Magic Cleaner!

Pour it into a good spray bottle and you're ready to go.

The cleaning properties of the vinegar combine with the de-greasing properties of the dawn to make a killer cleaner. The Dawn also helps the vinegar stick to surfaces that would otherwise be difficult to let a cleaner sit on, such as bath room walls or the side of the fridge.

In case you need some convincing, I just used this on top of my fridge tonight.

I sprayed it on, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then scrubbed it up.

The top is where I scrubbed, the bottom is still dirty. See how much better it is?!

I had an unknown vegetable oil leak up there I was tackling, so I used my trusty scrub brushes to tackle it after letting it soak in.

If it's not that bad, all you'll need is a warm wet rag to wipe the grease right off.

Spray Bottle Tips:

Reuse an empty cleaner bottle for your homemade cleaners.

Head over to Family Dollar for the most perfect spray bottle ever! Only $1!(The one in the pic)

Grab this pack of 6 by Member's Mark(You'll probably find uses for 6, I'm already up to 5, haha)

Happy Spring Cleaning!

DIY Carpet Cleaner

Sparkling floors make me feel put together. In honor of spring, I decided I wanted to tackle my dirty carpets. I vacuum about twice a week, but the traffic areas in our home had been discolored and matted beyond the abilities of my vacuum. 

I looked into professional cleaners and renting a carpet cleaning unit from Walmart. All of the options seemed pricey and beyond the amount I was prepared to invest into a home that I rent. I decided that this was totally something I could figure out how to do on my own. I started by mixing warm water, hydrogen peroxide, and dish soap. 

I also filled a bowl with warm water for rinsing. 

This bowl was also perfect for keeping my toddler busy while I scrubbed. As you may have noticed in the picture of my soapy bowl, I used a white scrub brush to scrub the the soapy mixture into the carpet. This mixture worked ok on the dingy spots in my carpet but once I arrived at the worst spot, I needed stronger reinforcements. I added my secret cleaning ingredient OxiClean and I was amazed with the results. 

Make sure to put some elbow grease into it. I scrubbed the trouble spot and left one lone area uncleaned so that you can see the difference. 

I would highly recommend adding OxiClean to your cleaning products. I literally use it for everything. When it comes to baby stains in clothing there is no comparison. I also add it to every load of laundry to brighten my colors and whites alike. It works on patio furniture, grout, carpets, upholstery, and more. I love that I don't have to keep a million different cleaners around because this one product does the job of about 6 cleaners. Happy spring cleaning!