Not Your Ordinary Toothbrush!

I went to visit my grandmother the other day and she is always loaded with new, unused toothbrushes! (Don't ask me where she gets them from, I have no idea!) But I usually take a few home with me for cleaning. They are the perfect size to clean those hard to reach places, or even effective to clean fabrics rather than buying a cleaning brush.

Here are a few great uses for toothbrushes, other than to clean your teeth:

• Carpets/Rugs. My carpet cleaner requires me to spray the stain, let sit for a few minutes, and then brush away. Considering most of my stains are small spots, a toothbrush is a great size.
• Sinks. Right around the faucet and drain, a bit of baking soda with a toothbrush wipe hard water buildup all away.
• Jewelry. I have a special brush just for my jewelry cleaner! (See my previous post, How To Clean Your Wedding Ring)

And for organization, I label each brush with a sharpie on the handle and store them in an old toothbrush holder in my linen closet. Note: after each use, be sure that your hand didn't wear off the sharpie writing!

Happy toothbrush cleaning!

Save Lids to Save Lives

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

I'm an alumni of Zeta Tau Alpha, who partners with Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Each year we  collect pink lids, host events to raise money, and nationally sponsor the Think Pink Survivor Tent and Race for the Cure.

For every Pink Yoplait Lid donated, General Mills will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen. But, when lids are turned in through Zeta Tau Alpha, an additional 5 cents are donated to the ZTA foundation, which supports breast cancer education and awareness as a partner with Susan G. Komen.

Here is how you can participate!

1. Clip/collect pink Yoplait lids from participating products (see below).
2. Place lids in the designated boxes, by mail, or online (see below).

Participating products: Yoplait, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fiber One, Total, Ocean Spray, Chex Mix, Nature Valley, Green Giant, Hamburger Helper. Progresso, Totino’s, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and others. Visit savelidstosavelives.com for more information.

Mail to:
Save Lids to Save Lives
PO Box 44903

Atlanta, GA 30336

Submit online at https://savelidstosavelives.com/EnterCodes

Lids are due by June 30, 2013.

Lost Bobby Pins

If you’re like me, you lose bobby pins all of the time, and then find them all over the place! …in the car, between your bed sheets, in old purses, in your vacuum cleaner, etc.

Here are a few simple tricks to help keep your bobby pins a bit more organized.

• Did you get a new watch in one of those cute tin jars or a cardboard box? How about that candle that came in the cutest tins? Perfect! The bobby pins will fit in just right and you'll have a tight lid to keep them from spilling.
• Keep them in a tic tac container, spice jar, empty matchbox, or a cute tin that you got your Christmas gift cards in.
• Attach them to a magnet strip, like the ones on the back of refrigerator notepads
• Make a clothesline of sturdy string to hang them on, either hung between two points or tied together into a circle
• Make a magnetic pin cushion into a magnetic bobby pin holder.

Magnetic pin cushion

Fossil watch tin

Garage Treasures

I  found these drawers in my garage that my husband used to have.

 They were holding random things, but I decided to clean them up and add them to my laundry room for additional storage.

They fit perfectly between my washer and dryer! But, I didn't really need to use them for laundry storage because I have plenty of shelving, so I made them bulk storage for my pantry.

The drawers are just shallow enough to hold a standard height can. I labeled the front of the rows so I can see where certain cans are. My top drawer holds the bulky pasta boxes and bags. Removing these items from my pantry freed up space for our daily items, like snacks, and kept the bulk items out of the way until they are needed.

What do you have stored in your garage? Anything useful like this random cabinet of drawers? I also found a  few neat cube shelves, a rustic basket, and some handy fabric buckets!
Garage treasures!

Tie Rack to Jewelry Organizer

When my husband and I got married, I moved into his house, which thankfully has his and her separate closets. Unfortunately for him, he had to switch closets so that I could have the larger one.
He had this tie rack on one of the walls. If we tried to move it to his closet, we'd have some major holes in our wall. So, we decided to leave it in my closet and put a new one in his.

Well, obviously I don't wear ties. But it has turned out to be the perfect thing to hang my jewelry, belts and scarfs on! There are plenty of hooks, which allow my necklaces and bracelets to stay untangled. The larger hooks are perfect for belts. And the ledge on top is great for watches. I save one hook on the end for my pajamas, too.

Not only is it perfect for men and their ties, but it is fabulous for ladies jewelry!

(Ours is a Tie/Belt Accessory Rack from Men's Warehouse for only $19.99.)

Sweat for Just 20 Minutes

A few years ago I discovered a personal trainer who is also a New Balance Ambassador, Holly Perkins.
She has great workouts that are only 20 minutes or less! 20 Minute Sweat, Cardio, Total Body Tone, Yoga, and 20 Minute Tank Top Arms.

It is encouraging to know that I can get a fantastic workout in just 20 minutes. In the midst of my busy days, I can surely fit in 20 minutes each day, right? Right! Plus, I enjoy mixing and matching different exercises in order to work target areas.

Here's a snapshot of her workouts. Let me know which ones you like!

20 Minute Sweat

(This one is my absolute favorite workout!)

• 10 Minute Workout for Tank Top Arms
• 10 Minute Total Body Workout
• Cardio 360
  This workout DVD includes a 20 minute cardio session, 20 minute total body tone, and a yoga segment. It is great! It requires hand weights (5 or 8 pounds) and a workout mat (you could use a blanket or towel as a substitute).
• Summer Shape Up.
  Holly encouraged her followers to participate in her Summer Shape Up program. Here is her suggested schedule:

Stuck on the Fridge in Style

Is your refrigerator littered with magnets like this?

Here is an easy, cheap and quick way to add some style to your fridge magnets. Not only will it look more organized and less cluttered, but it will match your room decor, too!

Step 1. Pick out scrapbook paper that matches your room, yet has a bit of pop too! (You could also use a cute paper bag, old greeting cards, or anything else with a crafty design). You may also want to choose stickers or accent paper. 

Step 2. Trace the magnets on the paper, cut the paper and attach with strong tape to the front of the magnet. 

Step 3. Add some stickers or accent paper to the background paper (optional).

Step 4. Place on your refrigerator, as functional decor!

This one is my favorite! The white trim is the original magnet, the silver design is an old paper gift bag,  "faithful" is a sticker, and the blue frame is an old label marker. Remember, use your resources!