With Christmas finally here, I decided to write an instructional craft post. With all the stress of the holidays and trying to mesh schedules to see everybody while we’re back home, I wanted some me-time! In an episode last spring, Martha Stewart made a bag out of a towel. One can never have enough bags… you can use them for light groceries, going to the beach, or for carrying your latest knitting project! They’re relatively easy to make and don’t take too long – and I’m a slow crafter! Once you have the material washed, dried, and ironed, it only took me about 45 minutes.
You can see the original instructions and forum on Martha’s website. Unlike those instructions, I have included photos of the process! You can also click on the photos to see a blown-up version.
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The cheapest way to update the look of a room is by applying a fresh coat of paint to the walls. The second cheapest would be upgrading the electrical – outlets, outlet covers, and lighting. The third cheapest way to make a huge impact in the room is through new countertops. Stop! I know what you’re thinking. Countertops are so expensive! Indeed, they are, but through research, we found many options that we hadn’t considered. Here’s what we found from expensive options to cheaper options:
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D and I are in the process of flipping our home on a small scale. We actually closed on our first house in March of 2006. We are young couple who moved to a town one-thirteenth of the population of where we grew up. We were very optimistic about home repairs and settling here for a while. Unfortunately, we’ve had a hard time adapting to the small-town life and are planning our escape… and we now have an outdated house and a mortgage payment.
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Black Friday is here and gone, with one person reportedly trampled and killed. I’ve never seen a line get that out of control yet, but then again, we’re in Iowa, and a lot of Iowan’s are still halfway polite. Anyway! In the past, we’ve had a ginormous list of items we’ve needed, but this year was different. The deals on stuff that we needed just weren’t good enough to justify purchasing them. D said, “Most of these things have been priced better online! I’ve seen (item) for much less than what (big box store) has it listed for in their BF ad.”
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