Tuesday 28 February 2017
Thursday 23 February 2017
Tuesday 14 February 2017
How to Keep Cut Flowers Fresher, Longer
When I was a kid, I thought one of the ultimate status symbols of being “rich” was to always have fresh flowers in the home. Adults seemed to complain — especially on days like Valentine’s Day — how ridiculous it was to waste money on something so frivolous and short-lived. So, with my kid brain, I assumed that only those making some serious dough could even afford to have fresh flowers on a regular basis. And it made me think of that someday in my future (as all kids often daydream about making millions and owning their own planet, right?) when a steady supply of fresh flowers would be my reality.
But as it turns out — if you know where to look — you can actually find pretty good bargains on common flowers like roses, lilies, and more (and not just on holidays). I usually try not to spend more than $5 at a time on a given bouquet, but when I’m needing something to brighten one of my interior photos or simply in the mood for a pick-me-up, flowers are an easy choice. Over time, I’ve learned that there are a few tricks for finding a decent bouquet and helping it to last as long as possible.
1. Know where to shop.
Two of the least expensive places where I’ve found pretty floral bouquets are Aldi and Trader Joe’s. I suppose it doesn’t hurt that they are both owned by the same parent company, but I tend to like the selection of Trader Joe’s a little better. I’ll occasionally pick one up at Aldi instead if I happen to be shopping there instead, but I find the bouquets are more brightly colored at Aldi when I tend to go for muted tons (like white or a soft pink). On rarer occasions I might pick up a mix of greenery instead from Kroger, which is also usually pretty inexpensive (and the variety in the leaves is pretty for photos).
2. Go for the closed bouquet.
Whenever I pick out things like lilies or roses, I go for the bouquet that has mostly closed buds that have yet to open up. They tend to last a few extra days.
3. Clean the vase thoroughly between bouquets.
Whenever I toss out a wilted bouquet, I give the vase a scrubbing and wipe it down before adding more. It may be mainly residue of old water, but any kind of existing bacteria for the vase before you put new flowers in will age the new bouquet a lot faster.
4. Cut the stems at an angle & under water.
As soon as I’m home, I’ll cut the bottom of each stem off about an inch from the end. I’m not sure where I picked up the “under water” part, but I will either use a bowl of water to submerge the ends of the stems before cutting or run the stems one at a time directly under the faucet, then cut at an angle. The angled cut gives the tip more surface area to soak up the flower food + water mix.
5. Remove any leaves that will touch the water.
In addition to cutting the stems, I also trim off any leaves or greenery that fall near or below the water line.
6. Use the flower food packet (or a DIY mix) daily.
Within a day or two, the buds will begin to open up. I’m recommending to switch out the water daily, but I tend to forget after day 3 or 4. Still, it’s a good habit to mix in the powder that comes with the bouquet into the water when you switch things out. I also re-trim the ends when I switch out the water. Flower food (the stuff in the little packet that comes attached to the stems with a rubber band) has been consistently shown to last longer than other methods (like aspirin, Sprite, bleach, hairspray, etc.). If you run out and your flowers are still going strong, a mix of sugar and vinegar has also been proven to provide both the food the flowers need to open up and the vinegar helps keep bacteria growth at bay.
7. Keep the bouquet cool (if you can).
If I’m shopping and with a friend or if I am just too tired when I get home to set up the bouquet yet, I’ll stick the flowers in the fridge until I get around to it. If you ever go by the grocery store, you’re probably familiar with this trick since there always seems to be a refrigeration area nearby.
On average, I tend to keep flowers going for about 7 days… 9 if I’m really lucky (lilies seem to last a good while in particular). Some flowers continue to look kind of cool as they dry out, like hydrangeas, but no matter which ones I pick, it always feels pretty luxurious to have these beauties around.
Do you have any tricks you like to use for your flowers? And I hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day!
The post How to Keep Cut Flowers Fresher, Longer appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.
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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/how-to-keep-cut-flowers-fresh-longer/
Thursday 9 February 2017
Laundry Room Makeover: Art Inspired by Emily Jeffords
Whether they are of sunsets or cloudy storms, the rolling, calm paintings of artist Emily Jeffords are easy to get lost in. Perhaps that’s why — half a bottle of wine into a painting class — I created a similar one of my own. You may have seen it, because it’s now a part of my recent laundry room makeover.
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The Backstory
However long ago, my friend asked me to join her at one of those wine and paint class things we saw on Groupon (around this area, Sips n Strokes is a popular studio). In case you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s basically an instructor-led paint by numbers class… only they let you bring in wine, because being tipsy is a brilliant excuse for why your “trees” wound up looking more like cake pops.
I thought it would be fun, but I also thought it would be kind of silly — because even there are plenty of options to choose from in terms of what you paint (you register for the class that’s going to teach the painting you want to do), most of the options are really brightly colored and don’t really match with my home’s decor. Plus, the canvas you’re provided is on the large side, so if you’re not 100% in love with your work by the end of the class, it tends to feel like a waste. I guess you can at least paint over it after, but you get what I mean.
Only, there was one little twist to this story: my friend who asked me to meet with her to do the class got the time wrong. By, like, half an hour. That may not seem like much, but each class is only about two hours long, so missing a full quarter of it can put you pretty far behind.
By the time I got into my smock (and let’s be honest, I had to get the bottle of wine open to truly feel immersed in the class), I had a choice: try to catch up with what all of the other people in the class were doing, start sipping and just watch everyone else paint (an equally good option, #nojudgment), or just start freestyling whatever came to mind.
I picked up the biggest brush I was given and just started painting — streaks of blue, white, green, and brown in a sort of ombre fashion. The more I layered and swirled the colors around though, the more it started to look like clouds, and I realized it was taking shape in a similar style to the uber-talented Emily Jeffords.
Artist Spotlight: Emily Jeffords
At this point, I can’t remember how I discovered her paintings. It could have been through Instagram, another blogger’s Instagram with her work in the picture, or stumbling onto her shop on Etsy. But no matter how, I’m glad I found her work. Her landscapes, abstract, and watercolors are all equally beautiful to me (she also does other things like ornaments, mixed media, and more… I’m obsessed, really). I don’t often have the budget for buying originals over print, but someday I’d love to own an original of hers!
I have a stack of prints I’ve purchased from shops on Etsy and elsewhere, and I one or two of hers in the mix that, shamefully, I’ve yet to hang. But can anyone every really have too much art? I think a series of her moody watercolor botanicals would look perfect in my master bedroom makeover.
Adding Color to the Laundry Room
I played around with the layers of the painting for a good half hour, but it was tough to find a natural stopping point. And since I wasn’t waiting on the instructor to keep going, I was done surprisingly early — leaving more time for sipping.
Of course, the ones from EJ herself have a little more depth and movement than mine, but I still liked it better than the assignment!
When we were all done, we took a group picture… which became instantly hilarious (humming the Sesame Street song, anyone?).
I didn’t really have a plan for what to do with the canvas when I was done (bathroom? office?), so like most people who come home from one of these painting classes… I stuck it in a closet.
But as the clock was ticking down on my deadline to complete my laundry room makeover during the holidays, I knew that the room could really use a touch of color on the wall to match with all of the greenery I’d placed along the back shelf. And it hit me: that painting! I nabbed it out of my office storage and placed it on the knob thingie I bought from IKEA (it’s a towel rack, I believe, but I got it on clearance so I think it’s discontinued now). The bar above the knobs is just wide enough to place a frame, but I thought the frameless look + leaning it against the wall instead of hanging gave it a more casual feel (coughcough, yeah, that’s totally why I was too lazy to frame it, cough).
P.S. I’m thinking about highlighting a few more artists I really admire this year… maybe you’ll find a new one you love! What do you guys think?
The post Laundry Room Makeover: Art Inspired by Emily Jeffords appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.
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from The Ugly Duckling House http://www.uglyducklinghouse.com/laundry-room-makeover-art-inspired-emily-jeffords/
Friday 3 February 2017
Cutting a rug in your Garage
There’s plenty of things that people do with their garages to transform the space into something more useful than a place where you put your … Read More
The post Cutting a rug in your Garage appeared first on Garaga Garage Door Blog.
from Garaga Garage Door Blog http://www.garaga.com/blog/en/cutting-rug-garage/