Spray, delay, walk away!

We're taking slow steps into the world of essential oils and we're starting by making our own homemade air freshener!
It was really simple and we already had most of the ingredients around the apartment!

All you need is water from the tap, a couple tbls of vodka or rubbing alcohol (we used vodka, duh!) and your choice of essential oils.
You need about 20-30 drops for an 4 ounce bottle.
We've heard a pinch of epsom salt keeps the oil from sticking on the sides of the bottle. Shake before spraying!

We used peppermint and citrus essential oils.

A minty fresh start to the New Year!

It's peppermint magic up in here!

In the tiki tiki tiki room!

We got this Montezuma tiki cup from a restaurant supply store in Soho. 
We love him so much, we knew we needed him front and center!  
So, he ended up on our coffee table.

Plus, we've been waiting to plant our succulents...it was a perfect match.  
We topped them off with neon blue aquarium gravel for some color!

Succulents like it on the dryer side, so we mixed equal parts potting soil and equal parts sand.  They need a draining source so we added about two inches of the aquarium gravel before adding the soil. 

Montezuma's Revenge!

Shark-bait-ooh-ha-ha!

Making a home for Buster.

We won our goldfish, Buster, at a street fair here in Astoria.  We love him so so much and have become quite attached to this little guy!
To celebrate his 3rd birthday we decorated a bigger bowl for him to move into!

We've been seeing this technique around for a while now and had the idea to try it on the bottom of Buster's bowl!

We used Martha Stewart's glass craft paint...it was fairly easy, but the paint dabbed on sloppier than we expected.  We're still pretty happy with the outcome.

  
First, clean glass surface completely with rubbing alcohol.

Once the glass is dry, start "dotting" using q-tips or pencil erasers.

Let it dry for 48 hours.

To seal the deal, place into a cold oven, turn the temperature to 200 degrees. 

Bake for 30 mins, turn off the oven and let the glass completely cool inside.

Moving day for Buster!

No more boring frame!

This is a totally copy cat from an overpriced frame we saw.
We knew we could make our own!

On an Ikea frame we tapped out a line, sanded and painted the top white with acrylic paint.

From cheap to chic!
Thanking you Ikea!

Neon Summer Heat!

We love our Spring yarn bottles so much but they aren't screaming summer.

Repurposing a Bath and Body works candle we used the same idea as our Spring bottles  but wrapped more neon yarn than the twine! 

We love those big wide candle jars...here's a quick tip on how to get the wax out so you can upcycle them! 
Quick Tip: Freezer Burn

You can feel the summer heat!

Summertime and the living is easy...

Aloe-ha!

We gave our Aloe plant a new home.
And so far, so good!

Yoohoo...over here!

Peek-a-boo!

Just right!

There's no place like home!

Winter's a wrap...Happy Spring!

It's been a long winter.
We need some color!

We're starting the season neon bright with our handmade wrapped bottles!

They're a little tedious at times but all you need is yarn, twine, hot glue and patience!

Ahhhhh! So refreshing!

Popsicle stick pallet coasters.

We had left over popsicle sticks from our snowflakes and couldn't let them go to waste.
We saw these mini pallet coasters somewhere and knew we could make them ourselves!

They are so easy and pretty freaking adorable!

Each pallet used 14 popsicle sticks.
First we cut off the round ends with scissors. 
We used hot glue to start the structor of the pallet and then switched to tacky glue for the top slats.

The "nails" were drawn on with a thin Sharpie.

Time to pour a glass of wine and wait for the warm weather!

From trash to a treasure centerpiece.

Before you take our your recyclables, make a fun Earth Day centerpiece!

Happy Earth Day!

Smells of the Season.

Do you smell that?
Smells like warm weather.

Making a stove top potpourri mix is a quick inexpensive way to make your home smell delicious!

Throw sliced lemon, rosemary and a teaspoon or 2 of vanilla extract in a saucepan and fill with water.

Place on a low setting burner and enjoy!

Don't let the water completely evaporate, keep refilling.

One mix will stay good for a week or so.

This will also make a perfect homemade gift.

Have fun with the packaging and don't forget to include the instructions! 

I think I CAN, I think I CAN!

When we first moved into our apartment, we were very sad to hear that our building "didn't really recycle".  Since then we have been doing our best to figure out what to do with all our empty jars, cans, bottles and magazines.
We love to upcycle.  It's great for the environment and encourages creativity!

Soda can tea light holders.

• With a pair of scissors cut off the top of your can.  Be as neat as you can, but it doesn't have to be perfect.  
• Cut evenly spaced strips all around the can.  Again, it does not have to be perfect.
• Now, pull each strip down and flatten to make it look like a sun.  
• Fold one strip over the strip to the left and continue to fold underneath the strip on the left, basically over and under...confusing to say, but use the pictures as your guide.
• Continue folding and tucking your way all around the can!  
• And as always, always be careful when handling scissors and the can! Duh.

For something even quicker, try these!

• All you need for this project is an empty soda can, scissors, glue and any old magazine or paper with some cool graphics or pictures.
• Cut the top of your can to your desired height of your tea light holder.  
• Cut the image the same height as your can.  
• Glue your paper onto the can!  Easy, huh?!? 

Place the candle in the can or turn it upside down and use it as a stand.

"If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere!  

It's up to you New York, New Yorrrrkkkk!"

We <3 NY!

All signs point to lock.

Our locks in our apartment are so confusing.

These arrows help us lock up quick and save us from struggling at the door! 

We used pencil because it can be easily removed with a Magic Eraser.

Don't they look cute?!?!

 

Spring Forward.

It's slowly starting to get warmer in Astoria!

We wanted to get a head start on our Spring Cleaning.

Your environment has a big impact on your emotions and stress level, so get to it!  

Here are some tips that helped us out. 

1. Plan ahead!  Come up with a strategy and you'll save hours of wasted time.  Take some time to gather all your cleaning supplies and make a list of supplies you need to purchase.
2. De-clutter before your begin!  40% of cleaning time is spent putting stuff away. Tidy up a few days before...throw away unwanted items, donate your old clothes or try to sell some stuff on Craigslist!
3. Make a Spring Cleaning playlist.
4. Clean when you're already dirty!  No need to shower before hand, just jump right into it.
5. Focus on one room at a time, hardest-to-easiest.  If you get the hard stuff done first, it will make the rest of the cleaning seem easy!  We started with the kitchen.
6. Work top-to-bottom.  Dust and dirt will loosen as you work and gravity will take effect, this approach prevents wasted effort.
7. Spring cleaning is ambitious enough, don't make it harder for yourself. If you have to, break it down into a few days and don't stress!  

-Don't forget to sanitize the "germy' spots: the faucets, light switches refrigerator-door handles, all doorknobs, salt and pepper shakers, remote controls, phones and cases.

-Change your batteries in your smoke and CO2 alarms.

-Dust and clean the refrigerator coils.  This will help your fridge to run more efficiently and help save some money on your electricity bill! Woohooo! 

Listen, we know it's a pain...but it is important work.  

Noticeable or not, less dust means better breathing, fresher smell, lower bacteria count and the personal satisfaction of knowing you did a thorough job!

All-Natural Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
For an easy cost effective all-purpose cleaner mix equal parts water and vinegar (for a fresh smell, soak lemon peels in vinegar and strain before combining.) 

All-Natural Homemade Floor Cleaner
For an easy cost effective floor cleaner mix equal parts water, vinegar, alcohol with a few drops of dish soap.

Let's start the Spring off right!

Happy Cleaning!

Fabric and bookshelves and chalkboards, OH MY!

Ikea photo shoot.

Found a bookshelf that we liked.

To make it look less Ikea-ish and one of a kind, we picked out some fabric and tacked it to the back panel.

Ahoy there matey!

The fabric and bookshelf were both from Ikea, so it was a quick and cheap makeover!

We love it. Argggg.

Andrew had a painted chalkboard wall in his old apartment 

and never shuts up about it! 

Andrew's old painted chalkboard wall that he never shuts up about.

So naturally, we had to have one in our apartment. 

We couldn't find the right wall for it, so we chose one of our closet doors!