Category Archives: Monday’s Simple Cleverness
Simple Cleverness… How to Hang a Wall Mounted Lamp on Sheetrock Wall
Here’s a super simple tute on hanging a wall mounted lamp on a sheetrock wall.
First, let’s start with the dark corner:
Here is a dark corner in the family room at ‘Our House’ with a sad little lamp sitting in the chair just waiting to be used to it’s full potential. I have been busy actually doing tons and tons of changes to the family room and I’m still in the midst of the projects, but let’s get this swing arm lamp up on the wall so it can feel better about life.
So here is the simple cleverness tute. click here to read the rest of the story…
Blast from the Past: Monday's Simple Cleverness, When Depression Screams at You, Ice it!
Here is a trick I learned a long time ago, I don’t recall where I originally heard of this trick, but I’ve used it for many years, and it works every time.
You know those depressions left behind in the rugs and carpets when you move a piece of furniture, screaming back at you that a piece of furniture used to sit there? Well no worries, just Read on…
Monday’s Simple Cleverness… More on Cord Controls
A few months back, I talked about some cord controls/cover ups that I had discovered when we installed a sound system in our living room at ‘Our House’.
Well today, I’m glad to say… (about time!) I’ve finally completed installing the cord controls behind our new television. If you were around in February, you saw our living room just after we got our new television set and the mess of cords showing, if not, here is that messy picture again: READ ON…
Monday’s Simple Cleverness… Secret to Caulking the Edge of Beadboard
I’ve installed or had installed for me in several rooms/houses beadboard. I love the simple farmhouse style of beadboard. I have it in my kitchen at ‘Our House’ for the back splash, I have it in several rooms at the ‘Little Brick Cottage’, and I just recently had some installed in the bathroom of the 2 bedroom duplex.
Here’s the deal though, although I love the look of beadboard, it’s kind of a pain to paint, especially caulk. In the past, before I tried this simple clever tip to caulking, I’ve caulked then gone back and tried to poke out the excess caulk from the grooves… yuck it’s a mess.
Read on to see the simple trick I’ve discovered that makes that job oh so much easier… Read On
Monday’s Simple Cleverness… Butter Dish
A little while ago, Sharon from Mrs. Hines Class asked the question if one preferred to keep their butter on the counter or in the fridge, always looking for inspiration on what to feature on ‘Monday’s Simple Cleverness’, Sharon’s question inspired me to tell you about this simple clever way we keep the butter at ‘Our House’.
Many years ago, my mother-in-law told me about a very clever butter dish she had seen while traveling in Europe. She told me how the butter fit into a smaller compartment that was then inverted into a larger compartment with water that sealed out the air, preserving the butter at room temperature from going bad, yet maintaining a soft, spreadable consistency.
How clever! However, it was READ ON…
Monday’s Simple Cleverness: Velcro… Who Knew?
Here’s a super quick, super simple clever use of Velcro, and it’s not what you think!
For this simple use, I use the Velcro that comes with the adhesive on the back.
So what is the super, simple, clever use for self-adhesive Velcro????? READ ON…
Monday’s Simple Cleverness: Preventing Outdoor Rug Fly-Aways!
I love using outdoor rugs when I’m decorating porches and patios.
I have one on my lower level screen porch. Because it’s fairly protected from wind and is anchored by the furniture all around, there’s not much issue with fly-away rugs.
But on the main dining room entry at ‘Our House’ there is a fairly strong breeze frequently blowing through the ‘pergola-turned-porch’: READ ON…
Monday’s Simple Cleverness: Handy Paint Pail
I have done a lot of painting in my life… I couldn’t even begin to count all the rooms, woodwork, furniture, exterior houses and sheds I’ve painted in all the years…
but still for some reason, I felt like I was really splurging when I purchased this ‘Handy Roller Pail’ from Menard’s a few years ago. I guess because paint cans are free, for so many years it seemed silly to ‘buy’ a paint pail.
But, let me tell you, it is wonderful! One of the best investments I’ve made. Not only has it saved me money and time, but I figure probably my life too! READ ON…
Monday’s Simple Cleverness: Fool the Eye… and Bugs, with Sky Blue Ceilings
Here’s an old, old trick that seems to really work: Paint your porch ceilings sky blue, and you’ll find that not only does it trick your eye to feel more airy under the roof of your porch, but also it’s supposed to trick bugs from settling on the sky blue ceiling… I guess they think it’s the sky and not a landing spot…
This is the porch ceiling in the screened porch. I painted it this sky blue 3 years ago, and it’s still, bug free, granted, the screens help, but some little critters do still make it in, especially spiders, but so far it’s web free too.
Either way, I still like the airy feel it gives to porches, so on the pergola turned porch at ‘Our House’ we’ve been working on, that’s what I did… I painted the bottom side of the plywood, which would be the ceiling, sky blue.
And here’s another simple trick: READ ON…
Monday’s Simple Cleverness… Now This is What I Call Multi-Tasking…
So, you know how I’m a ‘lazy gardener’? Let me tell you, my dad is NOT! He is one of the most avid gardeners I know!
When I was a little girl, my parents owned a farm in Southern Wisconsin and my dad truck farmed for a living… As kids, we learned how to work! And my dad could grow tomatoes and other vegetables like nobody’s business!
This is the actual scale from way back when I was a little girl, I used to weigh tomatoes on it when I worked at the vegetable stand, selling the produce we grew. So I learned how to plant, hoe, and sell, and make change the old fashioned way.
Dad still can, and does love to garden, only not in Wisconsin. My parents now live in Arkansas and my dad is loving the long growing season…
so much that he has filled their entire READ ON…
