Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 152
March 25, 2013
Keep Towels Organized When You Have Houseguests
If you’re hosting several houseguests in the next few weeks, use this trick to keep everyone’s towels organized in the bathroom. Write each person’s name on a clothespin (or write it on a piece of washi tape and put it on the clothespin), and then have them clip it to their towel. That way you’ll avoid any mixups, especially if [...]
What Do You Do When Your Dog Hates You?
These pictures are all you need to know about the cruel fate that has befallen our beloved dog this week. That’s right: we got a puppy. I swear it seemed like a good idea at the time. The backstory: our dog, Uki, is a reject from Guiding Eyes for the Blind (of course, Guiding Eyes prefers the much gentler—if completely [...]
Today’s Thought
Get the daily thought in your inbox. See more inspiring quotes on our Pinterest board. What’s Hot on RealSimple.com The Best Chocolate Easter Bunnies Top 24 Wedding Etiquette Questions 5 Spring Outfits for Your Work Wardrobe Filed under: Daily Thought
March 24, 2013
The Rule for Substituting Dried Herbs for Fresh
I never seem to use up the bundles of herbs that I buy at the grocery store, so I frequently substitute dried herbs for fresh using this rule: 1 teaspoon of dried herbs = 1 tablespoon of fresh You’ll need to use less of the dried herbs because they are actually just a bit more potent. This works well for [...]
March 23, 2013
Upholstery Cleaning Labels, Decoded
If you or a guest spilled something on your sofa this weekend, here’s how to decode the cleaning labels on your upholstery before you tackle that stain: W = can be treated with water-based cleaners S = can only be treated with solvents WS = can be treated with water-based cleaners or solvents X = should only be vacuumed, no detergents [...]
March 22, 2013
Can You Freeze Avocados? (YES!)
I love finding out that you can freeze things that you never would have thought you could put in the freezer. And I’m happy to add avocados to that list. Who knew?! Thanks to this tip from theKitchn, I’ll never worry about buying more than one avocado at a time again because I know that as soon as they start [...]
The Easiest Way to Store Your Vacuum
What’s worse than dragging my bulky, bothersome vacuum cleaner all over my apartment? Wrangling it out of the tiny, overstuffed closet we store it in! (Not sure if you can tell, but I really, really hate to vacuum.) Happily, I’ve just uncovered a classic Real Simple storage trick that should make accessing this appliance less tiresome. Instead of just shoving [...]
Weekend DIY: Embroidered Family Portraits
First off, be forewarned that when you click through to the tutorial for this project from Brigitte.de, the instructions are in German. If you’re using Google Chrome, it will automatically translate for you, but it’s an easy project and the photos are pretty self-explanatory. I love the way these portraits look. A brief rundown of the steps: - Print black [...]
Friday Links: Easter Cookies
Looking for something sweet to serve on easter? Why not try one of these tasty recipes for Easter cookies. I think I’ll be making this first one. (Click the images or the links above each photo to see the recipes.) Monster Easter Cookies from Picky Palate Easter Bunny Cookie Tutorial from Lizy B Bakes Easter Egg Cookies from Cooking Light Easter [...]
Have Two Pets? Who’s the Boss?
I have written before on this blog about the antics of my cousin Karen’s cats, but this one really takes the cake…or catnip as it were. In spite of careful planning on Karen’s part and talking to experts before bringing a new kitty (Tank) home to the “den” she shares with her main cat (Penny), all has not been smooth [...]
