New uses for old things - Laundry edition!

Back by popular demand, new uses for old things!  Lifted entirely from www.realsimple.com.


Flat Iron as Ribbon Smoother

Get the kinks out of wrinkled wrapping ribbons that were tired around your birthday presents for recycled bows without the telltale creases from the previous gift box.

Nail Polish as Button Securer

Apply a thin layer of polish to the center of a button to keep the thread from coming loose.

Aluminium Foil as Wrinkle Remover

To get wrinkles out of silk, wool and rayon clothes that can't take direct heat, place a piece of foil on your ironing board, then lay the garment flat over it.  With the steam button down, pass the iron 10 cms over the fabric several times.  Wet heat radiating from the foil helps smooth out the wrinkles.

Salt as Iron Cleaner

Eliminate sticky residue from an iron.  Run the hot iron (no steam) over plain paper sprinkled with salt.

New uses for everyday things - Cleaning edition

Check out these great ideas for using everyday items to solve common household problems.  I totally lifted these from www.realsimple.com and there are plenty more so click through to see the full list if you love these ones.  Otherwise stay tuned for my coming editions to solve common kitchen and laundry problems.

Pillowcase as Ceiling Fan Duster

Slide an old case over a fan's blade then pull the fabric back, keeping all the dust and dirt contained.

Deodorant as Blister Preventer

Make breaking shoes in less of a pain. Rub clear-gel deodorant on spots prone to blistering before you step out in a stiff new pair.

Salt as Homemade Drain Cleaner

Get a slow-moving drain flowing again and pour a solution of ½ cup of salt for every litre of hot water down the pipe.

Aluminum Foil as Fixture Protector

Protect doorknobs and hardware in the kitchen and bathroom when you're painting by wrapping foil around them to catch dribbles. The foil molds to the shape of whatever it's covering and stays firmly in place until the job is complete.

Pillowcase as Art Smock

Hold the pillowcase up to your little Picasso, measure, and cut out holes for the budding artist's head and arms. Gather the fabric between the neck hole and each armhole and tie with a ribbon for a better fit.

Baking Soda as Crayon Eraser

Sprinkle it on a damp sponge to erase crayon, pencil, and ink from painted surfaces.

Professional portraits

Professional photographers cost so much that I do feel obligated to display any photos we have had taken... of course the hundreds of wedding snaps, and any of the littlies that capture their cuteness at a point in time. We had a voucher given to us as a baby gift for our first child which we used. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to having any done for the second one so she is wandering around a house with no snaps of herself!! I have done some research but not yet committed to a photographer. You really need to be ready to part with around $500.

Here are some findings on packages from some of the Sydney photographers I investigated:

Blumenthal Photography

We used Blumenthal for our wedding photography and they did a great job, although admittedly well and truly charged for it! They gave us a voucher valued at around $90 for the shoot and a 8 x 10" print. They use the outdoor location of Vaucluse Park which is perfect as it has many differing back drops such as beach, garden, rocks; we had a pre-wedding trial there and the photo's really were fantastic especially given what they had to work with! Their Main package is $399 and includes 2 - 8 x 10" prints and 3 - 5 x 7" prints. Each additional 8 x 10" print is $150. A CD of images is $1500 outright, otherwise the more prints you purchase the cheaper the CD becomes.

Michael Chetham

Michael Chetham is the 2011 AIPP Family Photographer of the Year (but then they all seem to be award winning don't they?) and looks to have great work also. He is located in Willoughby and likes to use Echo Point Park in Roseville as their shooting location. Having visited this location I must admit it didn't seem as lovely as Vaucluse Park but you can choose any location you prefer. Their packages make Blumenthal look cheap however! The cost for the shoot was $95 midweek or $195 on Saturday for an hour or so, as well as a pre-portrait appointment. For $95 you receive a CD with low resolution images. Their minimum order is $550 which gets you 2 - 10 x 7" prints and each additional print was $195; the office told me that the average spend was $1500. No problem!

Eaton Photography

I liked the look of this place, they are more affordable, came recommended by our favourite catering company (Three Blind Mice) and more than that provide all photos on disk (yippee finally!). The standard family photo session is $395 and includes the shoot at your choice of location, editing/retouching, all digital negatives on disk in both high res (for printing) and low res (for email) plus 2 - 8 x 10" enlargements. I had decided I would give these guys a try when we next decide to down some dollars on photos.

After looking through lots of photographers galleries, it seems difficult to find nice, natural family snaps without everyone looking posed, the typical mum and dad sitting with the 2 kids on their laps, or the highly set up walking along the beach laughing! I'm on the look out for some more interesting stances...!

From just surfing the net, I found this photographer whose pictures I liked also. www.gemma-clarke.com

Gumption is the beez kneez!

I love GUMPTION! This product is the best! It is the answer to removing crayon (and texta too apparently) from walls, any job involving the removal of grease & grime as well as scuff marks and bathroom scum. I used this to clean the exhaust fan over our cooktop and it removed all trace of stickiness, which so many other products I tried could not even make a dent. It has removed any mark that has appeared on our caesarstone benchtop - pen, texta, beetroot, can rings, amongst other things. So far there is nothing it hasn't removed, and with minimal elbow grease too I might add!