Clean Sheets

Clutter trap - sorted by a magazine rack or two!

We are lucky to be able to sit down for a couple of meals a day together, the proximity of work, creche, Montessori, and Rugby Club too I suppose, make this possible.

 

Our kitchen table is wonderful, solid oak, round, 5 feet (150cm) In diameter it seats 8 people and 12/14 at a push when extended. It is surrounded by windows so the sun shines on it for most of the day. I don't use a cloth to protect it. It is real wood and has taken its punishing life well, with only small scars which enhance it's good looks, and I didn't pay for an oak table to look at a plastic table cloth.

 

Day to day the four of us only use half of it. The hound lies under the other half, the top of this half was covered in newspapers, kids drawings and other paper - Not any more! 2 radiators that flank the table have been pressed into use.

 

Using some colourful fabric and those racks that go on the radiator to dry socks and undies (less than 3 euro in a hardware shop)  I made two "magazine racks", one for the kids drawings and one for the newspapers and magazines. The kitchen table has been a clutter free zone since they were finished.

 

Now, if I could just solve the clutter gathered at the end of the work top...

 

How I made it:

They are basically a hammock, made with a length of material as wide as the rack and twice as long as you need the hammock to be, this means the pattern will be on the inside as well and as it's simply a circle it can be removed by taking the rack of the radiator and pulling it over the end.

Press and double hem the sides of the material and then sew the right sides together along the short edge. Turn it inside out, you will have a loop of material put it over the end of your rack and slide whatever's annoying you inside.

You may need a soft measuring tape and a second pair of hands to see how long your hammock needs to be. Hold the end of the tape against one rail, loop it underneath the items you want to keep in it as if the hammock was already there and bring the tape up to the other rail, double this measurement for the length of your fabric.

 

If you are completely confused and want to make one, leave a comment and I'll do my best to clear the volcanic ash left by this last paragraph! 

My designer peg bag!

Almost every stitch of clothing in our house is clean and line dried! This makes me very happy. I love drying clothes outside. It's better... for them, the environment, my purse and my spirit.

I told a friend recently that I wasn't romantic, too practical you see... but she pointed out that my love of drying clothes on the line is romantic and to see a load of colourful washing fluttering in the breeze against green grass and blue skies, I'd have to agree! It's certainly a pursuit for the eternally optimistic in this part of the world.

I made this peg bag out of an old shirt. A child's hanger is ideal as an adults one would be too wide. Happily this purple one matched the shirt. It really only involves 3 lines of sewing, and a colourful shirt. If you're tempted to try making one, leave a comment and I'll do my best to give you some tips.

It's a Tommy Hilfiger shirt, I guess that makes it a designer peg bag!

The tangled necklace cure...

A dilemma mentioned by Anne Marie of whatshewears.ie some time ago, put me thinking. All her necklaces are around a door handle and extricating one would be more hassle than its worth.

The Princess, at the tender age of 4 had the same issue, so we got some little self adhesive hooks in a DIY/hardware store and put them on the inside of her wardrobe door. This took all of 10 minutes, she helped and we haven't had a missing jewellery tantrum in weeks, they are the only thing she likes to put away! Because they are inside a wardrobe they don't gather much dust.

Just remember if your wardrobe has shelves or drawers inside do not put a hook opposite them or the door won't close - know what I mean? If you do it - you will! I did it in the kitchen with a hook for the tea cosy, still annoying me, the door stops about half a centimetre short of closing.

Warning: Quantity does not equal value.

My brother came with me to the supermarket yesterday evening, he is much more helpful than my usual assistants.

Like me, he likes to get value for money and we were discussing our preferences as we strolled the aisles. I had on a previous occasion noticed that large 3 kg bags of pasta were not better value than the regular size and was surprised but simply avoided them.

This time it was Weetabix that surprised me with pricing that doesn't seem fair. Larger packets need less handling, less packaging and often have messages such as "family value!" emblazoned across them, but they do not, as the following example shows always save you money.

pack of 12 Weetabix €1.69 = .1408c each

pack of 24 Weetabix €1.99 = .0829c each

pack of 48 Weetabix €4.19 = 0.0872c each

pack of 72 Weetabix €6.59 = 0.0915c each

(correct to 4 decimal places, prices confirmed on tesco.ie 4/2/2010, i am also surprised to discover that a 24 pack of Weetabix is 10c cheaper instore (€1.89) than online.)

Unit pricing is now a legal requirement and this makes it easy to see whether a smaller or bigger pack offers a better per kilo price, but in another twist to this tale there are no unit prices for Weetabix on the shelf in my local Tesco. I think this is in breach of the law and I would even question the misleading banner boasting value across the largest box of Weetabix.

I know it's not possible to check every single price or item with a calculator but for larger items you buy regularly it's worth checking it out.

Don't ASSUME anything.

Utensils online

www.utensils.ie

is the brand new online version of my local kitchen shop, I love it and you should check it out. I think it will be really great for those living a distance from a specialist shop.

Not all the stock is online so if you need something specific send a e-mail or give them a call.

Decorations down, but memories preserved.

I have taken down the decorations, the tree stands bare in the sitting room waiting for the rugby player to have a moment to remove it.

We have amassed a small colourful collection of decorations which the children have made in their creche, I am delighted that i remembered to write the year and the child's name on each before putting them away. Even from last year to this year their skill level has increased, so it will be nice to record their decoration making progress.

The decorations are all back under the spare bed in their plastic boxes until next year.  

Stretching the end of the wrapping paper

So, you bought the rolls of wrapping paper, it seemed like masses of paper at the time, but one or two bulky gifts later and it's disappearing faster than the pile of gifts needing to be dressed in it's coloured folds. The thought of returning to town, parking the car and queueing for one roll of paper that will not even be finished and probably be nowhere to be found next year is just too much.

Happily I like to keep paper bags and have a shoe box full of bits of ribbon collected for sometime, I have pulled out the plain paper bags with handles, and cut some stars from wrapping paper, glue one on each side of the bag, write the recipients name in the centre of one star.

Lay the bag on a chopping board and using a stanley knife make a slit the width of the ribbon between the handles near the top of the bag.

Put the gift in the bag and slide the ribbon into the slits and tie. More fun than another trip to town!

Christmas cards hung on the stairs with care...

I love getting Christmas cards. I know that I should convert to sending seasonal greetings online for environmental and financial reasons but if everybody does I won't get all those lovely cards in coloured envelopes of all shapes and sizes so I am resisting.

They are so beautiful that it is a shame not to display them but standing around on every available surface they are prone to falling and needing to be rearranged at the first sign of a draught or slammed door or worse knocking precious items to the floor. 

I was inspired after the birth of The Princess, surrounded by a deluge of delicious pink cards to purchase some tiny wooden clothes pegs and string ribbon around the room to fix them too. This worked so beautifully that I replaced the mixed ribbons with some red gingham ribbon and the cards adorn the stairs. I screwed tiny brass hooks in the stairs so it's quick and easy to put up the ribbons each year and I put up the ribbon for the kids birthday cards during the year too.

The clothes pegs can be got in crafty shops and stationers, I have even seen special Christmas ones with angels and santas on them. We have some with lady birds that came from Germany that have become part of our collection in a jam jar.

Finally a tick or two on the list...

 On Saturday evening I sat down and gave new strings to all the decorations that had been languishing at the bottom of the decoration box for more than a festive season or two. The box is empty and the tree is full. This is one of the things that was on my frustrating to do list so I derived great satisfaction out of putting the box back under the spare bed and putting a mental tick beside "decorate Christmas Tree."

The novelty has worn off removing the decorations for the Happy One and the Princess, ( this may be related to my losing my cool on Saturday morning when I found decorations in many nooks and crannies not intended for them!) This was not one of my finer parenting moments, David Coleman et al. would be disgusted and it's definitely not what Christmas is all about, but I have mended my ways (for the moment.)

We spent a much more idyllic evening with my cousins in The Enchanted forest that Bishop Lucey Park in Cork City has been transformed into. It was magical and as we arrived only half an hour before it was due to close, we enjoyed it without crowds and queues. The old fashioned carousel with it's painted horses was the highlight for our two charges and if you are in the area after dark suspend your cynicism about Christmas and call in. All the better if you can bring some little people who really do believe in all things Christmas, they may even convert you.

I also made progress on the Christmas cards and they will be done and dusted tonight!

7 little luxuries that make the best gifts

I have been absorbed by writing Decembers recipe of the month for almost two weeks now, which is why posts  have been appearing at late hours and perhaps not at all! As a result I am not as organised as I have been in previous years buying gifts but my list has very few spaces so once I start it should be quick (she says, with her fingers crossed!) It's one month away today...

I don't know anyone who isn't making an effort to spend less at the moment, so personal luxuries if not totally cut out are at least harder to justify.

It struck me that great gifts this year will be the things that people may have to cut back on or may be feeling a little guilty spending money on. Here's 7 that came to mind: