This week’s Martha Mondays assignment was a donation bag. I loved this idea.  I try to take a bag to Goodwill once a month or so but I generally toss items into a closet and let them pile up and then stuff them into a bag when I’m ready to take them.  Martha’s suggestion was to designate a bag you keep things in. This actually is a really good idea. Not only does it keep it all together, but it makes it easy to grab and go when you get a chance to drop it off. Seeing the bag hanging there also reminds you to look for items to put in it and to regularly take the bag to be donated. Inspired by this, I’ve also designated an area in my pantry to pile up food pantry items. In the past I’ve tried to make mental notes of what I should donate from my pantry but I almost always forget. Now I’ve got an area set aside for those items so I won’t forget. I’ve also designated a shelf in a cupboard in my office for book donations to my local library. It’s amazing how a very simple project like this can make you feel so very efficient!

I haven’t heard back yet from the Martha Mondays member who is scheduled to choose for this week, but when I do, I’ll post her pick.

This week’s Martha Mondays assignment was a donation bag. I loved this idea.  I try to take a bag to Goodwill once a month or so but I generally toss items into a closet and let them pile up and then stuff them into a bag when I’m ready to take them.  Martha’s suggestion was … Read more →

Before

Martha had a section in September Living about whitewashing wood. I actually love the look of it and was inspired to try some myself. Now, I’ll admit up front I didn’t do much research into the hows of this.

I took a cabinet at the family lake house that is hideously orange. When we ordered it, it was described as “natural” color, but it definitely is orange. It needed help. We put it out in the sun and found some off-white pain. At first I thought I would just dry brush it on, but that didn’t work. So I ended up using a wet rag. It worked well in some places, but not others. I think the sun caused it to dry too quickly, so I couldn’t really wipe much off in some places.

After

The bottom door is the worst – the drawers actually turned out quite well.  The paint on the door dried too quickly for me to wipe much off. I’m going to have to do more work on this the next time we’re out there. Now I’m wondering if I maybe I should just paint the whole thing white and be done with it.

Martha had a section in September Living about whitewashing wood. I actually love the look of it and was inspired to try some myself. Now, I’ll admit up front I didn’t do much research into the hows of this. I took a cabinet at the family lake house that is hideously orange. When we ordered … Read more →

This week’s Martha Monday’s assignment is something a little different. The person who was up to choose this week asked me to choose instead. I thought for a change of pace, maybe we would try a simple organizing project. This one is really simple, but I think it’s one that could be very useful. Creating a Donation Bag was an Organizing Tip of the Day from Martha not long ago. I think this is a great idea. The tip says to do it for clothing and housewares, but I want to create one in my pantry as well for the food bank.

I’ll post my result  next week and you can post a link to your blog or just add a comment to say how it went. And as always, anyone is invited to join in. If you would like to be added to the Martha Mondays blogroll, just let me know.

This week’s Martha Monday’s assignment is something a little different. The person who was up to choose this week asked me to choose instead. I thought for a change of pace, maybe we would try a simple organizing project. This one is really simple, but I think it’s one that could be very useful. Creating … Read more →

I recently borrowed Martha’s Homekeeping Handbook from the library to investigate her complete homekeeping approach. I was trying to figure out who would buy this book. Maybe people buy it as a bridal shower gift? I don’t know. I found it interesting to page through, but it’s not something I would have looked at had I not been doing this Martha project.  There were some unexpected things in it – like how to buy a mattress – that would be very handy information to have. There were other things that had me scratching my head – like an entire illustrated section on different kinds of scrub brushes. Martha is always thorough though and this book certainly is.

I decided to take on two assignments from the book – Six Things to Do Everyday and Weekly Homekeeping. I decided to surrender myself to them for a week – do the daily tasks each day and work through the weekly list as well.

I found the daily list to be not too difficult. The first item is make the bed. I never make my bed, but for one week, I did. We have a wonderful woman who cleans our house once a week and she always makes the bed that day and it’s always been a luxurious feeling to me to climb into bed the night she was here. My bedmaking skills are limited, so it doesn’t look perfect when I make the bed, but I have to say it was nice to climb into it each night and not have to straighten the covers or fix the pillows. It doesn’t take that long to do either – maybe three minutes at the most.

Next on the list is manage clutter. Martha says that whenever you go out of a room, look around and see if anything needs to be picked up. This is a great tip, but it’s really hard to do. Usually I am speeding from one thing to the next and I just don’t have time to stop and pick up the cards spread out all over the coffee table, take the new bulk pack of tissues up to the linen closet or deal with the pile of junk my kids leave in the front hall. It does cut down on the time you have to spend picking things up if you can do it. If you’re leaving the kitchen and there is a pile of receipts to go to the office where you’re going, you just grab them and take them with you. You do have to have an ongoing awareness of your surroundings at all times to really do this and that’s hard to maintain. I didn’t do this all the time, but when I did, I found it helpful.

Next up, Martha says to sort the mail. I already did that every day, so that was no change. Then she says to clean as you cook. That was a hard one for me. I tend to be in a whirlwind when I am making dinner and it all gets cleaned up afterwards. I tried to take opportunities when there was a pause in cooking (like when I was waiting for something to boil) to stuff things in the dishwasher. It’s much nicer to come to the kitchen after dinner to do dishes when you don’t have stacks of pots and pans everywhere. Again though, I find this hard to maintain since I generally am focused on the cooking, not the cleaning up when I am in the heat of it all.

The last two tasks are to wipe up spills when they happen, which I did already, so no biggie. Lastly, sweep the kitchen floor each night. Eek. I never do this. It’s kind of a nightmare with all the dog fur, so it’s actually easier to quickly vacuum. At our last house, I had a little electric broom I used to use in the kitchen all the time and I loved it. It broke years ago. I’m thinking of getting another if it means I’ll be more likely to do this. Having a dirty floor makes the whole kitchen look awful.

Now let’s look at Martha’s weekly plan. I’ve admitted I have help cleaning the house, but so does Martha! Most of the things on Martha’s list are things that get done weekly here, but there are a few that are new, so I’ll talk about those.

Martha says to pour boiling water down the drains in the kitchen. I did this but am not sure what impact it had. I generally dump out boiling water from cooking pots into the sink, so this felt redundant to me.

Also in the kitchen, Martha says to wipe inside and outside of trash and recycling bins. Eek. This was gross and it needed to be done. I’m not sure I would do it every week, but it definitely needs to get into the rotation.

In the living room, Martha says to vacuum the upholstery weekly. I did it, but I don’t think I would do it every week.  It does need to be done more frequently, so I’ll thank Martha for the reminder  – and Dude Martha was happy to scarf up all the coins I came across.  It’s just gross to find food in the couch though.

In the library (which is in my office) Martha says to dust the tops and spines of books. Egad, I’ve never done this. It wasn’t as dirty as I expected, but it definitely needs to be dusted more than once a millenium.

Martha says to dust banisters and lights in the hallways. I think these are dusted occasionally here, but definitely not every week. I cleaned them and they weren’t too awfully dirty.

In the bathroom Martha says to clean the trash bins – again, something that needs to be done more often around here, so that was a good tip.

Lastly, she has a category called “throughout” in which she says to vacuum vents. We don’t have vents since we have forced water heat, but this was a good reminder to take the covers off the baseboard radiators and vacuum out the little spines in there. These were filled with dog fur, so this was a really good tip.

All in all, I found Martha’s lists to be useful and thorough. I might not do the tasks with the frequency she suggests, but they are handy reminders to have.

I recently borrowed Martha’s Homekeeping Handbook from the library to investigate her complete homekeeping approach. I was trying to figure out who would buy this book. Maybe people buy it as a bridal shower gift? I don’t know. I found it interesting to page through, but it’s not something I would have looked at had … Read more →

Since my grandmother passed away in May, I’ve been sorting through the things I inherited and looking for ways to use and enjoy them in as Martha a way as possible.

I have a lot her costume jewelry, including clip on earrings. I took 7 pairs of earrings to the jeweler, including the 5 pairs of ivory she brought back from Africa (ivory is illegal to import now and the jeweler told me she wouldn’t even know how to value it) and 2 rhinestone pairs, and had them change them from clips to posts. In the back of the photo, you’ll see an ivory carving of three elephants. We think this was a brooch or a pin at some point, but the back must have come off. I had the jeweler make this into a tie clip for my son, so that he could have a piece too. I was surprised that all this work was relatively inexpensive – $77 for all of it.  I’m happy to have taken a box of pretty things that were unusable and turned them into things that I and my children will be able to use and enjoy. I think my grandmother would be pleased.

Since my grandmother passed away in May, I’ve been sorting through the things I inherited and looking for ways to use and enjoy them in as Martha a way as possible. I have a lot her costume jewelry, including clip on earrings. I took 7 pairs of earrings to the jeweler, including the 5 pairs … Read more →

I recently got one of Martha’s daily emails, this one offering to teach me how to fold a t-shirt. I do not have a very good track record with folding. You might remember when Martha tried to teach me how to fold a fitted sheet and it did not go well. But a t-shirt? How hard could it be really? I usually fold t-shirts so that the sleeves match up then fold the body in half.  When I put my t-shirts away in the drawers in our closet, I roll them and stand them up in the drawer (another Martha lesson).

I’m always happy to learn another Martha method though, so I was game. I printed out the instructions and got to work with my t-shirt.

The instructions are short. First you lay the shirt out with the neck to your right. Ok, that I can do. The next step says to pinch the shirt at two places – between the collar and the sleeve and then halfway down the shirt in line with the other hand. I think I did that. Then you are supposed to lift it up and cross your arms so the shoulder meets the bottom hem. I did that. You unfold your arms and hold the fold taut. Then you let the

Attempt #1

other sleeve touch the ground and lay the shirt on it.  I ended up with a crumpled mess.

I tried again and again and I could not make this work. I am technically challenged though. When I was in third grade, I got a tissue paper flower making kit. I went through every piece of tissue paper in that kit

Attempt #2

and did not come out with a single flower. Not one.  So, clearly I have limitations.  Can you make these instructions work? I would love to hear about it!

I recently got one of Martha’s daily emails, this one offering to teach me how to fold a t-shirt. I do not have a very good track record with folding. You might remember when Martha tried to teach me how to fold a fitted sheet and it did not go well. But a t-shirt? How … Read more →

The letter from Martha in August Martha Stewart Living about Maine not only made me nostalgic, but it made me think about how to bring a little Maine into my house.

Rocks on the beach

When we stayed in Maine a few years ago, we were in a house right on the coast, with a very gorgeous, rocky shore (in York Harbor). I loved hearing the waves crashing on the rocks all night. Every time we climbed down to the beach (and this was not an easy walk – it was rocky and steep), I would come back with my hands and pockets full of rocks. “What are you going to do with all of these?” Mr. MarthaAndMe asked. I didn’t really know, but I knew I was not leaving without them. Thank goodness we didn’t fly because it would have cost an arm and a leg to fly them home since they are so heavy.

That trip left me with a collection of gorgeous Maine rocks. A few years later, we stayed on Cape Cod for a week and again I brought home piles of rocks. Mr. MarthaAndMe knew better than to question me that time. These rocks were even harder to procure though since the beach was down a 35 step steep staircase. Hauling all those rocks up was a challenge.

These trips left me with rocks for brains – no, just kidding – they left me with piles of rocks. I read Martha’s article about Maine and it made me crave the rocky beach. I got out my rocks and decided it was time to do something with them.

I decided that this gorgeous big rock would work well as a doorstop. It now sits next to the door out to the garage and it works perfectly. It stands up by itself and it is heavy enough to hold the door. I love the designs on it.

Next I had lots of smaller Maine rocks.  I decided to put these in a basket and put it in the family room. I love the mix of different colors and types of rock. Blue rocks like these just say Maine to me.

Next, I moved on to the Cape Cod rocks.  I took the larger rocks and put them in another basket in the family room (a basket which happened to come from Maine).

I love the green rocks from Cape Cod. I still had some smaller Cape Cod rocks left, plus some small pieces of driftwood. I bought a rectangular glass vase and put the rocks in it and put it on a shelf in the kitchen with the driftwood next to it.

I’m really happy to have all of my rocks out and on display. I think Martha would approve.

The letter from Martha in August Martha Stewart Living about Maine not only made me nostalgic, but it made me think about how to bring a little Maine into my house. When we stayed in Maine a few years ago, we were in a house right on the coast, with a very gorgeous, rocky shore … Read more →

I love the piece in August Martha Stewart Living about Hawaiian quilt-inspired designs. We went to Hawaii last summer and I brought home a quilt and a quilted throw pillow cover. The quilt is the breadfruit pattern. It hangs on a quilt rack with a quilt from my grandmother.  I bought it at an amazing little artisan shop in a village outside of Akaka Falls. The throw pillow usually sits on a chair in my bedroom. I bought the pillow at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Fortunately, my bedroom is in a pastel floral style and these items work well there. I think that Hawaiian quilt patterns are beautiful, but they don’t work in every home.

The article suggests stenciling cushions for an outdoor chaise with this type of pattern and that would be gorgeous I think. Fitting these patterns into other decor is difficult I think. I love that I brought these pieces of the islands home with us and they remind me of our trip there.

I love the piece in August Martha Stewart Living about Hawaiian quilt-inspired designs. We went to Hawaii last summer and I brought home a quilt and a quilted throw pillow cover. The quilt is the breadfruit pattern. It hangs on a quilt rack with a quilt from my grandmother.  I bought it at an amazing … Read more →

One of the items I inherited from my grandmother is an old cedar chest. We found it in her basement, covered in cobwebs.  It got my attention because it is on legs. As you can see, there is a piece broken off (but we have it, so it can be repaired).

When I got it home I opened it up to really investigate. I was completely stunned to see the original paperwork still attached to the inside of the lid. This is a Caswell-Runyan Treasure Chest made of red cedar. A little Googling led to me to discover this was a company founded by two women that was popular in the 1930s (my grandparents married in 1933 so this makes sense). The chest doesn’t have a patent number I can see (there may be one on the bottom, but I haven’t crawled under there yet).

I really like the design of this chest a lot and would like to have it refinished.  Martha would know how to do it herself, but this is so old and in need of so much work that I need to find a professional.

One of the items I inherited from my grandmother is an old cedar chest. We found it in her basement, covered in cobwebs.  It got my attention because it is on legs. As you can see, there is a piece broken off (but we have it, so it can be repaired). When I got it … Read more →

I’m continuing to work through what I call the Grandmother Project, as I seek out ways to use, preserve, and enjoy the special items I inherited when my 99 year old grandmother passed.

Before

Two items that came home with me were baskets. The first is a very old two-handled, hinged picnic basket. My mom remembers my grandmother using this for family picnics years ago. It was a really hideous yellow (and I discovered there was a layer of green paint underneath that!). This basket seemed to me like something Martha would have great ideas about using. I posted about this a few weeks ago, asking for suggestions. So many of you sent me great ideas – thank you so much for inspiring me! The first thing I did was clean it. I took a damp cloth and thoroughly wiped it all over. It was dirty!

After

Next, I spray painted it white. It took an entire can of white spray paint and honestly, I probably should have ran out and bought another can to give it one more coat, but I didn’t have a chance.  I put the basket on my front porch, next to my white wicker furniture, with flowers in it. Next year I’m going to buy a nice oblong planter that will completely fill the basket and fill it with flowers that will grow and drape over the side, but for now this geranium brings it to life.

Next up is another picnic basket. This one is from my childhood. This is the basket my grandmother used to take on picnics with me. We often went to the park to have lunch. This is also what I think of as The Kitten Basket. My grandfather and his brother ran a greenhouse. Every spring the mama kitty that lived in the greenhouse had kittens. My grandmother would bring this basket with a towel in it and walk me over to the greenhouse. My grandfather would have already scoped out where the mama kitty was hiding her babies (often it was behind the boiler) and he would climb into wherever it was and get them out for me. We would put them in the basket and carry it back to my grandmother’s house where I would put the kittens out on a blanket in her sunroom and play with them. I can only imagine what the poor mama kitty thought about this!

So, as you can see, this basket has great sentimental value to me. I wanted to find a way to make it a part of my house. I decided to use it as a plant basket. I layered the bottom with plastic to protect it, then I set a plant pot in it. I’m going to carefully water it so that the basket does not get damaged.  It makes me happy every time I look at it.

I’m continuing to work through what I call the Grandmother Project, as I seek out ways to use, preserve, and enjoy the special items I inherited when my 99 year old grandmother passed. Two items that came home with me were baskets. The first is a very old two-handled, hinged picnic basket. My mom remembers … Read more →