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making do

DIY, making do

Cloth Extension Cords: Vintage Style, Modern Safety

02/03/2014

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Maybe it’s just me but have you ever noticed how an ugly extension cord snaking along the baseboard can ruin a whole room? Come on, you know you’ve noticed it too. And if you haven’t, you might now that I brought it up. (You’re welcome.)

I’m thinking about switching to something more like these cloth covered cords in the Dream House. Available in range of colors and styles, these cords are so cute I’ll probably want to find a way to display rather than hide them!

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DIY, making do, small town life

Make Homemade Fire Starters with 2 Things You’re Already Putting in the Garbage

01/30/2014

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What do you use to start a fire? Those store-bought fire starting logs? Well, hello, Mr. and Mrs. Moneybags! Crumpled up newspaper? Yep, that’ll work (and will perhaps keep print media running). Top secret documents that you need to destroy? Um, yeah, that’ll work too (although I worry about the kinds of people you associate with). Have I got a better fire starter for you! And it’s two things you would throw into the garbage anyway!

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DIY, making do, small town life

How We Work With What We Have:
Our Makeshift Life at the Dream House

01/29/2014

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This fireplace is a perfect example of how Mr. and Mr. Blandings make the best of what we have. We haven’t been able to get the fireplace inspected due to all the snow and cold so we’re not able to build a proper fire yet. Still, that dark boxy hole in the wall is just begging for some flames! Thank goodness for cheap IKEA candles and a cordless drill.

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DIY, dream house, making do

Finding Ways to Stay Warm in the Dream House

01/27/2014

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As a blizzard roared by the Dream House last night, I was hunkered down on the sofa, trying to stay warm. The winds last night were brutal. Sitting inside this big, old, quiet house, it sounded like a hurricane was raging outside. It was so windy, in fact, that if it were summer I would have been preparing my tornado evacuation plan.

Despite my multiple layers of clothes and two pairs of socks, I was still feeling the effects of the cold. It was almost as if I could feel the cold air drifting across the hardwood floors and right across  my feet. And in some ways, I could! As I walked past the front door a little while later, I noticed that some snow was blowing through the crack under the door and collecting in a little puddle inside the house. No wonder it’s so damned cold in the living room!

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