A Simple Window

I bought this window at an antique store a few years ago, for $5.  I was really excited about hanging it in my bedroom, but after decorating it several times, I was not happy with how it looked.  This weekend, I decided to start over...

Have you noticed the new trend in home decorating magazines, where they hang a picture on the outside of glass bookcase or china hutch?  I kind of liked how it looked, so I decided to try it on the window.  The sign is hung from fishing line.

I really didn't know what else I wanted to do to the window, so I started looking around the house for something I already had.   I spied a rose garland on the top of my bedroom armoire, so I decided to try that on the window frame, (I have roses on my bedspread and on my wallpaper border.)

I tacked the garland up with thumbtacks and when I stepped back to look at it, I loved how it looked!  It is the perfect background for my grandpa's violin.

Come back tomorrow for an easy chore chart idea!  I love it because you can see at a glance what jobs are done!

Debbie

Carpet Cleaning Part 2

Our toy poodle Misty had 4 puppies last night, but the bigger she got, the more often she had to go outside to pee.  Little sister did not keep up with the new schedule and Misty had some accidents on my light carpet.  Needless to say, the "Misty spots" were not gone after my carpet cleaning frenzy a week or so ago.  They lightened up considerably with the Oxy Clean Versatile, but when they dried, I now had bigger, faint yellow spots!  GRRR!

                                      But aren't they both so cute?

I went searching for another idea and came across this site.  I tried the homemade recipe listed, and the carpet looks great!  I am pasting the article here for your convenience!

Directions for Dog Urine Removal

1. If the area is still wet you should first attempt to absorb the dog urine. Leaving it there to dry out will only encourage bacterial growth which causes the smell. The best method is to place several layers of paper towel over the wet area and tread on it so as to soak up as much of the dog urine as you possibly can. You may have to repeat this several times until no more dog urine can be soaked up.
Sometimes dog urine accidents have already dried because you did not notice them previously. You can find dried urine spots on your carpet with the aid of a black light. The dog urine stains will fluoresce under the ultra violet light in a darkened room. Hand held black lights are quite inexpensive usually costing between $15 - $25. Of course, you can always save the expense of a black light to find the odors by using your nose instead. 

2. The next step is to mix a solution of fifty percent white vinegar and fifty percent water. You must use a liberal amount of this solution to reach the carpet fibers deep down. Work the solution in with a scrubbing brush to ensure it penetrates the carpet fibers below. Now blot the area again using the paper towel method above. The vinegar will neutralize the ammonia in the dog urine. If you own a wet/dry vacuum extractor use that to remove excess moisture.

3. When the area has dried or almost dried sprinkle a good handful of baking soda over the soiled area. Mix half a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a teaspoon of detergent. Plain liquid dishwashing detergent is quite suitable. Do not use caustic dishwasher detergent.

Put on a pair of rubber gloves and slowly pour the hydrogen peroxide and detergent mixture over the baking soda. Work the dissolving baking soda well into the carpet with your fingers or with a scrubbing brush.
Allow the area to dry completely and then vacuum thoroughly.

And there you have it!  Happy spotting!  Come back tomorrow for a great wall hanging idea!
Debbie

The Coffee Table Dilemma

I have coffee table in my family room that I love.  A few years ago, I bought a candle holder to decorate the table, and I change it seasonally.

I love how it adds color to the room, but there is one problem....every time the kids want to play a game or do homework, they move the candle holder.  Two days ago, my youngest son was moving it, and he broke one of the votive holders.  I spent a lot of time in town trying to match the glass, but couldn't find anything EXACTLY the same.  I have been reading lately about trays and how they can contain a cute setting on a table, and then be moved quickly with everything in tact; I decided to try it.

I bought this tray at Wal Mart for $8.  I added a vase, the little birds and some flowers that were floating around the house.  I am so happy with how it turned out!

It worked so well, that I found another tray to put my dining room decorations on, since we also move them EVERYDAY.

The candle holder was relegated to the top of the wood stove...maybe a little prematurely, since it is blizzarding outside today...but doesn't it look cute?

See you Monday with some more ideas....
Debbie

Will spring really come?

I always become restless this time of year, wondering if the winter weather will really abate and spring will come.  Yesterday I stopped in at the local mom and pop store to pick up milk and bread, and they had Easter candy out!  I commented to the saleslady that putting out Easter candy in the middle of a blizzard was an act of faith....someone was sure that spring would come.

I have been dreaming about flowers and vegetable gardens and green grass and sunshine.

When I got home, I picked up the mail, and there was a copy of The Gardener's Supply Company magazine in my mailbox....I sat down and looked through the entire thing!

They had so many innovative ideas!  Much of the magazine dealt with building grow boxes, but they also had these amazing  bags for growing potatoes, potatoes, peppers, etc.  Think movable grow boxes.  The description says...
"With Grow Bags you can grow veggies in any sunny spot...They're made of patented, double-layer polypropylene fabric that breathes to reduce heat build-up and provide excellent drainage."  You just fill them with soil, add the plant and voila!  The potato bag is very cool, in that you just dump the soil out potatoes and all when the season is over.  See How to Grow Potatoes in a Bag

Happy dreaming of spring!

Baby Teethers

I have kind of had babies on the brain these days with Kelsie's little chick due soon. I also went to two baby showers last week, so I was looking around for a cute, FAST, and inexpensive idea for a baby gift. I found the pattern and a great tutorial for these owl teethers at The Rubber Punkin.
They can be made from any odds and ends of material that you might have on hand. I made mine from flannel, but they would be fun made from fabrics with a texture too!

I thought they were so cute! I made 6 of them in about one hour.
I did make a couple of little changes to the pattern--
I didn't stuff it, instead I cut one layer of fleece, the same size as the back which I sewed into the seam as I stitched the front and back together. Then I cut a rectangular piece from a Sun Chips bag,(you know how annoyingly noisy they are), and put it inside the owl, to get that crinkling noise that babies love! (You can make about 8 owls from one Sun Chips bag!)

My little grandson LOVES dogs, so I decided to change the pattern a little bit and make him a dog teether!

I simply cut the horns off the owl pattern to make the head. Then I cut two floppy ears which I sewed into the seam. I used the same eye patterns, but added a little blue nose. I left one ear long and bent one ear, which I tacked in place. I think it could be a cute rabbit too, if you left the ears up.
The baby seemed to like it!

Come back tomorrow and we'll have another idea for you!
Debbie

Spotting the Carpet...the miracle cleaner!

When we built this house I decided to put light carpet in the living room and upstairs...I do not know what I was thinking! I definitely was NOT thinking about neighbor dogs running in the front door and throwing up on the carpet, baby boys taking off their messy diapers and flinging them across the room, or puppy pee stains. Needless to say, I had tons of spots on the carpet. I had been dying to clean those spots, so I devised a plan...when my sweet husband did the weekly vacuuming, he would put a sticky note on every spot, and I would follow behind him and wash the spots. I will not tell you how many sticky notes we had altogether, but here is a picture of just part of the living room! I was mortified!

I mixed up a gallon of OxyClean Versatile and water in an old jug, according to the directions on the box. I LOVE OxyClean Versatile! It is a miracle worker on stains. At first I used a spray bottle and sprayed each spot, but soon I decided that it was more effective if I poured it on each spot and scrubbed it in with a wash rag. Then I poured vinegar on any spots that I thought were pet related, (the vinegar becomes the human smell, so the dogs won't go back to the spot.) The results were amazing! I tried to take a picture of the clean carpet, but it just looked like carpet! Sorry!

After I cleaned the carpet, I decided to try cleaning a few more things...

The black spot on my son's carpet.
Our poodle who never chews anything up, chewed up a ball point pen on my son's light carpet. The stain was black, and when I poured the OxyClean mix on it, it turned purple. I just walked out of the room and couldn't look at it. Three days later I went back in to look, and the black stain was gone. Two small brown spots remained, but I spotted them again yesterday. I will let you know how it turns out!

My cream colored Pottery Barn-type couch.
I took all of the cushion covers and pillows off of my couch and soaked them in the OxyClean mixture. After soaking them for an hour or so, I popped them in the washing machine. Then I scrubbed the entire couch with more OxyClean mixture. It looks fabulous...no more spots, water marks, or dirt!

Welcome to Mama Hen and the Chicks!

Welcome to our new blog!
I needed to set up a project for one of my master's classes--something that I wanted to research and learn how to do--so I decided to start a blog where Haylie, Kelsie and I could post our projects and ideas! We will give you lots of frugal ideas for decorating homes, strengthening families, and celebrating holidays! We will also share our creative problem solving strategies as we live by the adage "necessity is the mother of invention!"
We are excited to share what we are doing, and we hope that it will be useful and fun for you too.
We will post a new project or idea every day, Monday through Friday, so check back tomorrow for our first post!

Debbie