Duct Tape Bed Skirt and the Hidden Stash of Dew

Note as of September 2013 - My husband and I are now blogging over at The Home Avengers!  We made the switch because we are looking to move from our small apartment sometime in the near future.  So enjoy this post and then come visit us!

I have TWO teenage boys (15 & 17) sharing a small bedroom at the back of our apartment.  Somehow we managed to fit 2 twin beds, a nightstand, 2 dressers, a desk and a chair in this room!  There is a 3 ft. walkway between the beds, a 2 ft. walkway between the beds and dressers and a 3 ft. strip of space at the front of the room.  We rearranged things 4 times until we got it this way!  Here's a pic from the doorway looking into their room:

Right away what do you notice?  All the junk under the beds!  Well, we're going to cover that up shortly, but first, let me tell you a little bit about their room.  The picture on the nightstand is actually a picture of Theatre Boy in his first leading role as Shan-Yu in Disney's Mulan Jr. and the Himalayan Salt Candle is because my boys like fire.  The nightstand in the middle was a DIY project from last year.  The 2 dressers match it and we love the vintage square hardware!  This set has been in the family for many years and actually came from my boys Aunt Karyn.  They had been forgotten inside a storage unit and we rescued them!  Here's another pic:

Yep.  Look at all them bare walls.

Under their beds is pretty scary too:

There are the usual teenage boy things.  Chemistry set, box of hot wheels, models of Star Wars things and shoe boxes filled with cards.

Under Theatre Boy's bed things get a little crazy, because that's where he houses his [not so] secret stash of Mountain Dew.  At any given time there are at least four 12-packs in multiple flavors under here.  Original, Throwback, Voltage, Code Red, Dark Berry and White Out can be found and sometimes he doesn't even notice if we steal one!

To make more space under their beds I put each bed frame on risers (actually all the beds in our apartment are on risers) and some beds have the special under bed boxes with wheels on them .  This has presented a problem finding bed skirts because the height of all our beds is definitely non-standard.  I would either have to special order bed skirts (pricey) or have them custom made (even pricier) for them to fit.  And even though I sew I have neither time nor inclination to tackle bed skirts for the whole family right now.

Enter Duct Tape.  The solution for everything.

These no-sew bed skirts are made out of 2 lovingly used King size flat sheets (but you can really use any size sheet for this, this is all I had on hand that I wasn't planning on using ever again), a pair of scissors and a roll of duct tape.

To make a bed skirt, first cut the sheet in half longways.  Like from the middle top of the sheet to the middle bottom.  The next thing I did was iron each piece of the sheet, but you don't have to.

After that take the sheet and fold over one of the edges that borders both the cut side and the uncut side.  Then drape the sheet, uncut long side brushing the floor, at the middle end of the bed and duct tape it in place.  Here's a picture to give you a better idea of what it looks like after this step:

And here it is taped in place:

The next thing I did was drape the sheet around the bed, ensuring the edge was barely brushing the floor, while wrapping the box spring like a present and duct taping it into place, like this:

Once the first side was completely draped I duct taped everything into place (while eating a bowl of Cool Ranch Doritos):

Then I repeated it on the other side:

Once it was all duct taped and done, I tugged and pulled and re-positioned until everything was exactly where I wanted it, then I put the mattress back on and made the bed.  And Voila':

The Mountain Dew stash is finally hidden.  This project actually cost me ZERO dollars!  So exciting!

Thanks for stopping by BIG FAMILY/small apartment today.  I'm gonna go drink a Dew now.

BECAUSE I AM COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY OBSESSED WITH LINKY PARTIES,

YOU CAN FIND THIS POST LINKED UP HERE:

504 Main - Tickled Pink Fridays, Finding Fabulous - Frugalicious Fridays, Tater Tots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party, French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday, Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration, At The Picket Fence - Inspiration Fridays, Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Nite Special, Romantic Home - Show and Tell Fridays, Delicate Construction - Delicately Constructed Fridays, Redoux Interiors - Fridays at Redoux, Shaken Together Life - What's Shakin' Link Party, Chic on a Shoestring - Flaunt It Friday, Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Liz Marie, Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday, Shabby Art Boutique - Shabbilicious Friday, Maiden D'Shade - Maiden D'Shade Fridays, Too Much Time - Get Schooled Saturdays, Passion Parade Friday, 2805 - Potpourri Friday, Rooted in Thyme - Simple and Sweet Fridays, Be Different Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday, Debbie Doos - Power of Pinterest Party, I Heart Naptime - Sundae Scoop, Flamingo Toes - Think Pink Sunday, My 1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best, Under The Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase Party, Twigg Studios - Sunday Showoff Party, Debbie Doos - Newbie Party, Mommy Sweet Confessions - Sunday Link Party, Nifty Thrifty Things - Nifty Thrifty Sunday, DIY Showoff - DIY Project Parade, Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers Party, Between Naps on The Porch - Metamorphosis Monday, Alderberry Hill - Make The Scene Monday, Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Monday, Boogie Board Cottage - Masterpiece Monday, The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday, Krafty Kat - Gettin' Krafty Monday, Mod Vintage Life - Mod Mix Monday, Sewing Barefoot - The Weekly Creative, Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesdays Treasures, Kammy's Corner - Trash To Treasure Tuesday, Domestically Speaking - Power of Paint Party, Our Delightful Home - Show me what you got Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays, Restore Interiors - Restore It Wednesday, Primitive and Proper - POWW, Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday, Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday, House of Hepworths - Hookin' Up with the House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday, The Crafty Blog Stalker - Blog Stalking Thursday, A Little Knick Knack - EBTKS Link Party, I Gotta Create - Wildly Original Linky Party, Somewhat Simple - Simple Link Party, Colorado Lady - Vintage Thingie Thursday, The Vintage Farmhouse - Creative Things Thursday, From My Front Porch To Yours - Treasure Hunt Thursday, The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home Thursday, Blissful Rhythm - Home and Garden Thursday, Julie Jewels - Show Your Stuff Thursday, Mamal Diane - The Gathering Spot, Sarahndipities - Make Something Monday, Keeping It Simple Crafts - Motivate Me Monday, Making The World Cuter - Making The World Cuter Monday, Lines Across - The Cure for the Common Monday, Creating Really Awesome Free Things - Making Monday Marvelous, Sumo's Sweet Stuff - Market Yourself Monday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday, Delightful Order - Delightfully Inspiring Thursday, Stuff and Nonsense - Fridays Unfolded, Imparting Grace - Grace At Home, Lamb Around - Not "Baaad" Sundays, Mad In Crafts - Mad Skills Party, Skip To My Lou - Made By You Monday, Be Colorful - Motivated Monday, Cornerstone Confessions - Titus 2 Tuesdays, Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesdays, House On The Way - Twirl and Take a Bow Party, Not Just A Housewife - Show Me What You Got Tuesdays, Miss Information - I Freakin' Did It Friday, Happy Hour Projects - Happy Hour Friday, The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday, Jennifer Rizzo - Fabulously Creative Friday, I Am Only 1 Woman - Check Me Out Saturday, West Furniture Revival - Revival Monday, Home Stories A to Z - Tutorials and Tips, Eye Heart - Anything Goes Mondays, Sew Chatty - Made With Love Mondays, The Girl Creative - Just Something I Whipped Up, Flour Me With Love - Mix It Up Monday, Say Not Sweet Anne - Sweet Sharing Monday, DIY Home Sweet Home - More The Merrier Monday,Mighty Crafty - Mighty Crafty Mondays, A Diamond In The Stuff - Time To Shine Tuesday, The Ironstone Nest - Transformation Tuesday, Uncommon Designs Online - Uncommonly Yours, No Minimalist Here - Open House Wednesday, Beyond The Picket Fence - Under $100 Wednesday, Timewashed - Blissful Whites Wednesday, Cheerios and Lattes - Saturday Show and Tell

SO IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR, FIRST OF ALL 'THANK YOU!', AND IF YOU'D LIKE A COPY OF MY LINKY PARTY EXCEL SPREADSHEET CONTAINING OVER 100 ACTIVE DIY LINKY PARTIES, PLEASE BECOME A FOLLOWER OF MY BLOG AND THEN SEND ME AN EMAIL!  I WILL BE OFFERING THIS SPREADSHEET TO NEW FOLLOWERS THAT REQUEST IT BY EMAIL FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER 2012!  WANT YOUR LINKY PARTY ADDED AND FOR ME TO LINK UP?  JUST LEAVE ME A COMMENT WITH YOUR PARTY AND I'D BE HAPPY TO!

I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Thrift Store Thursday #4, Prom Dresses and a Big Secret

In a desperate attempt to NOT have to go to the store (because I am so crunched for time!), I tried drinking my coffee black this morning.  When that didn't work I got the brilliant idea to use nonfat vanilla yogurt in my coffee as a creamer.  That was really bad.  Like 'don't ever do it' bad.  Then I broke down and went to the store just to get the 'vanilla yogurt in coffee' taste out of my mouth. Ewww.

So this Thrift Store Thursday isn't really about my thrifting trips this week.  I only made one trip and couldn't find anything that I liked or needed, and came back with one small picture frame for a dollar.  So no, this post isn't going to be about me, it's about my mother (Hi Mom, I know you're reading and I hope you don't mind being the main attraction today).

 

All I got was a measly $1 frame.  Though it is quite an awesome frame.

My mom lives near an SVDP.  For those of you that don't know what SVDP is, it stands for St. Vincent De Paul.  Now these are fabulous thrift stores.  I've been into this SVDP several times and everyone is so nice.  There was a staff member that actually marked items down just for me because I was buying a lot.  The staff is always very friendly and they even ask if you need help.  Finally, when I've checked out of SVDP they have always thanked me profusely for supporting them.  One time I bought some furniture and had to make several trips to get it all home, and each time I came back they happily loaded the rest of my purchases and thanked me for supporting them every time.  I mean, these people are NICE!

Now, Mom is Girlfriend's personal shopper.  And unlike most 13 year old girls, Girlfriend NEEDS a personal shopper.  Let me share with you the big secret reason why Girlfriend needs an experienced thrifting Grandma...so come closer...and shhhhh...

 

Girlfriend's a pageant queen.

 

Along with being a queen, she has all sorts of "gotta look very pretty" appearances to attend to.  Of course "gotta look very pretty" usually means "gotta be very expensive" and doesn't every mom want a closet full of dresses your daughter will only wear once or twice each?  Not only that, her responsibilities include fundraising for some local charities she's interested in, and I would much rather have her learn to support charity, and not her closet.

 

So for less than a Starbucks Grandma keeps Girlfriend dressed. Look at some of Grandma's finds:

 

Teal with Sparkles

 

 

Grey with Sparkles - It matches the teal one!

 

 

Hot Pink and Black

 

 

This cute red dress has rhinestone straps on the back!

 

 

This one is vintage Jessica McClintock with a bubble skirt and rhinestones.  One of her faves.

 

 

Another fave is this orange and yellow plaid number.  So cute!

 

 

And Grandma's most recent acquisition for Girlfriend is this hot pink dress with adorable swirls dropping down from the skirt.  She saw it and immediately texted me this pic (yes, Grandma texts!).  I showed this pic to Girlfriend and she said "OMG yes!".

 

So there you have it.  Grandma, SVDP and the Pageant Queen.  All in a Thrift Store Thursday blog post from BIG FAMILY/small apartment.

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

 



Vintage Floral Wall Art and how Kilz nearly Killed My Project

Tonight Mr. Big [Family/small apartment] went to the grocery store and bought his second case of fire logs in under 2 weeks.  We've been having great family time each night around the fire while Cutie Girl gives Daddy singing lessons.  So far she's taught him Doe, Rae, Me - but seems to have lost him after that.  Needless to say our teen boys have discovered new uses for their earbuds while all of this is going on.  Girlfriend even came out of her room and asked who was dying...

So, onto the reason for my blog post tonight.  I have a "Blog Crush" on Sawdust & Embryos and anxiously await each one of their new projects.  Quite a while ago (like back in 2010!) Beth posted about a Floral Decorative Thingy she bought at a thrift store for $4.99.  I loved what she did with it so much that when I found someone selling THREE similar pieces on Craigslist for $5 each, I snapped them up! (excessive much?)  Here's a before picture of the one I just completed:

These were made in the 60's and 70's and what I thought was really neat is that on the back of this, in raised lettering, it says "Made in the USA".  It also says it was made in Indiana.  We don't see that very much anymore!

So here's what Beth at Sawdust & Embryo's did with hers.  She even painted part of her flowers orange, and we all know how much I love orange:

Yeah, I'm jealous much.

I, however, was going in a different direction with mine because it was going to land in Girlfriend's bathroom.  For what I was doing I needed to prime it, and then paint it gloss white.  I've learned to prime anything that is going a lighter color and that I don't plan on distressing.  So I bought a brand new spray can of Kilz oil based primer and got to work.

What happened next is right out of a DIY horror movie!  I was very careful to shake up my can of primer and even do a quick test spray. All seemed well.  I then proceeded to prime my vintage art piece.  Instead of spraying smoothly the Kilz Primer sputtered and spattered and clumped and gobbed it's way out of the can.  And with one spray I had completely ruined the nice smooth finish on this piece.  As a matter of fact, after that first spray of primer my piece looked like an old 70's popcorn ceiling!  Here's a pic (I did not include a pic of me crying over ruined art...)

Isn't that awful?  I tried everything I could to get that can to spray right and it just didn't work.  It was a nice warm day outside so it dried nearly instantly (I guess that would be a plus for Kilz), but since it had dried so fast I could not wipe it off (I tried!).  The next thing I tried was a piece of fine sand paper.  That managed to get the little leaves flattened out again but the rest was still a big hot mess.  Finally I got a very hard bristled scrub brush, took this over to the sink and got to work.  Here's a pic with the brush that sorta saved it:

And that was as good as it was gonna get.  It still wasn't perfectly smooth like it was before, but it was workable.  I live too far from the store to justify returning my Kilz, so I sent them an email and haven't heard back :-(

Next I went over it with a light dusting of Valspar Gloss White Spray Paint.  Good 'ol Valspar, that kind of saved it.  Onto the the next step.  I grabbed a sample of Melon colored Oops paint - don't you love that price -

And I used it to paint the flowers.  Then Girlfriend came over and needed homework help, but instead took my paintbrush away and painted the flowers herself.  I think she did a fine job:

 And...

We were having so much fun!  Anyway, after the flowers were done we used a bright turquoise color in the middle of each flower:

We just loved it!  We wanted to tone down the brightness a bit though, so the last (time consuming) step was to glaze the entire piece.  For that we chose Martha Stewart Living Metallic Glaze in Mercury.  Yes, I use this glaze everywhere and one day will probably glaze my entire body.  No I'm not being bought off by Martha, but she's welcome to send me a check for all my enthusiastic advertising.

Mercury is a silvery metallic glaze and very pretty.  We glazed the whole piece.  A word of advice for glazing a piece like this is to use a small brush to put it on, and a small dry brush to wipe it off.  When it was done the leaves were defined and it had a little sparkle and shine to it, just like Girlfriend.  Lastly we hung it up in her bathroom and it is now the "inspiration piece" for the rest of the room.  Considering there is nothing else on any wall in there.  That means I'm going to be blogging about decorating this place for a looong time. Here's some more pics:

 So pretty!

It matches Cutie Girl's jewelry box below it:

Too bad I'm in an apartment and can't paint the walls.  I can think of some great colors that would show this little piece off nicely!  But we'll make do.  At least we don't have contractor white walls!

So that's it for another episode of BIG FAMILY/small apartment.  I hope you'll tune in next time for some more small space decorating advice!

I link up to these wonderful parties: 504 Main - Tickled Pink Fridays, Finding Fabulous - Frugalicious Fridays, Tater Tots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party, French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday, Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration, At The Picket Fence - Inspiration Fridays, Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Nite Special, Romantic Home - Show and Tell Fridays, Delicate Construction - Delicately Constructed Fridays, Redoux Interiors - Fridays at Redoux, Shaken Together Life - What's Shakin' Link Party, Chic on a Shoestring - Flaunt It Friday, Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Liz Marie, Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday, Shabby Art Boutique - Shabbilicious Friday, Maiden D'Shade - Maiden D'Shade Fridays, Too Much Time - Get Schooled Saturdays, Passion Parade Friday, 2805 - Potpourri Friday, Rooted in Thyme - Simple and Sweet Fridays, Be Different Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday, Debbie Doos - Power of Pinterest Party, I Heart Naptime - Sundae Scoop, Flamingo Toes - Think Pink Sunday, My 1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best, Under The Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase Party, Twigg Studios - Sunday Showoff Party, Debbie Doos - Newbie Party, Mommy Sweet Confessions - Sunday Link Party, Nifty Thrifty Things - Nifty Thrifty Sunday, DIY Showoff - DIY Project Parade, Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers Party, Between Naps on The Porch - Metamorphosis Monday, Alderberry Hill - Make The Scene Monday, Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Monday, Boogie Board Cottage - Masterpiece Monday, The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday, Krafty Kat - Gettin' Krafty Monday, Mod Vintage Life - Mod Mix Monday, Sewing Barefoot - The Weekly Creative, Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesdays Treasures, Kammy's Corner - Trash To Treasure Tuesday, Domestically Speaking - Power of Paint Party, Our Delightful Home - Show me what you got Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays, Restore Interiors - Restore It Wednesday, Primitive and Proper - POWW, Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday, Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday, House of Hepworths - Hookin' Up with the House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday, The Crafty Blog Stalker - Blog Stalking Thursday, A Little Knick Knack - EBTKS Link Party, I Gotta Create - Wildly Original Linky Party, Somewhat Simple - Simple Link Party, Colorado Lady - Vintage Thingie Thursday, The Vintage Farmhouse - Creative Things Thursday, From My Front Porch To Yours - Treasure Hunt Thursday, The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home Thursday, Blissful Rhythm - Home and Garden Thursday, Julie Jewels - Show Your Stuff Thursday, Mamal Diane - The Gathering Spot, Sarahndipities - Make Something Monday, Keeping It Simple Crafts - Motivate Me Monday, Making The World Cuter - Making The World Cuter Monday, Lines Across - The Cure for the Common Monday, Creating Really Awesome Free Things - Making Monday Marvelous, Sumo's Sweet Stuff - Market Yourself Monday, Craft-o-Maniac Monday

The Awesome Orange Mirror and 126 Starbursts

A while back I made an AH-MAZING yard sale find.  My husband and I spied this mirror at a yard sale, with the $600 price tag still stuck to the back!  It wasn't in the greatest of condition, it was dirty and peeling.  I don't want to tell you what I paid for it (much less than 10% of that price tag) because you'd be so jealous you wouldn't read my blog anymore!  At first my husband and I WALKED AWAY and left the yard sale.  It was just so big and heavy and we didn't know what we'd do with it.  Then we got our heads back on straight and drove as quickly as we could back to the sale to snap it up!

This mirror is very large and hand carved in India.  It weighs about 50 lbs. and is about 4 ft. by 3ft. in size, and of all things, it hangs by a serious iron chain on the back!  Like the kind of chain you'd see on Jacob Marley - that kind of chain!



So what does an incessant DIY-er do when they find something like this?  They paint it orange.  Duh.  I got out some lovely Annie Sloan Barcelona chalk paint and got to work.  Progress was verrrrrrrry slow with all the deep nooks and crannies on this thing!  Here's a picture after I was off and running.

Soon I ran out of stream and got distracted.  Here's where the Starbursts come in.

Theatre Boy, my 17 year old son, bursts in the house after drama rehearsal and announces he needs 10 large bags of Starbursts.  Of course my reply was "YOU NEED WHAT????".  To which he confirmed said request for a ridiculously large amount of candy.  After continued interrogation on my part, I come to find out that the cute little choir girl I've spied him holding hands with after school has a favorite candy.  You guessed it.  Starbursts.  But not just any Starbursts.  Her true favorite is only the YELLOW ones.  See where we're going?

So after a late night run to Target, we all sit down to open bag after bag of Starbursts and sort out the yellow ones.  (might I mention the kids said "hurry, throw away the wrappers before mom finds something to Mod Podge them onto - love these kids).  After all the sorting there are 126 yellow Starbursts.  "Just enough" Theatre Boy says.

Time to ask a girl to the Homecoming Dance properly (see my mirror back there? soo neglected).

Now this is one sweet offer.  I mean, when did these kids get all fancy shmancy in how they ask a girl to the Homecoming Dance?  Seriously, when I was in high school the guy came up to you in the hallway and said "Hey, you wanna go to Homecoming?".  And that was it.  Now there's flowers and posters and well...I'm jealous.

So the next morning I was part of the plan.  I had to wait in the parking lot with this poster so he could get it right before the class he has with this cute girl.

Waiting in the car...



She said YES, and since then has acquired a gorgeous purple gown for the dance.  Pictures will be forthcoming. 

Now I could finish my mirror.



Even though all that orange was, well, Awesome! - it left me feeling a little flat.  I mean, all those little carvings and nothing to make them shine.

So first it needed some distressing.  I got out a sanding block and distressed every single raised edge on the entire mirror.

After I had beat the heck out of it, and couldn't feel my arms either, I was totally dismayed.  It still looked...flat.  Like my chest after breastfeeding all my children.

Enter Martha Stewart Living Metallic Glaze in Muscovado.  You know I love these glazes and use them, like, on every other project.

You just paint it on...

And wipe it off...can you tell the part that was glazed?  I was finally satisfied.

But now there was a dilemma.  I had NO place to put this mirror!  That's what friends are for though.  I've known my friend Erin for over 20 years and one of her favorite colors is orange!  And she just moved and has bare walls!  What could be better?  So this wonderful piece went over to Erin's house.  I figure if I die first she can keep it forever and if she dies first she'll just will it to me.  All settled.

 Here it is up on her wall - can you see how awesome the glaze is in defining all the details?



And here's a bigger brighter pic -

So that's it!  Thanks for tagging along today!  I'm gonna go eat some Starbursts.

I link up to these wonderful parties:  504 Main - Tickled Pink Fridays, Finding Fabulous - Frugalicious Fridays, Tater Tots and Jello - Weekend Wrap Up Party, French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday, Common Ground - Vintage Inspiration, At The Picket Fence - Inspiration Fridays, Funky Junk Interiors - Saturday Nite Special, Romantic Home - Show and Tell Fridays, Delicate Construction - Delicately Constructed Fridays, Redoux Interiors - Fridays at Redoux, Shaken Together Life - What's Shakin' Link Party, Chic on a Shoestring - Flaunt It Friday, Liz Marie Blog - Link Up With Liz Marie, Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday, Shabby Art Boutique - Shabbilicious Friday, Maiden D'Shade - Maiden D'Shade Fridays, Too Much Time - Get Schooled Saturdays, Passion Parade Friday, 2805 - Potpourri Friday, Rooted in Thyme - Simple and Sweet Fridays, Be Different Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday, Debbie Doos - Power of Pinterest Party, I Heart Naptime - Sundae Scoop, Flamingo Toes - Think Pink Sunday, My 1929 Charmer - Sunday's Best, Under The Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase Party, Twigg Studios - Sunday Showoff Party, Debbie Doos - Newbie Party, Mommy Sweet Confessions - Sunday Link Party, Nifty Thrifty Things - Nifty Thrifty Sunday, DIY Showoff - DIY Project Parade, Homemaker on a Dime - Creative Bloggers Party, Between Naps on The Porch - Metamorphosis Monday, Alderberry Hill - Make The Scene Monday, Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Monday, Boogie Board Cottage - Masterpiece Monday, The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday, Krafty Kat - Gettin' Krafty Monday, Mod Vintage Life - Mod Mix Monday, Sewing Barefoot - The Weekly Creative, Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesdays Treasures, Kammy's Corner - Trash To Treasure Tuesday, Domestically Speaking - Power of Paint Party, Our Delightful Home - Show me what you got Tuesday, Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays, Restore Interiors - Restore It Wednesday, Primitive and Proper - POWW, Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday, Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday, House of Hepworths - Hookin' Up with the House of Hepworths, The Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday, The Crafty Blog Stalker - Blog Stalking Thursday, A Little Knick Knack - EBTKS Link Party, I Gotta Create - Wildly Original Linky Party, Somewhat Simple - Simple Link Party, Colorado Lady - Vintage Thingie Thursday, The Vintage Farmhouse - Creative Things Thursday, From My Front Porch To Yours - Treasure Hunt Thursday, The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home Thursday, Blissful Rhythm - Home and Garden Thursday

Twinkle, Twinkle Laundry Line

Necessity is the mother of all invention, and this laundry line is no different!

It seems as though my teenage children and myself have a lot of delicate clothes.  Either that or all of my preaching about how taking care of things makes them last longer got heard.  Needless to say Theatre Boy and Girlfriend have quite a few items of clothing they won't let near a dryer.  When clothes are hung dry they last longer, stay colorful longer and the fabric won't get fuzzy or have pills.  Yes, after doing laundry for 7 people for years, I know this first hand.

So in our small apartment we had to get creative with a clothing line.  We don't have the capability of putting a laundry line outside of our apartment, but we do have this really great looong hallway inside of our apartment.  My boys hung up 4 hooks in a line in the hallway using drywall anchors.  The anchors we used have a 75 lb. weight limit on them because we wanted to make sure they held whatever we hung up!  Then we draped twinkle lights from hook to hook, wrapping the lights around each hook a couple of times.  They reach the electrical outlet nicely and make a great clothesline!  Here's what it looks like with damp clothes on it:

Now these are outdoor lights that can stand up to wind, rain and snow, so I'm thinking that some damp clothing isn't a problem!  Here's a closer look:

When we don't have clothes on the line we'll turn the twinkle lights on just for fun!  It's really cute in the hallway.  Here's the clothesline with the twinkle lights on:

As I'm hanging clothes I do take care to make sure the lights aren't actually "on" the clothes.  And most of the time the lights are off when there are clothes on the line.  But sometimes the lights are on and it's just really fun!

What a neat and creative way to hang dry clothes when you live in an apartment.  Space is at such a premium here that I don't want to waste any space with a clothes rack.  Before I thought of this idea we were hanging clothes to dry in the showers, which really didn't work when someone needed to shower!

I don't hand wash these clothes, we have a full washer and dryer in our apartment so I will wash the clothes on the delicate cycle with a gentle detergent and fabric softener before hanging them to dry.  When they're drying they also make the apartment smell nice and fresh.

Stay tuned for more BIG FAMILY/small apartment tips and tricks!