Condo Blues

6 DIY Recycling Ideas for Non DIYres

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:53:00 +0000

It only takes a short drive to go from my city that has a formal recycling program for glass, paper, metal, and plastic to tiny rural town America that tried and failed to make their city...

Candyland Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:19:00 +0000

Little Mr G. had a birthday. Birthdays mean cake. No crappy grocery store bakery cake for this kid. Mr G’s mom made a cake from scratch, plunked it on a clean and reused cake...

Practically Green

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

When I got my free review copy of Micaela Preston’s book Practically Green Your Guide to Ecofriendly Decision-Making I devoured it in almost one sitting. Yeah, I liked it that...

Decorate Your Pumpkins with Stencils!

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Husband wanted to carve pumpkins this year for Halloween. Intricate carving with stencils kind of pumpkins like the Bruce Campbell/Evil Dead pumpkin our friend carved last Halloween. I wasn’t...

Blitzkrieg’s Balloon Boy Costume!

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:04:00 +0000

Blitzkrieg needed a costume for the Capital Area Human Society’s Halloween Pet Parade but what do you do if you dog hates costumes? Hmmmm…Think. Think. Think. After watching way too much of the...

Reverse Trick or Treat: Green or Just Mean?

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:31:00 +0000

I’ve tried writing this post for two weeks. The subject turns one of the happiest times of my year into a depressing stress ball of emotions. I’m talking about Reverse Trick or Treat. Here’s the...

I Have a New Friend, Her Name is Alice.com

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Alice.com is a web store where you can buy household cleaning and sundries online and have they shipped directly to your door. Their free shipping has appeal. I thought it was a great idea but I...

I’m an Outlaw, a Craftin’ Outlaw That Is

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:05:00 +0000

Last Saturday I went to the Craftin’ Outlaws craft fair. It's a far cry from the doily covered craft fairs I went to as a kid with my Grandmother. Many of these artists use reclaimed materials,...

How Much Attic Insulation is Enough?

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:55:00 +0000

I wondered exactly how much insulation I had in the attic. It’s a good thing to know because the proper amount of insulation improves your home's energy efficiency, it’s environmentally friendly...

HairZing Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:51:00 +0000

We have a winner to my Hairzing contest. I used a randomizer to select the winner... Catherine! Photo courtesy of HairZing Here's Catherine's winning comment: I like the silver...

Porch Chair Revamp Take 2

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I cheaped out on paint and fabric when I revamped the freebie chairs on my front porch. Well, even after living under a covered porch, the weather did a number on them and they looked like this a...

What Are Your Favorite Homemade Gifts for Men and Boys?

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0000

OK gang. I need your help. Even though I try to Christmas shop for ideas and gifts all year round, I’m a little behind this year. Yes, I realize that it’s barely October and I should be writing about...

Corn and Molasses Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:31:00 +0000

I had to make bread for a family reunion. I'm usually asked to bring bread to family gatherings because I make frou-frou type bakery breads. Of course since I make it, I don't have to pay the...

I Paid 17 Cents for a Big Bag of Groceries - No Lie!

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I used to be a coupon grocery shopper just like my mother and her mother before me. Then Husband took over the cooking. Husband cooks from scratch. You know from items that don’t have coupons,...

How to Preserve Fresh Herbs

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I love cooking with fresh herbs. Unfortunately, when the winter snows come, there goes the fresh herbs I have growing right outside my kitchen door in pots on my patio. This year, I decided to take...

How to Paint a Door

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Under our unofficial You Broke It, You Fix Rule my repainting of The Condo's scratched and scruffy front door was long overdue. Did I mention that it was my fault the paint was scratched and...

Proof Why Using Cheap Paint is a Bad Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Until I found the perfect set of porch chairs I decided to repaint and revamp a couple of doctor’s office chairs that Husband had from his bachelor days. Since I hated these chairs with a fiery...

HairZing Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:00:00 +0000

HairZing is an elasticized double comb hair accessory. I got one at BlogHer and after a slight learning curve about how to put the combs in (which would have been less if I actually read the...

Talk Like a Pirate Day and Flip Flops - What Could be Better?

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Ahoy! My name’s Captain Blitzkrieg the one eyed Pekingese Pirate Dog and I’ve commandeered this here blog in honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Arrrr! First I’m going to start...

The Devil’s Teacups?

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I always have to check out the clearance section at Anthropologie, because, um, – clearance sale – need I say more? And sometimes some of the things for sale at Anthropologie are truly...

Potato Chive Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:58:00 +0000

Now that summer’s officially over (boo!), and everyone’s garden is bursting with extra food that they want to give me (yay!) I have potatoes a plenty. It’s the perfect time to make a loaf of Potato...

A New Use for Old Nail Polish

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I ran over a broken glass bottle and got a flat tire on my bike. I also got a major workout because I had to push my bike 3 miles home instead of riding it. That’s the “Blues” part of Condo Blues in...

Grow Flowers in Old Lawn Chairs

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Here’s a seriously cute creative reuse project for those old 50’s style lawn chairs – turn them into flower pots! I was be bopping along one of my favorite shopping haunts and found these little...

Make the World’s Best Peach Smoothie

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I came back from the farm market with a big bunch of fresh peaches. It’s warm outside and I’m in a festive mood – peachy in fact – why not kick back on the front porch with a homemade peach...

Hip Green Deals

noreply@blogger.com (Condo Blues) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:55:00 +0000

I work on my Christmas shopping all year round. It saves me time. It also saves me money, because I often buy things on sale – and under my per person gift budget but often looks like I spent more...