To paint, or not to paint? February 27, 2009

That is the question.

I hate our apartment. Hate. it. I’ve been debating the paint for a while, and at certain points had even gone to the store to buy supplies only to change my mind and come back home.

I’m not painting. Screw it. I’d have to move everything, patch and sand the walls, paint, move and hang everything again, and then primer the walls back to this hideous white when we move next January. Screw it. I’ve decided I’ll just suffer through it (only 10 more months), and hopefully by the time we move, we can buy a little house and stay for a while. We’re hoping to add an additional family member early next year; I’ve already picked out the nursery paint colors and theme. How ridiculous is that.

In the meantime, I’m trying to embrace the white. Or something. I hate our apartment.

Cloth Napkins February 26, 2009

I’ve been slooooowly introducing ‘green’ solutions in our home over the past couple of years. I don’t know if E hates ‘green’ because he hates hippies, or because it requires less laziness. Anyway, he can get over it. The recycling has been an ongoing battle.

My newest introduction is the use of cloth napkins instead of paper ones. I’ve already transitioned from paper towels to old dish towels and scraps, of which I have a very large collection in the laundry room. It was only a matter of time before the paper napkins were out too. Not only does it save money, but it reduces the amount of trash we throw out, and I’m down with that.

There’s more on the paper vs. cloth debate here.

I originally bought some cloth napkins from Target, however they were rather boring and I couldn’t justify spending $20 on napkins, and so only bought a pack of four. For such small scraps of fabric, these puppies are expensive! Ridiculous.

So, I took a trip to ye olde thrift store and picked up a vintage-print bed sheet for $2. Thanks to my trusty new sewing machine I was able to whip up 12 napkins (from half a sheet) in a couple of hours (and it only took me that long because I’m still figuring this sewing shtuff out, okay?)

My lovely new napkins:

For those messy eaters!

E approves, and so do I. It was so satisfying, I’m pondering making some for all my friends and family, in something less retro, of course.

Learning to sew… February 22, 2009

Throw pillows are easy. Clothes are so difficult! I wish I knew someone around here who knows how to sew, I need help.

I decided to ‘alter’ the crotch of a pair of lovely Gap pants I got from Goodwill ($4, really you can’t beat Goodwill) and the end result was less than perfect. E commented that it looked ‘like a permanent camel toe’. Feel free to Google that one.