Blog - Gluesticks Blog

Game Changing Laundry Hack! Filing Laundry Instead of Stacking

April 12, 2013 By Brandy 27 Comments

Laundry hack

for organized dresser drawers! File your kid's laundry into their drawers instead of stacking it. No mess on the floor when they grab clothes!

It's a never ending struggle to keep up with the hampers, but that's just the way it is so there's no use complaining about it. HOWEVER, there is one thing that I will complain about. One thing that drives me INSANE. How many times have you gone to empty the hamper only to find CLEAN clothes in it? Clothes that the kids were too lazy to put away or ended up on the floor so they just assumed they were dirty tossed them in the hamper.

#1 Laundry Hack for Moms: File Laundry Instead of Stacking it Into Drawers

This used to happen all the time in our house! Then I realized that a lot of the clothes ended up on the floor because my kids were looking for a specific shirt and pulled out the others to find it. That's when I started filing their clothes into their drawers instead of stacking and I have continued to file ever since. A friend shared this tip with me years ago and we've been putting our laundry away like this ever since. When clothing is arranged vertically you can see everything in the drawer without moving the other items to get to it. Everything is in view, everything is easily accessible.

It is also really easy to put clothes away like this too. I noticed a huge difference in how much space was available in the drawers by vertically filing everything and also noticed a dramatic difference in how many clothes ended up on the floor.

What do you do to organize your kids' clothes or ease the burden of doing laundry? Comment below with your favorite laundry hack!

Cleaning House: An Overview {Clover Lane}

April 5, 2013 By Brandy 9 Comments

Cleaning House: An Overview

1. Declutter

Once every couple months, I do a "black garbage bag" clean-out. This is the best way to start with the "program" and just about my favorite thing on earth to do. I use black garbage bags because I don't want the kids or Jeff to see what I'm throwing away/giving to Goodwill, OR they might all of a sudden decide they just LOVE something they haven't seen for years and/or never touched before in their lives. Once you do this once or twice you will start to see a difference and love your house again. (I do sometimes ask the older kids to do this with me in their rooms...esp. with clothes or if I'm not sure if the "use" something...but this is mostly done when no one is aware.)

The reason I do this: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING - THE LESS STUFF YOU HAVE THE EASIER IT IS TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE CLEANED AND STRAIGHTENED. The kids won't miss it I swear. And if I think they might, Â I put a "KEEP FOR AWHILE" garbage bag in my attic/basement (hidden) and see if a whole 6 months go by without them asking for it. I don't really buy the kids a lot, but birthday parties and Christmas and with 5 kids...you know how that adds up. So, we don't have a ton of clothes, toys, crap, because it's just too much work to keep it all organized.

If you don't LOVE it and use it, and it's just taking up space, I get rid of it. ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. In the kitchen most especially...every appliance I don't use, bowl, tupperware, etc...how many spatulas does anyone need?...and I don't use the "I might use it one day" excuse...if I don't use it OFTEN, get rid of it. If I miss it terribly, and I regret getting rid of it so bad and mourn for it's loss, then I buy another one but I think that has only happened once.

wooden drawer with the name Andrew on front

2. Toys The older kids keep all their special 'no share' toys/games etc in their rooms in designated spots. I have a toy cupboard (linen closet) upstairs for all the games, stuffed animals (only a few), and "extra" stuff. In the kids rooms, they each have a little trunk where they keep their little gadgets and gizmos that are important to them. I have a cabinet in my living room with a few toys and baskets for blocks, Legos, etc for Andrew and the baby. I don't keep toys any place else, because that's just more cleaning up. So I guess "there is a place for everything, everything in it's place."

3.Â Catch-All I have a dresser with baskets in my kitchen, labeled with each kid's name, for all the kid's crap I find lying around that has to go up to their rooms. Papers, drawings, Game Boy games, sticks, stones...you name it...if they leave it lying around, I throw it in their baskets and they know if they left it somewhere around the house that's where it will be. I've seen people do this with those baskets that fit on the stairs too, or in their cubbies if you are so lucky to have a great mudroom. That way I don't have to be running up and down to "straighten".

4.Â Maintain With that said, I do constantly pick up, put away, etc....I don't realize how much I do, until I get sick or pregnant or both, because then, in a day or two there is STUFF everywhere! No one else does it but me. Or if I ask someone to.

5. Fast and Efficient If I need to do a BIG straighten, I always start in our bedroom, because it's just a habit, and it's the farthest corner of the house. As I go I throw everything that's NOT supposed to be there into the next room and so forth and so forth, working my way through the house. I try to go super fast and spazzy and act like I have a timer set and I will explode when it goes off, and/or the Queen of England just called and said she'll be stopping over in 10 minutes. Yes, that sounds really immature but I swear it works. The key is to not get side tracked and not to leave the room you are supposed to be straightening until it's done.

Cleaning is really about how you set up your house:

1. In every bathroom I have have windex, paper towels and a toilet brush. That's all you really need. Maybe some powder cleanser for the bathtub once in a while with a green scrubbie thing. I keep all that in each bathroom in a little basket under the sink. That way the kids can get to it easy for chores and so can I. Keep it really simple. You can use the windex for the toliet and for the floor too!

2. Whenever I get a chance, and I see something needs it, I can just whip out my supplies and it takes minutes.

3.Â A good vacuum. I use a Dyson but there are other good brands too. I tell people it's the best thing I ever bought in my life. Which is pretty sad, but it's the truth. That thing saves me so much time. First, it sucks the living hell out of everything. Vacuuming makes everything look and feel cleaner, if that's all you get a chance to do. It's really easy to use the attachments too, so I put on the brush attachement and use that for the molding and corners, and even furniture! when I notice they need it. I use in the bathrooms and kitchen too...easier than a broom and dustpan.

4. I make my kids to Saturday jobs. I had to "teach" them how to do a lot of stuff and yes, usually the boys do it less-than-best, but at least it's help. When I don't make them do their Sat. job, I find I'm a lot more crabby during the week because I feel like I'm just a servant in my own house, and I am resentful of everyone. So EVEN if I think the house is pretty clean and the jobs aren't really necessary I still hang that list on the fridge. For God's sake, it takes them maybe 20 minutes AT THE MOST, where it would take me hours! They can work for 20 minutes! Every little bit helps.

5. Every night, before I go to bed, I usually straighten up the downstairs real quick.

Laundry: I put a photo on my blog a long time ago of my laundry room and how I have it set up. This saves me TONS of time. I do a little laundry almost every single day. That way I'm never spending HOURS on it. I bought a big basket for Jeff and I and little ones for each kid, labeled with their names. I fold the clothes right out of the dryer and throw them in each basket depending on whose is whose. Every Friday or Saturday I will make the kids go down and get their baskets and hang up and put away all their clothes.

Simplicity is the key and once you have it set up, you will find it makes your life so much easier.

And with all that said, my house is not always perfectly cleaned and straightened but this system seems to make my life easier and my house cleaner.

For more great ideas on maintaining a clean home be sure to click on over toÂ Clover Lane!

Tried and True Cleaning Hacks & Cleaning Products

April 2, 2013 By Brandy 5 Comments

Â A collection of some of the BEST cleaning hacks! Homemade stain remover, homemade laundry detergent, uses for baking soda, how to clean with vinegar and more!

Tried and True Cleaning Hacks

I've tried different recipes and techniques over the years with VERY mixed results....as in, some were major failures like homemade dish washing detergent. What a fiasco! I had to re-wash everything since it left an awful film on my dishes. So if I am recommending a recipe below, you know it's a good one!

Best Stain Remover

stack of baby clothes and container of Oxi Clean.

Â Have you ever pulled out a box of storedÂ baby clothes only to notice that they are STAINED? They were clean when you packed them away, but now they have yellow spots all over them. Well those yellow spots are enzymes from spit up and diaper blow outs. They linger in the clothes. My sister, Stacy, shared this tip with me and it hasÂ saved me SO MUCH MONEY on onesies, jammies, etc. And it doesn't just work on older baby clothes.Â If your baby has a blow out and you are out in public and can't rinse out the clothing, just put it in a bag. This stain remover works on set-in stains. If it is a stain from a bodily fluid, thisÂ process should get it out for you without having to bleach your clothing.

The Best Homemade Stain Remover for Baby Clothes

BoilÂ a large pot of water (about ½ full).

When the water is boiling, turn off the heat. Add a couple of scoops of oxyclean.

Then add the stained clothes.

(It works on darks too but definitely do separate pots since the darks will obviously bleed). Let clothes sit submerged in water for 5-10 minutes then dump water and clothes into the washing machine and wash as usual. If it's something really soiled, you may have to repeat the process one more time. I've never had to. I share more on this technique in this post.

The BEST Homemade Laundry Detergent

My cousin shared this with me and it is amazing. Smells wonderful, inexpensive, EASY to make and lasts forever. I am hooked. I store it in a bucket and use the Oxyclean container to keep near the washing machine. I re-fill it whenever it starts to get low. One batch lasts us MONTHS and I do laundry every single day. Usually more than 1 load. I use a ⅛ meausring cup as my scoop (2T). Recipe:Â Cheaper And Better DIY Laundry Detergent from How Does She.

Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap Using Liquid Soap

You'll never pay $3 a bottle for foaming soap again. This is great forÂ families Â like ours who go through at least a bottle a week. I've been making my own for 2 years! I share more on this technique here.Â

165 Tried and True Uses for Vinegar

Vinegar. This stuff is amazing. Stinky, but amazing. I use it as an all-purpose cleaner and for my laminate floors and windows. I also use it to remove built up in my hair every few months. There are so many uses, and holy cow I had no idea that it went up to 165, but here you go. Cupcake Apothecary shares 165 uses for vinegar.

Tried and True Cleaning Hacks Using Baking Soda

Tidy Mom did a great write up on baking soda. I use it in my refrigerator and as a scrubbing agent for my sinks. Here are more ways to incorporate it as an all purpose cleaner in your home.

Do you have a favorite homemade cleaning product? Feel free to leave me a comment and tell us about it!

Indoor Spring Planter for Bulbs

February 28, 2013 By Brandy 2 Comments

My favorite flowers come from bulbs. Maybe it is the bright colors of the tulips or the fact that they are easy to grow, but I just love them. The problem is REMEMBERING to plant them! For the past several years I have had it in my mind to plant tulips and always forget in the fall. I keep hearing about forcing bulbs in the winter to grow indoors and would love to try that too, but this year we totally cheated and bought pre-potted bulbs.

Kaylee has been asking to plant flowers and we aren't ready to begin landscaping our yard so we decided to create some indoor flower planters. We picked up daffodils, pink and blue hyacinths, and red, yellow, and purple tulips.Â Most were $.82. So we grabbed a bunch of them and a bag of potting soil.

Then we raided the cupboards for pots to plant them in. We found a bunch that would work and also some small rocks for to put in the bottom for drainage.

hands breaking apart roots on bulb plants

These bulbs were totally ready to be re-potted. We just pulled them out, separated the roots a bit and re-potted them.

The girls made a HUGE mess and used the plastic containers that the bulbs came in to re-plant some flower weeds they found in the lawn. Good times.

When we finished we had 5 small planters ready to brighten the house. They looked so pretty with just the green stems and still have a whole blooming life left in them!

Then we found spots to put them inside of the house where they would get a lot of natural light which is pretty much every room in the house.

The girl's room has a really nice window shelf that is great for flower pots. Kaylee's mini daffodils look so pretty with her little solar flower.

The tulips, daffodils and hyacinth planter is the one I am most excited about. It's been about 5 days since we re-potted these and the larger daffodils have started to bloom.

And the last two are in my kitchen. Next to the vase of weed flowers. I always have lots of those from my sweet girls.

We have big plans to landscape the back yard this year. I really hope it happens {time and money willing}. Details, details....

What are your spring planting plans?

Lucky Lime Float

February 24, 2013 By Brandy 3 Comments

lime sherbet float in glass with shamrock straw

What makes this float "lucky"? Well, if you were one of my kids and were served this as your evening beverage with dinner instead of water....you might feel lucky too!

One of our family's favorite treats are sherbet floats. You can customize themÂ just by swapping out the flavor of sherbet. My personal favorite is raspberry. To make one all you need is a scoop of your favorite sherbet, following by lemon lime soda. To make a fun St. Patrick's day float, use lime sherbet! It's as easy as that.

How to Reupholster a Swivel Rocker Chair

February 9, 2013 By Brandy

Breathe new life into an old chair and learn how to reupholster a swivel rocker with step by step photos and tips!Â

I recently receivedÂ my Grandmother's sitting chair. The one that I remember her having in her home for YEARS. She rarely watched TV, but when she did it was in this chair. And she usually was working on a sewing project while she was doing so. She passed away in September and this was one of the items left in her home that was going to be given away to a thrift store. This would be my first upholstery project, but I thought that I'd give it a go.
The chair had been in the family for 25 years and still had good bones. It would be nice to have a new chair with old memories. So I decided to take the plunge to reupholster a swivel rocker.

I wasn't really sure where to start on a project this big. After all, it isn't every day that you sit down and decide to reupholster a swivel rocker. So I went on pinterest and found this guide to buying fabric. It said that I would need about 7 ½ yards for a chair this size and it was dead on.Â I purchased 8 yards and had some left over. The fabric that I bought wasn't as thick as what was on the chair before, but it was still sturdy home decor fabric.

chart showing how much fabric you will need to cover a variety of chairs

via

So I had my fabric...now what?
What I learned is that upholstering a piece of furniture is just a big puzzle.Â I didn't create a full tutorial since every chair is different, but the following things would be the same for any chair that you are working on.

How to Reupholster a Swivel Rocker

1. Take the chair apart completely.
2. Re-use what you can. (Hardware, piping, etc.)
3.Â Make new fabric pieces byÂ using the old ones as a pattern and replace batting and foam if necessary.
4. Carefully start putting the chair back together, starting with the piece you took off last and ending with the piece you took off first.Here is how my project went.

collage showing steps to take apart old rocker chair

Take the ChairÂ Apart

The first thing I did was label the chair. Front/Back/Left Side/Right Side/Ruffle, etc. I marked the whole thing up with a sharpie. I figured if I was ever going to put the chair back the way it was before that the more markings and photos I took,Â the better! I think I ended up with about 30 photos of the demolition process. Every fabric stretcher andÂ every section where the fabrics met up in a funky way (like around the arms). If I had to choose one piece of advice for someone starting their first re-upholstery project, that would be it. TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES! They really helped when I went to put it back together later.

After I marked the chair, I used pliers to pull the staples out. I looked for a good place to start and that was the bottom ruffle. I started pulling staples and carefully removing the skirt and ruffle. Then I went on from there with the sides, the back, the front ruffle, and the arms. Taking pictures of each step as I went. I saved each and every piece, labeled it, and used it as a pattern to cut the new fabric.

I found sewing needles and toothpicks inside of the chair. That made me smile and miss my Grandma! She always had toothpicks in her apron pockets. You just never know when you are going to need one 🙂 And sewing needles. My grandma was an amazing quilter and made so many beautiful quilts and dresses for her daughters and grandchildren. For her birthday last year I compiled a book as a tribute to her and the legacy she left on our family.I vacuumed everything out of the chair. The needles, toothpicks, staples, etc. I also inspected the wooden frame to make sure nothing was broken or warped. It was in perfect condition.

Re-Use What You Can

I kept the original fabric stretcher strips, the foamÂ cushions, wood tack stripsÂ Â and the piping from the chair. I just cut out the casing and pulled the piping out.

I also kept the button wires. The covers had to be replaced (I bought them in a kit at Joann's) and was able to string them with the long wires that were in the original ones which made it easy to put back in.

The batting was old and falling apart so I bought a bag of batting to replace it when I put the chair back together.

After 3 nights of taking out staples....hundreds of them, the chair was empty and bare bones! And it was at that moment that I thought to myself, "What the heck did I just do?!?!?" But there was no turning back now!

Put It All Back Together

rocker chair with old and new fabric in stages

And so I started slowly putting it back together!

Using the foam t-cushion as a pattern I made a slip cover for it with a velcro back. I used the previous cushion fabric as a pattern to make the new one. Sewing it up exactly as it was before.

collage showing how to cut out new fabric for chair

I found that the easiest way to get a perfect pattern piece was to lay the old one on top, cut around it and then use the folds as a guide for the new seam allowances. I'd pinÂ the foldsÂ and then pin it to the chair to make sure it fit before stapling it on.

When stapling the new fabric and wood strips back on the chair, I hammered over the staples to really make them set and also create a flush surface.

collage of the steps it takes to reupholster chair

Â It was like a big puzzle. Working from the last piece I took off of the chair, backwards, and finishing up with the ruffle and skirt that I took off the first night. The skirt was pretty easy to do since I tucked the old skirt inside the new one. Basically, I made a bunch of flap pockets (open on the top) and slipped the older one inside. I wanted them to be fairly heavy so that it would hang right and it worked out great.

After a few coats of Scotch Guard, the chair was ready to start a new life in our home! Start to finish, it took about 2 ½Â weeks since I didn't work on it every day. If I had worked on it every night I could have finished it in aboutÂ 6 nights. I have to say, it was one of the most labor intensive projects that I have ever done, but I was so darn proud of myself when it was finished. Now I know that I can do it!

***

Supplies I used:

Staples (⅝")

Heavy Duty Pliers

Staple Gun

Hammer

Scissors

Pins

Sewing Machine

Sturdy Home Decor Fabric (Mine was from IKEA)

Batting

***

If you have any questions about starting a project like this, please don't hesitate to ask! Obviously I am not an expert since this was my first project and I learned as I went, but I'd be happy to help if I can.

If you liked learning how to reupholster a swivel rocker you might also like...

How to Reupholster an Ottoman

Perry the Platypus Cake

February 4, 2013 By Brandy 9 Comments

We have some "Phineas and Ferb" fans in our home so for Aaron's 7th birthday I made him a Perry the Platypus cake. It was extremely simple and he loved it. The only rough patch was the batch of fondant I made. Somehow I think I must have added too much water or something. It was so stretchy and hard to work with. It stretched so much when I picked it up that it ended up being really thin and impossible to spread the bubbles out...hence the texture you see, but everything else was easy to do. I used fondant for the features and then used concentrated food coloring to paint on the details.

All 4 of our children were born the last quarter of the year. So now I can sit back and relax without planning a birthday party until September!

Perry the platypus cake on table with presents

Perfect Fried Chicken Recipe

January 23, 2013 By Brandy 23 Comments

Make Flavorful and CRISPY fried chicken at home with my perfect fried chicken recipe! You'll be surprised by the ingredient list!Â I have a love-hate relationship with fried chicken. I LOVE eating it, but I HATE making it.Â If you've made fried chicken in the past, only to have it fail (or anything fried only to have it fail), you will understand where I'm coming from. You will also understand my excitement for a delicious recipe like this that actually turns out great every time.

I promise this is the most foolproof fried chicken recipe I've ever made.

I've made fried chicken in the past only to have it end up bland, burned, and all of the coating falling off in the oil. I've also had it look perfect on the outside, but raw on the inside. Medium rare chicken? No thanks, but not with this recipe. Is it the soup? The cornstarch? I'm not sure, but it is crispy, light, and has great flavor.

This is a very messy fried chicken recipe, but really what fried chicken recipe isn't?

First, I lay out a baking rack on top of a cookie rack that has paper towels under it for draining the chicken once it was done as well as another one to hold my raw, dredged chicken. That way I'm not dipping chicken and frying, then dipping again. Then I dip them all at the same time, wash my hands REALLY good, then begin the frying process.

I've tried this with legs and chicken breast tenders. Both turned out fabulous. Just make sure to adjust your cooking time for the tenders. Without a bone, they will cook a lot quicker than the legs.

This fried chicken recipe is adaptedÂ via a recipe on allrecipes.comÂ (the basic recipe here is great, just lacked seasoning. I quadrupled the seasoning and added a measurement for seasoning salt and thought that it gave it much more flavor.)

Perfect Fried Chicken

crispy fried chicken

8 chicken leg drumsticks
1 ounce can condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup (10.75)
1 ½ teaspoon . seasoning salt
1 egg
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
¾ teaspoon . seasoning salt
pepper to taste
oil for frying

In a shallow dish or bowl combine the soup, egg and seasoning salt (be careful, as soup is already salted); mix together. Dip chicken in mixture and turn to coat completely. Set aside.
In a resealable plastic bag mix together the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
One at a time, place chicken pieces in bag, seal and shake to coat. Add more flour and/or cornstarch as necessary, but add them in equal parts (there should be an equal amount of each in the mixture).
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F. Be sure to use enough oil to cover chicken pieces.
Place coated chicken on a baking sheet or platter and allow to sit until it becomes moist/doughy (this ensures nice and crispy chicken)
Fry chicken pieces in oil for about 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through and juices run clear.
Drain on baking rack or paper towels and serve.

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