Category Archives: Why didn’t I think of that?

Mar15

Why Didn’t I Think of That?! Pantry Storage Idea

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Zip Lock bags, rubber bands, twist ties, mason jars, recycled sour cream containers… I have used all of these, and more, to help me store opened bags of dry good in the pantry.  But then, this idea made me palm slap myself and wonder, “Why didn’t I think of that?!”

The pin is a user upload on Pinterest… those can really be a pain in the butt, because there’s no way to tell who the original source is.  I did a few google image searches to see if I could locate it, but I struck out, so, if you know where it came from, send me the link, and I’ll be sure to include it.

Basically, you need an empty plastic pop or water bottle, and your open bag, in this case, an open bag of peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Cut the top off of your bottle.  Or, have your husband do it.  He’s good with knives.

I had him cut just above the label.

Then, wash and dry the top of the bottle, remove the top, and pull the open end of the bag through the narrow end of the bottle.

Fold the open end of the bag down and replace your cap.  Know that it is not going to thread as well as it does when it goes directly on the plastic bottle.  After all, it is going over the plastic bag, and you may have to pull the open portion of the bag down a bit to make sure it’s not too bulky to allow the top to seal, but with a little pressure as you turn, it should seal the bag for storage.

That’s it.  Stick the sealed bag back in your pantry until you are ready to use it again, and toss the leftover part of the cut bottle in the recycling bin.

See what I mean? Why didn’t I think of that?

Any handy household or storage tips that you’ve pinned lately?  Share some great ideas!

Mar7

Photo Wall Collage

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Taping photos on a wall?  Easy.

Taping photos on a wall in the shape of a recognizable number?  Not so easy.  The pinspiration made it look so perfect.  I checked out the source, Persnickety Prints, and learned that they are a professional photo lab and studio, offering everything from prints to photo gifts.  Competitive pricing, too.  They also offer some great free tips on photo editing.

But, alas.  There was no tutorial for how to make a photo collage on your wall in the shape of a number.

I did what I always do when I first encounter a problem, which is to say I thought about it for a moment, and then I pouted.  You see, in a moment of sheer brilliance and planning, I had printed SEVENTY photos to use in creating this collage– before ever checking to see if there was a tutorial.  Within a few photo placements, it became clear to me that making the shape was not going to be as easy as I’d banked on it being.

Enter my problem solving husband, who took a look at the pinspiration, looked at the wall, and, while I was swearing taping photos to the wall in the shape of a haphazard “2″, he disappeared into the kitchen for all of 3 minutes and came back with this.

A piece of cardboard with a “2″ cut out of it, and a flashlight.  Not being a problem solver myself, I must have given him a look like I thought he was losing it.  Until I looked at the wall.

When he backed up and shined the flashlight through the cutout, it lit up a giant “2″ on the wall, like a stencil.  With him standing behind me, I placed the photos using the lit shape as my guide.  MUCH easier.  I ended up with this:

I widened the shape all around, mostly because, well, seventy photos was about twice as many photos as I actually needed, and I could only narrow down the selection by so much.  And trust me, this shape looks 10x better than it would have looked if I had free handed it.

Something as simply as a shadow puppet, and I didn’t think of it.  And like the source suggested, you can do this for any birthday, anniversary, whatever.  What a great reason to print some of the images that are living in your computer!

What would I do without my husband to help me follow my pinspirations?