time saver

Gift Wrapping for a Neat and Tidy Christmas Morning!!

Date: December 18, 2016
Author: Sweetwater Style
Categories: 10 min. project, gifts, holiday, idea exchange, time saver, tricks
Every year….I promise myself to get all of the holiday shopping done early!
Every year….I totally fail at actually doing it!
I know I am not alone….
otherwise why would a google search for last minute gifts get 18,000,000 hits?
Source

Chances are….you will also be doing some last minute wrapping in the next couple of days!
Chances are….you will spend quite a bit of time doing that wrapping. 
Chances are….on Christmas Eve or Morning your living room will look like this in pretty short order.

I want to show you a clever trick to cut down on the mess of opening gifts.
It is really simple.
Wrap the top and bottom of the boxes with as many gifts as you can,
 Here is a step-by-step if you need it.

DISCLAIMER
The wrapping paper in this tutorial is really light weight!
I wanted to get this posted and don’t have time to run out and buy better stuff.
You will see all the flaws….but the process stays the same.
MORAL: Buy good paper!

 This is a nice sturdy box with a lid that only comes down part way.  Those boxes that reams of paper come in are great for bigger things.
BUT…you can do this with the fold up shirt boxes you get from the department store too!

Step 1: Lay the lid on the paper and cut the paper. It should cover the long sides with about an inch extra to fold over the top. Leave the short ends long enough to fold up and over the sides with a slightly longer overhang, about 1-1/2 to 2 inches.

 

 Step 2: Fold the long sides up and over the lid. Use a piece of tape to attach the paper to the inside edge of the lid as pictured and repeat on the other side (just one piece now to hold in place).

Step 3: Take the end sections and fold just like wrapping a regular box: Bring the edges in and fold as pictured. then make creases and fold the edges that stick up over and inside the box as shown.

 
Step 4: Tape the first folds to the inside lip of the lid. Where the side and end papers meet in the corners is the only tricky part, but just tuck and fold until flattened and then place a piece of tape to hold. Continue to fold and wrap the end just like a regular box, but take extra time folding and creasing so it will lay flat.

Step 5: When finished folding the end, wrap it over the lid edge and secure it with tape.
Step 6: Repeat with the other end.

Step 7: Repeat all the steps with the bottom of the box. OOPS on this example, I didn’t make it long enough to tuck inside….but the top will cover it.

I use that wonderful wired ribbon that comes in big 50 yd. spools.

Simply make a crossed wrap and tie a simple bow.

The packages look so nice under the tree….

And when it is time to open gifts……

A pull on the bow…..

A lift of the lid….

NO MUSS

NO FUSS

Then when everyone is ready to head home….the covers go back on the boxes and all the mess walks out the door instead of needing to go into the trash!

Simply Genius!

The thermometer is reading -23 degrees and we have a bunch of people coming for a Holiday Open House this afternoon…HMMMMMM!

Have A Wonderful Day!

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Crock Pot Carmelized Onions

Date: October 27, 2014
Author: Sweetwater Style
Categories: cooking, time saver, tips

Life is like an onion. You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.

Carl Sandburg

 Onions are a staple here at Sweetwater….and the sweet goodness of carmelized onions make so many dishes extra special.

 Carmelized onions are pretty easy to make!

 All you need is a few onions, a pat of butter, a pan, and some time.

BUT……I really hate to cut/chop/slice onions…..and carmelizing them can be time consuming.  Often when I want carmelized onions for a recipe….I only need just a few…and taking the time to carmelize just a small amount can add to the recipe prep time!

I have come up with this trick….which I am happy to share with you!
I do a whole mess of onions all at once and use the crock pot to slow cook them to perfection!
The recipe:
 6 cups of raw onions
1/2 cup of real butter
Cook in a crock pot on high for about 4 hours stirring often!

Now….cutting up that many onions means tears…..so I did a little research and found these tricks from Life Hacker

Of course…I didn’t do the research for this until AFTER I had cut up a crock pot full of raw onions!
There were more than a few tears running down my face….
but now I know these secrets…so never again.!
Once the onions are done….they are ready for the next step!
I get out the big muffin tins and put about 3/4 of a cup of the onions in each section.
Then into the freezer they go….
but be sure to cover them with foil to avoid having everything in the freezer smell like onions!

Once the onion cups are frozen solid….take them out and put the individual portions into a freezer bag! 

Whenever I need to add the flavor of carmelized onions to a dish….it is a simple matter of popping one or two of the portions in the pan or microwave.  Instant flavor!

Here are some wonderful recipes to use them in.

carmelized onion spread

French Onion Soup

Pasta with Carmelized Onions, Goat Cheese and Portobello Mushrooms
OH YUM!
If I cook all of these great sounding recipes…my stash of onions will need replenishing soon!
What are your favorite carmelized onion recipes?
I would love it if you would share!
Have a Flavorful Day!

Fast No Upholstery Tricks to Update Your Couch!

Date: June 30, 2013
Author: sweetwaterstyle
Categories: decorating, fabric, furniture, inspiration, no sew, pillows, projects, reupholstery, sewing, time saver, tips, Uncategorized
The couches at Sweetwater are in pretty good shape.
The rough and tumble wear from kids is not an issue in our house anymore…
Well….except for Marvin!
But through the years there have been times when a couch looked pretty shabby….
and…there was NO budget for a new one!
That’s when I learned a few tricks to do a couch update on a budget!
In fact these tricks might even be able to salvage this couch…..

 

well….maybe not….but I bet I got your attention!
People think I know how to upholster furniture….I do….sort of!
I do a combo of slip covering and upholstery!
And It works pretty well….
remember the couch we recovered in Polar Fleece?

Well….that one wasn’t shredded….but it was pretty out of date!

This was a case of ALMOST reupholstering because we actually took the old fabric off and did some more detailed stapling and sewing…. worth it but a LOT of work!  It was great that I had an awesome and fun partner to work with!!  That made the process worth a laugh or two along the way!
I know….I know….I promised you NO UPHOLSTERY tricks….
The cushions on the bench are an example.
I get a real giggle whenever I look at the stats for my blog…

This post

ALMOST NO SEW BOX CUSHIONS  has gotten over 15,000 hits if you can believe it!!!I guess the idea of

NO SEW is pretty popular!

Those box cushions aren’t the only ALMOST NO SEWing tricks up my sleeve!
A couple of years ago I sewed some slipcovers out of sheets to make the dark colored couch feel a little more summery!

 

This project involved quite a bit of sewing….
When I got the slipcovers out this year, they looked a little shabby and I just wasn’t in the mood to SEW…or not so much anyway!

My solution…..

  • I bought 10 yards of some nice Khaki colored stretch twill…
  • I cut pieces to fit around each cushion with lots to spare.
  • I stretched the fabric tightly around each cushion and sewed ONE seam in the back for each.
  • On the bottom cushions….the fabric just tucks in tightly to make a smooth “slipcover”.
  • On the back cushions…the same technique as the box cushions…just wrapped like a package and slip stitched closed.

 

They turned out great….super cool and comfy to sit on….and the stretchy fabric is great for getting a tight fit!  All in the space of about 2 hours worth of work….not including the hours I spent browsing in the fabric store!I especially like the fact that they are easy to remove to wash….just in case!!

I used the leftover fabric to make some cooler feeling pillow covers for the chairs in the living room too!

 

I used the “pillow sham” Technique for these!
Which like in the kid’s book…If you Give A Mouse a Cookie….
leads me to….
If I tell you about one project….
I will probably need to tell you about another one that fits the
NO SEW theme….
Since I always buy WAY too much fabric….
the extra blue and white fabric from the box cushion project resulted in a summery look for the basement family room couch cushions last summer.
The covers are on the couch right now….
BUT…
that project led to the Winter Warm Up Look using some yummy red print…
using the same
ALMOST NO SEW technique….
The box cushions and couch cushions for $35 and a couple hours of work!
And when the weather turns cooler….
they are on the shelf ready for a 10 minute swap out!
So if your couch needs some sprucing up…..or if you just like changing things up once in awhile….
You don’t need to spend much money….
You don’t need to spend much time….
You don’t need to wait…

All you need to do is ALMOST NO SEW something!

Have a great day!

 

Getting Ready To Party Series! #1

Date: August 21, 2012
Author: sweetwaterstyle
Categories: decorating, entertaining, organizing, time saver, use what you have

This is the front of the invitation we sent inviting our relatives to come celebrate the end of Summer.
I can’t wait…..and it should be fun….because….

Wouldn’t YOU want to party with this stylin’ group!
Mr. S and I love to host events here at Sweetwater!
We have it down to a pretty good system….and it is pretty stress free!
I thought I would share some of what is going on behind the scenes as we get ready for our party on Friday evening! 
My friends will tell you that I am not much of a list maker….in fact if I had to check things off on a list….that would stress me out!
I always laugh when I see those handy check lists for planning a party….my word….most of them have you planning for months to have a simple party! 
 but if you WANT a check list….
For heaven’s sakes…..other than deciding on the date/time/theme and sending invitations….you really shouldn’t need to start preparations for a party more than a week ahead of time!
The party is four days away….and this is what I am doing today!
  • Defrost the turkey so it can get smoked on Thursday!
  • Hard-boil some eggs for egg salad….
  • Clean the deck….
  • Hide some clutter….
  • Polish the furniture and get rid of some cobwebs….
  • Get out the trays, baskets and other serving items 
  • email people who have volunteered to bring food to share….
  • decide on the “flow” for the different party areas….food, beverages, dessert
I think I can handle this and still find time for a nap!!!

Since the weather forecast promises a beautiful summer evening, I know that people will be out on the deck.

 I did some pretty brutal dead heading of the flowers in the planters….
Why!!!
By Friday they will be back to fresh blossoms….
I also bought a couple of $2 mum plants to fill in the spots that looked sad…..
hey….I am worth it!

 Come Friday….I will flip the chair covers over….this side is faded and dirty…..and
oooh….I looks like I need to do take a couple of minutes to disguise the pots in the planters on the deck…. 
 
I dug out the old fabric from the bedroom drapes…..
 
cut it into squares…..tucked it around the nursery pots with some spanish moss….
 

and in 10 minutes….no more ugly nursery pots…..

Now….did I do this just for the party?   
NO…..but the party was the motivation!  And I will get the benefit for days to come!!!

Here is my new favorite thing on our deck…..

Since the only way we can have herbs and lettuce at Sweetwater is on the deck because all the bunnies and deer would love it if we planted in the garden…. refuse to be their suppliers!

…. Mr. S. gave me this awesome Triolife planter for my birthday….I have been wanting one for a long time….

A tiered planter is a wonderful space saver….the one we had been using was plastic….and definitely showing it’s age…..you can imagine how happy my new planter makes me!
I suppose a clever DYIer could make one…but they have them at Amazon if you are interested!

Back to party prep….

We moved the bench to the seating group….I will move the rose bush on Friday…..and now with a little bit of cleaning and sweeping, the deck is all set….

The solar twinkle lights will recharge and be all ready to set the atmosphere for lovely conversation area at the party!

Stay tuned for Getting Ready to Party #2….tomorrow will be menu planning…..don’t be expecting a lot of recipes….remember….this is a stress free party planning series!!!

Have A Great Day….I am going to go sit in the sunshine on my shiny clean deck!!!!

Getting Ready To Party Series! #1

Date: August 21, 2012
Author: sweetwaterstyle
Categories: decorating, entertaining, organizing, time saver, use what you have

This is the front of the invitation we sent inviting our relatives to come celebrate the end of Summer.
I can’t wait…..and it should be fun….because….

Wouldn’t YOU want to party with this stylin’ group!
Mr. S and I love to host events here at Sweetwater!
We have it down to a pretty good system….and it is pretty stress free!
I thought I would share some of what is going on behind the scenes as we get ready for our party on Friday evening! 
My friends will tell you that I am not much of a list maker….in fact if I had to check things off on a list….that would stress me out!
I always laugh when I see those handy check lists for planning a party….my word….most of them have you planning for months to have a simple party! 
 but if you WANT a check list….
For heaven’s sakes…..other than deciding on the date/time/theme and sending invitations….you really shouldn’t need to start preparations for a party more than a week ahead of time!
The party is four days away….and this is what I am doing today!
  • Defrost the turkey so it can get smoked on Thursday!
  • Hard-boil some eggs for egg salad….
  • Clean the deck….
  • Hide some clutter….
  • Polish the furniture and get rid of some cobwebs….
  • Get out the trays, baskets and other serving items 
  • email people who have volunteered to bring food to share….
  • decide on the “flow” for the different party areas….food, beverages, dessert
I think I can handle this and still find time for a nap!!!

Since the weather forecast promises a beautiful summer evening, I know that people will be out on the deck.

 I did some pretty brutal dead heading of the flowers in the planters….
Why!!!
By Friday they will be back to fresh blossoms….
I also bought a couple of $2 mum plants to fill in the spots that looked sad…..
hey….I am worth it!

 Come Friday….I will flip the chair covers over….this side is faded and dirty…..and
oooh….I looks like I need to do take a couple of minutes to disguise the pots in the planters on the deck…. 
 
I dug out the old fabric from the bedroom drapes…..
 
cut it into squares…..tucked it around the nursery pots with some spanish moss….
 

and in 10 minutes….no more ugly nursery pots…..

Now….did I do this just for the party?   
NO…..but the party was the motivation!  And I will get the benefit for days to come!!!

Here is my new favorite thing on our deck…..

Since the only way we can have herbs and lettuce at Sweetwater is on the deck because all the bunnies and deer would love it if we planted in the garden…. refuse to be their suppliers!

…. Mr. S. gave me this awesome Triolife planter for my birthday….I have been wanting one for a long time….

A tiered planter is a wonderful space saver….the one we had been using was plastic….and definitely showing it’s age…..you can imagine how happy my new planter makes me!
I suppose a clever DYIer could make one…but they have them at Amazon if you are interested!

Back to party prep….

We moved the bench to the seating group….I will move the rose bush on Friday…..and now with a little bit of cleaning and sweeping, the deck is all set….

The solar twinkle lights will recharge and be all ready to set the atmosphere for lovely conversation area at the party!

Stay tuned for Getting Ready to Party #2….tomorrow will be menu planning…..don’t be expecting a lot of recipes….remember….this is a stress free party planning series!!!

Have A Great Day….I am going to go sit in the sunshine on my shiny clean deck!!!!