That was the subject line of an email I got. Um, YES PLEASE. What’s the magic formula?? I’m so glad you figured it out! Yay for you! Share! Share!
Turns out it was one of those hokey emails that’s been forwarded 100 different times & you then have to forward it to 100 of your friends otherwise you’ll be perpetually cursed & your children will grow extra appendages in places that should not have appendages. Something like that…
I went ahead and glanced through before hitting delete & you know what, some of these were actually pretty darn clever. So I thought I’d share, and just so you know if you don’t hit the facebook like button at the bottom of the post to share this with your friends your dog will get rabies. From a chicken. I’m just saying…
20 Clever Ideas to Make Life Easier
Hull strawberries easily using a straw.
Rubbing a walnut over scratches in your furniture will disguise dings and scrapes.
Remove crayon masterpieces from your TV or computer screen with WD-40.
Stop cut apples browning in your child’s lunch box by securing with a rubber band.
Organize your linen cupboard – store bed linen sets inside one of their own pillowcases
Place your iPhone & iPod in a bowl to increase the sound, the concave shape amplifies the music.
Re-use a wet-wipes container to store plastic bags.
Add this item to your beach bag. Baby powder gets sand off your skin easily. Who knew?!
Use wire to make a space to store gift wrap rolls against the ceiling, rather than cluttering up the floor.
Find tiny lost items like earrings by putting a stocking over the vacuum hose.
Make an instant cupcake carrier by cutting crosses into a box lid.
Store shoes inside hotel shower caps to stop dirty soles rubbing on your clothes
A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy. Magnets hold the plastic cups down to make them tip-resistant.
Bread tags make the perfect cord labels.
Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones – so much more fun and easier for kids to eat.
Install a tension rod to hang your spray bottles.
Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough over the top and voila, you have cookie bowls for fruit or ice-cream.
Freeze Aloe Vera in ice-cube trays for soothing sunburn relief.
Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.
Use egg cartons to separate and store your Christmas decorations.
If you’ve tried any of these you’ll have to let me know if they work or not…so many of them have ‘Pinbusters‘ written all over them but that’d be one heck of a video…
I know for sure that some of these are great ideas! 1) I have, for years, store bedding inside their own pillowcases. Not only does it keep everything together in one place, it makes the inside of your linen closet look so nice and orderly. 2) Ipod/Iphone inside a glass or bowl – AMAZING! I couldn’t believe how well it amplified the sound. 3) For the apple, core and slice apple as usual. Then holding all the pieces together, including the core, wrap a rubber band around the whole thing. My daughter was so happy with this little discovery. 4) And baby powder really does help remove sand from your skin. And you smell so fresh afterward!!
Love your blog!
Wow, good to know Michelle! Now I’m definitely want to try them!
The sheets inside the matching pillowcase is brilliant! I did this when I saw it and it saved me a ton of room– AND I didn’t have to dig through the closet to find the pillowcases that went with it in my piles of sheet sets.
I didn’t forward one of those chain emails and I died the next day. True story. 🙂
I love the panty hose on the vacuum idea. Does it really work? Pinbusters, baby! The aloe in ice trays is nothing short of genius. My whole family is very pale and burns in ten seconds. This helps so much.
I’ve tried–well rather my sister tried–the cupcakes in the cones idea for my 24th birthday…AHMAZING! 🙂
Is it just me or are he pics not working?
Nooo, it’s totally my bad. Try again now though, I think I fixed it. Sorry!!!
The cupcakes in the cones does work, but I had to watch them to make sure they were not overbaked. My mother-in-law also reuses the Clorox wipes containers to store plastic bags and baggies. It really works great and saves SO MUCH space.
Love that wipes tip!
pics aren’t working for me either 🙁
Yikes, so sorry…try again though, I think I fixed the problem
I also can’t see the pictures, some of the tips sounds useful though.
Oh no! So sorry, try again now… I think I fixed it
I read about the “iPhone in a bowl” trick in Real Simple last summer and was amazed by how well it works! I even have put the little “speakers” on the iPhone facing a wall or window and that amplifies the sound, as well! Anything for the sound to bounce off seems to work pretty well.
I’ve also read about the sheets in the pillowcase and felt stupid for not thinking of it myself earlier…GENIUS!
Please re-post, I am not able to see the pics. Thanks.
Sorry!!! try again now… I think I fixed it
I am not able to see the pictures. I want to see these fantastic tips.
So sorry, try again now… I think I fixed it
So sorry, try again now… I think I fixed it!
pics are not working for me either!! 🙁
I wish I could go home right now and organize my linen closet and put all sheets in pillow cases if I could just learn how to fold the fitted sheet correctly,lol
I too didn’t see picture..but read it all…i’m curious to see what it all looks like.
Boo!! So sorry guys, I tried just copying and pasting all the pics at once and obviously that didn’t go to well. Just went through and re-loading each picture individually which is what I usually do. Sorry! Hopefully they work now.
Late to the party (as always)
But, as a child care professional, I can certianly confirm the baby powder. It’s an absolute life saver! And not only for Sand, when the children have rice, or gererally something messy for lunch, I sprinkle it with some baby power and it sweeps right up off the floor.
I swear the stuff is magical!
I’m sold. Will totally throw a travel baby powder in the beach bag next time!
Omgosh, these are all so awesome! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I must remember to do the sheets inside pillow cases awesome!.. I saw the waffle ice cream cones done on a martha stewart episode a few days ago incredibly excited to try that. I have done the upside down cookie pan in a mini muffin pan, makes very cute cookie bowls. Also i have done the egg carton for christmas. It works a bit depends really on the size of your decorations (smaller items and maybe even handmade) would be placed better in it, but I also found that storage boxes from Michaels (they go on sale for $2 during the year) make great little boxes to put in some of my decor. Plus if your crazy enough you can use a bulletin board or something like it to wrap your lights around keeps them from getting tangled. Least my hubby does that.
Love your blog been reading since sam was a baby, you have always been one of my favorite people and so inspiring!
Natasha,
WOW!!!! Love it!!! Thanks for doing this one. Can you “pinbust” them ALL??? 🙂 I’m headed off right now to try the WD40 on my TV screen!!!! I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of years now and I absolutely love. Trying to get back on the blogging-train myself! Have an AWESOME day. PS – what ever happened with the Lymes Disease stuff? I think I must have missed a few months or something. Hopefully you don’t still have it!!!!!!! My son’s boy scout troop had a speaker in talking about ticks and one of the things that struck me was that they are getting more prevalent every year! Esp. bad here in PA this year. He HIGHLY recommended the Avon Skin So Soft Expedition w/ Bug Guard Plus AND SPF 30 as the best solution without deet. I also spray my son’s boy scout clothes with permythryn (sp?) which lasts 6-7 washings, but I only do that because he it literally out in the woods once or twice a month. Hope you are doing well. PSS – I was introduced to your blog via Lisa Paige and I’ve been hooked ever since!!!
Hey Deana!
Did the WD40 work?? I need to know that one for Sophie Monster. That kid is t-r-o-u-b-l-e.
So no more lyme (knock on wood), I still see a rheumotologist every few months to keep an eye on things but I finally feel completely better!
TWO of Sam’s best friends AND our dog have all come down with Lyme since me. That is downright SCARY. Seriously, ugh! I really do think it’s an epidemic & it’s really scary. I’m sure the mild winter we had doesn’t help. Does SSS work against ticks?? I thought it was just mosquitos, that’d be great if it was ticks too, I’ll rub my kids down in that stuff!
Lisa is wonderful, any friend of hers is definitely a friend of mine (:
I always store my bedding in the pillow cases after seeing this a while back. its great to be able to strip the beds knowing that i have a set ready to go to the beds! The baby powder thing is great too. After seeing this I kept covering my little one in wet sand and then cleaning him off with powder over and over again I was sooo excited by it! husband cannot stand wet sand so always avoids playing in it with the kids and sorting them out after, so he has no excuse now! can’t wait to get to the beach (but I’ll forget to take the powder won’t I?!)
You can use the cardboard roll from papertowels to organize your Christmas lights. Just take the cardboard roll that normally throw away after using all the papertowels and wrap the Christmas lights around them. Then next year just unroll. It’s super easy and takes less space.
Ugh, GENIUS! Love that one, thanks so much for sharing it!