Super Woman

"The modern day Renaissance woman"

The expectations of women has changed significantly in the last few decades. At one time we were expected to be homemakers and cater to the needs and demands of our families. With the advancement of education, many woman now have the freedom to work and contribute to the families finances, but with this arises guilt. We are now expected to be successful at work, maintain and decorate our homes, and sustain a spectacular relationship with our families and friends. How do women do this all and still have time for themselves? The answer is it is utterly impossible and if someone tells you differently they are lying through their teeth. Multitasking all our responsibilities is a balancing act that many fall short upon, myself included. Since childhood we were taught that no one is perfect but somehow between our adolescence and adulthood we have forgotten that. Instead of feeling guilt because we can not do everything we want to or as well as someone else, we should take pride in our accomplishments and give ourselves a break! After all, a true "Renaissance woman" is merely a saying and "Super Woman" does not exist.

Here are a few tricks that I use around the house that make me feel like a super hero.

1. A great way to remove permanent marker from a wall is spray hairspray on the marks. It might take several sprays but I guarantee it will work!

2. Have little ones left crayon on your walls? There is an easy fix to remove the artwork quickly. All you have to do is create a mixture of toothpaste and water to create a paste. Take an old toothbrush and rub the concoction on the wall!

3. Everyone has water stains on their furniture and no amount of cleaning will remove them from the piece. Again, there is an easy fix to this problem. You are going to take some ash from your fireplace and add a little bit of water to create another paste. Take a lint free rag and rub the stain with the paste in a circular motion. The water stain will literally disappear!

4. If you have a brick fireplace and it is covered with soot you can make it look brand new by cleaning it with a basic bathroom/tile cleaner.

5. Everyone has votive candle holders with pieces of the candle that can not be removed from them. Rather than scrape and ruin the holder itself by trying to force the candle out you should pop it into the freezer for several hours. The old candle should literally pop right out of the holder. If the candle is still stuck in the holder you might need to keep it in the freezer for a longer time.

6. The oldest trick in the book for removing blood stains from fabric and clothing is to apply hydrogen peroxide directly on the stain. It might have to repeat the process several time before the stain is removed, but I promise you it works like a charm!

I hope you will try some of these tricks and feel like your own "Super Woman" in your home.

Have a lovely weekend!

Love,

Lili

"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing"

-Harriet Braiker

Cake Tier Jewelry Stand

CAKE TIER CONTINUED.....

A funky example of a handmade cake tier used for displaying jewelry. You could create the same look using different dishes, colors, and patterns! What do you think?

"Let Them Eat Cake"

CAKE STANDS

One of my favorite things are cake stands. There are so many different way to utilize them within your home. The possibilities are truly endless.

Traditionally, cake stands have been used for cakes and pies but more recently people have began to use them in more imaginative ways.

One clever way is to put them as centerpieces on your dining table. You could simple lay flowers and moss on top of the stand or you could use small bud vases with flowers in each one and surround those with a large vase with more flowers in the center. People will be in awe of your creativity and your table will look fantastic!

Another great way to use cake stands are to use them as decorative elements within your home. A beautiful book propped on the cake stand or a birds nest are always lovely to see within a home. Do not feel pressured to keep the cake stand in or around the kitchen area. They are a great addition to any book shelf or piece of furniture within your home.

My favorite way to use a cake tier is to use it as a jewelry stand. The best way to display your jewelry on a cake tier is to use common colors to create a unitized theme. I suggest only using your costume jewelry not your fine jewelry as it will be exposed and on display.

If you do not already have a cake stand or cake tier there is a very simple way to make one yourself. You do not need to be artistic or crafty in the slightest to create a beautiful stand. All you do is simply take a beautiful plate and a small candle stick and glue them together. To begin apply a strong ceramic/metal glue around the top of the candle stick and then place the plate on top. I would let the glue set for several hours before placing anything on top of the stand.

I hope this inspires you to dust of your cake stand that is hidden within your cabinets and use it in a creative capacity!

Love, Lili

More Than Words

Scrabble

Upon first glance I am sure you are assuming that I will be discussing the game of Scrabble, but I will not. In fact, I have never played a game of Scrabble in my life. I am not really a "board game" kind of girl. Instead, I will explain a fun way to display the game in your home.

My mother came up with a really funky way to celebrate and decorate using the Scrabble pieces.

She would display various sayings and phrases on the wooden block for various holidays and special occasions. A wonderful example of this is during Christmas time she will spell out "Happy Birthday Jesus" and display it on the cabinet in the living room. She will also use the pieces to spell out "Welcome Home" or "Congratulations" when my siblings and I are visiting. You can purchase this game at most stores, but if you only want to purchase the pieces I would suggest going to a local craft store like "Michael's" or "A.C. Moore". This is a really inexpensive and clever way to celebrate life without using cheesy balloons and tacky decorations. The best part of all is that this is a one time expense and you can use it over and over again!

Enjoy!

Love, Lili