Saving Money on Heating

Saving money in this day and time is important to most of us. There are a few things that anyone can do to help winterise a home and make it more comfortable while saving money at the same time. One of the ways that I have helped my heating bill is to make simple window quilts. A lot of heat goes out the window and so does our hard earned money at the same time. You are asking what is a window quilt, so I will explain. Take an old quilt, (or make a new one if you quilt) and cut it to fit your window. You can then use a sheet to cut a backing and hand stitch or machine sew it to the back of your quilt to finish it off. Below are some better instructions if you want to do this project.

Covering drafty windows can help a long way in saving heat and money heating your home.

Supplies:
An old quilt or blanket (this should be of some thickness so to offer insulation.
A sheet or material to back the quilt with.
A ruler or tape measure to measure your window with
A spool of thread and a needle.
A curtain hanger if you do not already have one with a rod.
A pair of scissors.


Step One:
Measure your window from the top of the window frame to the bottom of the window frame. This is the shortest you should make your window quilt. Then measure side to side of the window frame.
(NOTE) For these window quilts there will be little gathering of the material, but the quilt will lay flat against the window. But you can make it a little wider if you wish to add a little fullness if you would want to. Be sure to add a little extra on the sides for stitching together with the backing. I add around two inches to each side. (An example would be say your window is 30 inches wide and 52 inches long. I would cut my quilt 32 inches wide and 54 inches long.)

Step two:
Once you have your measurements you will need to cut your window quilt out of the material you have chosen (An old quilt or blanket) Use the measurements from your window, and set it aside.

Step three:
Cut your backing material out of the sheet. For this you must add a few inches to the length of the quilt. I add about8 or seven inches in length and and cut the sides the same as the quilt material. This is so you have room to make a simple packet for the rod to go through and to form seams.

Step four:

Mark your fabric backing at the 6 inch line. Next take the backing material after you have cut it and fold over one inch. Hand stitch or sew This down so that it stays folded. Now fold that over another inch and sew that down. You should now have a finished edge on the top of your backing. Fold that over again and measure down to the marked 6 inch line. Sew the finish edge down where you marked the material. This has formed a packet for a rod to go through.

Step 5:

Fold over one inch and and stitch the quilt material across the top to form a finished edge. Lay and pin your backing so that the folded side of the backing faces out and the right sides of the material you used for your quilt faces the right side of your sheet. pin in place all the way around. (Think of this as making a large bag with right sides together. Pin the quilt to the backing all the way up to where the packet starts for your rod to go through. This will be where you have to stop sewing as you will need to hand stitch this into place. Start at the packet and with right sides of the material together and the turned over edges showing sew a seam around the three sides. making the "Bag".

Step 6:

Turn the window quilt inside out now. This will put the seams you just made on the inside and you will now need to hand sew the packet for the rod to the quilt. Slide the rod through the packet and hand on the window.

Garden Curves the Easy Way!

Hello everyone. With gardening now in full swing many people like myself have decided to make a new flower bed. I wanted a bed that had soft flowing curves to it. To mark off my bed and get an idea of how big it would be I used several garden hoses stretched out in the shape I wanted my bed to be. After deciding the shape was what I wanted, I took some sand and ran it beside the hose to leave a line after I moved the hose. Next I took a shovel and dug along side of the sand line to make a more permanent border. After that it was easy to roundup the area I did not want grass in and remove the grass and break up the the soil. A tip on the roundup is to use a brush and paint it on areas where you are afraid of over spray! This helps become very selective and keeps the spray off of tender growth of bushes that may be near by. Have fun with you new curved flower beds!!!

Making Flavored Water for Half the Price!!!

I love the flavored waters that you can buy, but often find that the price of the water does not match the money in the pocketbook. If you too like the special waters here is an easy way to make them yourself. Just take any of the instant water mixes like lemonade with the sugar or sugar substitute and double the water it takes to make them!! You get great flavored waters at a fraction of the cost.. Its easy to make and taste great too!

Two Ingredient Summer Dessert!

Wow, need a fast and easy summer dessert? If so this may be the one for you. Take a package of instant pudding,(I use banana or vanilla), and 2 cans of large drained fruit cocktail. Mix the dry pudding mix with the drained fruit cocktail. If it is a little dry add a little of the juice. Refrigerate till chilled and serve. If you are wanting to watch those calories try sugar free instant pudding and the fruit cocktail with light syrup. Sit back and enjoy on a warm summer day!!!

Shabby Chic Dresser!!

I found an old dresser that just looked awful. The shape was great, but it was all scratched up and had some water stains on it. The dresser drawers were in good shape and had single pulls made of wood on the front of it. It had three drawers. Taking this $5.00 fine home from a yard sale I cleaned it up on the inside with some Clorox and water as I did not want any mold. I used some glue on one of the drawers to hold it back in place. Next I took a fine grit sand paper after removing the pulls, and sanded it all over. Making sure to sand with the grain so not to leave scratch marks. I used a tack cloth and removed all the dust from the dresser from the sanding. I like to use a soft white paint on a lot of my Shabby Chic items and that is what I picked for this one. I just did one coat of paint, and again sanded going down to wood in a few places after the paint had dried. I had a few rose decals and I placed one on the right top corner of the dresser, and one on each drawer on the right bottom sides. After this I used a medium oak stain to go over the whole dresser to tone it down a little. I purchased some glass knobs for the drawers and put them on after the dresser had dried. If you want a more protected finish you can spray off with a clear finish before putting the knobs back on. This gave a very nice soft look to the dresser!!

Wasp and Yellow Jacket Traps Just in Time for Summer!!

I went to a friends house and was talking to her when I happen to mention I was having a bee problem. She said she use to have a bee problem, till she started making her own Bee Traps. Well I had to see them so I could make some, and then I just had to stop and tell all of you how to make your own also!

First off keep those old plastic soda pop bottles! I know another save it project. Each bottle will make a quick and easy trap!

Cut the top of the bottle off just above where the label is. This gives you two halves one is a funnel shape the other is like an oversize vase. Next punch 4 holes in the top of the bottom part just near the place where you cut off the top. tie 4 long strings to the top of the bottle, one in each hole and then tie the strings together to form the hanger. Take the funnel shaped part and face the neck of the funnel down inside the bottom part. so you have it inside the bottom and the cut edges are even. Staple them together. Thats all there is to making the trap. Now you need to add sugar water to the trap to attract the bees, or a little sweet drink (diet drinks do not attract them very well) Place them about 50 feet from where you have the bee problem so it draws them away from the area you wish to keep clear of bees. I placed a piece of netting from a orange bag over the bottle to keep a hummingbird from finding its way into the trap! just something that the bees can get through.

A Dish Garden!!!

I love to find different ways to use things that most would throw away. During the course of our everyday lives we break or chip pieces of dishware such as cups, plates, old vases and even figurines. Don't throw them away because they have been broken, even if they are broken in half. Instead fix a flower bed with mulch around a tree or sidewalk. Place the colorful plates and items around in the flower bed just as if they were flowers. I even hunt out colorful pieces or interesting figuers that are broke and selling for a quarter at yard sales for my dish garden. I have seen potters take their old pottery and place them in a garden when the glaze did not take right, or the pot cracked and broke. You can do the same with any glass, dish or figuer. Be creative and see how your garden grows!!

Bottle Trees!

Want to add some color to your yard, or patio but on a budget? Don't have time to tend to a plant but still want some bright color. Then you may want to consider a bottle tree! First go to yard sales and flea markets and buy any cheep colored or clear bottle till you have a nice collection of them. Wash and set aside. Next find a bear limb tree or branch and place it in the ground, or anchor it in a large pot with rocks so the wind cannot blow it over. I suggest using a shorter tree limb for pots as they may be top heavy! You want to find one with lots of limbs for your bottles. After placing the limb in the ground or in a pot, place your bottles over the limbs so the opening is facing down over the limbs. When the sun shines you have a stain glass feeling about your garden or patio. You can also use dowels placed about 1/3 of the way into the ground and place them in and around your flower bed with one bottle over each dowel. This look very nice in an area where hosta or green plants are growing!

Bird Feeder Chair!!!!

I was at an auction the other month and found some great deals on a few old weathered straight back chairs. You know the ones...They have the bottom almost gone or so worn through the weavers that no one would ever sit in them. Maybe the legs are a little too unstable to use any more. Now I cannot pass up a find so I bought them and put them in the garage with all my other to be projects. The weather had become so nice that I decided to go out and see what I could find to work on, and while outside I noticed that the birds were everywhere looking for food. It has been a hard winter in most areas this year what with all the ice and snow. Hummmm I told myself maybe I can fix something for them to have some where to be able to come to for a little bird feed. Taking one of the chairs I tore off all the old remaining seat of weaving material and threw that away. Next I took a piece of sand paper and went over all the chair lightly to remove dirt and rough areas. Taking an old wash cloth and water (don't cringe here they were really dirty)and this was not a piece of fine furniture I was working on. I washed and scrubbed the chair. I took a break and made a tuna salad sandwich, for which I posted a hint if anyone wants to check that out! When I came back my chair was dry and clean. I sanded it a little more and dusted off all the sawdust. Now my chair was ready for a make over! I had a can of spray paint, but you could use any outdoor paint. Placing the chair on an old tarp I painted it bright Green. Hummmm again that was just too bright for my taste. I tend to like the more primitive look or to make a shabby chic look, use a white or pastale color to paint the chair...Then follow the steps for the green chair that I did. I let the paint dry which was quite fast, and sanded it again. taking the paint down in some areas to the wood. An antique look was what I wanted. Next I took a little stain, a dark oak and rubbed it all over the chair. Wow that really made it look old and toned the green that was a bright color down to a weathered green. Just right for me! Now what to use for the feeder part. I looked all over the garage and could not find a pan or anything that would work or fit, then I ran across a piece of screen that goes in windows or storm doors. The nylon type. I cut a piece of screen about 3 inches bigger than the bottom of the screen and used a staple gun on the bottom of the rounds to hold the screen across the bottom of the chair. The screen goes where the seat would have been. Perfect!! now I can place the seed in the bottom of the chair, water will run off and the birds can feast. Other uses for this chair could be to place moss and dirt in the bottom and plant a small plant. You could paint the back with a design on the slats or decoupage something on it. Write your family name. Just anything that looks fun. You could even staple a few silk flowers and vines on it, or place it in a garden and use it for flowers to grow up on! Have fun its your cheep find. They would make a great craft show seller, or consignment store item!

Helpful and Thrifty Hints for Around the House & Kitchen!

My family loves Tuna Salad, or Chicken Salad, but I hate having to boil the eggs and chop and peel them! My solution was so simple that I wanted to pass it on. Fix your salad the way you like it. I love to add to my tuna a little sweet relish, mayo, and fine chopped celery if I have it, and of course the eggs that I hate to peel & chop. What I now do is take just a small amount of butter, and place in a pan, beat the eggs well and scramble cook till a little dry. Mash with a fork and add to my tuna mix! Poof no eggs ever have to be peeled! Oh and one more tip if you want to make the tuna taste a little less strong is to open the can, but leave the lid loose over the tuna. Press the lid down on the tuna and drain off the water. (I always use water packed tuna). Next I run cold water over the tuna with the lid still on and again press off the water till the tuna has the excess water removed. Use a fork to remove the lid so not to cut your fingers and fluff up the tuna. It is ready to use in any of your recipes!

Welcome to The Primitive Cottage

Hello, and welcome to my blog site. I live in the mountains of Tennessee and I decided to share some of my ideas for around the house, in the kitchen, or out in the garden. How I work with pieces of furniture and other items to give them a primitive or shabby chic look. I want to share lots of great ways for you to make yard sale or flea market finds into something wonderful for your home, or to resale! Finding furniture or other items at a local auction is another great place to start. Turning those finds into something useful is not as hard as you may think. I do this on a budget, so the treasures that I make do not need to cost a lot to achieve a special look! I hope you will enjoy this cite and visit often as this cite grows.