I have a product review for Magnaclips, a versatile and creative way to tieback curtains and drapes.  This is a slick solution for apartment dwellers and a simple way to add a little flair to your curtains.  Please check out my vlog review of MagnaClips, then head on over to their site and let me know what you think.

I was compensated for this post with the product to try from MagnaClips. All opinions, as always, are completely my own.

I love French Onion Soup in the winter.  The flavorful onions, warm bubbly cheese and hearty bread, (if done right) always satisfy me.  I gave this very simple recipe from Annie Bakes a try and was completely delighted.  Easy to make and the gruyere cheese added just the right flavor.  I might experiment with using different or a mix of onions next time just to see how that changes the flavor of the soup.

The one thing I did do is add garlic to the olive oil before drizzling on the bread to toast in the oven.

ENJOY!

All the recent press surrounding lead in lipstick has me just plain upset.  Is it really necessary to have toxic chemicals in everything we use?

There are alternatives.  Let’s begin with dryer sheets.  My current solution is not eliminating all of the winter static, so I’m looking for something new.  I’m not so concerned with adding a “fresh scent”.  My clothes are clean, I just want to keep the static away.  Here are some savvy finds for keeping the static out of your clothing without using dryer sheet and carcinogens.  I’d love to hear your solutions.
The Lavender Road

LifeSoapSimple

Reuseit.com

Source: reuseit.com via Kristin on Pinterest

Nellies PVC free dryer ball

Source: amazon.com via Kristin on Pinterest

I have a fabulous find and product review of the Nesting Prep Bowls over at Uncommon Goods. This durable space-saver is a welcome addition to my kitchen.  I’ve stumbled across bowls that stack, but this set is more versatile because it comes with two mixing bowls, a strainer, sieve and measuring cups.  It saves valuable space in the cupboard, but the cool design and bright colors would also work well on open shelves.

My two favorite pieces are the mixing bowls.  The large bowl is not only great for baking, but the perfect bowl for popcorn night.  The smaller bowl is ideal for making pancakes because the spout makes it easy to pour the batter on the griddle.  I love that the strainer stacks neatly with the other bowls because I was able to recycle one to make room for this entire set.

The Nesting Prep Bowls set would make an excellent wedding gift and it is perfect for someone venturing into their first apartment.  It would also be a fun gift for kids that love to cook and bake because it is so colorful.  Pair it with some fun kid friendly utensils and a couple of recipes.  Another thought I had is that this would make a great addition to the kitchen of an elderly parent that is downsizing.  The measuring cups are all a different color and that would be a great find for someone that has trouble seeing clearly.

Stop on over to Uncommon Goods for more “out of the box” gift ideas.  I featured them over the summer with some Savvy Finds.  They’ve also assembled a few gift idea pages such as; Wedding Gifts, Mother’s Day, and a page titled – Gifts for Wife, but I’m thinking I might call it gifts for myself because I see about 10 things I’d like on that page alone.

Joseph Joseph Nesting Bowls via Uncommon Goods

I was compensated for this post with the product to try from Uncommon Goods. All opinions, as always, are completely my own.

Alexis from Clean, Smart, Simple Style had a wonderful idea for the upcoming week centered around loving your home.  If you haven’t stumbled by her blog yet, please do.  It is smart and full of wonderful ideas.  I am taking her challenge to post about working with what you have, not fighting against it and learning to love your home.  I’d love to hear your thoughts about what you love about your own home.

I have a very small kitchen and living area.  I also live in an area of incredibly large homes.  Needless to say, this has been intimidating when it comes to entertaining.  I’ve really spent the last year forcing myself to just get over it.  Entertaining is really all about feeling welcome in the space and not at all about how much space you have.  I’ve been branching out, entertaining more and it has been wonderful.

I can prepare an entire Thanksgiving dinner in my tiny kitchen, so a small appetizer party should be a piece of cake.  After all, Julia Childs had a very small kitchen and you can’t tell me that anyone ever turned down a invitation to her home.  I also spent time really giving my small kitchen some character implementing art or items that make me happy and warm the space.  I found some great artwork via Etsy and made a collage of things I love. Check out Eva Juliet, ShutterRose and 74 Lime Lane.

Julia Child's kitchen via Country Living

I have a few suggestions for those with a small space, or for those that might feel intimated by hosting a party.

1.  Make your space something that makes you happy.  If your kitchen is clean, organized and filled with your personality, then you’ll be confident in it.

2.  Little things can make your guests feel comfortable in your home.  A place to hang their coat, clean towels in a clean bathroom.  It might sound silly, but I’ve been to plenty of large homes that are dirty or chaotic and it makes me uncomfortable.

3.  Versatile furniture.  I’ve put together a little collection of great space savers on Pinterest.  Think about items that can do double duty and will work for storage too.  Simple items like a drop leaf table can really make entertaining easier.  I have a drop leaf wall mounted table from Ikea in my kitchen that I can put up for extra counter space, or take down when I need space to move around.

4.  Don’t feel like you need to be a graduate of the Food Network to throw a party.  I love simple things like a well done cheese plate with almonds.  Simple appetizers from Trader Joe’s complimented with one thing that you’ve made on your own will work just fine.  If you are relaxed and having fun, then your guests will follow.

5.  At the end of the day, if you love your home and feel happy walking through the door, then your guests will too.

My home may not be large, but it is filled with the things that make my family happy.  I am now learning to open up and share that more often and with confidence.

I love Etsy.  Although it is becoming more mainstream, I still feel like I can purchase something out of the ordinary and I also love supporting small business owners.  Your savvy find this week is meant to encourage you to swing by Etsy to find valentines instead of buying them at the store.

I was able to purchase Valentine’s Day cards for my girls to distribute in their classes and the designers had them in my inbox within a couple of hours.  They were already personalized, (saving even more time on my end).  A simple print and cut later, we were done.

Printables on Etsy are also a great way to spruce up your artwork.  I recently purchase a printable for my kitchen and had it printed on heavy stock at Kinkos.  One recycled frame later – I’m done.

Here are some of my favorite Etsy vendors that send printables.

Polka Prints

Polka Prints on Etsy

UPrint on Etsy

U Print Cards

Lauren Jong on Etsy

Lauren Jong on Etsy

I want to share an incredibly simple, brilliant and have I mentioned fabulous way to weed out the clothes in your closet.  This is not my invention and I can’t seem to find the original source but I’ve seen it mentioned in a few places including Lifehacker, Reddit and one of my posts on SkinnyScoop.

Go through your closet and change all of the hangers so that they are reversed.  After wearing an outfit, return it to the closet with the hanger facing the correct direction.  At the end of the season you’ll be able to quickly see the items that you wear versus the items that never get touched.  Donate the clothes that are still hanging on the reversed hangers and you’ll suddenly have an amazing amount of room in your closet.  The big trick is to not fill it up again!

While on topic, I thought I’d share some of my favorite hangers with you.  I’ve picked them to share because clothes will not slip off and they take 1/2 the space of the bulky plastic hangers.

And finally, just because they are pretty to look at, a lovely little hanger via Christelle Lott on Pinterest.

I stumbled upon a recipe for cauliflower soup that was so simple it made me skeptical.  I looked at a number of cauliflower soup recipes, some with cheese or thyme and multiple ingredients, but because I’m all about simple solutions….

This beautiful soup via Paul Bertolli is simply delicious.  The vegetable really shines and it is just a lovely way to warm up.  Cauliflower is a super vegetable because it is loaded with vitamin C, K and dietary fiber.

Follow the advice of all the readers and don’t get fancy.  I did substitute in a little broth for the water and I used an immersion blender instead of blending in batches.  I think I might try a little crumbled bacon on the top the next time I make it.

Try a bowl and let me know what you think.

Paul Bertollis Cauliflower Soup - Photo James Ransom

Keeping electronic cords and cables under control can be a challenge.  A while back I did a post on our solution to the problem by building a small shelf under my desk and then covering with some pretty fabric.

I’ve recently stumbled upon a couple of other easy and simple solutions that can help to control the cord clutter.  BUYER BEWARE  because there are many options out there but not all of them are stellar.  Some options involve containing the cords in plastic tubing and I’m not a huge fan.  One major thing to keep in mind is how difficult it will be to get at a cord if needed.  If the solution involves unzipping a long tube or untangling a maze, then it is probably not a good solution.

I’ve assembled some inexpensive and versatile solutions below for some of the more common cord problems.

If you need an easy solution to hold your power cords while a gadget is unplugged, then the cord clips below work well.

Cords too long?  The Command Adhesive Bundler is easy to use and will allow for easy access to the cord.  It gives you the ability to loop up longer cords but easily undo them if you need to move items around.

I love the Mini Cable Box with power strip inside.  I imagine it will take a little work to tuck the cords in, so maybe purchasing two and dividing the cords would work well.  There is a larger Cable box but there again I see a mess of  too many cords bundled together and it does not come with the integrated power strip, (although there is space to add one).  I think two boxes with fewer cords would be more functional.

I like the Cable Turtle because it contains each cord separately.  There are similar items that bundle the cords but I think keeping them separated is a smarter move.

Organizing a drawer can sometimes seem tricky.  The space might be hard to fit and hard to maintain.  Try thinking outside of the box to find a product that will help you keep the troublesome drawer in top shape.  A cute inspiring find inside the drawer might motivate you to keep it organized.  Picture a junk drawer that is just so much fun to look in that you HAVE to keep in clean.

Here are some examples to get you motivated.

I love the use of these lunch trays inside a drawer, (top left).

Baking sheets in a drawer – brilliant.

Teacups and saucers? Yes, please.

Source: blogs.babble.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Oragami drawer or even old Altoid boxes covered in pretty papers

Source: thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com via Jennifer on Pinterest