A VERY Unexpected Favorite

A while back we were unknowingly gifted with pet store snails. No big deal, we bought 5 skunk loaches and while they didn’t make the snails disappear they certainly kept them under wraps.

Fast forward through an unfortunate tank cleaning session and we were down to 2 and our local store that carried the loaches isn’t selling fish anymore! Boo!

So I checked out the local chain stores and all they had was a $12 loach that grew up to a foot long. Ew. I have a big tank but I don’t like big fish, especially the kind that look like snakes.

I had googled before I went and pretty much everything I read had some kind of loach to fix a snail problem. My problem would be finding one. When the store associate asked if I needed any help I jokingly asked if they had anything that ate snails that wouldn’t eat me. Surprise! Surprise!

She said the reason they had feeder fish in the tanks was to eat the snails!!!!

What?!? Why isn’t THAT listed on all the fishy websites?

So we went home, snagged a long time resident of the turtle tank, put it in the 100 gal and poof! 3 days later the snails the snails have gone from over running the tank to a rare sighting!

Total cost for snail population control: $0

A New Favorite

Wanna know something I have totally fallen in love with?

 

Photo Source

 

I just can not get enough of these cups! I got my first one in a kit they gave out at Scentsy Convention last year and I’ve been hooked ever since. I have always been a straw kind of gal but I especially love that these have a stopper on them that keeps the straw from coming out. The screw on lid with a seal steals my glance too. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve folded a to go cup in half and the lid popped off making a huge mess. I love that they are reusable and dishwasher safe.

I have 3 of them. The Scentsy one, one that we got at Joel’s company picnic, and one I used my Old Navy Rewards to get. So I haven’t bought any of them!

My favorite part is that I drink more water when they are around. That’s always a good thing!

Best of 2011

Here are the top viewed posts on No Dime Design from 2011

#1. Cardboard Yes, Expensive No

This still surprises me that my toilet paper roll family tree was and still is the post popular post on my blog to date.  It's not even still up on the wall! This is the area that I decorate all the time.

#2. Chalk Board Table

This table was up cycles from our coffee table and is still a favorite. My girls love to draw all over it!

Before: 

After:

#3. Autumn Wreath

This little guy was so bright and cheery next to my door.

The tip from The Penny Parlor  made it super cheap. 

#4. $20 Sofa Table

The title of this post must generate a lot of traffic from Google or something because it's just about the find.

You can see how I updated it here with some oil rubbed bronze. 

#5. ABC Board

This is one of Anberlynn's favorites. She loves finding the letters you send her in search of. She gets so excited when she finds them!

#6. Craigslist Chair Reveal

This has got to be at the top of my list for favorites! It sits in the girls room and we love reading stories and snuggling here. 

Before:

After:

#7. Back to Crafting: A Christmas Garland

I am really glad you all liked this one because it really did light up my Christmas season every time I turned it on. I love the look of it and I love it even more knowing I reused stuff to make it. 

#8. Dumpster Dresser

This dresser really did come a long ways into looking suitable. Unfortunately it's days inside are numbered since I found another one I love even more! My husband is going to re-home it into the garage though so don't worry about it finding it's way back into the snow ;)

Before:

After:

#9. Sheet Music Wreath

This is one of those things that you will probably see popping up in my decor for a while. I am just in LOVE with it! 

#10. Gallery Wall 

This gallery wall has been steadily growing since this post and now it goes higher up the window and all the way under too. I am thankful for the motivation of a link party that got it all started. 

And that's it. Thank you all for each of your page-views, each of your comments, and for every click. It was a great year!

Favorites: Halloween Tips

eighteen25 made these spirit jugs. I think they are a great up-cycled pumpkin alternative!

Fresh Home Ideas shared this little tip about using cookie cutters to help carve perfect shapes! 

What a helpful idea!

Drizzle Diaries has a whole party to share. My favorite tip was to use purple cabbage in green water to look like a brain!

HGTV has some really good tips for preserving your pumpkin, lighting options, and carving tips.

And last but not least....

Fantasy Jr. has some awesome printable labels! They have regular Halloween ones too, not just Harry Potter Another tip they recommend: print the labels on sticker paper! 

What an quick and easy way to spice up a little Halloween Decor!

Favorites: Creative Storage

Now that the hubby said yes and the turtle is in the garage I have a WHOLE closet for just the exact purpose I wanted it for- a closet office. I tried so hard to get that darn turtle out of there and now it's out and I have no idea where to start. I want to do it once and I want to do it right the first time. As usual I have little $$ to complete my project so I need all the ideas I can get. Pinterest here I come! 

A french drain pipe makes for excellent yarn storage over at Sew Many Ways. Thes little cubbies could be used for all sorts of things- paint brushes, pipe cleaners, pencils, markers, rulers...you name it! 

Martha Stewart does it again, using tension rods as spacers. What a wonderful way to think outside the box.

Candace at She's Crafty was inspired by an article by Better Homes and Gardens to use spice racks for wrapping paper storage. 

I love this idea from Southern Living for hiding your less used items and that the drawers pull out on sliders. This would be great for my Cricut and my printer. It would also consume most of my office budget. :(  Maybe I can find a way around it or I can save up for it later. On the up side it would probably be cheaper to make than a file cabinet!

Re-Nest featured this office space. If you look closely you can see that it it made with simple, easy to change shelving. Unless I can find something completely genius to up-cycle shelving is going be my biggest expense. Knowing how much I change things up this shelving seems like the way to go. Plus it's relatively cheap! You don't have to  buy fancy to make it look nice.

Favorites: Plan A

If you missed my post on Plan A you can read it here. This weeks favorites is going to be on home inspiration that I think will actually work with my house. 

This glass tile back splash from Bedrock Industries would look lovely in my kitchen. Right now my kitchen has a wooden wanna-be back splash that is only a few inches tall. These colors would mesh perfectly with the teals and greens I use and still celebrate the dark browns.

This living room from Pottery Barn is one of the few I found that actually had wood trim. I like how everything is neutral but they pulled that teal rug in there for a little pop of color. Mission: find/make/paint teal rug. 

This one is also from Pottery Barn. I love the vintage details they have going on here and how that round but simple mirror softens everything up. The layered pillows pull int he color pallet of my house. Guess I will be buying fabric to make some new pillow cases. 

This living room from mydesignideas.com  is neutral, celebrates the wood around it, is full of texture and still manages to be a nice cheery space. I think that is my biggest fear- that if I embrace the wood it will turn into some  big dark hole. This proves me wrong.

Tip Junkie shared this picture of a white buffet. Hey, wait a minute. I have a white buffet! 

the chipped windows, vintage clocks, and wooden letter make this space classic and light at the same time. That is do-able in my book. 

Have great inspiration photos that embrace wood and neutrals? I would love to see them!

Favorites: Kid Edition

Here We Are Together

Try this little project to cool your kiddos jets. It is a "Mind Jar" Shake it up and cool off as the glitter falls. Use it as a timer if you have time outs! 

Kaye Winiecki Designs

Organize the zillion little kids art projects you have hanging around your house and scan your photos into you computer or a kiosk and have them made into a book!

Tin Muffin Mom

Want to share all the joys of painting with your kids but having a hard time justifying the mess? Try this tip on recycled coffee or slushy cups!

teachpreschool.org

Check out this site on instructions on how to make your own DIY Light table!!! 

Nic and Kate

Check out his great idea for a quick and easy magnetic surface with an oil drip pan!

Favorites: Useful

There are things that look useful and then there are things that actually are useful. 

Here's some that I think fit into the latter. 

Addicted to Decorating suggested making a key ring to take with you with the colors from your decor.  Then when you are out you won't have the problem I recently had- clashing whites, it was awful. :)

I have a few of these and they get used SO much!!! One holds exactly what is shown, another hols mugs, another sandwich bags. They make ones that you can drill into the cabinet too. The pic is from Amazon but usually just get mine at a store near me. 

I hate all those skirt hangers. I'll be taking care of the kids or looking for a snack and forget I have one of those hangers in there with the groceries and in my cart it goes. I throw them away like they are infectious! Not any more! I'm going to turn them into chip clips like Money Saving Mom!

This magnet storage is from Martha but I've seen the same idea used for organizing cans in the garage or craft room,  knife storage under cabinetry, for metal spice containers, and for keeping cook ware close to the stove but off of the counter.

The Shady Tree Diary came up with a list of uses for the soap boxes you can get in the travel size isle. Card storage is one of my favorites! Most of my cards are tied together with rubber bands! Other things she suggest is using them to store crayons and small art supplies. I bet the'd be perfect for small snacks, chalk, and hair clips too! I bet you could make a pretty decent portable make-up or first-aid kit out of one of these little guys! OK, getting to excited about his one :)

Favorites: Tips

As always there are a million and one things out there that I just can not believe I did not know before. They seem so obvious and yet never crossed my mind.

Real Simple suggests using seam ripper to clean out your vacuum roller! 

From Apartment Therapy comes the idea to use a rubber band on stripped screws! Huh!

Paige Russel uses binder clips to keep all your cords handy!

Now this last one comes from current catalog but for $7 I think it would be an easy enough knock off. Soda bottle = drip catcher!!! Amazing!

What great in expensive tips. I will definitely be implementing some of these into my day to day life....What's that vacuum? Yes the seam ripper and I are coming right along! :)