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How To Stiffen Fabric For Dollhouse Curtains

How To Stiffen Fabric For Dollhouse Curtains

Fabric used for dollhouse curtains is usually stiffened to help hold their final shape.  There’s definitely an art to getting the threads of fabric to conform to and retain a 1:12 pleated shape even when using a pleater. You can pleat dollhouse curtains by hand, holding the pleats in place using sewing pins, but a … Continue Reading

Practical Items New Grandparents Should Have In Their Home – By A New Grandparent

Practical Items New Grandparents Should Have In Their Home – By A New Grandparent

It has been quite a few years since there have been babies in the house.  As first time grandparents, we wanted to get just those items that we would need on those occasions we might be babysitting.  Did we really need to get a bassinet, a crib, a changing station, and the hundred other items … Continue Reading

Caring For And Propagating Frosty Fern

Caring For And Propagating Frosty Fern

To successfully grow a frosty fern (AKA Selaginella kraussiana ‘Variegata’) you have to provide a similar environment to how it grows in its natural habitat.  It needs moist, well-drained soil, deep shade, temperatures between 68 to 84 degrees, and 77 to 88 percent humidity (please, no misting!).  Most of these requirement make for a recipe … Continue Reading

DIY Portable Indoor Greenhouse And Tips

DIY Portable Indoor Greenhouse And Tips

If you are starting seeds before the spring or wanting to protect plants over the winter and don’t have a greenhouse, a portable indoor greenhouse is a great alternative. Buy Or DIY? In terms of price, the main comparison is the lower cost of a pre-made portable greenhouse (without casters) versus the items you would … Continue Reading

Decorating Empty Spice Jar Containers

Decorating Empty Spice Jar Containers

If you are upcycling empty spice jar bottles and looking for a little inspiration, here are a few designs that might help inspire you.  This is a continuation of the Unique And Practical Ways To Re-Purpose Spice Bottles post, and provides a little more detail on the ways various bottles were decorated. Acrylic paint was … Continue Reading

Boat Manufacturer Identification Code Lookup – MIC

Boat Manufacturer Identification Code Lookup – MIC

Use this free tool to look up the Manufacturer Identification Code (MIC) to find the name of a recreational boat, canoe, kayak, or jet ski’s manufacturer. The first 3 characters of a boat’s Hull Identification Number (HIN) represent the manufacturer’s code. MIC codes are issued by the United States Coast Guard.  There are over 16,000 … Continue Reading

USPS Tracking Status Scan Code Events List

USPS Tracking Status Scan Code Events List

This page provides a list of the standard USPS Product Tracking & Reporting (PTR) scan status events as packages are processed through their system. If you are trying to get an idea of where a package is after checking its status on the USPS website, you can get more information by visiting our USPS Tracking – … Continue Reading

USPS Tracking – Where Is My Package?

USPS Tracking – Where Is My Package?

How Does The USPS Tracking System Work? USPS packages are tracked by number.  Tracking numbers are automatically assigned when a shipping label is created.  The barcode on the shipping label is scanned to track the package as it moves through the USPS system and up to the final delivery (or attempted delivery). Automated Processing Equipment … Continue Reading

DIY Repairing Canoe Deck End Caps

DIY Repairing Canoe Deck End Caps

This old, neglected canoe was in need of some serious attention.  In addition to needing significant body work, a portion of the fiberglass deck had broken off. We contemplated getting a small sheet of thermoplastic, creating a wooden form, and then using a heat gun to shape the plastic onto the wooden form. But we … Continue Reading

Camping Hacks – Campfire Cooking

Camping Hacks – Campfire Cooking

One of the highlights of camping is cooking all our meals on the firepit, rain or shine.   Over time, we’ve figured out what we need to bring to make cooking three meals a day on a firepit as feasible as possible while still traveling light and on a budget. Here are some of the solutions … Continue Reading

How To Remove Stubborn Sticky Label Residue From Plastic

How To Remove Stubborn Sticky Label Residue From Plastic

This solution came about as we were trying to get label residue off of empty spice bottles for this project.  We first removed as much of the paper or plastic labels has possible, then soaked the bottles in hot soapy water for a few hours, and most of the remaining label adhesive glue residue came … Continue Reading