Ironing Made More Simple

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

We are still working on the Dirty Laundry Series and today, we're talking...dun, dun daaa...ironing.  Yucko, right?!  I used to hate ironing.  Seriously, loath it until I purchased a very good steam iron.  Now, I iron a lot more other things than I used to like napkins, pillow cases and even some t-shirts and jeans.

Depending on your drying method of clothes, ironing is sometimes necessary.  I found that when I hang my clothes outside to dry, I cut at least 1/4 of my ironing if not more.  Most tops and jeans come out nearly wrinkle free after hanging outside. My clothes go right from the line, onto hangers, then a rolling rack and eventually in the closet.  Never folded!

If you use a dryer, try using a less hot cycle and certainly get those clothes out of the dryer ASAP.  The longer they sit in there, the more winkled they will be.  There are APPS that will even remind you when the drying is finished.  Pretty awesome if ya need it.

The more clothes you can hang up, the less ironing you'll have to do. A rolling rack makes putting clothes away so easy as well.  It's a breeze for the kids to help out, too. Like most houses in Europe, closet space is seriously limited.  Most of us have stand alone closets and they usually are no where near the American size.

I used to have so many clothes that even though I ironed some garments, they would get more wrinkled in the cramped closet.  I'm learning to live with less and it's a huge burden off of my shoulder.  I still put winter garments in the attic and switch out two seasons worth of clothes for my husband and I.  We'll be speaking about the basic garments we should have on hand in a future edition of the Dirty Laundry Series.

Let's just focus on the irons themselves this time.

I did a touch of research and found some sites that give their top 10.  Tefal and Rowenta rank up at the top on most sites and I came across this super thorough report from The Sweeethome.  Find it here.

I went decades using a regular brand iron.  Never again!  I bought a Calor steam iron a couple of years ago and will never go back to a non steam iron.  OK, it costs nearly double the price, but you save an enormous amount of time and you can't seriously compare the results either.  I never have to use spray products to get rid of the wrinkles.  I was dumbfounded with the first use.

I went from hating ironing to dealing with it.  I put myself in front of the picture window, with my hanging rack in tow and knock out the week's worth of ironing every Monday afternoon.  If the kids are home, I iron with them around so we can talk about home work or watch TV together.  Two birds with one stone and makes ironing more tolerable.

I highly recommend a good steam iron.  It's worth the extra cost, for sure.

In the next Dirty Laundry  Series, we'll go into more detail about the ironing process and touch on settings, fabrics and trouble shooting.

Check out these sites for more reviews.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/iron-reviews/g573/best-steam-irons/

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/the-best-irons/bes-tall-around

Check out more from the Dirty Laundry Series right here.

Dirty Laundry Do's and Don'ts
The Ideal Laundry Area
Stain Removing And Pre Wash
The Machines
Cycles
The Dirty On Detergents
Seriously, You Need To Ditch The Softeners

Why you should serisouly consider hanging out your wash.

Washing Specialty Items

Super Simple Cleaning Tip

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

We've got a short, but sweet blog, today.

Every now and then you have to get out the tiny tools to clean those tough to reach spots or those cracks and crevices around appliances, furniture, etc.

I often use a toothpick and it works great, but I recently tried something different.  The result is even better and it's faster and easier, too.

Keep those old heads to your electric toothbrush and use them to clean those hard to reach and clean places.  Even the tiniest of spaces come clean.

We mostly use all natural cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda, then rinse off the electric apparatus.  You could always have a separate one just for cleaning if you're creeped out by cleaning something you brush your teeth with.

A touch of bleach helps on those stubborn places where the natural products just don't do the trick.  I was scrubbing and scrubbing away at a few places in my bathroom sink when I spotted my electric toothbrush and eureka!  Hehehe...

I should have done before and after pictures.  I always get this yucky ring around the sink's drain and around the bottom of the faucet.  A few seconds of brushing with the tip of the brush just dipped in the lid of the bleach did the trick.

I then went on to the shower to do the tough spots there, with my traditional baking soda and wow!  No elbow grease needed and a more than better result.

If you want to learn more about natural cleaning products or cleaning tips, hit up our Clean, Clean, Clean board on Pinterest.

Give it a try!

The Cherry On Top, DigiHop and A Free Template

Welcome to The Cherry On Top!

This is our first DigiHop.  We hope you enjoy our portion for July and we've got another one ready for August.  Be sure to check back for when that hop goes live. Click on that link for more DigiHop freebies.

Here's our free template for the hop.  I used a layout from MagsGrahpics as my inspiration.

This template is no longer free.  Check out out our Etsy shop.

TomBoy Princess has an awesome colour palette and how about that 3D effect of the layout?  You can get the same effect when you follow the template.

Thanks so much for checking out our portion of the DigiHop!  Make sure to come back next month and to peruse our blog for other free goodies, scrappy inspiration and fun. Our Pinterest is full of FREE boards and we post several freebies everyday on our Facebook Page.

The Cherry On Top is all about free stuff, saving cash, recycling and just making everyday things better.

Happy scrapping!

Washing Specialty Items

Welcome to another instalment of Dirty Laundry.

We are slowly, but surly getting through the entire washing cycle.  We ended with the best way to dry your clothing and this time we're touching on specialty items such as bras, shoes, hats, toys, leather, duvets, comforters, curtains, pillows, cushions...

Have you ever considered washing in the dishwasher?  Anything that can take the heat, goes in the dishwasher for me.  Toys, hats, wicker baskets, combs, the not electric parts of the electric toothbrush and accessories, hair accessories.  They all get chucked in the dishwasher.

I want to start with bras.  I recently purchased 6 seamless bras and the only thing special I do with those are wash in cold water on a delicate-ish cycle and hang dry.  I have a couple of bras that are really expensive and there are quite some options out there.  Some folks take their bras with them into the shower and gently wash them there, leaving them to air dry.  You could use a lingerie bag. I bought one of those bra balls so that the bra keeps its shape.  Those are for bras with underwire and padding.  You can hand wash in the sink, too.  Do not wring out your bras and certainly leave them out of the dryer.

Next, shoes.  If you have stinky shoes that can't go in the machine, put baking soda in them or a used, dry tea bag. I often put sport shoes in the wash and let them air dry.  Make sure the cycle isn't too intense and that the temperature is cold.  Adhesives are why you shouldn't put them in the washer.  Don't do this with good running shoes, though.  Those you have to hand wash.  Check out how Nike suggests cleaning their shoes, here.  I wash cheap shoes and the kids shoes in the machine because they can't wear them forever anyway.  Converse do great in the wash machine, too.

Of course, leather shoes should be hand cleaned.  There are so many ways to clean leather and suede shoes.  Suede shoes shouldn't get wet.  Use a soft brush to clean those.  Check out how to do that here.  Click on this link on how to clean leather shoes and boots and ditch the salt marks.  I hear that nail polish removes gets rid of scuffs on patent leather, but I'd be careful with that one!

For feather duvets or comforters wash as little as possible.  No more than once a year.  Do NOT use harsh chemicals like softeners and abrasives.  Do NOT wash in hot water.  Drying will take several hours and we suggest line drying.  If you prefer the dryer, use tennis or dryer balls and periodically check the duvet for clumping.  Do NOT use dryer sheets. Make sure it is a cooler cycle.

Pillows with synthetic filling can often be washed in a machine on a gentle cycle.  Feather and foam should be cleaned by hand with warm, soapy water and air dried.  If ya throw your feather pillows in the dyer, use those balls again and keep checking that they don't get lumpy.

I totally put my curtains in the washer, on a gentle, colder cycle and line dry.  Make sure of your fabric, though.  There should be care instructions with them.  I found this really good, thorough article for more details on how to clean curtains.  Steam cleaning, dusting are other options.

Cold and gentle is a safe way to go if you're not sure and it's certainly the best way to wash your satin, knitted and lacy goods.  Keep all of these out of the dryer and do NOT twist or wring them out.

To clean leather gloves, check out this article here.

Always check care instruction on any and all garments.

We're onto ironing next!

The Princess Collection From The Cherry On Top With Free Cute Cards

Welcome to another scrappy edition of The Cherry On Top.

I love buying Commerical Use products so that I can make freebies for the fans.  I thought it'd be so cool to make an entire collection and spread it out in pieces over a couple of months or even a year.  I got started on papers, elements, clusters, journal cards or cute cards as I call them here because sometimes they are not used for journaling and they don't have to be just for project life either.  Cute cards can be used anywhere for anything.  Hybrid projects if you like or as a tag for a gift.

Then I ran into quality control issues.  I bought a couple of different actions to help with jaggies and missing pixels, but I'm afraid my computer skills were not savvy enough.  So, now I'm stuck with hours of work that I can do nothing with.

Then I thought, the heck with it.  I'm making some goodies for the fans and since they are free, if they don't like the way they come out, then they don't have to use them.  Hehehe...  I printed out the cute cards and I thought they looked ok.

I just wanted to give you a warning.  If you have any tips on quality control, leave them in the comments. 

So, my aim is to make clusters, borders, stacked papers and some hybrids with the items that I've made.  Keep your eyes out for when they release.

Here are the cute cards with photo inserts.  Click on the preview to get the download.

These are the other cute cards.  You can use them hybrid or digital.   The preview is hooked up for you.

This is an example on how you can use them.

Enjoy your freebies and happy scrapping!

Fun, Games and Freebies From The Cherry On Top and BoomersGirl Designs

Howdy, Happy Scrappers!

I'm teaming up with BoomersGirl Designs for this fun edition of games and freebies.  I designed this layout yesterday and thought it'd be fun to have our fans guess how many elements are on it.  Elements are everything on this page with exception of papers and photographs.  It took a while to get this one all together, just right and there are a LOT of elements.  

Count carefully then head over to BoomersGirl Designs Facebook Page and put in your guess as a comment.  Lori will announce who will receive this brand new kit for free!  Make sure you place your guess in the right spot.  NOT HERE, but on Lori's Page, here.

I've recently started a gallery over at GingerScraps where you can check out more inspiration.

Keep on scrolling to find out the freebies and get a closer look at this awesome kit.

Here's another scrap up of my gorgeous neighbours.  We live in the platteland or flat lands of Belgium amongst the cows, horses and other grazers.  It's nice and quiet here with the exception of some mooing and the zooming of tractors.

These lovelies make living here all the more worth while and my boys love being surrounded by all of this nature and wonderful farm animals.

This layout was designed with a new template from Brenian Designs.  You can find Bren's store by clicking on the image.  She's got some awesome sales going on at the moment. So, don't miss out on fantastic deals.

Here's Lori's kit.  It's full of barnyard fun!  Horses, sheep, cows, chickens, rabbits, mice...It's in there!

Thanks to Lori's super generosity, I've got a freebie for blog visitors and you can grab another freebie when you head over to Lori's FB Page.  Scroll further for the link.

Click on this image to grab the link for this free word art cluster.

Another word art cluster can be earned by playing along with us on Lori's Facebook Page.  Each person who makes a guess will get this freebie.

Remember, all of The Cherry's freebies are for PERSONAL USE ONLY and are not to be resold or claimed as your own.  Comments, Sharing and +'ing are all super appreciated and a great way to say thank you.

Enjoy these fun freebies, Lori's fabulously fun kit and leave a comment on BoomersGirl FB Page to WIN the kit, Barnyard Buddies.

Happy scrapping!

Give A Chore Chart A Try

Welcome to The cherry On Top.

School is finally finished and I plan on putting the kids to work.  I'd also like for them to read and practice some basic school exercises and do some yoga with me.  Ha!  Wishful thinking, right?!  Then I had this idea.  Not just a chart, but displaying the goody they will get when the chart is full.  Both my boys have Autism and like a lot of kids they are very stubborn.  It is extremely difficult to get them to do chores and homework.  

This method of actually showing them the prize has worked wonderfully.  My youngest wouldn't be able to stand waiting for 30 points.  So, I give him smaller prizes.  It takes at least two days for them to get the treat.  They are after me asking me for more chores to do.  Hehehe...

They get a sticker at the end of the day, if they were really well behaved and nice to each other.  They get stickers for reading with me or on their own.  For vacuuming, sweeping, cleaning off the table, helping with laundry, picking berries, caring for the animals...Spontaneous stickers are a real treat for them.  If they do something super special on their own and you tell them they will get a sticker for that, they love it.

I left my document in a format where I could go in and change the points.  You may want to consider starting off small and see how it goes.  This will be just a summer thing unless it keeps working so well and the kids are ok with it.

Click on the image below for more ideas over on Pinterest.

Thanks for checking us out. We've got a couple other posts dedicated to kid's lunch ideas and here, getting picky eaters to eat good food and tips on hosting or attending a party with Autistic kids.