How to Clean Grout on Floor Tiles

Have I ever told you how much I dislike grout?  The reason I do not like grout is because it is very porous and a lot of dirt gets trapped in it.  After trying several different products, methods, and DIY recipes, I found that white distilled vinegar works wonders on "my floor".  It may not work for everyone, due to the type of grout that may be in place.  My grout had a light seal.

After trying one product for cleaning my iron, I should have known that one simple product would do the trick on my grout. All I used to clean the grout was a small old brush,  a rag, a small container to pour your vinegar in, and the white vinegar.


This is what I started with, dirt, dirt, and more dirt.  I grabbed an old toothbrush and a plastic cup to dip my brush and begun brushing the grout. The wonderful thing is, vinegar evaporates rather quickly, so there is no residue and no big mess.

Look at that!!  Got to love natural products for cleaning.  Can you see the difference below with the cleaned section and the dirty section?  It's magic!  The only bad thing about this is that your grout will get dirty again over time and may have to do this again just like cleaning anything in your home.  I love that there is no chemical odor. Bleach gives me a headache and other products trigger my asthma, so this is my to go cleaning grout product.

Have you tried this on your floor grout?  Do you have any natural home cleaning items that you use for your home?

Pavers for the Backyard

The days for outdoor entertaining are here and to get ready, we have been working on updating our backyard.  It's a long term process, but Mr. M has layed out the pavers which is the biggest part of this project.  We are now focusing on the sides of the pavement and since they did not have sod available for us, we have planted seeds in order to have grass by the summer.

It is a lot of work, digging, measuring, layering, and leveling.  But if you remember this post, you will know that this is something we have wanted to do for a long time.  We decided to keep this project simple because Mr. M did all the work himself; the less complicated the better.
In the image you see above you will notice a huge rectangular section which was dug out to be completely pavered, but in order to keep costs down, we went with the smaller centered square as seen instead.

After the pavers were layed out, he added the sand to fill in the gaps and hold the pavers in place. When you add the water, it solidifies the sand.
Now all we need to do is add grass to the sides, perhaps plants too.  The project continues and I will post more as we go along later on. I have been working on outdoor seating and will post those soon as well.  Are you working on any outdoor projects?  Gardening?

Grey & White Home Decor

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Two popular colors on Pinterest are white and grey.  As I browse boards on Pinterest, I have noticed that the common trend are having walls painted in white with some grey accent furniture or black and also grey walls and white furniture and accents for the home.

This is a trend that we will continue to see throughout the spring and summer of this year, as well as blue hues for the home.  I am not one to follow home trends much, but I must admit, I am drawn to neutral colors when it comes to spring and summer.

What are some trends that you have noticed for home decor and what are your favorites?
For more inspirations visit me on Pinterest.  

Christmas Home 2013

I have been trying to make our home look a little festive this year since my focus has been on other things.  I am sharing my living room & dining room space with you today which is pretty much what I have decorated around the house.

I used decor from years past, handmade and purchased ornaments are combined in this year's Christmas decoration.

We did not put up an Advent calendar, but instead, a Jesse Tree.  Are you familiar with the Jesse tree?  It is fun and educational for both children and adults.  The Tree of Jesse is a depiction in art of the ancestors of Christ.  My son loves it and looks forward to each day's scripture reading and devotion.  I made my own Jesse tree ornaments by printing out the symbols for each day's reading. We cut the paper out and added ornament hooks to hang on the little tree I got last year.

Depictions of the Jesse Tree are based on a passage from the Book of Isaiah.

"A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots."

Isaiah 11:1    NRSV

On my last post I showed you how I made my pom pom garland.  I used the garland to decorate the mantel, I added reindeer ornaments instead of regular ball ornaments for a different look and I like how it turned out.  You can basically add whatever you like to the pom pom garland for extra flare.  I placed the book page trees from last year on the mantel and added the stockings that I made last year as well.  You can find the tutorial for the stockings on this post.

Further down, I added a photo of the living room during the decorating process, the tree does not have a garland yet and my mantel was somewhat bare at the time.

For the dining room, I added a wreath with a layer of berries and a red vase that serves as a hurricane candle holder as the center piece.  To each side I added a gold wire reindeer and red candles.  Off to the side, I also placed my advent candles, but did not photograph it this year.

Thank you for joining me today on this tiny tour.

Linked to:

Home Stories A to Z
Craftberry Bush

The Nester

The Dedicated House

Decorate with Feathers

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I'm not sure if it's due to the time of year, but I have noticed feathers in home decor
everywhere.  I've visited several places and noticed that feathers such as the ones
below are used in small amounts to add a touch of texture to home decor.  They may
be used simply in a vase, wreath, Christmas trees, arrangements and other areas.  Take
a look at how some decorators have used feathers in their space, the ideas are endless.  

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Hope you enjoyed!
Stay Inspired!

Coral Color Inspirations

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I never thought I'd look at coral design for the home, yet here we are.
Some may call it peach, but lets be fancy and call it Coral, shall we?
After browsing a few accent pieces, I wanted to share the
possibilities here with you.  I know, I know, why coral?
Well, why not?  There is no right or wrong way to decorate your home.
After all, it is your living space and you might as well enjoy what YOU like & not
what others like, am I right?

I personally don't plan on using it at my house, but after visiting a friend
whose foyer is a rich coral & another with a coral living room,
well it made me wonder.  I'm a grayish-blue person, but it doesn't look bad.
So here are a few inspirational photos for you to view.
Tell me, does it make you wonder or cringe?
 Remember, everything old, is new again;-)

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