smerline's Profile

Display Name: smerline
Member Since: 12/11/12

Latest Comments...

Growing up, my school gave us all trees on earth day in kindergarden. They were more 5-year-old trees than birth trees, but it made us all the more attached since we remembered planting them.
I remember being VERY upset when we moved. Somehow we managed to transplant my tree. My brothers weren't so lucky.


Birth Tree: Would You Plant One?
5/13/13 5:06 PM

I usually would protest to color organized books, but in the case of cookbooks I think it makes sense! I NEVER remember the names of my cookbooks. It's more like "the big red one" or "that little blue binder with flowers."


Would You Ever Organize Your Cookbooks by Color?
5/10/13 4:25 PM

Much like this older post:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/diy-recycled-cardboard-cat-scr-74682


Make This DIY Cat Scratcher Old House New Tricks
4/19/13 1:25 PM

Why buy them at all? I saved all my shipping boxes for a few months, cut them into 4 inch wide strips, and taped them all together into a round, spiral floor scratcher. I used colored boxes on the outer layer to make it pretty.
It's my cat's favorite thing in the world - we now call it his "throne." Not only does the cat like it more than the store bought one, but it's holding up much better because it's thicker cardboard!


Make This DIY Cat Scratcher Old House New Tricks
4/19/13 1:24 PM

I LOVE these cups! Mine are a different brand, but the same general product.

Ironically, I love these because I think they're easier to clean! I hate cleaning out muffin pans where you have to scrub into nooks and crannies. I bake in silicone cups standing directly on a cookie sheet with the same amount of spray I would use in a metal pan. When I'm done I flip them inside out to clean and the few crumbs tumble right out.

Two years of heavy use and they're still as good as new. Never going back to metal pans.


Silicups from Williams-Sonoma
4/3/13 2:41 PM

How can you justify having an infant sleeping in a one-entrance, windowless room? All of these break fire codes except the pass-through one.


Creating Nurseries Out of Closets Renters Solutions
3/28/13 1:59 PM

It looks like this hardware is a *patented* connections system, and is not available anywhere separately. There is a slightly cheaper brand called Cabidor that might carry a better size for you.
If neither of these work, why not just mount a cabinet directly to the back of the door? It would only make a few holes that are easily reparable. The design of the hinge shown looks pretty flimsy anyway - I would be very surprised if it could support as much weight as a traditional cabinet hinge.


Where Can I Find a Connecting Hinge? Good Questions
2/22/13 9:10 AM

I love wool dryer balls! I made a few on a whim, and now I will never go back to dryer sheets.
Not only can i just leave the balls in the dryer and not think about it, but as a cat owner, the decrease in static saves me hours of getting cat hair off my clothes!


The Best Time Saving Laundry Gadgets You're Not Using
2/15/13 10:14 AM

Replacing the magnet in the door is easy, and literally the first thing I thought of when i saw this picture. New magnetic catches run less than $5, and all stainless steel will get rid of that cheap yellowing plastic look - yuck!
http://tinyurl.com/ac8ejtf
Swap out the hinges too and it will look like a whole new cabinet!


Liveblogging Day 16:
Cuckoo for Contact Paper Liveblogging the January Cure
1/23/13 4:55 PM

As a bonus, tetanus boosters are usually combined with the pertussis (whooping cough) booster now - two birds with one stone!


For a Healthy New Year: Tetanus Shot Check
1/4/13 8:26 AM

My apartment chose to hang the towel rack only a foot above the toilet paper holder. It's fine with one towel shoved far to one side, but I've been forced to install 3M hooks in weird places for visitor towels. There's no way to not have it look tacky.

Also, no bathroom drawers. Drives me crazy.


Your Biggest & Smallest Bathroom Problems??
2013 Reader Forum
1/3/13 2:40 PM

Growing up, my whole neighborhood did luminaries - little paper bags weighed down by cat litter with a votive inside - lining the streets for about ten blocks. And I mean every street - neighbors would pitch in for those who were out of town to make sure every peice of curb was lit, even if some years it meant carving holes in the snow bank to do so.
Our best holiday tradition was our after-dinner walk to go look at the candles. It usually also involved re-lighting random neighbors' candles and stomping out a few rouge bag fires. It's the one part of the holiday I truly miss - my childhood neighborhood stopped when the organizer moved away - and I wish it was more common.


Hiding the Pickle & Other Weird Holiday Traditions
12/11/12 9:31 AM