Laid Back Weekend

So admittedly, I did nothing over the weekend.  I mean, I cleaned and de-cluttered and did loads of laundry, regular house stuff, but I did nothing creative this weekend... Hopefully this week I will be inspired by the warmer temperatures and sunny weather to get some stuff done!

Photo Credit: Link

So what am I working on?  I am working on cutting and hemming the drapes for the basement.  This would be much easier if I actually had an area of floor that was 6'x9' to spread this thing out, however I don't so I am putting it off because it's a chore.  I did fold them over and hang them up to see how they looked in the basement.  I found a few things out by doing this. 

First review, the canvas is much heavier and denser than I thought it would be.  The weight of the drapes pull the pretty taught wire down a bit, so I'm having to take a little extra room off the bottom so they don't drag.  They are also no where near sheer, so the natural light will be diffused a bit.  I think I can prevent some of this by not pulling them entirely to the far wall, leaving the window exposed to the room.  I suppose when I cut the extra 2-feet of fabric off of them, they will be a bit lighter!  And now I get to start thinking of projects to do with the extra 2-feet of fabric!

We have also started the "yellow-ifying" of the living room.  I purchased a great citron and cream fabric to make new pillows.  I am also debating getting some great fleece in the citron color and mixing it with a cream fleece color to make a bright throw for the room.  I also got some great citron yarn to make flowers from.  It matches the fabric perfectly.  I'd like to get a few lighter weave baskets for the fireplace, to punch up that area, but that will have to wait until I find them on the clearance rack somewhere!

I also started taking labels off the wine bottles that I want to use for the yarn flowers in the living room, but it's such a pain!  So I thought I'd do a little research on the best way to remove pesky labels and share that information with you today.  Sometimes removing the label is as easy as soaking it in soapy water, but what your left with is a sticky mess on the bottle, and when it's the bottle, not the label that you are after, this doesn't help.  Here is some information that I have found on the subject.



Photo Credit: Link


1. The most commonly suggested method is one that I've used many times, some with success, some without.  Fill your sink with warm water.  Add 2-3 drops of dish washing liquid.  Put the bottles in the water and let them fill so that they sink to the bottom.  Leave to soak for 20 minutes.  Some labels will peel off, some won't.  A lot of places suggest using a razor to scrape off the excess.  I suppose I could give this a try, and pray that I don't slice a finger open!  My biggest problem with this is that there is usually sticky adhesive left on the bottle and the dish washing liquid doesn't always dissolve it.  Using this method along with another mentioned below might be the golden ticket!

2. Cooking Oil:  Most people say that saturating it with cooking oil will take the sticky right off.  I thought I had figured it out myself because the label of the olive oil bottle, where saturated with oil peeled right off.  So I tried this method.  I painted on vegetable oil onto each bottle.  I peeled off the loose label, then applied again.  Nothing, this didn't work at all.  I am going to try it one more time with olive oil, and a cotton ball or old rag, which is what some people suggest... we'll see if that works.

3. Fingernail Polish Remover:  This is another product that people suggest using.  Apparently some of this on a cotton ball will take the goo right off.  I haven't tried this yet, but I might get desperate.

4. Goo Gone:  We have some of this in the basement, I suppose I'll try it, but this isn't really sticky adhesive, it's dried glue with bits of label on it, very stubborn, I'm not sure if goo gone will get rid of this mess.

5. Lighter Fluid:  This one was the most surprising to me.  I'm not a fan of using flammable liquids for cleaning purposes, nor do I like using them inside the house, but dozens of people are claiming that this is THE trick to use.  I'm not sure that I will be trying this.. sounds dangerous and smelly!

6. Ammonia:  People claim that if you soak a rag in ammonia and apply it to the label for two hours, it will immediately peel the label right off.  If it's being extra stubborn, you are to reapply the rag for another hour.

7. Hair Dryer:  A lot of people suggest warming up the label with a hair dryer, to re "goo" the adhesive, making it easier to remove.  Hold it 5" away for 15 seconds. Some even suggest filling the bottle with really warm water to achieve the same effect.

8. White Vinegar:  Soak a rag in white vinegar.  Let rag sit on the label for 10 minutes, remove and remove the label.

So as you can see there are a bunch of recommended different ways.  I think that perfect method lays somewhere in-between, and the odds are that different adhesives probably like different methods better.  Regardless, I need to do something to get all of the bottles off of my kitchen counter top.  I'll make another post when the bottles are clean, and let you know what worked for me!