Substance of Living

Wh at is your first impression of a home when you see a wreath hanging on the front door?  Do you get a warm and fuzzy feeling of welcome?  Does it feel as i f i t beckons you to celebr ate ? I have this thing about homes with wreaths.  This is part of the voyeuristic side of me coming out.  When I'm out driving around or walking, I will often stop and take a picture of the door.  Do you do that?  Please tell me I'm not the only one who takes pictures of other people's doors or lawns.  Okay, that sentence sounded a little creepy. Enough about me. . . On with the Wreaths! 10 DIY Wreaths Trisha of The Sweet Survival starts us off with a whimsical Easter wreath.  Imagine this colorful wreath on your front door, in pastels such as this one or in colors that match your decor. Easter Egg Yarn Wreath Have you seen the fantastic scenes Designer Eddie Ross creates?  I'm not talking tantrums but beautiful tablescapes and wreaths...

The Makings of Substance of Living Homemade Shower Cleaner I've been using my homemade laundry detergent for about a year now and absolutely love how my clothes come out nice and clean.  I also use vinegar to clean my windows, stainless steel appliances, and use it to eliminate any funky odors like paint around the house.  Another secret use for vinegar is to place it in shallow bowls around a room if there are smokers.  Fortunately we don't have smokers in our home so we don't need to eliminate that odoriferous scent. I also use vinegar to clean my coffee maker and the inside of the microwave.  To clean the microwave, put a little vinegar in a microwavable safe bowl and allow it to steam for about 30 seconds or so.  Then simply wipe down the inside with a damp cloth or sponge. Have you seen all the posts lately about using the blue Dawn liquid dish detergent and vinegar?  Well, I didn't have any blue Dawn on hand and like usual was too impatient (...

Lower gas prices FREE quality education for all Food for everyone Shelter and healthcare for the homeless Safe homes for everyone No more homeless animals - all would be adopted into loving homes All the service men and women safely back home with their loved ones Employment for ALL Fiscally responsible governments YOUR smile What would you like to see today?  Please tell us in the comments below and allow others to help make it happen. Tweet this Post Please share me with your friends! Please forward this post to your friends or better yet share on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.  THANKS!  Your comments and help in spreading the news about this site is ALWAYS appreciated!  Don't miss out on future articles. Have Substance of Living delivered directly to your inbox.

The next time you set the table, whether eating take out or entertaining, try dressing up your table with one of these folded napkins. Jessica Jones , a graphic and textile designer, has a super easy tutorial over at How About Orange to add a special touch for the man in your life or how about paying homage to Dad this Father's Day.  If you use bright floral napkins, this shirt could also be great for a luau or beach party. Napkin Shirt Nancy of Nancy Creative shows us how to create this beautiful napkin bow.  Can you see this on your table for a special evening? The Bow Fold Nancy, but this time from Nancy's Daily Dish sets a beach table and uses a simple knot for her napkin fold.  So easy and very elegant. Knot Napkin Fold Mrs. Brown (Patti to her friends) and Abbie from Blossom and Posies show us how to create a pocket to hold our utensils.  Some other uses for the pocket might be to hold a photo of each person so they know where to sit...

One of my neighbors, who was a school teacher, dropped the following off for me last week.  Not really sure where she found this but it does substantiate our earlier conversation of how difficult the English language really is. Think about this:  There are three different ways to spell a word and yet they have the same pronunciation: For, Four, Fore.  Then there is one spelling and two different pronunciations and another spelling (yet pronounced the same as the present tense but means something completely different): Read, Read, Red. Reasons Why English is Hard to Learn! The bandage was wound around the wound . The farm was used to produce produce . The dump was so full it had to refuse some refuse . He could lead if he'd get the lead out. Since there was no time like the present , he thought it was time to present the present . When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. I did not object to the object . They were too close to the door to close it. The bu...

I am so excited about this party!  Susan and Janice from 5 Minutes for Mom  are hosting their SEVENTH annual virtual party specifically for mom bloggers to network and connect. Standing up to introduce myself: "Hi!  My name is Marie and I'm the voice behind Substance of Living .  Thank you so much for taking the time to visit during the Ultimate Blog Party 2013." You have so many things on your mind today so I will make my introduction short and sweet in case you're not familiar with Substance of Living .  We are actually celebrating our very FIRST Blogiversary today (April 1, 2013).  We like to think of this site as a part of our lives.  We explore life and all that it has to offer, so that's what we are striving to attain here. We haven't been around very long but are humbled by our visitors and followers.  We don't have a "favorite" post and it doesn't seem that our readers do either since the weekly favorites cha...