Vodka is filtered and pure, so if you don't have rubbing alcohol, you can use vodka for many of the same things you can use rubbing alcohol for. And, here's a bunch of other things vodka can be used for:

1. To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The solvent dissolves adhesive
2. To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a trigger-spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set five minutes and wash clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.
3. Clean jewelry. Soak the jewelry in vodka for five minutes, then rinse, and dry.
4. Clean lipstick from clothing. Rub the stain with vodka, then throw into your regular wash.
5. Remove the glue left behind by a bumper sticker. Rub the glue with a soft, clean cloth soaked with vodka
6. Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.
7. Spray vodka on vomit stains, scrub with a brush, then blot dry.
8. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.
9. Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo. The alcohol cleanses the scalp, removes toxins from hair, and stimulates the growth of healthy hair.
10. Fill a sixteen-ounce trigger-spray bottle and spray bees or wasps to kill them.
11. Pour one-half cup vodka and one-half cup water in a Ziplock freezer bag and freeze for a slushy, refreshable ice pack for aches, pain or black eyes.
12. Fill a clean, used mayonnaise jar with freshly packed lavender flowers, fill the jar with vodka, seal the lid tightly and set in the sun for three days. Strain liquid through a coffee filter, then apply the tincture to aches and pains.
13. To relieve a fever, use a washcloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.
14. To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.
15. Vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.
16. Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the oil from your skin.
17. Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth. Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.
18. Soothe a sore throat. Add a tablespoon of vodka to glass of warm water and gargle. The alcohol helps numb the sore throat.
19. Eliminate swimmer's ear. If you don't have rubbing alcohol, fill an eardropper with vodka, and squeeze it into the affected ear, then let it drain out

I can personally vouch for the sore throat and the toothache ones!

We're about to buy a new ceiling fan for my living room (nobody tell Mr. Ivy, ok? It's a surprise.), so I thought this video was interesting and informative:

I used to think cleaning with my kids was more work than worth it, but I finally decided they have to learn sometime, so I started having them clean with me. It has really worked out- they've learned to clean and they have gotten better at it in the meantime.

Blissfully Domestic has a great post with lots of links and resources for teaching your kids to clean. Check it out!

I might be a mom, but I'm not one of those people who has a crapload of magnets and kid stuff on my refrigerator. I'll take my fridge plain and white, thank you very much.

However, these bottle cap magnets are cute enough to make me change my mind! Not only are they a great way to reuse items that would normally go in the landfill, but they're also really, really cute!

HT and Image: Craftzine

A friend of mine mentioned today that she was oiling her garage door sliders. I had no idea you had to do that, and she mentioned that it was regular maintenance. With some googling, I found a link about maintaining your garage door opener. Good stuff!

I like it when design doesn't take itself too seriously. Especially when it's cloaked like this one is. From afar, it looks like a serious quote, up close, it says "Whoever smelt it, dealt it." That's a very famous quote in my household. ;)

In honor of Earth Day, I'm posting a neat video from YouTube showing how to make a birdhouse from used chopsticks. Awesome stuff!

I love how this rope rug looks- and it looks like a blast to make as well! Here's an awesome tutorial so you can make your own!

Volatile chemical compounds in paint are becoming a big concern for consumers everywhere. What are some green alternatives? Ask Treehugger has the answer!

My husband says all you have to do to get me to buy your crap is slap some Hello Kitty stickers on it. Sadly, that's about half true. I would even consider buying an American made vehicle if it was a Hello Kitty American vehicle.

So when Newscoma directed me toward this Boing Boing post about a Hello Kitty sander, great squeals of delight were heard in Chez Ivy. Even better, a link in the comments directed me to this awesome Hello Kitty floor buffer. Is there no end to what Hello Kitty can do?

This cracks me up because it's so true:

So what tip could someone who sucks at handy work give you?  It’s pretty simple really:

The amount of time you have left on a project is directly proportional to the amount of money you’ve spent at your most recent trip to Lowe’s.

To clarify, your third trip of the day because the water to the entire complex is off and you need a tool to complete the job so you can turn it back on doesn’t count.  I’m talking about the trip you made based on the list you made of things left to complete.

Go read the whole thing!

Do you want a beautiful new area rug to make your room look more cohesive or define a specific area? Are you watching your money right now because money's tight?

No problem, you can win a new area rug. Shak in Style and PlazaRugs.com have teamed up to give away the rug of your choice from the Jasmine Collection. Go enter to win right now!

Normally I am not too much of a fan of brown rooms, but this one? So beautiful and sophisticated- I absolutely love it! Click the link for before and after photos!

This is really cool- it's green and it helps poor people get into homes of their own. It warms my shriveled little heart, I tell ya. Listen to this:

To qualify for the project, potential participants must provide $500, good credit, and proof of a stable job. The homes are built by the future owners, along with mentors who help to guide the unskilled workers. A 1-person home will only be built at 240 square feet, which increases energy efficiency, along with the homes' uses of insulation, tank-less hot water heaters, and rain barrels.

Fab-u-lous. Keep up the good fight, people.

Looking to save money during these times of inflation? I think we all are. Over at Beingfrugal.net, there's an awesome post with both old and new tips for saving money. Here's a bit of it:

Save Money Around the House

Including tips by Marci, Joanna, Jisun Moir, Debt Reduction Formula, and several more.

• Use only half of a dishwasher tablet at a time.
• Use rechargeable batteries for electronics and toys.
• Store batteries in the refrigerator.  They last longer.
• Do repairs (paint touch ups, sewing, etc) one day a week.  If you keep things in good working order, they last longer.
• Accept hand-me-downs.  You can donate them if you can’t use them.
• Do home repairs yourself.
• Reuse things.  An example:  Plastic grocery bags can be reused as lunch bags, shoe bags, or laundry bags on vacation.
• Email for free samples.  You can get some good stuff!
• Wash and re-use Ziplock bags.
• Make your own Christmas cards by making a collage from the fronts of Christmas cards you received the previous year.
• See if your local dump or transfer station offers free firewood or garden mulch.  Take advantage of it.

There's a whole lot of really good stuff over there- check it out!

When I saw these Tiny Texas Houses on CasaSugar this morning, I sat back, pictured a little Tiny Texas house by the lake, me cozied up in a soft, comfy sofa, writing, taking a nap, crocheting. Seriously, it sounds like a little bit of Heaven.

There are a lot of things I can do on my own, but there are many things my husband needs to help with. Like the wasp's nest under my back deck, since I'm allergic to wasps. Early on in our marriage, I just assumed he would be like my dad and would evaluate what needed to be done and do the work. Not so.

So I started making him a list of things to do, which he would always say he'd "get around to it" soon. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Seems he just needed a round tuit. I'll let you know how his new round tuit works out, and if he ever gets around to knocking down that wasp's nest.