Rachael Ray

With warmer weather in sight, we’re breaking out our cottons, lace and flip flops and packing away our cashmeres, wools and boots.  YEAH! But before you do that, I just wanted to share some tips to insure when cooler months return and you break out your fall and winter clothing from their summer hibernation, you don’t also find your fave cardigan sporting new holes courtesy of those flaky little pests AKA Moths! First a few facts about ‘em.  They: o HANG: in humid, dark corners and folds o COCOON: which enables them to blend into fabrics making then hard to spot o EAT: wool, fur, down, dander (i.e. dead skin from ye and Fido) o PROCREATE: they’re love machines and love to mate Regardless, the point [...]...

As I was multi-tasking this morning drinking my second cup of coffee with my right hand and chucking the used filter ‘n its grinds with my left, I realized that I should share some unusual uses for both these items particularly being in the spirit of Earth Day.  So here are some fab uses for coffee filters and what gives us that oh-so-important jolt in the morning.  BTW:  Use recycled filters they’re just as good and good for Mother Earth! DEGREASER:  Next time you order that greasy egg roll or bring home those fries put them in a filter to absorb the grease. DE-SERVER:  Keep those nails in tact and forget those serving dishes at your next home soiree.  Use those flat [...]...

With Earth Day less then a couple of weeks away I thought I’d share a multi-tasker that is right under our noses which  can help cut your electric bill, reduce noise; beautify your home and keep your indoor air clean without even trying…Ye good ole houseplant.  That’s correcto, according to a two-year study that NASA  AND the Associated Landscape Contractor of America conducted, it seems that given the right environment certain houseplants can clean up to 87 percent of indoor pollutants.  Seems plants absorb chemicals in the air, balance humidity and turn carbon monoxide into oxygen…hmmm wonder if it can turn grapes into wine LOL! Truth be known, I have a black thumb and plants usually try and hide or pretend [...]...

With Easter just days away, so are egg hunts and holiday entertaining. Here are a few tips and tricks to help save you time, money and your mani when dealing with holiday preps and clean-ups. Easter Egg Dye: Lemon-Aid You’ve dyed the eggs, but what about your hands? If you find your skin is now a nice violet color, don’t despair – it’s not that difficult to remove. Place sugar in a small bowl and scrub/massage it all over hands. Use a toothbrush and brush back and forth to loosen/diminish the dye. Rinse with warm water then soak hands in lemon juice for 10 minutes. Wipe and rinse. BONUS Mani-saver:  If you notice your nails are yellowing, no problemo. Simply dig your nails [...]...

Tra la tra la Spring is almost in the air!  And, for many of us it marks the start of our doing our annual spring cleaning chores that bore. And, yes we’ll do the normal must do’s like washing our windows since looking through them after winter’s wrath causes us to think we need stronger eyeglasses and we’ll vacuum all our drapes, sofas etc which will give our arms a terrific workout.  However, it’s the stuff we’ll miss that we really need to tend to since they harbor bacteria, mold ‘n mildew, dust mites and their doo which can cause us health issues and worsen allergies and asthma. So where are these spots…and how can we deal with them?  Read [...]...

I love to find ways to repurpose things that I might usually throw out since they can save me money and a few can even turn into an after school or rainy day activity for the kiddies, which means free time for yours truly.  Here are a few ways to use a few of these ‘leftovers’ to organize jewelry, your children’s artwork, bathroom and with spring cleaning in the air, get a jump on your closet and waistline as well! JEWELRY 1.    Cork It: Champagne and wine corks accumulate fairly quickly in my abode so rather then chuck them I put them to good use by sticking post earrings with their backs and decorative pins on them. BTW if you lose an [...]...

‘n Just Enough K.I.S.S. Tips ‘n Tools When Rachael asked me to go visit 7 frat guys in their frat house to help them sort out their laundry I was imagining scenes from Animal House! So I reached for my haz-mat suit and GPS to navigate my way upon entry through the piles of dirty laundry that were everywhere!  But, within a few hours all was well:  I surprised them courtesy of Rachael and GE with a state of the art washer and dryer and shared some of my handy dandy tres simple laundry tips that even my college freshman has mastered….Here they are to help us all lighten the load regardless if you’re living in a frat house or your home [...]...

E is for Entertaining and should also be for Easy ways to do it so we can Enjoy the time during our get-together! And, though some of us may be the type whom tends to every detail my approach is to not sweat them and that less is more.  Thus, through trial and lots of error, I’ve learned that the trick to not being constantly on the go and worried at your own event is in the pre-entertaining prep and set up.  So here my friends are 10 tried ‘n true time, mani-and sanity saving tips and tricks to help you Enjoy your next soiree! JULIE’S TIPS: o   Assign each guest a ‘to bring’ item to limit your prep o   Designate one [...]...

Love is in the air! So whether it’s your first date, love of your life, or you are amongst the six million who will get engaged according to this Huffington Post article (and believe it or not that’s up two million from 2012!) Valentine’s Day is upon us! And, with it comes its own group of stains that unlike love are not what we want to last.  Here are a few simple ways to deal with Cupid’s most common stains! ◦                LIPSTICK: With all that lip locking, there is bound to be some lipstick ending up on your man’s collar. Don’t regret those kisses, put a dollop of non-gel shaving cream on those hot lip marks, dab and rinse with club soda or water. Feel [...]...