Home and Decor

A Gallery Wall of Playgroup Art

Kaitlyn created a gallery wall for Avigail’s art.  Two-year old Avigail is a budding artist with so many art projects and pictures to display.   The gallery wall allows Kaitlyn a way to rotate all the different playgroup art that Avigail brings home from playgroup.

Kaitlyn used empty old frames and sprayed them all the same color blue to create a cohesive collection.  To each frame, she attached a thick string with a clothespin or two so that she can easily add and remove art as needed.

This gallery wall transformed the study area in their apartment and is the perfect spot for Avigail to display her art.

Here it is:

blue gallery wall for avigail's art

SUPPLIES

old frames

spray paint

Thick string or twine

small wooden clothespins

Assorted Command Strips for Picture Hanging

DIRECTIONS

Spray paint frames in well-ventilated area.  Allow to dry. Attach a length of twine using staple gun to backs of wood frames.

Use Command strips to attach frames to gallery wall, following directions on package. Attach clothespins to string.  Hang pictures using clothespins.

Voila!

 

 

At War with Weeds: A Homemade Non-Toxic Weed-Killer

weed killer spray

Our nineteen year old son, Aaron, is our resident landscaper.  Aaron has always been a budding entrepreneur and handy around the house and yard.  When he was thirteen years old, he took some of the monetary gifts that he had  received for his Bar Mitzvah celebration and purchased a bright red lawn tractor.  He convinced us to hire him as our resident gardener to earn back the cost of the tractor and he has acquired other garden tools since then, too.   For the past six years, Aaron has used his tractor to manicure our lawn and yard, his tiller to turn our flower and vegetable garden areas and his edger to edge our lawn.

Problem is…Aaron is studying in yeshiva this year in Israel.  We have had to manage without him and we have had to find easy solutions to our gardens’ overgrown messes. Don has been driving the tractor around the lawn and yard to cut the grass.  I have been planting the vegetable garden and mulching the flower beds.    Aaron will be home for a few weeks in the summer and we have lots of landscaping and maintenance waiting for his expert care.

One of the biggest problems is battling the weeds.   In the past, Aaron has tilled the garden beds with his gas-powered tiller which has cut down on the weeds.   This year, Don and I have had to figure all of it out on our own.  I have discovered this amazing homemade weed killer that does the job without the toxins found in most commercially available products.  This solution works best when used on a hot, sunny day and sprayed in the morning.  The sun will wither the sprayed weeds as long as there is no rain expected within the next 24 to 48 hours.

Here it is:

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Wow Uses for a Simple Dish Detergent Bottle

My mother has always been the ultimate recycler, decades before recycling and upcycling became fashionable.

My mother still decants oil from a large container into a clean dish detergent squirt bottle. The squirt nozzle is perfect for squirting oil onto salads, roasted vegetables and a saute pan.  It keeps the oil contained and helps place the oil exactly where you want it. You can also use a sport-top water bottle for most of these uses, but the water bottles tend to be constructed of a thinner and less robust plastic, not intended for extended use.

squirt bottle uses

 

Here  are some other wonderful uses for a simple dish detergent bottle. Just make sure to mark the bottle with the contents and the date that it was prepared.  You can print a squirt bottle label and adhere it to the bottle using glue stick.  This can avoid any dangerous mixups:

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Three’s a Crowd? A Trio of Floral Arrangements

I love to arrange flowers of the same color and my favorite floral centerpieces are white.  Often, I can find beautiful flowers at my local supermarket that are sold as three bunches for a single price.  When that happens, I usually pick all white flowers and I arrange them as a trio of floral arrangements.

When time is short,  I find that it is easiest to create a series of arrangements using one color.  Each arrangement uses a different flower in that same color and it works best if the flowers are different heights and textures.

This arrangement uses soft and puffy hydrangeas, structural cala lilies and tender stems of bell-shaped flower to play off the softness of the hydrangeas and the architectural height of the cala liles.  To make things interesting, I used some steel grass from a previous arrangement to set off the clean look of the cala lilies.  I rounded off the corners of  a palm leaf to create a round backdrop for the bell-shaped floral stems.

There are many perks in creating three smaller arrangements, rather than one larger one.  They are simpler to arrange and can be set up in different configurations for each meal.  After dinner, I move these to the kitchen or anywhere else that needs a breath of floral freshness.

Try your own trios of floral arrangements.  I would be interested to hear about your favorite combinations.

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A Few Good Blossoms: Floating Arrangements

I began this SimpletoWow blog in January with an original post,   It’s all about the arrangement (psst….even with last week’s roses), on arranging last week’s open and just-wilting roses.  It was intended to showcase  simple and wow ways to use what you have in surprising and unexpected ways.

last week's roses in a square bowl

As the Jewish holiday of Shavuos approaches (see Countdown to Shavuos: Floral Inspirations and Dairy Recipes), I would like to add some other ways to make use of a few good blossoms.

last week's gerber daisies in a large rose bowl

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Upcycled Glass Jar Floral Arrangement: Simply Stunning

My friend Marilyn, and her family joined us for a meal over Pesach (Passover). Since we were in a small apartment in Jerusalem with our extended family, we did not have enough room to host everyone in the dining room. Instead, we set up tables and ate in the courtyard. Marilyn sent flowers before Yom Tov (holiday) in the perfect arrangement. It was a gorgeous grouping of narrow clear bottles lined up side by side in a metal caddy spilling over with white garden roses. The arrangement was narrow and long, just perfect for our narrow outdoor tables.

It created a stunning visual impact without taking away from the table space needed for setting and serving. The white roses lasted for several days, but the centerpiece containers were so easy to fill that I refilled them for the last few days of our stay in Jerusalem with an array of other flowers. Both arrangements were simply stunning.

Over Pesach, I commented so many times about the beauty and the practicality of this centerpiece. I was determined to recreate it with upcycled materials for use back in the States. And….here it is!

upcycled square arrangement-top view (more…)

A Salad Bar for the Entire Week

Our family loves salads and we try to spread the love to the rest of the world. From the time that the kids were eating solids, salads became a mainstay in the Respler home. It is rare that we make the same salad twice because there are SO many options.

salad bar in jars-CROPPED,jpg

Most recently, when I entertain, I have been creating a salad bar. A salad bar encourages guests to create their own custom salads and it is a great solution for guests with different diets and allergies. The best perk is that when the dust settles and it is time to put everything away, the salad ingredients have not been dressed, so they are still fresh enough for leftovers. My family clamors to create their own lunches for the next few days from what is left over from the salad bar.

In the past, I have been less than successful in creating the perfect salad bar. I had found that the salad ingredients were messy and unruly, with everyone breathing on and touching everything. I have finally found a good solution to creating a neat and orderly salad bar.

I purchased gallon and half-gallon glass candy jars online that can be seated vertically or on an angle. Each jar has a metal lid and plastic tongs that hang right on the lid.

SALAD BAR JARS WITH TONGS

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Seder Table Ideas and Inspirations

Every year, I try to set a majestic and unique seder table.  There is something magical about that first Pesach (Passover) meal: the anticipation, the new dishes and the silver wine goblets.

seder black tablecloth wide view

Over the years, I have tried all types of tablecloths and seder themes.  There are a few helpful tips that I have incorporated into my seder planning that have stuck and I’d love to share these tips with you.

 

seder table 2

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Edible Ginger Candy Spoons

I love ginger in all shapes and forms. I use ginger as a spice in many dishes. I love ginger ale, candied ginger and pickled sushi ginger.  Whenever we eat sushi, I become the lucky recipient of everyone’s pickled sushi ginger and I love it.

I especially love ginger with my tea.  For a recent dinner party, I prepared ginger spoons to serve with dessert and  tea. They were simple to prepare, delicious  and just gorgeous.

ginger-spoons-supplies

SUPPLIES

Ginger drops (or any type of hard candy)
Silicone Baking Spoon Mold
Hammer or heavy mallet

INSTRUCTIONS

Purchase a molded silicone spoon design baking mold  suitable for 300 degrees F heat.  I prefer one that has a thick stem for each molded spoon, since the weakest point of the molded spoon will be the piece right underneath the cup of the spoon, The thicker the spoon base and stem is, the less likely it will be to crack when unmolding.

Preheat oven to 300°F.
Unwrap candies and place in a thick zipper bag. Use a small hammer or mallet to crush the candies into small pieces.

ginger-spoons-ingredients-with-mallet

Thickly heap the small pieces of ginger into the molds, placing the thickest amount of crushed candy right where the stem meets the base of the cup of the spoon. Make sure that the candy is layered in thick and brush the area between the spoons back into the spoon molds.

Bake at 300 for 10 minutes. Shut the oven and leave in the oven for 10-20 minutes more. Allow to cool completely before unmolding.

Voila!

ginger-spoons

ginger-spoons-with-tea-setup

VARIATIONS

Use any type of hard candy in place of the ginger drops.  Use lemon drops, butterscotch candies, peppermints or your favorite hard candy.

Use your favorite baking silicone mold to fashion candy into different shapes.  This simple technique yield extraordinary candy garnishes for desserts.

NOTES

These spoons are gorgeous when placed on a dessert buffet with assorted teas and coffee. They are spectacular served with hot apple cider, too.

If you have loose shards of crushed candy left over before or after baking these spoons, sprinkle them on top of  frosted cupcakes for a delicious surprise.

BowTie Napkins: Folded with DIY Napkin Rings

Our grandson, Yehuda, also known as JuJu, just celebrated his first birthday.  Whenever family members would meet him, they would remark that he looks like a “little man.” Those that knew his namesake, Yehuda (Leo) Schlusselberg a’H, would consider JuJu a pint-size clone of him.

For his birthday, therefore, we chose a vintage Little Man theme.  For the table setting, we chose antique gold, cream and light blue as the colors.  We found gold polka-dot napkins and decided to tie them into large bow-ties. (more…)

Daffodils: Simply and Artfully Arranged

daffodil arrangement on counter-crop

 

Daffodils are in season and they are inexpensive and beautiful.  I like to buy bunches with blossoms that are mostly closed, so that they will last the longest.  I usually look for bunches that have only one or two blossoms showing and the rest are still tight buds.

My favorite arrangements are ones where the stems are as artfully arranged as the blossoms.  Because most of the daffodil blossoms on my bunches are still closed, this also makes the arrangement interesting, even when most of the blossoms have not yet opened. (more…)

Simple Forsythia Arrangement: Bringing the Outside Inside

Our forsythia hedges are blossoming.  Their yellow flowers are a burst of sunshine to announce the coming of spring.  The forsythia hedges are rather ordinary in the summer, but create gorgeous, showy yellow blossoms on bare branches in early spring.

forsythia branch

To decorate our Shabbos table last week, I snipped a few branches and arranged them in a simple silver vase.  They make the most gorgeous arrangement and make our home feel like springtime.

forsythia arrangement (more…)

Mason Jar Salad with Purim Croutons: A Simple Purim Mishloach Manos Wow

mason jar arugula salad0finished with tag

 

Purim is coming!  One of the mitzvos (commandments) unique to the Jewish holiday of Purim is to deliver gifts of food, called Mishloach Manos, to friends and family. The parameters of this mitzvah require each Jewish adult to send a minimum of two ready-to-eat-foods to at least one person.

I like to send Mishloach Manos that are nutritious and can be served at the Purim seudah, the festive meal served on Purim day.   One of my favorite ideas for  Mishloach Manos are mason jar salads served with croutons.  They  are simple to prepare in advance,  easy to package and are well-received by our recipients.

Mason Jars allow for preparing salad up to two days in advance and are really just an upside down salad. The dressing lays on the bottom of the jar and the salad is layered with the heaviest and wettest ingredients on bottom, working up to lighter ingredients with the salad greens at the top of the mason jar.  It is important to keep the mason jar upright until ready to serve so that the delicate greens are protected from the dressing on the bottom.

Once ready to serve, simply shake the salad vigorously and decant into a bowl.

 mason jar arugula salad

The croutons can me made from leftover bread or challah.  It is a great way to use up leftover bread and challah that you have stored in the freezer.  The mason jars themselves are useful to those receiving them and can be reused in a myriad of different ways.

 

The source for Mishloach Manos is read on Purim from the Purim Megillah, the scroll chronicling the story of Purim in Hebrew.   After the Purim victory , Mordechai, the hero of the Purim narrative,  ordered his fellow Jews ” to make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar… feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.”

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Sunny Yellow Floral Arrangements

yellow arrangements 3

 

Cut daffodils are for sale and that signals that spring is near.

I was so excited to see the sunny daffodil blossoms.  I decided to create a grouping of yellow floral arrangements to welcome and complement the gorgeous daffodils.

Creating several smaller arrangements, rather than one large floral arrangement offers versatility. This allows me to spread the different floral arrangements throughout the house or to sequence them on the Shabbos table differently for each meal. (more…)

Our Backyard is for the Birds…now that I have discovered suet feeders
We enjoy sitting at the kitchen table and watching the variety of gorgeous birds that frequent our backyard.  Over the years, I have purchased and created many different bird feeders.  Some were not sturdy enough, others attracted too many squirrels, but most were just too difficult to refill.

Last year, our favorite birdhouse feeder was knocked over by a large fallen tree limb and broken beyond repair . It was time to replace it and I was looking for something that could draw birds as close to our kitchen window as possible.  I wanted something sturdy and inexpensive, something that that would draw birds without squirrels, and something that would be simple to refill.

At the supermarket, I discovered suet bird feeders.  They are simply coated metal grid-like feeders that hold suet cakes securely.  To feed, the birds peck at the suet cake through the metal grid, while squirrels cannot.  These suet feeders are easy to refill by just opening a sturdy latch and they can be hung just about anywhere.  Best of all, they only cost a couple of dollars.

I purchased a few suet feeders to hang near our kitchen window.  I hung one off of a thin but strong ribbon that I tossed over a sturdy branch on the magnolia tree behind the kitchen. I hung the others on the light posts near the window.  I have tried a variety of suet cakes which are simple to install in the suet holders. Now we get an assortment of woodpeckers, blue jays, cardinals, robins and finches (with no squirrels) joining our family for breakfast.

Our backyard is simply for the birds….

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A Contemporary Tied Stem Tulip Arrangement

I get excited once I start to see tulips appear because it signals that spring is not far away.   Tulips come in such an extraordinary variety of colors and petal edges.  Amazingly, most tulip varieties are perfectly symmetrical.  Tulips are from the lily family and are beautiful when closed as buds and when fully open.

I bought a bouquet of tulips for Shabbos.    I took them home and laid them out on the counter before deciding how to arrange them.  Since they have such straight stems, I thought that I would arrange them so that both the stems and the blossoms are arranged in an interesting manner. (more…)

When Crayons Must Learn Boundaries: Simple Ways to Clean Crayon Marks on Walls

Our daughter, Kaitlyn, recently called me in a panic.  “Help!  Avigail colored with her crayons on the wall in the play area.  How in the world do I clean it up?

For Kaitlyn, this is a first occurrence and the mess seemed to be isolated to a small unnoticeable part of the wall. Most mothers have encountered this messy problem, not always successfully.  In raising my own children, this was something that happened repeatedly.  My daughter, Leah’s art never learned boundaries.  She colored on walls, she colored on tables, she colored on desks and even decided to transform her favorite grey dress into a rainbow-colored garment using markers.

There are several options for cleaning crayon off a surface.  It is always best to start with the gentlest technique, one that will cause the least amount of collateral damage. I listed them to Kaitlyn, cautioning her to start with a small hidden area first to determine if the technique worked.  If that technique did not work, I explained to her to try the next technique until she found one that cleaned the crayon drawings. (more…)

Birds of Paradise: A Simple and Stunning Arrangement

I have always had an affinity for Birds of Paradise flowers.  Their long angular stems paired with the orange and blue-tinted tropical blossom have made them a favorite of mine.  Last week, in my local supermarket floral section, I found birds of paradise packaged with tropical leaves.    Since I wanted to stick to the color family of the birds of paradise, I was delighted to find blue thistle.  The star-shaped blue thistle flowers are the perfect counterpoint for the birds of paradise, bringing out the subtle blue in the birds of paradise flower. (more…)

Curly Scallion Garnish: Simple and Wow

scallionsVegetable garnishes can take a plated appetizer or serving platter from simple to wow.  I like to create garnishes with ordinary ingredients and tools.  There are so many garnishes that can be created using simple tools that you already own.

This garnish elevates a simple scallion (green onion) to a wow garnish with the use of a regular paring knife and ice water. Try it!

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Branches, Cabbages and Blue Spruce: Winter Planters
For the fall, I plant decorative cabbages in my outdoor planters.  The variety of colors and textures makes me smile every time I approach the front door of my house.  This year, we had warm weather deep into December, but alas, winter is finally here and my cabbages have wilted and faded due to the frost.

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It’s all about the arrangement (psst….even with last week’s roses)
Tzippy Respler

IMG_1807IMG_1796IMG_1796IMG_1804_editedIMG_1794_editedIMG_1807

Several weeks ago, Jackie, my Friday housekeeper informed me that she would be on vacation for two consecutive Fridays.  Jackie usually discards last week’s roses and arranges the roses that my husband, Don, brings home.  She most often opts for a traditional arrangement in a silver vase.

simpletowow roses in antique silver vase

Friday arrived and Jackie was not there to toss the “old” roses and arrange the new ones. I was on my own!  Firstly, I assessed last week’s roses and decided that they were not so bad, after all.  In fact, the older roses had more interesting and mature blossoms than the new roses that were mere rose buds.

 

I cut off the stems right underneath the blossoms, took a square glass vase, filled it with water to the top and floated the blossoms in a grid-like pattern. I then took the new roses and arranged them in a tall vase and set the table with both vases. Voila!

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