Friday, January 8, 2010

It’s the Little Things

 I'm linking this up with Amanda's Decorating Dilemmas Party.  Now, I don't want anyone to think that I'm handing out solutions and not asking for help with any dilemmas because I have no dilemmas!  Far from it!  My dilemmas are so great that I wouldn't know where to start asking for help!

When we toured the builder’s model of our house, I knew that it was full of upgrades that we would not get, like hardwood floors, stainless appliances, fancy lighting packages, and so on.

However, there were some things that turned out to be upgrades that never would have occurred to me, and were therefore a surprise when we discovered the lack of it in our house.

This bathtub, for instance.  This is a photo of the main hall bath in the model home, with what appears to be a pretty standard fiberglass tub.

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This, however, is what we ended up with in our bathroom.  It was already installed when we saw it, and even if it had not been, we did not have extra money to throw at any more changes.  (They did clean it out before we moved in.)

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You know those corners that most bathtubs have, including the model tub?  The ones where you set the shampoo and stuff?  This tub has none.  The closest thing to it is the ledge the bottle is sitting on, but they were just not wide enough and the bottles fell off if you even looked at them funny.

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I tried the thing that hangs over the shower head, but it’s too high for my kids to reach.  So the bottles ended up on the outside ledge of the tub, behind the shower curtain, inconvenient and messy (think water dripping out of the shower onto the floor).
 
Suction cup things wouldn’t work because a) they never really work anyway, and b) the tub and surround are textured, so there would be no suction.  I couldn’t even use one of these tension poles, because, oh yes, there are no corners for the bottom of the pole to rest on!

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It drove me crazy!!  Like I said, it’s the little things.


On a recent trip to Walmart I discovered this caddy , for about $8, no suction or tension required.  Yay!

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However, it still ended up being behind the shower curtain, so not ideal.

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A brainstorm sent me down to the basement workbench for these cable ties.  They come in different sizes and colors and we use them all the time for all kinds of things.

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This time, I used them to fasten the bath caddy to the grab bar inside the tub.  All my problems solved!  Again, little things.

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So this was a really long whiny post just to introduce you to cable ties.  Because my point isn’t really so much about my bathtub woes as it is about these handy little strips of plastic.  You seriously need to get some.  They are cheap (I’ve even seen them in fashion colors at Dollar Tree), have endless uses, and are virtually indestructible until you take a pair of scissors to them.

I have used them to hang garland on the mantel and Fourth of July bunting on the front porch rail.  To hang a wreath.  To wrap up and corral electrical cord out of sight.  To loop up a chandelier chain to position the chandy higher.  To fasten a basket to the front of a little girl’s bike.  Even to repair a shoe buckle!
This is one little thing that you should keep on hand.  You’ll thank me later!

25 comments:

Ashley @ The Happy Little Home said...

Ahhhh!!!! I love this! I have the same tub...maybe the exact same and it drives me nuts! Seriously I'm internet hugging you right now. Thanks thanks thanks!!

Anonymous said...

So awesome! Just give us women some time and we can figure out anything! Thanks for sharing and inspiring us!

Unknown said...

Cable ties are amazing! I use them all the time since I have goats... :)

Pam said...

Well...aren't you a clever thing? Those worked great for your caddy. I never realized they had so many uses.

Pam

ABC said...

The only way we were able to decorate outside of our apartment this year was thanks to cable ties! My hubby is a musician, and he always has cable ties on hand. They're awesome!

GardenOfDaisies said...

What a very clever solution to your bathtub dilema!

Striker said...

Great idea - those ties are very handy.

I have used them as an impromtu belt, when my students have saggy pants (trying to show their underwear). Just loop those suckers through the belt loops and no more saggy pants.

Lucy Marie said...

I love cable ties. We always have a bag on hand and they come in handy at the strangest of times.

Lucy Marie said...

I love cable ties. We always have a bag on hand and they come in handy at the strangest of times.

Jocelyn said...

Wow great idea. And so glad that you were able to resolve the tub issue. The older homes (like mine) don't have those little shelves either. Thankfully my children are older and we used the over the shower head hanger.

Jocelyn
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

Charlene said...

Cable ties are the best things ever! We use them a lot around our house, would probably be lost w/o them.

And big thanks for posting about that tub caddy you found at Walmart! We have a clawfoot tub, so no where to place anything really. We do have a caddy similar to the one you posted, but it would be nice to have another...I'll be stopping to buy one tonight!

dixie said...

Yep, love those cable ties. See if you can find them all around my house next time you come over!!

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

(Clapping hands) Yay!!!! :) Way to go, Holly. I love it when a problem is solved by being creative. I hope maybe you might link this up to my Decorating Dilemmas Party next week as a SOLUTION. :)

rebecca d said...

We can't live witout them...in fact give me a bag of these, a roll of duct tape and a glue gun and I'm convinced there is little I couldn't fix.

Treasia Stepp said...

What an ingenious way to use those ties. Great idea.

Sewing-Chick said...

Here's the best way to use those ties: I teach junior high, and we use them to cinch pants (like a belt) so that the pants stay around the waist and don't hang half way down their butt!

Melinda said...

What a great idea! Does solve the
problem.

Melinda

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Holly, thank you SO much for linking this up. :) I was worried no one would want to "partay" with me this month. :s Hugs!!

Karen said...

Another idea for your shampoos is a thing that will stick on the side (don't know the name of it). It has two or three slots to fill your shampoo or conditioner and you push the button and it dispenses the amount in your hand. I had one in my last shower and loved it. My daughter used hers for shampoo, conditioner, and face wash. I got it at Home Depot in the bathroom accessory section. I know they still have them because I saw them just the other day. PS it never fell off the wall!

Kendall@ Finesse Your Nest said...

Very clever!

There's No Place Like Memphis Mama said...

Great idea! I can already think of some things I can hang with those little ties:)

Angie Holden said...

A woman with cable ties can fix anything! :)

Confessions From A Work-At-Home Mom said...

That is GENIUS!!! I am totally stealing your idea for my daughter's bathroom!

~Elizabeth
Confessions From A Working Mom

Sarah @ Dream In Domestic said...

How frustrating that they didn't include the shown tub/shower unit you saw. You wouldn't think that would be an upgrade.

I'm glad you learned to live with it, though. That's what living within a budget is all about - picking what you will live with and what you will start from scratch on. The over the tub caddy you bought is what I actually used when I lofted my bed last (I'm in college) to house my alarm clock. It worked great. I have seen those ties used a lot, though, so way to be innovative!

Michelle said...

Love the idea!!! Actually, even with the corners of the tub in my kids bath my mind it ticking that I might need your little caddy anyway...hmmmm.

Signed,
Another BIG fan of zip ties!