Repotted my Fiddle Fig aka Ficus Lyrata

This is Fike (Ficus Lyrata) on the day he came home from the nursery two years ago. Isn't he beautiful? He did beautifully and grew lots of new leaves, despite me never repotting him. Oops. 

Then his parents went on holiday...

He dropped most of his leaves and barely came back from the brink of death. 

Below is a photo of Fike on moving day - see him on the right?  Shadow of the young plant he formally was. I'm sure the movers were wondering why we even bothered. Poor Fike!

Below:  this was Fike before I repotted him. Already bouncing back and looking good. Only six months between the photo above (winter) and the one below (now/June).

And voila! In his slightly bigger new pot! Doesn't he look handsome?

I'm sure the real gardners out there are cringing he doesn't have a drainage hole, but I put some filler at the bottom of the pot as well as using potting soil that helps manage over and under watering, so I'm optimistic Fike is on to better days. 

And if you happen to like this planter, I bought it online from Overstock here. It took me forever to find an indoor planter I liked and even longer to click "buy" and spend so much on them. 

After a coupon the price was reduced to $123 for 3 pots (small/medium/huge). Now that I've seen them in person, I don't have any regrets and am very happy with the value.

The "large" size is really HUGE so if you can put them to good use, I think the quality is worth it. Sorry I the small one didn't make the above photo, I had left it downstairs when I took this photo.

Before and After: Removing Sales Sticker from Shoes with Soft Leather Soles

Sales stickers are annoying to remove and will leave a sticky adhesive residue if you just peel them off, right?

Last time looked into finding best way to remove the sales sticker (ahem, especially Nordstrom Rack price tags), I found a lot of ideas but nothing specifically showing it done on the soft leather soles (the kind that feel like suede) or any "after" photos.

Everyone likes a good before and after photo!

This led me to share my own experience and post plenty of photos so you can make your own decision (check out my first attempt here).  

This time I am trying out a new method, used on the shoe above.   

Removing Stickers Off Suede-Like Soft Leather Soled Heels - My Photo Results

Everyone loves a good deal, but the thin plastic perforated sales stickers that Nordstrom Rack uses can be especially difficult to remove from shoes - especially when they're on a soft leather sole.  You know how vehicle registration stickers can seem permanent when you are trying to scrape them off your windshield?  Well, the Nordstrom Rack sales stickers can be just as bad.  Except you can't use a razor!

Last year I picked up a pair of heeled sandals with the soft creamy leather soles - you know the kind - they feel a bit like suede.  Once I picked off the sales sticker, there was a square of sticky residue left behind.  They sat in the closet for while because I wasn't sure how to tackle the adhesive residue on a soft shoe sole.  

Other methods I may try out later are also listed below.  Click here to see my 2nd attempt using a different product.

I tried one removal method and wanted to share the after photos so you can know what to expect.  

New Sewing Machine! Brother PC420PRW Project Runway

Now that I've sewed with my new sewing machine enough to make the herringbone blanket, I thought I'd share my thoughts on moving from a 15 year old mechanical machine (Singer 4830C) to a new computerized machine.  And my general thoughts on my new Brother PC420PRW sewing machine.

Product Review: Liquid Bar Keepers Friend

Ever have a product amaze you so much you wanted to tell everyone?  Just recently I used the liquid version of Bar Keepers Friend to clean my stainless stove top and it did a super job removing cooked on grease.  I cannot explain the plethora of products I've previously tried on these spots.  Seriously.  And just this one ring was proving to be impossibly stubborn so it really annoyed me that much more.

I read the Manly Housekeeper's post on removing soap scum and hard water stains from his shower, where he tests and compares six products and shares the results - it's a seriously awesome post, you should check it out.  That was the first time I knew BKF was available in a softer liquid version, so I bought a bottle at Target and tried it on my stove top.

The before and after photos say it all.  Sounds weird, but I was actually giddy when I realized my rag was getting dirty - it meant the nasty ick was finally coming off my stove! Hooray for cleaning products that work and even better, it's made in the USA.

Side by side before and after Liquid Bar Keepers Friend