This week, Greg is ultra busy at work so I’m focusing my energy on organizing and deep-cleaning every room in the house before the 3-day weekend coming up. I’m tackling one or two areas of the house per day, and today I’m busy at work in the laundry room and half bathroom. So, while I haven’t had time this week for a DIY/decorating project of any sort, I’m getting stuff done. Fo sho. That being the case, I don’t have much time to chat, but I do have a short, sweet and helpful tip to dish out.

Earlier today, it was time to clean the microwave (which we keep on a rolling cart in the laundry room closet since we rarely use it), I planned on using the vinegar/water/bowl/sponge method seen fifty-eleven times on Pinterest. But. We were out of white vinegar. Imagine me saying, “Nooooooo…” and kneeling down to the floor in despair. Okay, not really.

Rather than running out to the store just for vinegar, I decided to improvise and use dish detergent. I put about 10 pumps of Dawn in a bowl of warm water and stuck it in the microwave for 1 minute. When time was up, I put a sponge in the now hot mixture and started scrubbing away. Easy peasy!

I hate to admit it, because I’m a clean freak, but there was some oatmeal that exploded on the top of the microwave that I didn’t realize was there for a while. So it was pretty cooked on. Gross, I know. But, much to my surprise, using this method, it came right off with a swipe of the sponge and the entire microwave was like brand new in a matter of minutes. Which, without a doubt, makes my clean freak heart happy.

I’m really excited about today’s giveaway. It’s fun to offer up giveaways every now and then as our way of thanking our readers for sticking around and putting up with our crazy, but what’s really fun is being able to introduce you to great brands that we love while we’re at it. As it turns out, that’s what we’re doing today! Sometimes, it’s hard to find really great scenic art for your home without settling on one of those cheesy prints from one of the big box stores. You totally know the prints I’m talking about. Well, if you’re in the market for some amazing, artsy wall art by an ultra-talented photographer – or even it you aren’t! – today, you’re in luck.

Meet Jennifer Squires. Her work is clean, crisp, classic and modern and will look great on the walls in pretty much any style of home. Today, Jennifer is giving one lucky 7th House reader a $200 gift card to her amazing online print store. To make the deal even sweeter, this giveaway is open to everyone worldwide (!!!!). Woot!

Here’s how to enter… Scroll down to the giveaway widget below and log in with your Facebook account. If you rather not use your Facebook account, or don’t have one, just enter your email address. As always, your information is kept private! Once you’ve done that, you’ll be shown the entry requirements set by yours truly. Click the “Do it!” button, type your answer to the question in the blank in the widget, then click “Enter!”. Now that you’ve entered, you’ll see some optional entry options. To gain additional entries and increase your chances of winning the prize, you can do one or all of them. If you already follow Jennifer Squires Productions or 7th House, go ahead and enter your Facebook or Twitter info, and you’ll be automatically given the extra entries. As usual, the winner will be chosen using Random.org. Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Well, we’re well overdue for another Mad About Hue round up. This time around, we’re talking all about one of my recent major color crushes: Navy Blue. I’ve been really drawn to all things Navy lately and I’ve always been a big fan of bold Navy walls. Actually, over the past week or so, I’ve been trying to connivence my BFF, Tiffany, to paint their nursery walls navy. If she has a girl, she wants to go with the ever so awesome coral and navy motiff. The room has a lot of light and I think it would look awesome with the white trim – girl or boy! Come on everyone, leave a comment and tell her to take the plunge, haha. No pressure, Tiff ; )

One of the major things I love about Navy Blue is how versatile it is. You can match it with yellow, lime green, coral, pink, black and white… the options are endless. Here are a few fun fact about navy blue:

• Navy blue got it’s name from the uniforms worn by the British Royal Navy.
• The first recorded use of “Navy Blue” as a color name was in 1840.
• The tone of Navy Blue was formulated as a Crayola color in 1958 and is actually a little brighter than the traditional Navy Blue.

Bringing navy blue in a room, whether it be through an accent chair, art or a big statement like wall color, can instantly add a soothing boldness to any room. Yeah, “soothing boldness” totally sounds like an oxymoron, but that’s the power of Navy. If you’re looking to add a subtle hint or bold hit of Navy Blue to your home, here are some of my current favorite pieces:

1 Enamel Navy Frame // 2 Melamine Ikat Dinner Plate
3 Bungalow 5 Isabella Side Table (sold out! boo!) Here’s a similar one.
4 Amy Gourd Glass Lamps // 5 Ink Blot Pillow
6 Buck Up Buttercup Print // 7 Study Wingback Chair

Top images from here, here and here.