If you have to do the dishes anyway (and yes, someone has to), you may as well make the job as nice as can be. Here’s how I have my kitchen sink setup.
I’d been using Method long before I partnered with them, and that is their dish and hand soap in those bottles. I had to water my dish soap down a little bit to get it to flow through the oil dispenser, but after figuring that out I’ve been happy with the bottle for over two years now.
And speaking of my partnership with Method; their last song with Noah is out! It’s time to give your nose a little hug. (You can take a quiz too, to find your perfect scent.)
p.s. I’d like to express my thanks that the skateboarder in the video was a woman. My kids seem to think that it’s me, and I’m not all that concerned about correcting them.
Christina @ Little Victorian
July 18, 2012 at 12:31 pmI LOVE that drying rack. I got one for my sister-in-law when they were having a baby, and fell in love with it and had to buy it for myself right away (and we don’t have kids). It’s good for anything you handwash, not just baby things, but knives, wine glasses, lots of stuff.
She said in the 5 years she has had it, every person that has come into her kitchen has asked about it, and I’ve had the same results, everyone loves it.
Making it Lovely
July 18, 2012 at 4:35 pmSame here! We have a dishwasher, but we still hand wash a lot of things and use the drying rack a lot. And everyone always comments on how cute it is.
Jane
July 18, 2012 at 2:38 pmShameless product advertisement!!!! also, if you breastfeed you don’t need all this crap.
Making it Lovely
July 18, 2012 at 2:41 pmI’m proud to be working with Method, and noted that it was a sponsored post. Also, the drying rack can be used for more than just baby bottles, though that’s how it’s shown in the photos. (Plus I breastfed both of my children exclusively, and still had need for a drying rack for other things.) Feeling a little combative, I suppose?
Robin-Lynn
February 21, 2013 at 1:49 pmYou mean, the entire time you breastfed you didn’t use ANY dishes Jane?! That’s amazing! I must have been doing it wrong…Here I am eating my dinner with a plate and fork like a total schlep this entire time! Think of the TENS of dollars I could have saved by not buying the Boon dish rack.
Thank you Jane! You have opened my eyes to so much with your thought provoking post.
*head desk*
Megan
July 18, 2012 at 4:05 pmUm, I totally want to skateboard through a basin of balloons. Awesomesauce!
dgal
July 18, 2012 at 4:30 pmI was thinking the same exact thing! Oh and Nicole that Jane just has anger issues. ;)
Kelly in DC
July 18, 2012 at 4:44 pmI’ve said it before, and I think it’s worth repeating. Nicole, on your blog, sponsored posts don’t bother me one bit. I love the content you put out, over and over again. Regardless of whether it is sponsored it is clearly your thoughts and ideas (i.e. really cool, fun stuff I enjoy looking at, and why I consistently come back to read nearly every day.) it never reads, to me, like one awkward advertisement in the middle of otherwise purposefully laid out content. If it did, maybe I’d feel otherwise. A HUGE plus, if reading these occasional sponsored posts means that I can do something small to give back to you, Brandon, Eleanor, and August for all the joy this blog brings me– well, bring them on.
Making it Lovely
July 20, 2012 at 8:27 amThanks, Kelly.
Grace
July 18, 2012 at 4:46 pmI love how pretty the soap looks in the oil dispenser! The grass drying rack is great for anything. I used it for drying breast pump parts while breastfeeding and now we’re onto sipping cups, straws, spoons and sometimes chop sticks even!
Alana
July 18, 2012 at 5:24 pmI LOVE Method and their marketing. They’ve always been so clever. I want a giant sponge to jump up and down on.
(don’t feed the trolls)
I think it’s amazing that you’ve taken your blogging & decorating career to the point where you’re able to partner with such well-respected brands. High five, lady!
-Alana
Nest Vintage Modern
Michelle
July 18, 2012 at 5:26 pmHi Nicole, I was just wondering where you bought the olive oil dispenser; I’ve been looking for that exact bottle and can’t seem to find where it’s sold. Thanks!
Making it Lovely
July 18, 2012 at 10:05 pmI think I found mine at CostPlus.
Mrs. Kinne
July 18, 2012 at 7:20 pmWe have a little baby girl on the way, and I have been eyeing that drying rack for baby things. Of course, now I am eyeing that adorable tea towel, too…..
Hannah
July 18, 2012 at 7:33 pmGiven that I love Method products, this post doesn’t bother me at all. What does bother me is lack of comprehension skills… How could anyone miss that this was a sponsored post??
The worst thing about Method? I can’t seem to always find their products at the supermarket here in Aus. A couple of years ago it was no problem, but all I found on my last visit was surface cleaner :(
Another tip for things I keep by the sink, is having some hand cream. I find washing dishes can be quite hard on my hands, so a little bottle of pump hand cream works well. Funnily enough, at dinner parties my girlfriends like to use it just because it smells so good!!
Making it Lovely
July 20, 2012 at 8:28 amThat’s a good idea. I’m always forgetting to put lotion on.
kim
July 18, 2012 at 8:03 pmAfter watching this, oh how I wish I could skateboard. I would totally want to skateboard through a big pile of soap-sud balloons.
Also, love the drying rack, and love the idea of method soap. If only it were easier to buy here on the other side of the world in little ol’ Tasmania!
Patricia | unfounddoor
July 19, 2012 at 12:47 amWe splashed out on the lawn drying rack too when we had the kiddo – I worried it was a bit extravagant, but it’s such a cheery addition to our kitchen. Glad to hear your still getting use out of it.
Making it Lovely
July 20, 2012 at 8:29 amI still love mine! I would have bought this larger version instead of the little square one I have, had it been around at the time.
Hollie@MiaFleur
July 19, 2012 at 4:21 amHi Nicole. Love the idea of using an oil dispenser for soap, think I might have to steal this! I’ve never heard of Method before, but I’m very pleased to have just found out they have a UK shop online, so looking forward to giving them a go. That advert is too funny!
Hollie
P.s. Agree with Alana on the trolls front!!
Celia
July 19, 2012 at 10:52 amI’m not a troll. I used to read Nicole’s blog daily and I have to say, I’m a little tired of all the sponsored posts. Cool whip, Method, etc. Even the ones that aren’t “sponsored” seem to be about a project Nicole was paid to do. I understand her husband lost his job and she has to make money but I think her blog has suffered because of it. I find myself coming here about twice a week now and I see that number reducing. I know I’m just one person but I bet I speak for many.
Making it Lovely
July 19, 2012 at 10:54 amThanks for your feedback, Celia.
Katie
July 20, 2012 at 3:35 amCelia…as much as I hate to say it, I have to agree. Completely. Now I feel like I’m being sold something, or just linked to Babble. (And there is a reason I don’t read Babble in the first place!) The paid apt. makeovers, etc. I mean, I get that Nicole’s husband lost his job, but it feels like blatant advertising and money making now. I find myself coming here less and less often.
Nicole, I seem to remember that when your kitchen was redone, you mentioned that the olive oil dispenser was cute, but not especially practical, and that it was a bit difficult to get soap out. Did you use a new bottle? Does it work well, given that you can’t squeeze it?
Making it Lovely
July 20, 2012 at 9:12 amHi Katie. Your comment was respectful (thank you), but I want to clear up a couple of things.
I was paid to do three apartment makeovers in New York by one of the sites I write for. I wrote about it on Making it Lovely not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I got to give three people makeovers, film the whole thing like I had my own little show, and spend a few days in New York! You may or may not have noticed, but I didn’t mention outright the company that made the experience possible. I will have one sponsored post coming up in August in which I do name the company, but I’ll also be able to share more of the makeovers (which I’m really proud of).
I link to Babble once per week, usually on Fridays, but I look at those posts as an extension of what I normally write about. The “Filing Cabinet” section here used to exist in a different way, much more like a catalog of products I thought were cool. I tried it for a year and ultimately decided it wasn’t what I wanted to cover regularly here, but Babble now gives me the opportunity to write about all the cute things I find and want to share.
And as for the olive oil dispenser being cute but not practical, it’s true that I did write that at first. But in the comments of that post (which I linked to), I mentioned that I watered down my Method soap (long before they were a sponsor) and that it was working. It’s in the post above, too. “I had to water my dish soap down a little bit to get it to flow through the oil dispenser, but after figuring that out I’ve been happy with the bottle for over two years now.”
Brandon is still out of work (over six months now) and this blog is supporting my family of four. I tend to keep sponsored content to no more than once a week (often less), though next week will be unusual with a series of sponsored posts in a row. The content is the same type of content I’d be writing about anyway, and I put just as much thought into writing posts that pay the bills as the ones that don’t.
Again, thanks for adding to the conversation in a respectful way. I hope you’ll stick around.
Jessie
July 19, 2012 at 3:00 pmI LOVE METHOD! I haven’t used their dish soap yet, but love the handsoap. Great ideas. I will remember this. Your setup is cute and I also love the drying rack. :)
Elle
July 19, 2012 at 4:32 pmI think you actually do a great job at balancing these sponsored posts. While it is obvious (because you make it so) that there is a product placement in the posts, you don’t fail to also give great info or just great eye-candy that makes the posts still inspirational. This post is a good case in point where it is sponsored by Method and the content surrounds Method product, but you still are able to inspire readers to think outside the box with the cute Boon drying rack for its function and aesthetic for something you need anyways. In fact, because of you, I purchased the same rack and had used it for more than just baby stuff.
All that to say, you do a really good job at balancing sponsored post with lots of inspiration still. Keep up the good work.
Danielle
July 23, 2012 at 12:59 pmYou know, I have to say this post would be no different than me sharing a cute accessory I picked up at pottery barn. Sure we know Nicole is being paid to write what she is, but if she wasn’t making a living off of this, we may not see the awesome things she can introduce us to. Look, this is a full time job for some people. A lot of time and effort goes into this. I am here weekly to see what she has to show us. There is always room for improvement, so let’s enjoy making it lovely and be happy it’s here!
Alana
July 30, 2012 at 11:33 amJust a clarification on the “troll” comment. (I’m a little late circling back on this, but I’ve been out of town.)
I have stopped reading Apartment Therapy because the blog had become overrun with people feeling like it’s OK to leave comments from the safety of their computer that weren’t respectful or considerate.
Here I see a person who works extremely hard to curate beautiful items to showcase and I do not feel in any way that she should be penalized for being successful. Gosh, I mean, how wonderful to be doing what you love and make a living at it! Shouldn’t we be celebrating that?
I celebrate it! One more successful, creative woman in the world making a living doing what she loves…that’s AWESOME!
-Alana
Alana
July 30, 2012 at 11:36 amOh, and just a quick add-on…if you get a speed pour for liquor bottles, you can put it on any beautiful bottle you like and it’ll work the same. I think they sell those at Cost Plus World Market as well. If not, certainly at a larger liquor store.
AmyK
August 16, 2012 at 8:06 pmI know I am late to the game but I was wondering if anyone has had problems with the bottle slipping and breaking. My hands are usually wet and maybe soapy when I use dish soap.