The Ask Anna Blog

Pinwheel Cake {Celebrating a new School Year}

Let’s be honest. If you’ve been following my blog for a while then you know I’m not super crafty. But when I was presented with the offer to create something out of AstroBrights papers how could I say no? I may not be crafty but I love office supplies: paper, pens, pencils, you name it, I love it! AstroBrights Paper is about creativity and getting noticed, and I can definitely be creative! Malea is starting school in a couple weeks so originally I thought I’d use the paper to make something for her but when I received the AstroBrights Paper… Read More

How to Clean Marble

Question: I’ve recently moved to Holland and I’m renting the best house!!! But I have a huge question, how do I clean marble? My kitchen and bathroom counters are all marble. It’s beautiful but gets a white powdery build up. Not sure what to put on it to not ruin it. Answer: To clean marble I suggest using a very mild cleanser. Personally I like Basic H because it’s all-natural and a very mild cleanser. However, if you can’t purchase Basic H in Holland then I would recommend using an all-natural (dye-free) dish soap diluted with water. *Fill an empty… Read More

How to Clean Gel Ink Stains from Clothing

Many of you have probably read my post on how to Remove Ink Stains but in response to that post a reader asked me how to clean gel ink stains from clothing, because using hairspray won’t remove gel stains. I had to do a little research for this post because I don’t use gel ink pens so I have never received a stain from one. Luckily I was able to find a great answer for you! You know I’ve been trying to do more Green Cleaning so I was excited to find a stain solution using alcohol and vinegar {source}. Here’s… Read More

Office & Craft Room Reveal with lots of Craft Room Organization Ideas!

I am beyond excited to reveal my craft room/office to you today! In order for you to understand my excitement you must first understand how much I hated this room when I started out. It was sooo boring, drab and a catch-all room for Malea’s toys and our random stuff. Let me refresh your memory. Wasn’t it terrible!? Now you probably have an understanding of my hatred for this room. Well, let me show you what it looks like now. Are you ready? Using these chipcards that I got from Sherwin-Williams’ Chip It! tool, this is how it turned out!… Read More

How to Make a Message Board

I am so excited about the project I’m sharing with you today: how to make a message board! When I started thinking about how I was going to makeover my office, the one think I knew I wanted was a message board. I searched all over Pinterest and didn’t really find anything that I felt would fit my needs exactly, but then I found this great message board on Pottery Barn Teen and knew it was “the one”. The great thing about this message board is that you can totally customize it to fit your needs. Each 12″ square can… Read More

10 Tips for Healthy Eating Habits & an Organized Kitchen

I am really excited about this post because I get to talk about two things I’m really passionate about: organization and eating healthy. From talking to friends I’ve learned that these two subjects can be intimidating to people. Today I want to show you how I organize my kitchen and meals to create a healthy lifestyle and eating habits for my family. #1 Meal PlanningMeal planning is very important when it comes to eating healthy. I prefer to shop for two weeks at a time, which is great because I always know that I have two weeks of meals that… Read More