Perfect Way to Start Your Day

Why does this not happen to me every morning, afternoon, evening, and night?

Currently, my dog hates me because she's spending her time either in a Cone of Shame and Sadness or with a sock taped to her foot.

She's not speaking to me at the moment.

That's what she gets for stomping on a fire ant hill and gnawing her foot to the point of infection.  On a serious note, she will survive and has been spoiled with rawhide (as evidenced by the above photograph).

The Patience of Upholstering

About 9 months ago, I decided I was going to learn how to sew.  I convinced my always supportive husband that we needed to get a sewing machine, and excitedly signed up for Sewing 101 at Joann Fabric.  The class was fantastic.  If anyone is looking to get a beginner's lesson in anything from sewing to cake decorating to jewelry making, I highly recommend going there first.  I left the class feeling empowered and ready to be the best crafty housewife I could be.

Let me back this up a little bit, the reason I decided I wanted to learn how to sew was because I had ripped the upholstery off of my favorite reading chair without even buying it a drink first.  I started with great gusto, immediately reupholstering the ottoman by wrapping it up like a lovely Christmas present.  After looking at the construction and old upholstery, I realized that the only way to finish her off and make her look like a classy lady was to learn how to sew.

Before: Dirty on  the outside, but gloriously comfortable on the inside.

Flash forward to 5 months after she was ripped of her dignity and 4 months after my Sewing 101 class.  There she sat, naked on my back patio, untouched.  The patient husband had been quietly (and sometimes not so patiently) trying to get me to straighten my act up and bring her back to full lady status, but I had lost momentum and knew I would never get the chair done.  I did not take any pictures of her in her compromised state on the back patio.  No lady should have pictures on the internet looking like that.

Here is one of those moments where all I can say is "Wow, I really got a good one."  I went to visit my grandma up in the Great Northland for Fourth of July (everyone "aw" at what a great grandchild I am), and the patient husband took matters into his own hands.  When he leaves me alone for a week, I sit around and eat junk food.  When I leave for a weekend, he spends 3 straight days sewing and reupholstering my naked arm chair.  Hero cape, anyone?

After!  Isn't she pretty?

I love her.  I love my husband.  I'm spoiled.  He opted not to add a skirt because it would have been too difficult and he just wanted to get the chair done.  No complaints from me.

Chair   $0 (hand-me-down from my great grandma)
Fabric   $6/yard  (a steal at a shop that was closing)  We bought 9 yards, which gave us a lot of leftovers
Staple gun & staples    $20
Blood, sweat, and tears    Priceless

As usual, it isn't perfect (the patient husband may have sewn the zipper to the outside of the cushion case), but it was far less costly and a much better story than if we had paid someone hundreds of dollars.  She's a classy lady again!

I have been working on my sewing skills, and a post will follow to show off my pillow case making skills.

Terrarium Time!

I'm sure that you have all missed me in my absence.  I'm sure you have all been coming to the site daily hitting refresh.  I'm sure you all weep when, once again, there is nothing new posted.  Well, here I am!  I started graduate school in April, so I've been a bit busy learning how to be a librarian.  A lot more goes into it than the layman (myself included) would think.  But I now have a few craft and DIY projects to share from my "summer" break that I will be posting in the coming weeks.

Up first is probably my favorite DIY so far: my beautiful DIY succulent terrariums!  How did this sudden desire, nay need, for a terrarium come about?  Let me tell you a tale.  I took a trip to NYC in July to see my brother and some friends.  My brother and his girlfriend had a windowsill filled with pretty succulents, at the time I thought nothing of them besides that they were pretty and low maintenance.  Flash forward two days where I'm wandering through NYC with friends.  My good friend, Julie, wanted to stop at a florist to see how much they were selling their pre-made terrariums for.  Here I am thinking "It's a little glass jar and some dirt, how much could it cost?"  Then BOOM!  One-hundred dollars to over two-hundred.  Whoa now, folks.  They're gorgeous, but I'm not shelling out 5 twenties for something I would probably kill in a week.  Our dreams were squashed, but the seed had been planted.

I decided I wanted to attempt to make one of my own.  I found a simple tutorial by Morgan at The Brick House, and got to work hunting for my materials.

This is the much neater set-up for the second terrarium made.

Here's what you need:

Glass bowls or vases

Cactus dirt

Rocks

Succulents

This really was not rocket science.  First, I put down a layer of rocks (bought at the dollar store) for drainage.  My first terrarium I definitely did not put a thick enough layer of rocks, but on my second I put a layer of larger rocks then a layer of smaller rocks, which looks and (I think) will work better.  

The pack is being hunted by a loan wolf.  Look closely!

Next, I spread out a layer of dirt and arranged my plants.  I got my plants at Lowe's on sale for about 3 bucks each.  Make sure you loosen up the roots a bit when you do this.  Finally, I used a fork from my kitchen drawer to spread the dirt out around the plants to make sure they were solidly in there.

My first terrarium (the larger of the two) taught me a few lessons: 1. Don't just pour the dirt in willy-nilly once you've got your plants in there, unless you want the poor plants to spend the rest of their lives with speckles of brown (oops).  2. A thicker layer of rocks on the bottom looks better, and, at a dollar a pack, isn't going to bust the bank.  3. If you have pots that have multiple little plants in them, separate them a little bit instead of clumping them into one corner.

Now, I'm not very good with layouts, so mine aren't beautifully spaced in their new homes, but I made them and I love them.  I also love that our house finally has some green in it!  My child of a husband felt they needed a little something extra, so after a hunt at 3 different stores, I found 2 packs of little dinosaurs to roam free in our succulent jungles.

Breakdown of costs:
Glass containers - $5 and $8
Dirt - $4
Plants - $18
Rocks - $4 (and I have a pack left over)
Dinosaurs - $2
Total - $41

Not bad compared to the $100 for a professional terrarium.  And about 20 minutes to put together.


P.S.  I also found an adorable blue vase the thrift store for our bigger aloe plant!

P.P.S.  Please forgive my horrible photography skills.  I have never and will never claim to be a good photographer, and I have a cheap point-and-shoot camera.

Green: Homemade Laundry Detergent

Thanks to StumbleUpon, I've discovered a bunch of great recipes (as I discussed in my last post), but I've also discovered a bunch of great "Go Green" ideas.  Today, I decided to try out one of the many I've bookmarked - Homemade Laundry Detergent!

I used this recipe from diy Natural.  I meandered over to my local Publix grocery store, partly for the ingredients, but mainly for some not-yet-a-mother Mother's Day present to myself (okay, mayyybe I let Tyson have one or two).  I was shocked and super pumped at how inexpensive the ingredients were.  If this stuff really works then we could save a TON of money on laundry detergent!

For all three ingredients I paid: $8.87 (which will end up making me 4 batches, since I only bought a 4-pack of Ivory, but the Borax & washing soda will last for more than that) versus $10-$20 for one jug of brand name detergent filled with chemicals and other harmful ingredients.

Jabs' recipe calls for:

1 shaved bar of bar soap
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Super Washing Soda

Stir it all up and use a tablespoon per load (use another tablespoon if the load's extra nasty).  Could it be any simpler?  I mean, come on!  Simple, earth-friendly, AND wallet-friendly?  I'm in Heaven.

I've already used the detergent on a load of delicates, and can say that they smell fresh and clean and were not harmed in the wash (I was convinced they'd come out horribly splotched and ruined - why I tried it on my delicates first, I cannot say...).  I'm waiting for the hamper to fill up with workout clothes, so I can give the detergent a real test of stink-removal. I won't lie, I sweat a lot when I work out, and Tyson is a stink machine -- our children are definitely out of luck in the smell department if genetics have anything to do with it)

I'm thinking about adding a little fragrance oil to make the detergent smell extra nice to give as a gift in a nicely decorated jar.  DIY GIFT!



This post brought to you by: grad school procrastination!

Delicious Link-up!

I started graduate school about 6 weeks ago, so I must apologize for being MIA.  Apparently, grad school requires a lot of reading and assignments.  Who'da thunk it!?

In my spare time, I have been exploring procrastinating on various websites, my current favorite being the always popular Stumble Upon.  It is here, and in pretty much every show and movie that I've watched, that my husband and I have come to the rather obvious conclusion that I am very easily swayed by images of food.  If people are drinking a beer on the show we're watching, I immediately crave a beer.  If Stumple Upon links me to a website that smacks me in the face with a glorious feast, I want to cook it (most often bake, but let me feel like I'm well-rounded in the kitchen).

Tonight, instead of baking, I am going to procrastinate writing the million Discussion Board posts that I have for this week, I've decided to link up to a few of the goodies I'm dying to bake lately:

Centsational Girl just posted a delicious looking Raspberry Rhubard Crumble. This site is usually one of my go tos for home diy fun, but she popped this gem on me today, and I was beyond excited.

Glorious Dulche de Leche Brownies from Miss in the Kitchen.

Homemade Twix Bars from Not without Salt.

And last, but most certainly not least, Chocolate Cake made with Greek Yogurt from (never home)maker.

Can you say swoon?  I feel like I'm 12 again and trying to choose which American Girl Doll I want.  Luckily, unlike choosing an American Girl Doll (we all know whichever one you chose represents you for life. Hellooo, Samantha!), I can't go wrong with any of the above.

If you simply want to drool on your keyboard whilst at work, visit FoodGawker.  There are another million and one things on this site that I want to make.

P.S. I did make Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread this weekend.  I love giving in to temptation.  It wasn't as pretty as Joy's and probably not nearly as gooey and soft, but I enjoyed it.  Maybe a little too much, but that's what the gym is for.

Oh, and here's a beast video for you since this post lacked fun pictures of the food.  But, really, click on the links.  You won't be sorry.