I Could Totally Do That!

Does the internet ever convince you that you can do all kinds of things that reasonable people outsourced eons ago?  Oh it doesn't?  It's just me?

Well okay then. 

Anyway, I was perusing Apartment Therapy the other day (Felt Food! Home Hacks! Hipster Shelter Style!) and I saw an article about making your own cheese. I saw that and thought, despite my miniscule kitchen and lack of damn near all the necessary tools, how awesome.  I could totally do that.

Now friends . . . this attitude has gotten me into trouble before but I never ever learn.  Matter of fact, I've created a bookmarks folder full of projects the internet convinced me I could do myself.  It's been mostly awesome so far.  For instance, I now manage my own haircare and save at least sixty bucks a month--thankyouverymuchyoutube.

But now . . . I'm getting ambitious.  Did you know that you could make your own ginger ale at home?  It's easy!  Just don't use a glass bottle because it can explode.  And don't let it ferment too long or you'll have made real get you pulled over and arrested alcohol . . .  and you get my drift.

This could get messy.  And dangerous.  And maybe illegal?  But definitely interesting.  I have a long, long list of s@#) to try. 

It'll be fun!

I haven't tried cheesemaking yet, but I already have the title of the post I'll be writing once I get around to it.  Fun With Raw Milk!

Um Yeah I Was Doing the Most. . .THC Bathroom Edition Part the First

I decided to organize my hair products and . . . this is kind of major.  No wonder this apartment feels like it's bursting at the seams.

Problem . . .

A city skyline of hair products

The Closeup

The aerial view . . .

If I could also draw your attention to all that crap in the back . . .

And the saddest part?  That's not even all of it.  I had two more boxes of rollers and end papers and hot curlers and flat irons, etc., etc. on the sofa behind me when I took these pictures.  I didn't take pictures of them because . . .  well, I'm ashamed.  This is excessive to say the least. 

Meet Solution . . .

Before I started the sorting and editing process I decided that I needed to make all this stuff more accessible so that I could even begin to accurately assess what was most useful to me.  Hence, the shoe organizer, gangster-customized so it would fit on our bathroom door. 

Yup, I cut a hole in it so we could still hang our towels there.

Here's what it looked like after I got through tossing empty bottles, re-homing nail polish and chickening out on giving up my flat iron, curlers and rollers to Goodwill.  I stuffed them in another box in my closet because I just can't let go.  Sigh.

Nice and useable.  Still a lot a lot of product.  A lot!

I did some more finagling in the bathroom, but that's for another day.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

One of the great things about living in graduate housing with a large international student population is that resources are made available that a lot of Americans wouldn't consider asking for.

Like garden plots.  Our university plows up a patch of land every year and doles out garden plots to interested parties.  Wes and I signed up for one and just couldn't wait to get to work in it.  The last frost is scheduled for March 23 but . . . who can wait to play in the dirt?

Check it out.

All Pictures by Me

We decided to divide our plot into a number of semi raised beds.  We got a used hoe from ReTool that came in pretty handy for this.  We also got all McGeyver and utilized some of little bit's toys as garden tools.

 

 We planted three different varieties of tomato and basil plants.  I was thinking pomodoro sauce.

We also planted two varieties of lettuce and bellpeppers.

And a whole, whole lot of onions!

We've never had the run of our own garden before and this is my first time growing anything ever so we'll see how it turns out.

I'm excited!

Keeping It Simple

If you follow the blogs and youtube and all that jazz you learn one thing and one thing quickly. 

Source

 

 

Natural hair is work.

If you are going to do it right . . .  there's the pre-pooing, the oil treatment, the hours long detangling sessions that should only be done in the shower under running water because well . . . we don't have to pay for all that water we're wasting.  Then there is the deep conditioning which the truly dedicated do overnight and the hennaing if you're so inclined and the hysteria about heat damage and never ever flat-ironing . . .

And a word about products.  Generally speaking if it costs under five dollars it will DESTROY your hair.  Yeah you can play with Herbal Essences or Aussie, or well if you must VO5.  Shampoo?  Stop playing.  But what natural hair really needs is natural products from boutique online retailers, the more obscure the better.  I mean, if you aren't up on game sure you can go to Target and shell out ten to fifty dollars on some Sheamoisture or Kinky Curly or Miss Jessie's . . . but that's not really where it's at. 

And . . . I'm over it.

Not over natural hair.  I like how much healthier and stronger my hair is now, but I am very much over the high maintenance routine.  One it's not required for hair health and growth and I'm convinced some of it might be harmful.  Two, it's not like I can actually afford it.  I like to keep it simple and trying to sleep in henna or trying to deep condition forever and a day is not simple for me.

I still try new styles and methods but I'm done contemplating spending more money on more products.  I stocked up on VO5 conditioner because it only costs about $0.79 per bottle.  Yes, it has cones.  No, I don't care.  I use shampoo pretty regularly.  I can't stand not too.  I'm done with attempting a wash and go because this time of year my hair just won't dry.  More to the point, I'm done trying to make my hair look a way that it doesn't look.  It's curly in sections and fuzzy and kinky everywhere else and that's okay.

And that's pretty much it.  Short, simple, natural?  Isn't that how it's supposed to be?

Little Things . . .

Springtime is making its presence known around here and I find myself celebrating as I usually do.  Becoming incredibly dissatisfied with everything.  Some people have the urge to spring clean.  I have the urge to spring purge.

Lately I've been giving myself the hairy eyeball to all the stuff we have accumulated over the winter.  Daydreams of just waking up and it all being gone.

That's minor though.  I can do major damage when spring fever hits.  Last week I nearly gave in to the urge to dye my hair  some outrageous color.  I spent a chunk of change on moisturizer and face scrub and etc., etc.  I am searching the internet for cosmetic remedies for all of my minor imperfections.  I am contemplating waxing . . . of areas.  Yeah, crazypants.

Springtime is all shiny and new.  I guess I just want to be buffed, polished, and shined too.

Long Time . . . .

No hear.  Wow.  You take one day off and it turns into a week.

My bad. 

Question . . . why do robes have pockets?  I heard someone else pondering the issue and now I can't get it out of my head. 

Making it Fancy: Invitation Printing

I, like a lot of brides to be, had dreams of letterpress.  Creamy, heavy paper.  Romantic designs.  All the fancy expensiveness.

And then I eyeballed the prices.  As I don't have any firstborn children to sell I was forced to get real with a quickness.

DIY/DIT was clearly the way to go . . . but that way lay danger too.  Check out the real budget breakdowns for these semi-DIY invitations here on Weddingbee.  Printing at home can be pretty pricey too.

There is another option though.  It's less luxuriant but it can still elevate your plain text out of the everyday.  What are your thoughts on thermography?

Source

Raised printing.  It can be used on designs too.

Source

It is more expensive than flat printing but considerably less expensive than letterpress.  If you find an independent printer it could be a real bargain.