Eco-Friendly Spring Cleaning GIVEAWAY

As a follow-up to my spring cleaning post, Elan Vital Anthology is hosting a givaway featuring green products from Mountain Rose Herbs to get you started on eco-friendly spring cleaning in your own home.  See Tara's post here on how to enter.

If you've been following her spring cleaning tips - I have! - you've come to know the awesome power of baking soda, lavander oil, and castile soap - who knew?

Eco-Friendly Spring Cleaning

image from here

It's finally getting warm enough to open the windows and refresh the house after a long, colder and more miserable than usual winter.  Tara, from Elan Vitale Anthology, is sharing some excellent tips on her blog for getting mean, green, and clean.  I am actually a tinsy bit excited about tackling some of those once or twice a year chores, like cleaning the windows and steam cleaning carpets.

Etsy Front Page!

Was so excited to see that my wrist warmers made it to the front page of Etsy yesterday!  Thankful for my fifteen minutes of fame.  If only my shop was a little more full and that it wasn't full of mittens and scarves when we are on the cusp of spring and summer, I may have actually sold something!  Still great and fun to be recognized.

Mystery Bag on My Doorstep

please stop leaving mystery bags at my door.  thxs.

Like a huge lame-o, I go home for lunch everyday.  Earlier this week, I came home and was slightly disturbed to see a lumpy plastic bag stuck behind the storm door.  I approached cautiously - when a strange bag shows up at your doorstep, common sense dictates to always procede with caution.  My heart was racing a little, because no one had called, emailed, or texted me to say, "hey, i'm going to drop such and such off at your house this morning."  So there was the huge possibility that this was a stranger's plastic bag, and there was no telling what could be inside....a bomb, dog poo, regular poo, dirt...

There was that time when I came home to find the railing that goes down our front steps missing.  I was certain someone had stolen it in broad daylight at first, but eventually rationalized that my grandpa had been working some home improvement magic.  Sure enough, it showed up later that day, painted silver and secured with extra bolts.  So it was possible someone I knew had left the bag.

I got my face down close to the bag, but was careful not to touch it - did not want to get cootied on by this weird bag.  No weird smells, which was a good sign.  I could make out a note and some very familiar handwriting.  Beginning to feel better about the whole situation, I felt it was safe to pick up and open the bag.  It was a sweater with a note  from mm that her mom was donating it to my sweater recycling venture.  Sweet relief.

Button Bouquets - A Wedding Alternative

Bouquets designed by Really Bad Kitty

With spring fast approaching, I can hear the distant chime of wedding bells as brides scurry to put the final touches on their upcoming spring and summer nuptuals.  (I can also hear the sound of the ATM shreiking in pain as I withdraw more cash for new shoes, dresses, manicures, shower and wedding gifts to prepare for wedding season.)  There's nothing more fun than unique wedding ideas, like a bouquet of buttons as alternative to fresh flowers. 

I do love fresh flowers, but they die.  There is a bitter-sweet, everything good and beautiful must fade aspect of fresh flowers (there is a Japanese phrase I'm trying to think of here...).  But a button bouquet, like diamonds is forever.

If you're a do-it-yourselfer, a button bouquet could save you some cash, but remember that your time is worth something too.  If you're a super busy bride, it might be better left to the professionals.

Plum button bouquet from Sunweeds Secret Garden 

Bouquet designed by Miss Jennifer Ray

T-Shirt Yarn Inspiration

I did a little t-shirt yarn experiment a few weeks ago. Today I came across this photo on True Up:

photograph by Robert Rausch

from here

I love the use of upcycled t-shirt yarn to make this vintage chair functional again - sustainability at its best.  The best news is that I'm going thrifting this weekend, and will be keeping my eye out for a seat-less chair just like it.  I think it would be a super cute addition to the front porch or back patio.

Mardis Gras 2010 - Bacon, Black Jack, and Moustache Rides

 A quick recap...

9:00 am bacon at our place

10:30 am Bacon Vodka Bloody Marys at Morgan Street on the Landing

11:30 am Parade in Soulard

2:00 pm Dollar Moustache Rides for everyone!

4:00 pm Big Daddy's for more drinks, appetizers, and new friends

7:00 pm Casino Queen. Black Jack...black out.

Power the Man Shed - Backyard Energy Wind Turbine

This is a story of a family in Monticello, IL who is using sustainable, renewable wind energy to generate power for their pool house, or as they like to call it, "Man Shed".  The Man Shed is a glorious place where you can drink beer, pee, listen to music, and watch HBO.  And now it is all powered by wind and sparkles that sweep across Central Illinois. 

My friend Matt Coyle and his company, Zelen Energy, built and installed the wind turbine in the back yard of said Man Shed owners.  He took J and I to see it a few weeks ago.  This is the first wind turbine he's installed, so there are still a few kinks to work out - like frozen batteries.  But I'm sure this won't be the last wind turbine we see popping up from Zelen Energy - the neighbors already want to tap into the Man Shed's power supply.

Wind turbine is lowered by a wench

Checkin' on stuff

Mini cameras track temperature and wind speed so information can be accessed online from Chicago

Batteries are also stored here, and laptop is kept in Rubbermaid bin

I Love You, Lefty!

Image Courtesy of
Dvd Beaver

We hacked into my parent's netflix account over the weekend to watch streaming video. I know, crazy saturday night antics, right? After pouring over a long list of B-list, less-than-fresh movies, we decided on Donnie Brasco.

This is when "Lefty" (Al Pacino) and all of his mad Italian new yorker gangsta skills entered my heart forever.

Throughout the whole movies, he boasts of his "26 hits", so he's not like a good guy or anything. But as one of the younger mobsters climbs the ranks, overshadowing poor Lefty, you have to feel for the guy. I mean, he's put in a lot of time. Those 26 hits weren't for nothing. He's done his service, played by the mob rules, yet gets overlooked for a more shiny mob guy model.

Donnie Brasco was released in 1997, and takes place in the late '70s / early 80's. However dated, it is an eerie reflection of our own current reality. Work for the same company, expect to be taken care of in the end, and suddenly you're hacked. Loyalty stands for little these days - it's old school. Lefty isn't just a bad ass gangster, he's the guy down the street who just got laid off, despite his 25 years of service to XYZ.

In addition, I love old people. Especially grouchy crotchety ones. And Al Pacino does a great job of being an old curmudgeon.

I don't want to give the ending away in case you decide to watch, but it does not end well for poor Lefty. Tear. :(
(okay, i guess that pretty much does give the ending away)

Strung Out

Image Courtesy of
Implexus's Etsy Shop

Check out my T-Shirt Yarn Tutorial Slide Show on IndieSmiles.com. Feel free to stop by and leave a comment!