May 19, 2010

Just a couple of shots to update the progress Phil is making on the uber cheap arbor he is building. The total cost so far is around 5 dollars, which was spent on the rope to lash the pieces together. Doesn’t he look pleased with himself?

The morning glories I have been training up the fence are starting to grow up over it so he attached some wire to the fence and arbor so it can continue growing up and over it.

I have to admit I am impressed at how well this thing has stood up to some very intense wind and rain.  I will take more pictures when things are prettier! Lastly, a shot out of the back window when it was raining the other day.

the fandom menace May 18, 2010

So I saw this yesterday.

Is it wrong that I kinda want this? Is this taking my love for all things Star Wars too far?? It’s bad enough that my desire for fluffy summer reading has led me to the plethora of trashy Star Wars novels that I have begun to devour.  Also excited about this site heruniverse.com. Which will be the first  collection of Star Wars clothing designed for the ladies. I want this shirt, and one of Han too…
Yep, that’s the good stuff. Perhaps some soap instead, tell me you wouldn’t LOVE this. You can’t even get this stuff right now, it’s on back order at luxurylanesoap.com until they can catch up with the demand.

Okay, I think I got it out of my system…

Some Garden DIY for your Wednesday May 12, 2010

I picked my first home grown cucumber today which is the inspiration for this post. Many people feel that lack of space/yard prohibits the ability to garden, so my focus today is on ways you can have a little gardeny goodness with little to no space OR money. I am sure that everyone has seen those As Seen On TV Topsy Turvy things, they sell them everywhere these days. Great concept but poor execution in my opinion. Why not try this instead, as it’s more cost effective and you have the ability to create something useful and attractive out of potential garbage.
So much cuter than the ugly plastic alternative! You can find the step by step instructions at Design*Sponge one of my favorite DIY/crafty blogs.

Another upcycled garden win is this shoe rack herb garden from greenupgrader.com This ingenious little number was one item from a feature they did called 10 killer diy garden hacks.

Apparently this was designed to keep the neighborhood cats from violating their herb garden!

Last  I wanted to feature the craftiness of a friend of mine who has been recycling all sorts of glass jars, jewelery, driftwood, etc. into adorable little rooters/hanging bud vases.

These photos cannot really convey the originality and cuteness of these things!

So none of these things involves spending much if any money, nor do they require much space. I am planning on testing out the diy topsy turvy here in the next week or two so expect pictures to follow.

My latest obsession May 11, 2010

In my constant search for new recipes that are both cheap and gluten free I have stumbled upon this INCREDIBLE site. Foodgawker makes it enjoyable to search for new recipes which is a process I have always disliked, almost as much as I dislike eating the same things over and over again.
I made these last night which were submitted to foodgawker by the cooking photographer. Uber simple and yummy!

Phil and I are big fans of cornish hens so this is one next week’s menu and it’s an actual meat dish which we haven’t seen on this blog yet.

This was submitted to foodgawker by cooking on the side. I will let you know how it turns out.

I should also mention that they have 2 sister sites craftgawker and weddinggawker.

Prepare to lose hours of your life looking at all of the tasty/crafty/weddingy goodness!

Eat this! May 5, 2010

This is starting to become a habit but my latest recipe blog is vegetarian once again. I promise that the next one will have lots of bacon…and cheese.

This one was super easy and delish. I picked this recipe up from one of my current favorite foodie blogs Broke and Healthy.

This is jicama cucumber slaw over black beans with avocado, sour cream and queso fresco.  Phil and I gorged ourselves on this last night and didn’t have to feel gross about it after!

Ingredients

black beans ( I used canned out of laziness), sour cream, 1 avocado, queso fresco, jicama, 1 cucumber, 1 jalapeno, 2 cloves garlic, salt, vinegar or lime juice (I used vinegar because that is what I had), cumin, some sort of sweetener like agave or honey

Directions

To make jicama slaw, grate equal parts of the jicama and cucumber into a bowl. Add half of a minced jalapeno (more or less to taste, I did less as I am a wuss), then add the 2 cloves of minced garlic, the salt, splash of vinegar, cumin and sweetener and play with the flavors a little to get it how you like. I added quite a bit of vinegar and a little extra salt and that suited my taste buds quite well. Hubby gobbled it down! Heat up your black beans and put a heaping spoonful of sour cream and as much avocado as you like on top, crumble a little queso fresco over everything and top everything with the slaw.

I highly recommend checking out her blog for yummy cheap meal options!!

May 3, 2010

It is mind boggling how many amazing artists are on Etsy.  If you are interested in having something other than a Starry Night Van Gogh print to hang on the wall, the options are many. Just a few of my current favorites.

This is called Fear’s Uncloaking that was done in pen and ink by studiomme

I am a big fan of watercolor painting, my few attempts to paint with watercolor were pathetic indeed so I have a great respect for anyone who does it well like Paola Zakimi

While this couldn’t hang on your wall, I have always had the big love for fairy type stuff and the fairy houses created by this artist are amazing!!! The detail is incredible.

She received a World of Froud Award for her little houses which is a big deal if you are in the know in the fairy community!

The Robert Paul Watkins Experience (featuring Rob) May 2, 2010

I attended a coffee shop art/live music show last night.  The Robert Paul Watkins Experience with art by Khammi Hurd. The artist created fantastic mixed media portraits of each of her coworkers. Her stuff is gorgeous, this one was my favorite!

My friend Chandra as Kali.

I didn’t manage to get decent pictures of any of the rest of them 😦
The music was provided by Rob. Who burst forth from this stunningly accurate picture of him and his dog…
Rob performed a few original songs as well some covers including fabulous renditions of Rumpshaker and Single Ladies. Did I mention the sparklers?

Or the personalized Robert Paul Watkins shirts??

Another shirt worn by the lovely artist!

And one more shirt just because this little lady is so adorable!

Big (free) fun!