Handmade Gift Exchange, 2013: Woodland Creatures

I'm so excited to be able to participate in another round of the handmade gift exchange hosted by Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous. I was paired up with Gabrielle from Oh Boy, Cato!

From browsing her blog and Pinterest page, I noticed she loves woodland creatures. So I thought these earrings would be fab!

Basically, I made fabric covered buttons into earrings. Because you know, that's my favorite craft in the book. :)

And, I threw in a few panda pins.

It was at this moment that the hubby informed me that pandas aren't woodland creatures. Sigh.

And some lipgloss that I made via my Whimseybox.

Hope you like them Gabrielle! And thanks to Linda for hosting!

Whimseybox Review: Homemade Lip Gloss

I'm all about DIYing. My poor husband just sighs as another project starts and stares at our walls, shelves, tables trying to think of where it will go next. See what fun we  have!? :) When the Whimseybox arrived, I eagerly dove into it and began unveiling the contents. I was so excited that I literally couldn't wait until this morning to share my Whimseybox review with you all!

What is Whimseybox?

Whimseybox is the original subscription for DIY and craft lovers. Every month we ship our subscribers a box with craft projects along with a project idea. We are also an online community where anyone can discover, learn and share the best in DIY and craft.

The project? To create lip gloss. LOVE.

What I really love about the Whimseybox is that all the necessary instructions, tools and ingredients are right there. You don't have to go out and buy anything additional.
The only downside? Things weren't labeled. It's hard to see, but in the second small picture there are two bottles. One contains castor oil, the other, peppermint. I guessed (correctly, thankfully!), which was which, but at first it took me a moment to figure it out. Also, I don't work with castor oil or essential oils that often, so if you do, you probably could figure it sooner than I did.

The instructions were super easy to follow. Basically, you mix 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of beeswax (in the pouch) with a tablespoon of castor oil and five drops of peppermint oil. I may have gone overboard with the last step. Whoopsie. Then, you heat in a glass bowl over hot water and voila, lip gloss!
Total creation time? 40 minutes. And it probably would have been even less, but I got nervous about heating the glass bowl so my heat was really, really low for awhile.

All in all, I'd totally do another Whimseybox!

If you have a DIY lover in your life, or if you love a good DIY, I'd highly recommend it. You can pay $15 a month (add an extra $5 for shipping to Canada) or $45 for 3 months, $90 for 6 months or $165 for 12 months. You can cancel anytime with the month to month subscription via the website.
Have you tried Whimseybox? I'd love to hear your Whimseybox review if you have! And what do you think of the idea of a DIY subscription box? Would you try it?

To sign up for Whimseybox, click here!

A Veggie a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

It's that time of year again, CSA time!

We are doing a half share this year, because frankly, it was WAY too much food before. I'm still completely overwhelmed with veggies (who ever thought a vegetarian would say that?!), but not nearly as overwhelmed as the previous year.

We're paired up with One Straw Farm and I'll tell ya, they grow some delicious stuff.

Here's our recent hauls.

Week One:

Swiss Chard

Kale

Green Leaf Lettuce

Red Leaf Lettuce

Radishes

Strawberries

Garlic Scapes

 

I keep calling the scapes, snapes, because you know, I love me some Harry Potter. :)

What is a scape you ask? I hadn't a clue either.

 

This is from our CSA person. " Scapes are the early sprouts of garlic -- you will get the heads later on. I like to coat the scapes with olive oil and a little kosher salt and toss them on the grill until they just soften for a mild, soft early summer taste of roasted garlic."

Nom.

 

To get through week one, we made a lot of salads. Since I was saladed out for awhile, I then proceeded to throw the kale, strawberries, some blueberries, plain Greek yogurt, honey and orange juice in a blender and serve and enjoy. I loved it. Chad did not. It scared him. Wuss.

 

I also bought some asparagus, from the same farm. It just wasn't included in the CSA, but we put it to use.

 

 

This is a concoction of asparagus, Swiss chard, Parmesan cheese (nom),  lemon and garlic. It was divine.

 

We've yet to eat the scapes. I informed him we must do so ASAP. 

 

Week Two:

 

Rainbow Swiss Chard

Green Leaf Lettuce

Purple Radish

Nevada Lettuce (akin to Romaine)

Turnips

Kale

Broccoli

Strawberries

 

Looks like I'm making more smoothies!

 

And thankfully, Chad LOVES broccoli, so I know that will get eaten. 

Also, I've never had a turnip. They make me nervous. This will be new.

 

What recipes can you suggest for kale, as I have an endless supply? And what did you pick up at the farmers market or in your CSA this week that you're excited about?

Friday's Favorite Things

Since I haven't been blogging much lately (I have no excuse other than laziness), I thought I'd give myself a reason to blog. I'm going to write about my favorite things come Friday. So behold, my Friday's Favorite Things!

One, I'm obsessed with these shorts. I think the length is just right (did I just admit my age), oye.

These Lilly Pulitzer Buttercup Shorts scream Megan, don't they?! Available 00-14. And only $74! I can see them being a staple this summer.

Two, this necklace.

Be still my  heart.

This Primary Spheres Bib Necklace wants to find it's way to my jewelry box. Would it be weird if I received a Mother's Day gift from the cats? Probably. Sigh.

Lastly, I'm dying for a new bag. This Vince Camuto Grace Cross Body is dying to come home with me.

Sounds like a match made in heaven.

What are your favorite things at the moment?

The Big Wedding Invite

I love going to the movies! Seriously! I love the whole idea of sitting in the theater, eating popcorn, enjoying the show. My husband on the other hand, hates it. He'd much rather watch a movie at home, from the comfort of our couch, where he can pause, rewind, or stop whenever his heart desires. Clearly we have differing opinions.

If you love going to the movies and if you are especially excited to see The Big Wedding with Robert DeNiro, Katherine Heigl, Meryl (were on a first name basis) and Susan, then you are in luck!

Fantabulously Frugal shared an invite for two tickets for the price of one to go see it! LOVE!

To get your tickets, click here!

Enjoy!


I'm taking my bestie, how about you?

Thanks, Lisa!

Going Au Natural

I've had some events happen this past week that have put a lot into perspective such as my eating habits, caffeine consumption and lack of exercise. As traumatic of an event as it was, it was good to be able to re-evaluate my decisions and change for the better.

So, I've been going to the gym. Granted, I've gone twice so far, but it's a start. :)

I've given up caffeine. This by far has been the hardest. I never realized how much I adored coffee. Seriously. And I'm sure it's all mental, but I am having the hardest time waking up without a cup. I have to really train myself to realize that I can wake up and have energy without caffeine. I miss you coffee, I really do.

Sugar. This one has been hard. I'm actually watching my sugar intake and trying not to eat anything super sugary like I had before. Like, no sodas. Can I give it up 100%? No clue. I'm going to try, but ate a S'mores the other night, so I may start this tomorrow.

I'm really hoping to go all organic eventually, but for the mean time, I'm taking it step by step.

Eating crap is so much easier. Why is that?

Have you ever given up sugar and caffeine? Does it get easier? And do you feel a lot better?

Can you Crate Train a Cat?

I love my cat Raven. I really do. He's such a spitfire. But, I'll tell ya, he's also a jerk.

Tiger was the best cat in the world.  He was such a lover. You could practically do anything to him, squeeze him with all your might, pull his tail (not me, kids have done this) and he'd still be your BFF. I miss him tremendously. And Spaz is Spaz. Bless his heart.

However, with both Tiger and Spaz, I never had to worry about them eating or destroying my house. Cords could dangle. They didn't care. I could buy flowers and place them everywhere and they'd just stare at them, realize they weren't a juicy steak and then leave them alone.

Speaking of flowers, I love them. I want to display them in my house. Yet, Raven has decided that they are a part of his diet and has proceeded to eat everything in sight.

Case in point? My hydrangeas are now locked in my bathroom. Why? Because they contain cyanide and cyanide is bad. And another reason? Someone thinks they taste delish. Nom nom nom. Jerk.

He once at an azalea before I realized they too are poisonous. I didn't sleep that night, as I monitored his breathing, his digestion, etc. Needless to say he was a ok, I however, was exhausted. Again, jerk.

The hubby and I grew basil. Note the key word grew....
We also grew parsley. I'll tell ya, cats LOVE parsley. Who knew.

Oh, and his newest thing? Thyme. Ugh.

In an effort to be clever, C put red pepper flakes all over the parsley plant to "Raven proof it". Guess what? He loves red pepper flakes. Go figure.

Here's what we've had to do to save our plants....

Although now he's figured out how to pull it open.

So, my question is, can you crate train a cat?

We can try.