House Tour {Part 1}

Guys!  We haven't left!  We've been on a bit of a hiatus with our renovation projects.  We've gotten to the point where we can tolerate living with the little (and big) repairs and annoyances for a while.  Another reason for the break?  Well, it's the best thing ever, really.  I will be showcasing my artwork at the Rochester Art Center from the end of April to the middle of June in the local emerging artist exhibit on the third floor.  Say wha?!  For realz guys.  I get to work along side some fantastically talented individuals, one being Ms. Naura.  She has been a big supporter not only of my artwork but a big advocate for local artists and the community as well, so working with her is going to be nothing short of amaze-balls.  All of my free-time will be dedicated to creating from now until the pictures are hung on the wall.

If you get a moment somewhere between May-June-ish, please stop down to the RAC for some sexy eye-candy and check out all they have to offer. (RAC)  If you are interested in getting on the mailing list for the low-down on the exhibit I am participating in, please let me know.  I would take great joy in sending you a flyer.

I'm feeling pretty bad that I have only done a couple of blog posts this month.  Therefore, I am going out with a bang!  One more post to top off February.  I know, I am crazy like that AND the fact that I am doing it on a Saturday night?! Whoa. Watch out.

This isn't a DIY, but instead something a bit more personal.  We welcome you to view some quick snap shots of our cozy dwelling, in it's current state.  It is easy to pick out all of the things we still want to change, but at this moment, like I said before, we are in a place where we can hang-out for a little bit and still feel happy in our home.  *Smiles*

Enjoy creeping around in our home.

Where the food happens:

Our kitchen certainly isn't the biggest, and a big island right in the middle (major space muncher), isn't the most ideal.  Ideally, I would like to get rid of the island completely, and place cupboards and a counter against the wall, flush.  Then that would completely open up the middle of our kitchen.  Give me more storage and space or give me death, am I right?  The stain of the kitchen cabinets is tolerable, but could be so much better.  I am looking at a neutral/grey-green paint color to compliment the stone work.  Tutorial to come.  Possibly a new stainless steel stove?  A girl can dream.  The white countertops aren't my fav, but it could always be worse, way worse:

Ahhh!


The Upstairs Loo:

Our bathroom is pretty darn small- typical split- so we really had to maximize the spaces potential and introduce colors that would make the space appear larger.  I know blue bathrooms can be rather cliché, but I enjoy the feel this blue tone gives off in this space.  The tile was done by me and Shane.  Not the best, but not the worst either.  Something we can be proud of.  We are fans of the subway tile, with dark grout.  There is something about it that feels like vintage to me.  The sink was a great find from Home Depot.  We had a huge, ugly oak one that was painted sixteen times in there before.  It had to go, and in went this slick guy.  Is it possible for a bathroom to be one of your favorite rooms of the house?

The Dining Room {AKA the room that is never used}

The Pier One harvest table was a great find off of Craigslist for $100.00 smacks.  The chairs were from a very dear couple who have very similar taste in style as me and Shane.  I could never part with these.  The kick-ass pendant light can be purchased from Lowes.

As you may have noticed in these photos, we have taken a minimalist approach to our décor.  It is nice to not have to fuss with so much, while still being able to display key pieces that represent you.

Living Space (AKA Dining Room, T.V. Room, Dog Playroom)

There are some pieces of furniture, where after three months of using it and looking at it, you still love it just as much as the first day.  We absolutely adore our JC PENNEY Darrin Sofa. (Darrin Fabric Sofa)  The quality is great.  It is comfortable, large, and constructed well-- That's what she said.  The silhouette is a classy mid-century-modern piece.  My only regret is not having more than one.  I also enjoy my mirrored console table.  I think it is not only a unique piece, but also something eclectic and girly.  A great partner to the more masculine pieces.  And that faux fireplace.  I just love that faux fireplace.

Hallway: {Because I didn't want an uploaded picture to go to waste}

I really want to replace the light with something a little less safe looking.  I was thinking of doing a capiz pendant (similar to this: Capiz).  Before the hallway was filled with all things flat, paneled, and oak.  The trim didn't match the doors either.  A vast improvement with the white.  I would love to see the floor with light grey hardwood on it instead of carpet someday, but whatev.  One step at a time.

Check back later for Part 2 of the house tour.  Thanks for stopping over, friends.

DIY "Aveda" Hair Pomade

In our household there are things that we feel we can be a bit more frugal on... generic cereal is seriously better than name brand.  Can I get a shout out for Marshmallow Matey's?  However, there are some things I refuse to skimp on; hand soap, dishwasher soap, Q-tips, and hair product.  Shane would add garbage bags... if it doesn't have built in handles- it doesn't belong in the house.  Must be a man thing.

A few years back Shane received some Aveda hair products for Christmas, and after his first do, there was no turning back, because let's be real, the stuff is super fabulous, right?  A year or two down the line, I cut my hair off.  Luscious locks, gone!  So, here I came into the mix needing hair product too!  We've spent a good chunk of money to get our hair looking and smelling the way it does, we hope you noticed, and with Shane's little pomade case having a serious case of the empties, a new personal challenge to make the stuff was only fitting.

Shane typically wears the Aveda Control Paste, that averages out to be about $23.00 a pop.  Enter Pinterest, People's Co-op, and my ambitious personality to see if I could re-create pretty much the same thing for a fraction of the cost.  Getting the ingredients was a bit more expensive then going to the store to pick up the product itself, but... (pro's and con's at the jump off)

Ingredients:

*  1 ounce organic beeswax ($14.99 a pound at People's Co-op/Whole Foods)  I purchased two ounces for $2.66.

*  1.5 ounces shea butter ($4.99 for a 2 oz jar at People's Co-op.  Any brand of shea butter would work)

*  2 ounces jojoba oil- This is a "dry" oil that prevents the formula from getting too greasy.  

*  1/4-1/8 teaspoon of essential oil ($6.18-$13.99 per vial depending on type of oil)

Total:  Roughly $26.00

When it comes to the timing of making this product, even with being a newbie, it look less then 15 minutes.  Guess what else?  It was FUN! Science rocks my socks!

Step 1:  Melt Beeswax in a double boiler over low heat.  Don't have a double boiler you say?  Join the club... but there is good news!  It is easy to make one!  Find a pot and pour a couple of inches of water inside.  Grab a glass or metal bowl and place it inside the pot.  Make sure the glass bowl fits snug as a bug inside the pot.

This is after five minutes of "melting."  After 10 minutes it should almost be done.  It goes quickly at the end.

Step 2:  When beeswax is completely melted, add in your shea butter.  

Step 3:  Once the mixture has melted, add jojoba oil and stir until melted.  Brains!

Step 4:  Keep stirring until the jojoba oil is just melted.  There shouldn't be any cloud-like effect when the process is complete.

Step 5:  Pour mixture into a container and allow it to cool slightly.  Complete your mixture by adding in your favorite essential oil.  **Tip: DO NOT wash the wax/pomade mixture down the sink.  You will hate yourself.  Instead, scrape it off into a garbage.  Lesson learned.

Step 6:  The product will take about 3 hours to completely harden. 

To Use:  Rub a small amount between your fingertips until there are no lumps, then work through hair and style, you sexy bitch.

Shane tried it out, and all signs point to him actually liking it!  Score!  So, here is the breakdown of the pro's and con's I promised you-

Con's/Pro's:

1. Initially the product is more expensive... the pro?  You have a lot of leftover supply!  The oil that was purchased was hardly used, so I could probably make a hundred of these little pomade cases using that one vial of oil.  I also have enough beeswax leftover for the next go-around.  In the end, your DIY hair product is cheaper and just as unique as you.
2. It isn't exactly like Aveda... Pro?  Who cares?  It is a fricken' original made by you.  The products are still natural so you aren't putting a lot of chemical treated shit in your hair.
3. It doesn't smell like Aveda.  Okay, yes, Aveda products smell incredible.  But how awesome it is that you can control the smell of what is going on your head?  Certain oils help with certain hair dilemmas.  Check them out:

• Lime essential oils smell ah-ma-zing, and it is helpful in balancing oily hair.  It may also lighten hair when the lime essential oil is in a more concentrated form.
• Peppermint and rosemary oils stimulate hair growth and add extra shine.  This is a great option for "normal" hair.
• Basil, thyme, lemongrass, and tea tree have astringent properties, which are a huge benefit for oily hair.
• Chamomile, lavender, sandalwood, and rosemary are not only soothing and natural smelling, but they are also helpful for dry hair.
• Clary sage, patchouli, and eucalyptus are helpful when it comes to kicking dandruff to the curb.

Bottom line- am I going to stop buying Aveda hair products?  No.  But, making your own to balance out cost is pretty damn awesome. Have you made any of your own hair product before?  Any tips or tricks you would like to share?  As always, thanks for reading.

DIY Billy Ball Flowers

It's that time of year again.  Love is in the air.  Valentine's Day is showing it's romantic face, and in a few days you will be showered with chocolates, conversation hearts, flowers, and teddy bears, or something more practical like hair pomade.  This is how we Whiting's roll.

On the opposite spectrum, Valentine's Day may be a shock to the system, with that crushing blow to reality that you are in fact single. Maybe it is a date that you completely disregard, or maybe you celebrate single-hood?  Happy Vagina Day!, am I right?  Either way, this little tutorial will help assist in making your very own, or someone else's Valentines Day that much more special via handmade flowers. Shhh... do you hear that?  Yes, yyyes, that is the sound of your wallet not screaming.  *Hearts!*

I seriously get so much pleasure finding a cheap bouquet of flowers with a little Billy Ball (Craspedia's) nestled right inside. I have even swapped a flower or two in various bundles just to get a ball fix. Sorry I'm not sorry.  You know why?  Because a bundle of these little yellow balls will cost you more than a hundred magic beans.

With a little time and the right supplies, you can make your very own-non-wilting version for around $5-$10.

Your Supply List:

1. Dish Soap
2. Really Hot and Really Cold Water
3. Felt Roving in a mustard color (1 small package should make about 7-9 balls)
4. Green Floral Wire
5. Hands

Time: 3-5 minutes per ball

If you are as clueless as I was when it comes to what "felt roving" looks like, all I can tell you is it's in a bag near the yarn at your local craft store.  The bag that I purchased was for two colors (mustard and maroon) and cost me $2.50, after a 50% off coupon.  Using a coupon on a five dollar product?  I call that thrifty.

Felt Roving < Cotton Candy

A word of caution:  When you remove your felt roving from the package, you may want to eat it.  The resemblance to cotton candy is striking.  I bet this is what organic cotton candy tastes like...

Step 1:  First tear off a piece of felt like you would be grabbing for a piece of cotton candy, about that size. You want your ends to be ragged.  Remember, even if it seems like a lot of wool, the ball making process will cause the wool to shrink. 

Step 2:  Next place a drop of dish soap, or hand soap, on your dry hands.  Rub a little bit of soap on the dry wool roving as well.

Step 3:  Get your hot and cold water ready.  I just used tap water.  Fill two bowls, one with as cold as you can stand water, and one with as hot as you can tolerate water-- without your flesh falling off that is.

Step 4:  Roughly shape the wool ball before dipping it into the SUPER hot water.  You only want your roving a tad wet, not dripping.

Step 5:  Gently roll the ball in between your hands like you would with a clay ball.  DO NOT SQUISH THE WOOL.  Handle it like you would if you had a little baby chick in your hands.  (Not like this) 

Dunk the ball into cold water.  You can get the ball completely saturated.  Keep rolling the ball while alternating between the hot and cold water to set it.  The contrasting hot and cold water will help "shock" the fibers into submission.  This is part of the felting process.

Step 6:  You will notice your ball becoming smaller and firmer.  As you notice this, you can begin to apply more pressure when rolling.  A good indicator that you are finished with the process is when your ball starts to feel "dense" and the soap has been completely rinsed out.

Billy Ball getting "shock" treatment

Step 7:  Let your balls dry between 24-48 hours.  To test if they are dry, you can drop your ball on the counter top, if there is a slight bounce, you are able to move on to the next step.  If not, let the balls dry for several more hours.

Teal Fox-The Billy Ball Protector

Step 8:  Once the Billy Ball is dry, you can pierce the ball with the end of a floral wire.  The wire should almost poke through the other side.  For added security, you can use a little bit of hot glue to hold the wire and the yellow wool ball together.

Step 9:  Find a pretty vase, add the flowers, and begin to "naturally" bend them.  You aren't looking for sharp, kinky bends... you want soft, rounded ones.  Enjoy!

Obviously, the more balls the merrier.  This vase is hurting for about five more.

Wishing all of you a Happy Romantic-Overrated-Special-Stupid-Valentine's Day!