AppleGate Farms Coupon Giveaway

Ding Dong!

“Bow-rowr-rowr-rwor!”

“Hi Blitzkrieg!”the UPS guy said when I answered the door. He gave Blitzkrieg a friendly pat on the head while Blitzkrieg’s tail wagged so much I though Blitzkrieg’s tushie might come loose.

Note to self: I might want to try shopping at a brick and mortar store more often.

Funny thing, I don’t remember ordering anything.

I was gobsmacked to find the gift of a big bunch of AppleGate Farms $1.00 off coupons in the envelope! Blitzkrieg was even happier and claimed them all as him own.

A freezer full of organic and nitrate free bacon is a dream come true!

Sew an Insulated Casserole Carrier

My gifted caddy looks like this guy

Lucky me got an insulated casserole caddy with hot and cold packs for a wedding present. I don’t make a lot of casseroles but the thing is fan-tabulous for taking food to work potlucks, family gatherings, and all around food toting around goodness.

I wish I had a caddy for my rectangular covered Pyrex dish. I use that thing to store and tote cupcakes, and like here there and everywhere. A carrier would make toting my cookies easier.

All of the insulated carriers I saw in stores came with a new dish and hot packs. I don’t need a new dish and hot packs. I only want the carrier.

If I can’t buy, I’ll DIY!

Concrete Floor Tile Yay or Nay?

I like the industrial look of concrete floors. They won’t chip. You can clean them with a garden hose if you’re into extreme floor cleaning or have a dog who likes to bring the outside in after.every.walk.

Kitchen Design Plan #483 Don't Tell the Husband Edition has me ripping the vinyl floor covering out of the kitchen and exposing the concrete slab underneath.  I’m not sure how that’s going to work. I wonder if the floor would be colder in winter without some sort of floor covering besides area rugs.

Kitchen Design Plan #484 Husband Will Balk at the Price Edition has radiant floor heat over the slab and covered in concrete tile.

Columbus Craftacular!

Last weekend I went to the Etsy Team Columbus Eco-Chic Craftacular to support my friend Patti and her booth, to shop for birthday gifts, and since I was in the company of a bunch of creative, green types (my peeps!) break in my new reusable Glass Dharma straw.

 Hoo boy! I look like a shaggy dog.*cringe* I need to get a hair cut!

How to Make a T-Shirt Skirt

Last year’s summer wardrobe is snug. I don’t want to spend a bunch of money on clothes because I’m trying  to lose the 30 pounds I gained (all on fresh, whole foods even!) when my doctor switched me to a different medication. (It’s nothing serious, it just doesn’t relate to this blog.)  I kvetched enough about the meds compelling me to eat THREE sandwiches at lunch every day that she switched me back to my old prescription.

In the meantime, I need some new clothes.

I found plain t-shirts on sale but no shorts or skirts.

No problem! I’ll sew a skirt from a t-shirt or four.

Blossom Chico Bag Giveaway!

I always get compliments and positive comments when I pull my Chicobag fold up shopping tote bag out of my purse when shopping. They are perfect for impulse buys, as an impromptu lunch bag, at the library when I go overboard checking out books, or when I’m too lazy to open the trunk of the car to get a shopping tote bag before running into a store to pick up a few items.

I appreciate that Chicobags some in a variety of styles. I bought and gave Husband a Sling rePete bag for Valentine’s Day. He uses it to cart stuff back and forth to work. 

Finding America’s Treasures

I like junk. When I need to destress or fire up my creative juices, I hit my favorite thrift stores, mid century furniture consignment stores, or the Habitat Restore for ideas and possible a cheap piece of trash to turn into treasure.  

Many of my pieces have sentimental value to me, but I never though anything I picked up along the way might actually be worth money.  

You too?

Frank Fritz the funny, huggable, and bearded guy from American Pickers (I love that show!) is teaming up with Craftsman (you know I adore them too) to launch Craftman’s Finding America’s Treasures program which is a virtual version of Big Game Bargain Antiques Huntress(er.) 

That’s what husband calls me when I cart something home from a trash pile or junk shop, clean it up or turn it into something useful, unusual, or clever.

Chit Chat with Sheryl Crow May 19!

Sheryl Crow is not only a mighty fine singer but she’s also one of the few in Hollywood that walks the green talk. On her next tour, Crow promised to use biodiesel fuel in her tour bus, have recycling bins at every venue, use eco-friendly cleaning products, local and organic catering and reusable/biodegradable hospitality products (think plates, napkins, cups, etc.)

That’s all well and good, but what about tour sponsors? Most of the time, you can only go green when coordinating large scale events up until a point. Most of the environmentally conscious companies from the start are too small to sponsor a concert tour schedule and you have to go with a bigger and maybe not so environmentally friendly from the start big corporate sponsor.

The Right and Wrong Skin Care Methods and Three Little Pointers That Will Increase Your Glow and Vitality

Hi everyone! Central Ohio is stuck in the season of Still Winter and all of this gray and rain and cold is doing a number on me. Our normal temperature should be 74 (F) but Mother Nature's thermostat is hovering at 45 (F.) Joanna of Actual Organics and one my Twitter buddies offered to do a guest post on environmentally friendly skin care so I can duck out an whack stuff with a hammer until my mood perks up.. Since is this one of the areas I need to work on I welcome her expert advice!


Would you like to learn how to have glowing skin and more energy?

What is all the fuss with skincare?

The average woman eats 4 lbs of lipstick in her life time! The average teenager uses 12 personal care products and recently urine from teenagers was tested and an average of 13 hormone-disrupting cosmetic chemicals, including phthalates, triclosan, musk chemicals and parabens was found. [1] Many of these chemicals are known carcinogens, skin irritants, thyroid disruptors and general toxins which can add additional stress to the body.

Where are these synthetic chemicals?

5 Recycled and Repurposed Laundry Room Organizers

After successfully organizing the linen closet with chalkboard labels, I set my sites on spring cleaning and decluttering the laundry room.

Um, no I didn’t redecorate my laundry room. It’s always been The Evil Dead Laundry Room**  and superhero action figure hangout. They are NOT dolls. Even though they look like dolls. Every guy I know says they are NOT DOLLS.

I still say they look like dolls.!

I think laundry, and ironing especially, is an evil chore. This room sums my feelings up nicely even though it looks a cubical in an IT firm. Some of these things may or may not have lived in former cubicals or the computer room of our old apartment, ahem. Does that mean our plastic toys fall into the green creative reuse category? Yeah, I didn’t think so. It’s an insane fun room though. At least to us.

On an more decorative note, I hope I can redeem myself in your eyes with my distressed wall treatment  and the sisal rope I used as crown molding. I was going for country rustic until the room turned into psycho toy land.