Slow Progress

The territory of The Precious has been expanded to the dining/craft room, which means we have had to do a lot of sudden rearrangements. Though this is exhausting, it is having some positive results! My sewing desk is finally visible and usable.

The bad thing is that I have had to use packing tape to seal the two bottom drawers of my pattern filing cabinet because a certain little someone enjoyed pulling everything out of the envelopes. Also, my cutting table/Etsy item storage space has long been a mess, but now it is a catastrophe of epic proportions. Maybe this weekend we can get that sorted. The effort may be horrific but I love being able to walk freely through the room and The Precious is enjoying playing with my rubber stamps (I have removed all of the ink to a safe place in the back room!) and pulling all of my cookbooks off of the shelf one by one. So it's all going to be good. :)

Duct Tape + Hot Glue=Steampunk?

While I haven't gone all into the steampunk thing, I do like a lot of the clothing items I have seen. Due to their elaborateness, however, they are out of my price range and I don't have the time or space to make them (those skirts require a LOT of fabric!). I am hat crazy so I have especially enjoyed seeing the resurgence of top hats for men and now for women. This project allows the maker to create their own unique top hat, complete with lots of cool steampunky details, out of a cheapo plastic party top hat (to use as a form), duct tape, paint, etc. The part that amazed me is that the seams and rivets and such are actually made of streams of hot glue, which is usually overlooked as a crafting medium.


See Diy Duct Tape Steampunk Top Hat and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Who knew duct tape could be so steampunk?

What Men Can't Do

I have been saving these up as I observed them, and present them now for laughs.

Things Men Are Incapable Of

1. Putting dirty laundry in the hamper (in a heap next to it does NOT count).

2. Changing sheets.

3. Putting the dirty dishes into the sink (in a stack next to the sink does NOT
count).

4. Putting up the groceries.

5. Choosing an outfit for a baby that remotely matches.


I'll come up with a list of things women can't do when I think of some. None come to mind at present. ;)

Give Back While Giving

I love how increasing numbers of companies and charities are offering cool gifts that not only provide a great product for every person on your Christmas list, but give a portion of the proceeds to help others too!

$40 gets you a bunch of Clarins skin-perfecting goodies AND feeds 10 American school children!

Feed 10 Kit

Hate throwing away those plastic lipstick tubes? With Plantlove lipstick, you don't have to. Instead, plant the empty tube in the ground and watch as wildflowers grow! Beautify your world and give $2 to St. Jude's Children's Hospital at the same time!

Buy Cargo PlantLove

For only $5 you can give a beautiful, classic necklace and help to stop domestic violence against women--Avon gives the net profit of $3.04 to their foundation!

Empowerment Circle of Support Necklace

Also from Avon, a stylish hot pink and white scarf that fights breast cancer. Sometimes these sorts of things are tacky, but I would wear this one! $10

Breast Cancer Ribbons Scarf

Buy a cute, limited edition t-shirt designed by a senior citizen in Africa who cares for orphans and feed an orphan for a month. Your name will be painted on an "Honor Wall" in Africa as well. Not bad for $29! I love that a 91-year-old lady designed this one.

'The Tree and Rain by Mrs. Jele - 91yrs— Kid's

Imagine being so poor that you have to scrounge through garbage to make a living. These bags are made by women of India who are in just that situation--and the unique thing is that they are recycled from the plastic bags that the women find in the dump. Don't worry, they're clean and safe! I think they look like a great present for the guy on your list who can't be separated from his laptop for a minute. $18

This Bag is Garbage Messenger Bag

Help save the rain forests and support indigenous artisans by purchasing a cruelty-free leather bank--too cute! I like that it snaps shut rather than having one of those impossible rubber stoppers. $12.95

Here Kitty Kitty Cruelty Free Leather Bank

These are just a few fun ideas for gifts that give back. I'll be adding more, so check back often!

Nerdy Quote of the Week

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
― Jorge Luis Borges

You knew that this one was coming! I sincerely hope that there will at least be a library of some sort...it is hard to imagine Heaven being at all heavenly for me without books!

Angels courtesy of The Graphics Fairy.

Feeling Chicken?

My husband, Doldin, and I couldn't make up our minds what to watch tonight so we decided on a documentary that sounded interesting. It is called "The Natural History of the Chicken" and it is available to stream for free on Netflix if you have a subscription. As the images of eggs hatching and chicks running around fascinated The Precious, we settled in for a nice, scientific documentary to teach us all about chickens. Who first domesticated them? How are they different from other birds? Have they always been eaten? What we got, however, was quite a surprise.

We were given a woman who swims with her pet chicken, a man who imitates rooster mating dances, the near-death experiences of a hen who was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, a rooster who became a phenomenon when he survived beheading, and a long moralistic story about a hen who behaved heroically when her chicks were in danger.

We were given a mixture of "Waiting for Guffman" and Chicken Soup for the Soul, in other words.

What we were never given, however, was the natural history of the chicken.

I feel slightly cheated, yet elated that such nuggets of sheer weirdness remain to be discovered in the least likely places.

Rooster graphic courtesy of The Graphics Fairy