Learning to Dress Myself

So I've recently decided to make a conscious effort to look put together. Generally it came down to finishing touches as simple as tucking in a shirt or wrapping up in a skinny belt. Using Pinterest and some general effort, I came up with these, two of which are straight up yanked ideas, minus the better lighting:

hers: and mine:

mine: & theirs: 

Most items are Old Navy, Target, or Banana Republic. Nothing mega spendy or bought off-sale :) I'm going to print these pics and make a pin-board for the closet for those morning where I 'have nothing to weeeearrrr"

...that's all.

Warning Labels & Glass Etching

You know a project is going to be fun when a label's warning reads:  

Eye Contact: May cause severe irritation with possible corneal burns.

Skin Contact: Causes severe burns and fluoride-like burns which may not be immediately evident. Skin contact may cause hypocalcemia by skin absorption. The fluoride components of this product can penetrate the skin and destroy the deep tissue layers, including bone tissue. This damage to the body's tissues may continue for days, as the fluoride ion reacts with the calcium in the skin and bone. Severe skin-contact exposures (especially when the skin contamination exceeds 160 Sq. Cm.) can cause hypocalcemia, a life-threatening lowering of serum calcium in the body.

Inhalation: May cause irritation to the respiratory tract and lung damage if exposure is excessive. Inhalation may lead to hypercalcemia, due to absorption of the fluoride components.

Hmmm... Sounds like a blast!! This particular project isn't the first that I've done using the glass etching stuff, but it was the only one I've remembered to photograph. And even at that, I didn't do any "during" photographs - too busy not getting hypocalcemia. Sorry (but not really), I can't risk lowering my levels of serum calcium to life-threatening levels.

The bestie had a birthday recently and I knew I wanted to make her some Rolo Cookies but I hadn't decided on an acceptable presentation of said delectableness. I found a simple white box with a "window" like those you might take home from a bakery; it was inexpensive and would suffice. But THEN I remembered that even a carrier should be used to enhance a gift - aesthetically pleasing and useful! For instance: I refuse to buy gift bags anymore - I buy those $1 reusable shopping totes; they're mega cheaper, generally have cooler designs, and the recipient is likely to get more use out of the bag - as opposed to using it just one more time to give away.

Anyways, here's the cookie carrier, in all it's etched "vintage" (read: imperfect) glory.

I used some glass etching crap I found at Hobby Lobby, a foam brush, some faded recollections of projects past, a razor blade, and contact paper. I can't recall the original tutorial I followed to make some Christmas gifts last year but basically went like this: 

• Find perfect "S" design and print it. Big.
• Reprint smaller.
• Revise fancy design.
• Find new, more simple design.
• Don't give up! (This step is crucial!)
• Figure out how you'll need to cut and then adhere your design to the sticky side of the contact paper. I have no more advice than this as I cannot remember how my brain worked it out.
• Clean glass, according to etching bottle mfr's directions.
• Stick contact paper to glass.
• Very carefully and patiently, with your weapon, start cutting out the portion that you wanted "etched".
• Foam brush the creamy stuff onto the glass and follow packaging directions from there. 

Boom. (not an action, simply an exclamation)

Hopefully yours won't look as "vintage" as mine :)

& Although she loved it, the lid didn't make it to the end of the evening; I knew I should've put a rim of hot glue around it... oh well. Now she can use it as a fish bowl. Or penny collector. Or cork holder. Or she can begin to collect cat hair; I hear there are tons of crafts that call for cat hair!

Blue Deer and Hanging Things

I had a rad post written out. Pressed backspace and Google deleted it. So here.

Deer bookends that I snagged at Goodwill. I painted them blue so they're cool as shit now.

And a serving tray I scored a great deal on at Tuesday morning. I slapped it with some wallpaper, screwed in some cup hooks (after predrilling, mind you - bamboo is easily split.) and then hung my shit up after I organized it. Boom.

Thanks, Ashley at Mini Manor Blog for the rough idea. Cutlery Tray for Jewelry!

Have another!

Bethany Frankel, God love'r her sassy mouth, has done a super freaking fantastic job with her new line of adult beverages, SkinnyGirl Cocktails, and I'm always ready and willing to try any of her flavors of the week! I've had the pleasure of imbibing on the White Peach Margarita & regular Margarita mix, Cosmo mix, and three of her flavored vodkas:  Tangerine, Cucumber, and Coconut.

The mixes are a no-brainer. A delectable no-brainer! The flavored vodkas are pretty easy to get mixy with too, save for the cucumber.

We go back a few weeks to our vacation to Litchfield and I was facebooking while Q was in the grocery store. I saw a post from Skinnygirl regarding a Cucumber Mojito recipe. "I like mojitos" I thought. "And I'm right here by the liquor store, too..." I started to plan. "Here comes Q! I've got to fill him in on this!" I exclaimed to three confused little boys.

So I snagged the main ingredient I would need - the Cucumber flavored vodka - and forgot about one ingredient: the soda water. Here's her recipe:

"Skinnygirl Cucumber Mojito"
7 mint leaves
1 lime wedge
1.5 oz Skinnygirl Cucumber Vodka
3 oz soda water
Squeeze lime wedge into rocks glass, muddle lime wedge with mint leaves and vodka. Add ice. Top with soda water. Garnish with lime wedge.
* can add 1/2 tsp. agave nectar for sweetness


The house being full of (of-age) drinkers, I thought there'd be some soda water and didn't worry with it.

There wasn't. Only after I made my drink instead with tonic water did Q inform me that they are VERY different beverages. Womp womp.

My drink sucked dick. Not to mention I remembered almost instantly that I HATE cucumber. WTF was I thinking?! When I eat cucumber all I burp up for the next 17 days is the taste of damn cucumber; I try to stay away from it, and am pretty successful at it.

Anyways, I tried not to waste the bit of beverage that I did make and I can say with nearly complete lack of concern that I comitted a serious crime of alcohol abuse. It was just disgusting. The drink, that is, not my lack of reverence for the juice. So I poured it out for my homies and stuck to the White Peach margarita mix for the remainder of our travel.

Fast forward to this weekend when I wanted to revisit the cucumber nasty. Not the mojito recipe again, but just generally figure out what to pair the vodka with.

I found a bottle of Tropicana Trop50 Raspberry Lemonade and decided it would do. I had no idea what would happen.

I'm going to tell you now what happened. Not everyone believes in it, but refreshing, only a mild hint of cucumberish majic happened.  Maaaaajiiiiiic.

My Recipe:
I filled up a short glass 1/3 way with ice, poured one shot of Skinnygirl Cucumber Vodka over it and filled the empty space with the raspberry lemonade, a splash of lime, and sprig of mint.

LOVES IT.
Make it hap'n, cap'n.