Thrifty Finds

Some of my latest thrift store finds for the casa. My aim for decorating our apartment is to try not to make it too girly. What I kind of ended up with is retro masculine furniture with femine accessories.

The upper left picture is of a magazine holder and the two floral globe things are lamps, it was love at first sight! And then the chair on the bottom right will be recovered... eventually. I just thought it was cool and retro looking (not to mention, a total steal!).

I guess he's not as popular as I thought but my mom was an artist and I've always really liked him so this was kind of an impulse buy, I didn't even stop and think about it!

I found this awesome rolly cart at a goodwill for about 10 bucks! It is now the home to my diy "greenhouses".

I basically just bought some plastic rubbermaid bins, flipped them upside down and started growing seedlings in there. It works pretty good! The moisture stays in there well so I almost never have to water them and it keeps the pests (a.k.a. Eliza) out.

Here is a prime example, the little munchkin playing the "drums"

Well, it's a good thing plants don't have ears....

Mini Papasan Chair Cover

When Brandon moved in with me, he brought along this little red papasan chair.  

 I like and all but I didn't like the angry red fabric soo I decided to make a slipcover for it.  Here's the two fabrics I decided to use.  

It was pretty simple, I took off the pad part and layed it down on the fabric.

I did the best I could tracing it. The cushion had two sections, the seat part and then a part that went around it (see finished chair). I added an inch where the two fabrics would connect (for seam allowance) and then about 5"-6" around the edge.

I sewed the two parts together and then around the edge I made a casing about a 1/2" wide for elastic. Then I cut a piece of 1/4" elastic a little bit shorter than the circumference of the chair and slipped it in.

Here's the finished product, you can see what I mean about the two parts here.

It just slips over the top and wraps a little around the edge (as you can see in the picture below). 

Way better than the red, don't ya think? Unfortunately Eliza likes it too and uses it as a blanket... but that's ok! Hopefully she'll grow out of it...

 

Austin/SXSW

So I went to Austin, TX last weekend. Partly because it was spring break but also because of South by South West. It's a huge music festival that takes place all week long all over the city of Austin. And I'm talking about all over, there were bands everywhere you looked! In every bar, restaurant, streetcorner, and venue.

If you didn't already know, Brandon (the fiance) and I plan on moving to Austin as soon as we can get on our own two feet. We love everything about it, not to mention most of our friends live there now too. It's like a culture shock everytime I go, I always come back rejuvinated and inspired. I've stepped into this world of blogging, and Etsy, and crafting but can only live it through the internet because there's not a whole lot of it around here. I feel like I fit in when I'm in Austin and I can't really describe it other than Austin is more my "taste" than Houston. Don't get me wrong, Houston will always be my home but I gotta step out of the nest sometime!

Anyhow, I visited a lot of cute vintage stores while I was there...

And listened to some great music, this guy included.

Brandon and my brother

and my discolored moccasins...

Last but not least, one of the highlights of my weekend: The Knitted Wonderland!

"...led by textile artist Magda Sayeg, the trunks of all 99 trees in between the museum’s Michener and Smith buildings have been covered with colorful yarn, crafted by over 170 local volunteer knitters. In a community effort reminiscent of American quilting bees, Sayeg’s intervention with the space will transform visitor’s experience of the natural landscape. The work also responds to pieces in the museum’s current exhibition, Recovering Beauty, which focuses on the use of crafts and a return to beauty, color, and playfulness... "

- UT Blanton Museum of Art

Is this cool or what? 

 

Vermicomposting!

 

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The next step in my "zero waste" project is composting my organic waste using worms to speed up the process (ie. vermicomposting)! I've always kind of wanted a worm farm so this is fun for me. I've been trying to grow a garden too so this is a win-win situation! Also one of the major factors for me was that it doesn't produce any offensive odors. These little guys eat up all the waste and turn it into fertilizer for my poor plants!

It's a pretty simple process, this is what I've done so far.

 I bought a bin like the one below from wal-mart for about $5. Make sure it's not see through though, the worms don't like sunlight. And you drill holes in the top and sides for aeration (worms gotta breath too!).

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Then fill it with bedding. This can be ripped up cardboard, newspaper, papertowels, or brown leaves. Be careful about the paper you use, some colored inks can be toxic. I learned this the hard way! Then moisten the bedding, you want it to feel like a wrought out sponge. Next add some coffee grounds or a scoop of dirt for grit (worms need it to help them digest).

Next, add worms! You can either use red worms or european nightcrawlers. How much you should buy depends on how much waste you produce. I bought 24 at Petsmart for $4.99 because I was really eager the day after I researched this but that is not nearly enough for us. And last night I just bought a pound from Hall's Wormery for $29.50 so they should arrive any day now!

I've let my worms kind of adjust to their new home for a few days before I add a ton of food/waste but after that you can start feeding those puppies! Start little in the beginning and as they adjust and reproduce, you can feed them more and more! Here's a list of stuff you can compost:

Fruits and vegetable scraps

Stale bread

Egg shells

Coffee Grounds

Lint

Aged manures

Shredded newspaper

Used papertowels

Tea bags

Cardboard

Avoid:

Dairy

Meats,

Oily things

Non-biodegradable substances

Harsh chemicals

I'm pretty excited about this and hope it works out! Here's a great website to read up on if you're interested in starting one too! Red Worm Composting.

Going No Poo!

 

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The first step in my "going green" is going "no poo"! I've quit using store bought shampoo and conditioner for three reasons. 1. It's bad for your body. It has toxins in it that are just not good and shampoo strips your hair and makes it more oily which in turn makes you use more and waste more money. Did you know your body produces oils that naturally condition your hair? 2. It's cheaper to make your own. 3. Making your own decreases your waste of all those shampoo/conditioner bottles.  I've done a lot of research and this is what I'm trying out right now. I'm not an expert, so you should do your own research and see what will work best for you and your body. Shampoo/Cleansing product:

• 1-2 tbs of baking powder
• Glass full of water

I put this into an old shampoo bottle and just squirt it on. It's a little hard to tell where it's going because it doesn't sud but it does make your hair feel squeeky clean.  Conditioner:

• 1-2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 2-3 tbs honey
• glass full of water
• I haven't yet but I plan to add some vanilla to experiment with smell

I am currently using a squirt bottle that I got from Sally's beauty store and just squirt this solution in my hair. Make sure you keep this out of yours eyes because I hear that it can burn. Apple cider vinegar is supposedly less harsh and won't smell as bad as regular vinegar but I didn't smell it at all during the shower. And if you rinse properly, it shouldn't smell when it dries anyways. This makes your hair feel nice and smooth, like conditioner!   Results:  I know it's going to take a little bit for my body to get used to this but I already love how clean my hair feels. It doesn't feel like there's any residue at all, it is a little oily right now but that's expected. The best part is that my just looks awesome, it's wavy and looks so rich without looking weighed down or oily. This "no poo" process should restore balance to your hair and eventually you'll only have to wash your hair every like 10 days! Your natural oils will keep your hair nice and pretty the way it's supposed to. Plus you're going to save money and be eco-friendly!  I'll share my next "going green" step in the next post. I'll give you a hint! It involves worms... hehe. Till next time! 

Change is in the air!

Over at the Batzy Rockshop blog, I stumbled upon this video that was incredibly inspiring and may change the way I live forever! It's about a family who lives a "Zero Waste" lifestyle which means reducing, reusing, and recycling to the point where they have no waste. I've always kind of been one to worry about the earth and trying to recycle as much as I can but I think this kind of gave me the extra push! 

Second Act: Johnson Family
I hope this inspires as many people as it did me. I'll be sharing the changes I've made since seeing this in the next post! What do you think about zero waste? 

Hello, hello. Come peek into my apartment!

Phew!

Who knew moving was so exhausting! The apartment is not quite finished yet but hopefully in the next week or so it will be in picture-taking shape! But we are finally moved in and are enjoying our freedom! Here are a some pictures of a few of my favorite things.

My mom found this vintage lamp and stuck a target shade on it, perfect!

There was no overhead lighting in the living room so I had to come up with a different solution. I love the magical feel these lights give to the place. 

 I finally have a place to put my thrift store finds where they can be fully appreciated!

Coffee and sugar? And hoola guy? Yes please!

And look who I found hiding in the pots?!