Cinespia Photobooth

Cinespia photobooth: Clueless and La Dolce Vita

If I ever visit LA I am absolutely going to a Cinespia event. The group hosts screenings of iconic films at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. People bring blankets and picnics and watch movies from the lawn, and by itself, that would be cool enough to grab my attention. But Cinespia makes it even better by setting up a themed photobooth, elaborately decorated to match that evening's film, and I am completely obsessed with them.

Cinespia photobooth: Seven and Back to the Future

I mean, you thought funny hats and a mustache on a stick was cool, but have you ever been in a photobooth with a severed head in a box? I didn't think so. There are tons more pictures to browse on their facebook page. Check out booths from The Graduate, TRON, and The Craft, just to name a few. Plus a Breaking Bad album that actually has Aaron Paul in it!

Cinespia photobooth: Scream and The Dark Crystal

So now I need to visit LA and step up my photobooth game. If you're already in the area you can check the Cinespia page for a schedule of upcoming films, but you should probably just go ahead and go to them all.

Almond Cranberry Trail Mix Recipe

Am I the only person who eats everything out of a mug. Like everything. Trail mix, ice cream, gin & tonics...

Alternate title: Everything I Had In My Cabinet Trail Mix. Truthfully, this mix was just an attempt to use up odds and ends in a snack, but it turned out so well I've been making it for a month now. This trail mix is really well balanced with salty and sweet, crunchy and soft bits. Plus it has no grains or added sugar, if you care about things like that. And if you don't, well then it still just tastes really good.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw almonds
• 1 bag (about 7oz) of roasted and salted pepitas
• 8oz dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs (optional) 

 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir or dump them into a container and shake. And you're done. Really the above quantities are just an estimate. Obviously you can use more or less if you'd like, and add or subtract whatever you want (my boyfriend adds raw cashews). A note about the coconut: those flakes are really tiny and tend to settle on the bottom of the mix, so be sure you shake it well before eating.

Hey, Chicago people, don't forget to sign up for Etsy Craft Party 2014. Join me for a free night of fun and crafting!

Etsy Craft Party 2014: Chicago

RSVP here!

Hey crafty people, come join me on Friday June 6th for Etsy Craft Party 2014: Chicago! The event will be hosted by the good people at Neighborly and I'll be teaching you how to personalize your photos with embroidery. The event is free and attendees will leave with a supply kit to take home and spiff up your selfies. Space is limited so please be sure to RSVP on Eventbrite if you plan to join us. Come enjoy a night of creativity as you turn you pictures into works of art!

Church Rummage Sales

My haul: Two vintage Hillary hiking backpacks with aluminum frames, vintage Thermos, blue Pyrex casserole dish, glass canister, hand painted birch nesting boxes, walnut wood serving bowl, vintage flower frog

I love a good garage sale and regularly hit up Goodwills and second hand stores just for fun, but nothing ever compares to the treasures I find at church rummage sales. At first I thought it was just coincidence. But this weekend while I was scooping up everything you see in the photo above for a mere $16.75, I developed an entirely (un)scientific argument as to why church rummage sales are the pinnacle of thrifting.

1. Stock.

Most churches do rummage sales as a special event once a year. Members know it is coming and they start putting their items aside months in advance. Then on the day of the sale it all hits the floor at once. Thrift stores are open every day so they can be a little picked over, it is kind of like going to a store and trying to find something good on a clearance rack. But going to a church rummage sale is like hitting your favorite retailer the first day a new season starts. There is plenty of stock on the floor.

2. Variety.

At any given thrift store or rummage sale you'll find good stuff, and you'll find bad stuff. Face it, not everything people are selling is worth buying. But unlike garage sales, churches have lots of members who donated items to their sales. More people means there will be more of their good stuff to choose from.

A few bonus items I found in the side pocket of the hiking pack

3. Price.
Thrift and vintage stores can afford to be a little more conservative with their pricing. If you won't pay for it, they can wait for someone who will, they have the luxury of retail space and time. But not at a church rummage sale. Most of these events are 1-3 days, and everything they don't sell is something they will have to box up and deal with, so stuff is priced to move. For example, the one I went to this weekend ran for 5 hours. 2 hours before closing all the prices were slashed in half, 1 hour before closing you bought a bag and anything you could fit into it was yours.

4. Demographics.
This last one isn't a hard and fast rule, but I've noticed churches sometimes (though not always) tend to have a high concentration of older parishioners. This is great for rummage sales because these are the people who have real vintage goods, and that is definitely the stuff I'm looking for.

See? Nothing beats a good church rummage sale. Just make sure to get there early. Seriously.

Trend: Blue Nails

Sinful Colors in Savage (matte) + Gelous Nail Gel Topcoat

I'm not always the most stylish person. The other day a lady at DSW said "Can I ask you a fashion question?" and in my head I was like "I guess you can but it's your funeral." Still, despite my cluelessness, I think I might be participating in a spring trend. My boyfriend snapped this instagram Saturday at a coffee shop and a minute later our waitress came over with the exact same color on her fingers. Then a friend posted a picture of her blue nails on facebook. Then my cousin met me at the gym with fresh blue lacquer. Is this all just coincidence or are we experiencing some sort of mass subconscious post hypnotic suggestion? Either way, break out your turquoise if you'd like to help me keep this movement going!

You're a loner, Dot. A rebel.

My boyfriend's dog Dot isn't crazy about me. It isn't anything personal, she's just a slow warmer. I think if I were a dog I'd be the kind of dog that would gladly let you inside to rob the house as long as you scratched me behind the ears. I would be eager but completely untrustworthy. Dot is the opposite. She doesn't vie for your approval. If she were a human she be secure enough to not have a facebook page.

Dot is a mixture of a whippet and a mountain cur which means she looks like a little greyhound. Her small frame and large chest means she's in between sizes, and the sweater she wears to control her impressive amount of hair fits her in a way that makes her look like an elegant lady in a batwing sweater she bought from Ann Taylor. Oftentimes she seems wary or aloof. I can occasionally win her over with a treat (and I can always win her over with her leash), but even then she usually just sniffs me, more cautious than enthusiastic.

I don't think it is that she doesn't like me, I think it is just that she doesn't like anyone as much as she loves David. She's loyal and devoted. She's listens excitedly when he talks. She happily curls next to him on the couch. She misses him terribly when he leaves and I can definitely relate. Also, her adoption profile said she likes chickens and doesn't care for guns. The fact that we have all of that in common makes me optimistic about our relationship.

I'm not sure I'll ever totally win her over. Maybe after a few long summer walks she'll change her mind about me, but for now it is cool. She's a good dog, she's her own dog, and I can appreciate that. It makes me like her even more.

List of Links

1. There is a great discussion going on over at Fringe Association about yarn stashes. Love them or hate them? All I know is I can't stop staring at Karen Templer's cozy looking stash. That picture would look so great hanging over my couch. (Image via Fringe Association)

2. I can't wait to see the Christopher Wool exhibit at The Art Institute tomorrow. Typography is probably my favorite kind of art so I predict that I will unabashedly love this show. (Image via Art Institute of Chicago)

3. Speaking of art, if your walls need something new, I just read about Open Art Project on Curbly. The site has well designed posters you can download for free. Remember: switching up your art totally counts as spring cleaning. (Image via Open Art Project)

Swiss Cross Eggs and Egg Dying Tips

I'm not really very religious and I don't have any kids so the Easter bunny stopped visiting me long ago. But, when I was a child I also insisted on putting blue food coloring in my milk for an entire week, so you know I'm not missing a chance to dye an Easter egg.

There are lots of ways to decorate eggs. Entire pinterest boards of modern techniques. But really, I'm a purist. I want to actually eat the eggs so spraying them with chalkboard paint or boiling them in onion skins doesn't work for me. Anything that makes them toxic or skunky tasting is out. That leaves food coloring. Here are some tips for making great looking eggs from traditional dye. 

1. Forget the store bought dye.
The most important step. This is what separates the men from the boys. Remember those kits you got as a kid? Junk them. The range of colors were so limited and the results were wimpy. It is really easy to make your own egg dye with just food coloring. I got a Wilton gel multi-pack from a big box craft store and it has so many more colors, like teal, copper, and burgundy. Mix a few teaspoons of white vinegar with a cup or so of water then add the color. Seriously, add a lot of color. I like my eggs vibrant. Side note: this was my third year with these colors and they were sort of dried out. They still worked but they gave me a bit of a speckly result, which was still cool, but newer colors will turn out smoother.

2. Pick your vessels.
Obviously the easiest thing to dye eggs in is mason jars. First, because you know you have a million of them, you hipster. And secondly, because the clear glass lets you see your colors more easily. However, smaller things like prep bowls or yogurt cups can be a great way to dye only part of your egg. I laid the one above in a half filled 4oz jar and occasionally gave it a little turn to create a cool pattern.

Instagrams of Easter Eggs Past

3. Mix a lot of colors and prepare to be patient.
I usually mix about 10-15 cups of dyes. That might sound like overkill but it gives you the chance to be creative with colors and shades. I mean, you don't have to do that many, but just know you can if you want. To get a truly vibrant color you're going to need to let your eggs process for a long time. In fact, I always pick one egg at the beginning to soak the entire time in a separate cup. Seriously, I let it go for like an hour plus (jiggle it every so often to make sure it dyes evenly) and it turns out great. The super dark teal egg above went the distance last year and it was my favorite.

Left: With the sticker. Right: After dying.

4. Gather up your extras.
You can use extra things to make patterns on your eggs. Write on them with crayon before dipping for a relief dying effect. Wrap them with rubber bands for stripes. Or cut little vinyl shapes like we did, just make sure to keep your shapes small or they won't lay flat on your egg surface.Put them on before you dip your egg in the color, then peel the decal off and leave plain for a white shape, or dip again for a colored print.

 I really wanted a swiss cross Easter egg, so I cut a little plus sign decal. While I was trying to get the arms straight it hit me that a cricut cutter would be the best thing in the world for this, so if you own one, get to it.

5. Dry and store them.
This may seem trivial, but once you take your eggs out of the dye lay them on a paper towel to dry before putting them back in the carton. Otherwise dye from your wet egg will pool in the carton and totally ruin your beautiful work, which would be really annoying. And be sure to take eggs out of the dye with a spoon or dipper, unless you really like stained fingers.

6. Take lots of pictures. Devil and eat them.
These steps are probably the most important

And hey, my boyfriend made this color-themed playlist, so you don't have to dye your eggs in stoic silence anymore.

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Not Actually Dead

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My RSS reader said I am dead. Well, not me actually, but it said my blog was dead. "Dead feed" I believe was the phrase. What a gossip. 

I'm not dead, actually I've been taking milk baths, which are so freaking great I think they may be the literal opposite of death. This endless horror show of a winter left my skin feeling really gross, and then I read about milk baths. Basically milk contains lactic acid which is an alpha hydroxy that gently dissolves the protein glue that holds dead cells to your skin in a gross sounding but totally glamorous feeling process.

And the good news is they couldn't be easier, just pour some damn milk in your bath. I get whole milk and pour about half a gallon at a time into a bath of warm water. You don't want it to be hot because even though it feels great, hot water will dry your skin out. Some companies sell fancy milk bath soaks, but you don't need that. Just use the real stuff. I read somewhere that vegans can swap for coconut or almond milk but I am skeptical. Those won't have the lactic acid you want, so you'll basically just be soaking in coconut and or almonds (which may have its own benefits though, so make your own choices I guess).

So, to sum up:

• Things that are dead: the old blog
• Things that are alive: this new blog

Hopefully this one will stick.