Waste Not

We throw away so much food!  I've started reducing my food waste by collecting all the semi useful parts, and making it into veggie broth.  Works very well, and I'm hoping that I never have to buy broth again!

I have a large ziploc bag hanging out in my freezer.  I put in carrot tops, tomato tops, green onion tops, citrus peels, garlic tops, celery tops, pepper innards...basically anything that has nutritional, tasty bits that aren't really good for eating/recipes.

This weekend, I boiled the whole collection for 30 minutes or so...  until I cooked the color out basically.  Then I strained the whole mess, and put the broth in a pitcher.

All ready to use in recipes and all kinds of deliciousness!

Shake it- Tropical & Well Rounded

I got the much talked about nutri bullet for x-mas, and I must say, I'm loving it!  It's a great quick fix for small portions.  I live on my own, so personal sized is ideal for me.

It's also the perfect solution to my skipping breakfast habit.  I also love it for those times when I'm sort of hungry, but want something super light & healthy (like after a night of drinking and/or far too many fried foods).

I'm buying more fruits and vegetables, and finding it very easy to make deliciously healthy shakes :)

This is my favorite so far!  Not exactly a recipe, more a suggested combo:

• Pineapple (lots & lots- it's nice and sweet, plus anti-inflamatory)
• Spinach (always a must have- turns shakes green & healthier, while not really impacting flavor)
• Lime (whole if you have it... or just the juice)
• Carrots (any color, I used orange.  Yum! Vitamin A)
• Ginger (more anti-inflamatory goodness)
• Cashews (good fats, and protein)

Excellente!!!

Crayon Abstract Art

For Christmas I made my dad a piece of abstract art from melted crayons.  It was awesomely fun to make; a great combination of random lack of control, and color manipulation.  My very favorite arts and crafts are ones that test my flexibility and willingness to go with the flow.

I made my abstract art by painting a canvas with acrylic paint, taping crayons to the top (point down), and heating them to dripping with a heat gun (according to many examples on pinterest a hair dryer will also work!)

DIY drawer organizer- with TP

The cardboard out of my toilet paper tubes calls out to me, "use me in a craft."  So I comply sticking them in a drawer with lots of other items that *should* be trashed or taken out with the recycling.

Then it came to me -like a flash. An answer to my messy drawers AND my hoarding habit.  Recycled drawer organizer!!

Make your own!  You will need:

• Cardboard TP innards (which should have gone out with your recycling...go get them from your hall, nobody's watching)

• A beautiful color of spray paint

• Glue (Elmers, glue gun)

• Scissors (I used regular and serrated)

• Felt (I used a felted goodwill sweater)

My organizer is for my makeup drawer in my bathroom, so I cut my pieces of TP tube about 3 inches tall.  The height of yours depends on what you are organizing and your drawer.  Go ahead and cut all your pieces.  I made one side of each piece serrated and the other flat (flat side goes on the base)

I made 2 organizers, one with squares, one with circles.

Square Organizer, with 3 sizes:

To make the small squares, pinch the piece of tube together to create a 2 points, match up the points & pinch to make a square.

For the large size, cut the piece of tube long ways, bring the sides to meet, and flatten. (so you have one long side & 2 smaller tabs)  Do the same thing again with another tube.  Glue the small tabs together to make a larger square or use them for the small rectangles.

Place your squares in a pleasing design, then glue all of the squares together with whatever glue you have on hand (elmers works well)

Circle Organizer:

Fold 2 of the circle pieces into hexagons (fold in half, unfold, then fold in half again, unfold, then in half again).  Glue the hexagons together, and glue the circles around them.


For Both Organizers:

Place structure over felt & trace with a pin.  Cut out the felt piece.

Spray paint cardboard tube design, inside and out.  When it dries, glue cardboard to the felt with a glue gun.

AND YOU'RE DONE!!!  Now time to organize!

Moss Garden DIY

This weekend I made a little moss garden.  The best thing about it is it was it was TOTALLY free!  I used rocks from my driveway, and moss and other plants that I found in the woods around my house.

First, I put rocks in the bottom for drainage.

Then, I covered it with potting soil and put in my various finds.  I made sure to cover the entire surface with moss.











It's amazing how many beautiful types of moss there are.  I was only able to include a small selection of the many types that I found.

Since moss is found in damp conditions,  I've been spraying the mini garden with water twice a day.  The plants still look happy.

Now I have my own little forest living in my apartment!