Wore My Boyfriend's Shirt on My Birthday

My birthday was on July 1. I went home to WI for the weekend and spent time with my family and friends; cured that homesickness that always sets in - That in itself is a gift, but I also bought myself a little upcycled something-something, of course!

I wrote about my "me present" for Soul Flower, (since it's from Soul Flower) but it's thrift fashion at its best, so I wanted to share it here with all of you. I really, really like like this top! You can find this blog on their Facebook page (where more people are replying, especially if you want to join the Birthday convo) OR simply...

Click HERE to READ: Wore My Boyfriend's Shirt on My Birthday :)

Those cute white earrings were also thrifted for 40 cents! And I've been wearing them all week with pretty much everything! See, I even wore them on the Fourth of July!

Hope you've all been enjoying your thrifty summer finds as much as I have! Any item you've found lately that you just can't stop wearing?

Tofu Taste Tester

Nectarine 4 Dessert

I'm not a vegetarian. I sometimes wish I had the strength to be one, but I just love meat too dang much. So instead, I try to have a meatless day or two each week. Some weeks I'm better at this than others.  My reasons for doing so are simply:  I know it's healthy, I like to get nutritional value from what I put into my body, I feel good on the days I don't eat meat ( I'm less likely to get a tummy ache or feel overly full), I know it's the eco thing to do and, lastly, fruits and veggies taste better than most of the other junk out there. Back 'round New Year, Thrift Core had us come up with three resolutions, and although that's normally not my thing, I went for it. One of the things on my list was to buy more local, organic food, and with The Wedge Natural Food Co-op and several Farmer's Markets nearby, doing so hasn't been too difficult, and the food seriously tastes soooo much better! Reminds me, learning to sew was on my resolution list, too, but I haven't gotten on that, yet - I'm thinking around fall time I'll calm down enough to sit still and learn something useful. I got to. It's on the list!

VIA

But I'm sidetracking.....vegetarian....right. So, my Soul Flower boss, Peggy, is a vegetarian, and I told her that I had tofu for my first time in a soup at a local Thai restaurant. I was surprised to find, I like it - Never imagined I would, it's always looked like an icky, dirty sponge to me (a scrumptious dirty sponge, now). Peggy then told me that she loves deep fried tofu, and even though that kind of ruins the healthy side of it all, sometimes being slightly smart and a little naughty is what a good life is all about. Which is why I went home and deep fried me some tofu, and I was pleasantly surprised to find, I like that too. Peggy was right, it does taste gooood.

I still had leftover tofu which I had intended to put into this amazing Thai Tofu Noodle with Lemongrass Soup I stumbled upon, but I never took the time to go shopping for the rest of the ingredients. Instead, I pan cooked the leftover tofu in olive oil and soy sauce, tossed it into a veggie stir fry and topped off some teriyaki sesame noodles - Which once again was YUM.

The night I deep fried my tofu, all I did was pat the tofu dry and then tossed it into a mix of pepper & flour before frying it up in some olive oil. Then I threw it inside of some romaine leaves, with cucumber, red pepper, and some delicious tezatziki sauce, and that was that. My first time buying and cooking up tofu was a success, and I'm still excited to make that Lemongrass soup sometime soon, it just sounds amazing to me!

Do you like tofu? What's your favorite tofu recipe? I'd like to try out some more delicious, new and healthy meals. :)

Still Alive & Writing

A lot of changes have been taking place the last couple weeks, so I haven't had much time to write here. I miss all you bloggers out there, and will be back reading, commenting and sharing as soon as I get all settled. I haven't completely stopped blogging though, one of my latest life changes is a new job at Soul Flower. I'm their Creative Writer (Copywriter) and will be working on their product descriptions, social media, blogging, etc. It's pretty exciting because I absolutely love their eco-friendly clothing! Matching my work life with my eco interests and creative passions is AMAZING! These first few weeks have actually felt somewhat surreal.

Well, today I did my very first blog post for them, about what Penny Lane and Richard Hammond from Almost Famous would buy if they shopped Soul Flower. I really do love Kate Hudson's style and was so excited to put this blog together. Every now and then I'll share some of my other work and you can check it out if you like! Blog link:

Almost Famous: Soul-Flower Style

This post received a great response on their FB wall! Worth checking that out and answering, "If you could snag the wardrobe of any movie character, whose would it be?" Click HERE if you wanna answer!

...I can't believe I get to call this "work." Soul Flower rocks! More than I imagined.
Before I landed this job, I did an unpaid post on their eco-friendly fashions, you can check that out if you want to oogle some sweet, environmentally friendly clothes:

Sustainable Fashion: Soul-Flower

I'll be back on track with Charmstruck super soon! You haven't ridded of me, yet! ;)

Love & Happiness
Jacqueline

Sustainable Fashion: Soul-Flower

I've discovered an eco-friendly online boutique based out of Saint Paul, Minnesota that has some unique, funky-fun pieces. It's called Soul-Flower, and they offer eco-fashions for men, women and children.  If thrifting secondhand goods isn't quite your thing, but you still want to aide in the Earth's sustainability, organic and hemp clothing are the way to go -- they're very easy-going on the environment. If you're looking for some new clothes with bohemian flair, (minus the materialistic guilt), Soul-Flower is the online shop for you. 

Here are a few of my favorites (All photos below are via Soul-Flower):

 Closer Look

Without a number one hit on the radio or their hooters in a centerfold, owls have achieved a legendary level of fame. Impressively enough, they've won us with their wide-eyed wisdom alone, soaring over geekdom and straight onto popularity! If this adorable owl tank dress couldn't make me cool, nothing ever will. ;)

But the one I really dig is this Raine Tie Dye Hemp Dress. I practically live in dresses in the summertime because I like staying cool and hate having fabric cling to me -- I look at this dress and I immediately feel that cool, summer evening breeze.  I love the loose, flowy feel and, as we all know, I have a hard time passing by those soulful blues.

Take a Hike & Hunter S. T-shirts

Beyond having great looks for the ladies, Soul-Flower has a ton of really cool men's organic tees.

This Vibrate Buddha Tee is especially unique and eye-catching. The vibration effect is caused by closely paired double lines, a visual trick that is sure to be a conversation starter! Another plus side, beyond being awesomely fashionable, is that these organic T-shirts are incredibly soft and comfortable!

Hemp clothing, such as these stylish pants, is a smart, eco-friendly fabric choice. Hemp uses less resources such as land and water, and unlike many other plants, hemp actually revitalizes the soil as it grows.  It's also insanely durable, and is known to have three times the strength of cotton fibers!  And, did you know, hemp is UV and mold resistant? Yeah, it's a pretty versatile, benifical and amazing plant!  The environmental benefits of hemp go far beyond what I've listed above...if I get into it all now, this blog post would never end!

Which is why the products Soul-Flower has to offer are well worth our pretty pennies! So even if buying secondhand isn't quite your thing, there are other environmentally beneficial ways to shop and stay sensibly fashionable.

On that note, I leave you with one last piece of eye-candy:

 

This artsy Ski Girl Skirt is on sale! And these recycled wood earrings in teal (only $12.99) are absolutely stunning! They pair well together, which makes it all the more tempting, don't you think?

"Cool threads for kind heads" is Soul-Flower's signature tagline, which is perfectly suiting; if you want your fashion sense to match your sensibility I do believe this is the online shop for you.

I definitely dig it!

Unveiling the Valentine

I feel guilty admitting it, but I've had more of a Valentine's Month.  I'm spoiled and I know it. I acknowledge it, and I appreciate it in ways I can't even explain.  My Valentine's Month started in a grocery store parking lot when Johnathan came to the car holding a bouquet of vibrant flowers for me -- no real reason. The first week of February holds no valid significance within our relationship, he just wanted to make me smile, I guess, and it worked.

Well, my flowers died quickly (as flowers tend to do) and I kept postponing their inevitable toss out.  Johnathan even brought it up,  informing me that they were dead and that I should throw them out.  I frowned. I will. Not yet. I know they're limp; they've wilted; they're brown. I just hate the end of a pretty bouquet.

The memory of that bouquet was quickly replaced, though. Two days later, during the second week of February, I received another unexpected bouquet of flowers.  This time they were intoxicating, fragrant Lilies.  I awoke to them, along with a raspberry jelly donut that I had been (verbally) craving for weeks! Johnathan had already left for work and missed my crazed reaction; I was thrilled!

One -- I got my donut! Two -- I have never, ever received flowers two weeks in a row! I wouldn't even fathom it as a possibility!  I just felt...adored.

                                                          

     I am so very lucky.

 I would never ask for these things. I'm not that kind of girl.  If he didn't do these sweet gestures I wouldn't doubt his love; I know he loves me.  Weeks of fading flowers isn't what proves love to me, it's the weeks of unfailing friendship and dedication that does.

The jelly donut on the other hand...I need that. To survive. If it weren't for donuts we probably would have dumped each other a looooong time ago. If you're disappointed in me, I must ask, did you see the photo above!?! ;)

 Don't worry, I don't just take-take-take.  I try my best to be what he deserves too.

As I said in the Can't Buy Me Love post, I don't believe in buying love cards.  Love shouldn't be proclaimed by a Hallmark harper, it should be proclaimed by thee lover. Making your own card also opens up recycling options! Instead of wasting, you're reusing.

So today I'll unveil this years homemade Valentine for Johnathan -- I promised I would!

To accomplish this I cut colorful schnibblets from a local newspaper I had on hand. As I cut them, I kept them in organized color piles so that it wouldn't take too long piecing my seahorse together.  I then drew the seahorse by hand, as you can see I somewhat diverged from my original drawing as I got gluing.  I also made sure to place a few newspaper words within my seahorse, such as "Valentine" and "Love You Easy."

Creating is about getting creative -- there are no rules!

It turned out to be a pretty crazy looking Valentine!  Best part is that this seahorse is an inside joke between Johnathan and I.  As I've said before, linking the crafts you make to the things that hold meaning will always turn out a great success; it's simply more touching and meaningful.  This Valentine took me longer than I thought it would, but it was totally worth it!

The tissue is holding a Lucky Bamboo plant I bought John for his desk...future post! :) And yes, I used my bouquet paper for wrapping gifts. It's pretty!

Did you make a Valentine this year? Perhaps you received a handmade card?  If so, I'd love to see it! Feel free to share a link to your Valentine in the comments section! I always enjoy hearing from you!

Never Underestimate an Upcycle

These days it seems we can't simply renew an item, we need to make it glitter and gloat "crafty" or it isn't worth our time. Yet retail stores are selling simple, solid colors by the millions; they never forget, solid shades are timeless. So what if simple doesn't emulate the I-spent-time-on-this craft mentality.  It's still a valuable undertaking. 

I do believe more of us are performing easy upcycles, we just aren't sharing them because they're not glittery to gaze upon.  Well, I don't have that fear. I'm going to make you look at my underestimated thrift projects, because they're impressive (to me). 

Underestimated Upcylce Numero Uno: Johnathan wanted a wall rack for his sweatshirts.

His chair wasn't cutting it anymore. It had lost its chair-ness.

So we went to the thrift store and bought one for a $1.99.  Except it had been crafted on before, and didn't quite suite Johnathan's style.

This pic makes the paint job appear far better than it was. Trust me.

Johnathan's timeless shade choice is black. So we needed to make a few crafty, quick changes   Luckily we had everything we needed right at home: *Sandpaper *Primer *Black Spray Paint and  *Screws,  which were kindly packaged and taped to the back of this donated wall rack. 

I sat down and sanded off the raised paint and small chips. Then we went outside and sprayed the rack with primer.

Once the primer dried, we took the rack back outside and spray painted it a stylish black.  We left the screws yellow for a small dash of color...

And voila! No more sweatshirts piled all sloppy on a chair.  

 

We accomplished a craft of organization. 

Sometimes easy does it, which is why we should never underestimate an upcycle.  Besides, most of these racks sell anywhere from $15.00 - $60.00--

upcycling an item will feel like a steal.  

Upcycle Star for Me!

Thrifting and upcycling aid the Earth's sustainability as well as our wallets.  

Win - Win! 

TRIPLE win here (we're cleaner than we were yesterday)!

Green Fairytale of Renewable Energy

I had never seen a fairytale dealing with renewable energy, until I stumbled upon Chris Buzelli's artwork. The art below is for a German Entega calendar, not an actual children's book, but it is stunning all the same. I am unable to read the German tales that accompany each calendar page, yet the vivid artwork tells the story with talent. See for yourself:

"Picnik Show"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

This energy company definitely knows how to put an ecological calendar together!  Beautiful, thought-provoking work.  Also impressed that the artist, Buzelli, only had a narrow window of time to complete these works; such talent!

Hope you all have a colorful, wonderful weekend!

Discover Bush Hippie Art

Sometimes art can momentarily misplace us, stop us in our tracks, and remind us of the epic tale that is beauty. However, Bush Hippie Art places us precisely on the trail we were meant to trek, tempts us to wander deep into the wooded world, and reminds us of the stunning nature far too many have forgotten.

Dina Sharapata Rosbeck’s Bush Hippie Art:

"Burton"

"Sly in the Woods"

“I honor Mother Earth and Father Sky by being a green business and take pride in reducing my carbon imprint by repurposing wood, canvas, pape, frames, paint and other supplies.” – Dina Sharapata Rosbeck

"The Duel"

"The Protector"

“Who’s the Hippie? Well, not really a Hippie. Bush Hippie is a fun name a friend of mine coined for those who are one with the woods (the bush).¬ Bush Hippie activities may include hiking on the trail, enjoying camp fires, kayaking and canoeing the lake, self-sustainable living, eating local, smelling the fresh air, recycling, or milling around the wilderness in your Vibram five-fingers.” – Dina Sharapata Rosbeck

"Rocky Mountain High"

Dina is a Wisconsin artist & photographer, if you are interested in any of the above works, prints are available. She also takes on commissioned pieces.  To contact Dina or view more of her artwork, please visit Bush Hippie’s Facebook page.

My personal fave: "Battle Cry"

Support our artists, our crafters and always our locals; talent is a gift deserving of acknowledgement and success.

Dry Hands? Olive Oil. Capisci?

I'm going to sound like a strange, little Italian girl when I tell you this, but when my hands start getting real dry, it isn’t lotion I reach for—it’s olive oil.   You’ll be amazed at the quick healing powers olive oil can have on elephant-like dry skin; it’s really an all-natural miracle worker, and most every kitchen has it. If your kitchen doesn’t have EVOO, ooh, you should get some! Rachel Ray would back me on this— extra virgin olive oil can perfect many a dish to delicious while keeping it healthy.  Moreover, this one ingredient will make your skin equally healthy when used as a mini-spa treatment.

To accomplish this, simply put a small amount of olive oil in a bowl and heat it for a few seconds until it is comfortably warm. Now, rub your hands with that relaxing warm olive oil and let them marinate a bit. While you wait, I suggest you massage your palms and fingers for a few minutes to fully benefit from the soothing, tension relieving warmth. Once you’re thoroughly relaxed, rinse off with water and bellisimo! You will notice a difference immediately.

And I mean the softness… not that you smell like a pasta dish; which you will.

Just wait a little longer before you suds your hands back to feminine flowers because, ironically, the longer you let your hands smell like a classic Italian mama, the better they transform into an Italian bombshell’s dainty digits; modeling diamond rings for the rich. Simply treat your hands like you just polished your nails and don’t touch anything for the eternity of five minutes — speaking of nails, this olive oil treatment has made mine much stronger and healthier (retail lotion has never accomplished this for me).

Seriously, Italian mamas and pasta dishes aside: olive oil will heal your skin!

Besides, I’m sure you’ve noticed the overwhelming amount of skin products boasting olive oil, that’s because olive oil does the trick! You don’t need that chemical mixture with a dash of olive oil; you just need the olive oil! A dab will do, and if you're in a rush you don't even have to heat it. Try it if you don’t believe me; try it if you do. Either way, your hands are gonna be as smooooth as a cooked linguine, baby.

Capisci?

Fake's Called Fake for a Reason

This morning, The Clean Bin Project was debating whether to get a fake Christmas tree or a real one.  This is a tricky question when you’re trying to answer it from an eco-friendly point of view.  On one side, we imagine that a fake tree, being used more than once, would be best. On the other, we acknowledge the real tree as being natural and fresh.  I pondered this fake vs. real last month, and my guess was that a fake tree was the smarter choice.

I was wrong! 

After doing a bit of research I quickly learned that fake trees are not the best choice to make. Here is why:

1) A real tree is recyclable and can be turned into mulch after the holidays; whereas, a fake tree cannot be recycled and will never (and I mean never) biodegrade. So, no matter how many years your family puts a fake tree to use, it will inevitably only add to the landfill heap.

2) Real trees are natural. Fake trees are made with PVC plastic, and in order to make PVC plastic, petroleum is needed, which is non-renewable and carbon emitting. In small words-- it’s no good.


3) To get your real tree you may drive a couple miles using dreaded carbon emissions, but there are worse things. Take for example, that fake tree; it has been made in China and took quite the long haul to get to America-- I'm betting that’s much worse. 

Now, there are fake Christmas trees in thrift stores all the time, which is someone's best attempt at recycling that tree. View fake thrift trees as trying to atone for what they’re made of.  If you adopt a fake thrift tree you’re only helping decrease garbage. Just be aware that there is lead in fake trees, so if you have little ones try and be sure they don’t go biting on the Christmas tree (sounds ridiculous, but we’re talking about children here)!

From an eco-standpoint, I kept thinking how horrible it is to cut down a beautiful, air-cleaning pine tree just so we can celebrate; but I do believe in celebrating, and the Christmas tree is too symbolic to just wipe it out of the festivities. It brings families together, gathers us all in one room and even gets us to sit in one spot simply talking, reminiscing and laughing. So while extreme eco-ists likely say, “No tree!” I can’t. I believe in eco-friendly living while balancing it with living a happy life. Christmas time is a happy time, and in my best memories there is a tree.

If you’d like to avoid using a chopped tree, I’ve seen small potted pines that would be great, especially for green-thumbs or people with a smaller apartment.  To have a small pine indoors year-round may not be your thing, but if you have a yard, simply keeping it outside and bringing it inside for the holidays would work well.  Decorating a tree you’ve been caring for each year will only add to the holiday’s warm, sentimental feelings, I’m sure.

 If you do have a fake tree, it’s all okay. Just use it for as many years as possible and instead of throwing it out, donate it. I only wanted to share this information because I was clueless and found it useful to know. Hopefully, it will help guide others' future tree choices.

Fake tree’s almost had me tricked, but I suppose they are called “fake” for a reason. Maybe, someday, we’ll all celebrate around a large, outdoor pine that’s all decorated and bedangled, like the Who's happy ending. Not a bad image, don’t ya think?