Showing posts with label WebWed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WebWed. Show all posts

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Wed... Thursday?

I know, I am late. But I spent the better part of today thinking it was Tuesday. I'm not sure how I lose days like that, but it happens. Forgive me?

This will be just a quickie:

100 Days of Real Food

I'm not ready for one week, let alone 100 days, but it's definitely something to think about. I don't think I could give up cupcakes. Or cookies. Or chocolate...

However, she provides recipes, eating real food on a budget, even a list of healthier snacks for school!

Go have a look and tell me what you think. Is this something you could do? Are you already doing it? Does it scare you to death?

Thoughts.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Web Wed - The Only Hacks You'll Ever Enjoy: Seriously

I have been waiting so patiently for this product to come in the mail. When I found their site and read all about this stuff, I got really excited. When Jane, one of the creators of said product told her assistant to send me some from her desk, I was ecstatic. (Yes, I get excited about a ton of things. But I have the mind of a three-year old. Mkay?)
It came in the mail yesterday and hot dang was I happy.

The "stuff" is called Sugru and it is AMAZING.

First of all, this has been 5 years in the making.
Second of all, this is the new formula making it even better now that it was before.

Continue.
Sugru is silicone, but like modeling clay when you first get it out of the package. You can mold it to any shape onto almost any product. It adheres and can form a strong bond to glass, aluminum, steel, plastic, and so many other materials. It cures at room temperature to a tough flexible silicone overnight using moisture from the air.
Sugru is resistant from -76°F all the way to 356°F. It gets hot and/or cold, but won't get softer, harder, or melt.
Because Sugru is silicone, it is totally waterproof. You can wash it with soap and water, and even get it in sea water.
When it cures it is flexible so you can use it on things that need to move. Some good examples shown on the site are cables, shoes, and textiles.

Get this: once cured, Sugru can go in the washing machine or dishwasher.
As a mom, that is a good thing.
Have you ever seen The Incredibles? Remember Edna Mode?
"And machine washable, darling. That's a new feature." We're always looking for things to make our lives easier, right?

Below are just a couple of things I can use Sugru on, but on the site, there is a whole gallery dedicated to pictures Sugru users have sent in. Things they've hacked to rescueimprove, personalize, or just save money. On one of the hacks, I even saw someone had rubbed metallic eyeshadow into the Sugru before it cured. See it here.

I have quite a few things that need hacking, but I'll just show you my two Xbox 360 controllers. My husband likes to chew on things and he passed that horrible trait to my 2 year-old. Case in point:
The first one is so much worse than the second one. And since hubs and I are avid HALO / Call of Duty players, this is a problem. The rough texture bugs me more than the fact that she chewed on them.
Supplies - toy was for texture, but I didn't end up using it... today....
So I whip out my orange Sugru and wha-blamo! (+10 points for awesome sound effects) Looks and feels much better.

It will be easier to remember which one has the AA batteries inside and which one has the rechargeable battery pack.

Sugru comes in orange, green, blue, black, and white. Mine came with a handy little chart that shows how to make new colors (just in case you missed art class in high school.)

Sugru hacks remind me of my cousin Karl. He is awesome at problem solving. When I was younger, he was always finding new and innovative ways to fix/create/awesome-ify everything. He invented this:
Yes, that's me. Behind me is the uber cool Hum-Yota. Spray-painted olive drab.
What: It's a cannon made of a fire extinguisher, a handle from an old fire hose, and pipe. If a potato gun and a tank got busy, this would be their offspring.
Why: Karl is a wildlife firefighter. His crew needed a way to start fires safely.
How: Stick the flare inside and pull the handle. The flare shoots to the site, ignites, and starts the fire while the crew watches safely from a distance.

Sugru was invented for guys like Karl, and hopefully, girls like me. I'll have to send him some and see what he comes up with.

Back in March, Sugru makers found out Sugru was being used on ALL 7 continents. (+5 points if you can name them all) I thought that was pretty awesome. Can you imagine how it would feel to invent something people all over the world could and would use?

Definitely go and check out the colors. I love this stuff and I can't wait to get it in every color.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Web Wed

I just finished reading 4+ years worth of blog posts from one author. Slight warning, this may or may not be another Halloweenish sort of post. (In my defense, Halloween is only 81 days away...) The blog featured today is so fun when it comes to ideas for Halloween.

Technically, it is "dedicated to goth beauty, decor, and accessories. This blog will be devoted to projects, news, and suggestions for adding a little darkness to your life."

But to me, it's just an AMAZING resource for all that is Halloween. I'm not into the Ouija boards or tarot cards, but her decor and ideas and her fun Etsy finds... I'm in love with. So. Much.

It is: 
(Lightning streaks through the clouds. Seconds later, thunder rumbles your entire apartment. Lights flicker.)

This link takes you to her blog while the one above takes you to her store.

Some favorite things about The Art of Darkness:

She randomly posts Link Dumps. It's just a list of links with short descriptions. The lists always have at least one treasure in them. Etsy stores, awesome prints, etc.

She also features Seen Online once in a while. Just comments or tweets that are ridiculously funny and/or thought-provoking.

Some Tuesdays are Trivia Tuesdays. "No prizes, but if you can answer them all without googling you get bragging rights." The questions cover just about everything, from horror films to actors, fossils discovered to weird facts, and novels to short stories.

You have to see this.

Tutorial for tile coasters.

She also runs HalloWeddings.com (see why here.)


Like I said at the beginning, I went through and read every post. It took me about a week, but I'm lucky and get to pump for many hours throughout the day. And while I pump, I read books. And when I'm not reading books, I read blogs.
If you're into Halloween, this one is definitely worth checking out.

And I promise, my next post won't be Halloween-related.
Maybe...
{:

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Web Wed with Lovable Labels and a GIVEAWAY!

This week for Website Wednesday, I'm featuring a great site with products that are cute AND ever-so helpful.

Lovable Labels was kind enough to send some of their Wire Tags for me to try. Let me tell you, these are heaven-sent in my apartment. We have sooo many cords in several rooms, and it Just. Gets. Annoying. And cluttered. 

When I go to plug in my phone charger, I usually end up unplugging two different lamps and the laptop before I figure out which cord goes to what.

The jungle that is behind my television in our living room...

But I don't have to deal with that anymore because look at this: 
 And this:
 And this too:

Much more lovely, right?
The tags come in bright colors so they're easy to read. There were 12 sheets, each with 10 tags. There were some for home, some for office, some for connection cables, and some for power cables. They were labeled specifically (as you can see above) but they also left some blank for me to fill in myself. (Sewing machine, flat iron, electric chair, etc.) {: 

And these tags aren't just flimsy paper. They're durable and they do NOT tear easily. As soon as I finished putting a few on, my girls got all sorts of curious and decided to check them out. I let them, watching from a distance just to see what would happen. Like the animals they are, the girls tugged and pulled and tried to get them off, but the tags stuck! I let my girls know not to play with them because they weren't stickers like theirs, but I did feel better knowing they wouldn't have them ripped off and stuck to the wall tomorrow.

Not only did Lovable Labels send me these tags to review, but they also supplied me with a "Camp Pack" for one lucky winner! (Big thanks to them!)

To Enter:
Mandatory Entry-Go to the Lovable Labels website and leave me a comment letting me know which of their awesome products is your favorite. Once you've done that you can earn additional entries mentioned below.

Bonus Entries:

-Follow @MyLovableLabels and @NSisifo on Twitter.

-Chirp about this giveaway
For example: #Win a Camp Pack from @MyLovableLabels via @NSisifo at http://nonworking-girl.blogspot.com/

-"Like" Lovable Labels on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall telling them The nonWorking Girl sent you.

-Mention this giveaway on your own blog.

AND REMEMBER: Leave a comment for each entry with a link to either a tweet or a blog, or your Twitter handle.

Thanks everyone, and good luck!

Giveaway Rules and Regulations:
No purchase necessary to win. This giveaway is open until August 15, 2011. Winner will be selected by Random.Org and will have 48 hours to respond to the notification e-mail they receive. This giveaway is open to persons 18 years of age and older. Persons must be residents of Canada or the US.

Disclosure:
The product in this review was provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced by monetary compensation.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Web Wed

I love Halloween. And not in a small, looking-forward-to-candy way. I mean in a I-already-have-our-costumes-planned-and-am-working-on-decorations way. Yep. You read right. I know what we're all going to be on the big night. And it's only the end of July. Looking around, I found a blog that has tons of great ideas for cheap decorating ideas. He even says, "Feel free to borrow [this label] if you like... If anyone actually uses my label, send me a picture. I'd love to see it." I love bloggers like that. They know they have a great thing, and they share it. Just fabulous. Here are just a few things he's made that I fully plan on re-creating myself this All Hallows Eve:

Flameless candle from a small pumpkin tea light, toilet paper tube, hot glue gun, and paint.


 A dripping severed head. A little gory, but still so cool!


Mummy Dust-this is just a picture he took of window displays at Disneyland, but it would be fairly easy to recreate something similar.

 How to give a newer book an old look and feel.


(He shows you how to make the plaques on the bottles for both this one and the Ectoplasm.)

Fun, right? So, here it is:


He's also an amazing sketch artist, and he has the cutest niece that makes appearances in his blog from time to time. He has designed sets on tv shows, designed landscapes for HGTV, he's even been known to knit. Alone. In the dark.
Really, this guy does it all.
Don't just read the most recent blog posts. Go back and look through most of his stuff if you can. I've spent the past few days going through his entire blog (yes, from 2011 all the way back to 2005) and really enjoyed it. If I didn't have to pump and feed a 4 month-old every few hours, I wouldn't have had the chance, I'm sure. So thanks to my baby V for letting me feed him. {:
And thank heavens for Dave and his awesome blog, tuts, and fun inexpensive ideas.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Web Wed (early)

My internet is having fits this week, so I'm posting Web Wednesday early, just in case.

Right now, I'm in love with papercuts. Not the little devils you get from handling paper. No, no, no. I'm talking about this and this. What are they you ask? They are HANDCUT first of all, used for cards, decor, whatever. This woman is amazing. Her blog is Scherenschnitte and she is a papercutter. I just discovered her a couple of days ago, and I spent an hour just looking at ALL of her blog posts. Her talent is insane, her designs are extremely intricate, and let me just tell you, I no longer feel deprived not having a Cricut.

This is a design I am working on right now for my nephew for his birthday next month: Dino Ride. He's into dinosaurs, and even has a huge mural on his wall of a t-rex breaking through, so I thought he'd love this one. I'll post a picture when I'm finished. It's so fun, and while I can only work on it when my girls are asleep, I'm really excited about it!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

WebWed

This week's site seriously has it all. It has a blog, it has recipes, it has a store, it has giveaways... I'm totally in love. I was going to wait until I received the things I ordered (and got for free, by the way) but honestly I'm a little too excited about it. This week, we're all about...


It sounds kind of saucy and naughty, but I promise it's totally family-friendly. Jaden Hair is her name, and she's "a professional recipe developer, food columnist, and food photographer specializing in fast, fresh, and easy recipes for the home cook."
Her recipes look so yummy, and I kid you not, she literally has over 20 giveaways going on RIGHT NOW! You can enter once a day too.
Did I mention that when you sign up to receive her SK store e-mail newsletter, you automatically get a free $25 gift card to the Steamy Kitchen store? I didn't? Huh, well, you do! I used mine on a Giant Cupcake Pan and a Mini Trifle Bowl. I have 11 cents left after shipping and all that jazz. I guess I'll just have to go back and shop, right? {:
I really love this blog. I actually pinned a hundred clearance items on my wishlist on Pinterest. I haven't even started looking at the normally priced items. Anyway, go have a look and fall in love.
Seriously, she's that good.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Web Wednesday

I love to write. I like to write short stories, poetry, (obviously) I have blogs. I write in a few different journals and I've submitted a few things to different websites. It's something that I've always loved to do, and I know for a fact that I communicate much easier in writing than I do speaking.

Some days, I have tons of inspiration hitting me from all sides and I have ideas swirling in my head and I have to write them down immediately and... It's just crazy. I end up losing some of it because I can't write/type fast enough.

Other days, not so much. Maybe a thought. Or two. And the rest of the day I'm pretty empty. It's embarrassing, really.

Because of the latter days, I'm always looking for creative writing tips/ideas. I have a Blue Day Notebook that I found at a dollar store. It was 88cent Tuesday, so I bought it for less than a dollar. (I don't know HOW it ended up there, but I'm soooo glad it did.) I'd suggest investing in one of those. I miss Daybooks from high school. I was one of the few in my class that actually looked forward to working in those in my English class.

So for today, I'm focusing on a writing site. It's pretty fun (for someone like me) and I like to go there when I'm in the middle of writer's block.

Presenting:


The site is pretty self-explanatory. They have Grammar Tips, Journal Writing, Writing Exercises, and so much more. The site is easy to navigate and even has a search tool (which I LOVE.)

If you're into writing ANYTHING from poems to novels, short stories to blog entries, there is something there for you. We could all use a little brush up on our grammar skills, I'm sure. {:

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Apology and WebWed.

This past week has been a little insane. I've had two sick kids (each sick separately) and a sick husband, dance practice, and...
What else....
Anyway, I didn't get to post for Website Wednesday. I'm glad my Origami Box post was so long so it took up some of your time. {:
But this is me, apologizing, and catching up.

The site featured this week is so fun and I'm in love with the tips she shares and just... Gushing. Mkay? I should do a longer introduction, but I don't wanna.
Here it is!


I'll just let you know up front that there is a subscription fee. $30 for a full year. When you think about it, how much is it for one single cake decorating class or catalog? And how much info do you actually retain?
On her site, you have access to videos, a photo gallery, and recipes. 
BUT (yes, and it's a big one) anyone can access her blog. I'm trying to save up for this because our budget is pretty tight at the moment, so I haven't seen her videos yet. However, just looking at her blog makes me super happy and pretty excited to see what else she has going on. I'm dying to make a cake for somebody (anybody, really) just so I can have a go at some of the ideas I've seen.
One of my favorite cakes from her blog is this one:
Seriously, how fun is this? It's a simple cake that can be for a boy or a girl, and it's perfect for summer. (Honestly, I may just make this because I can.)
If there is a special occasion coming up and you need some (cup)cake ideas...
GO TO HER BLOG NOW!
*clears throat*
That is all.
{:

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Web Wednesday - Heartless

It feels like I just barely posted for WebWed, but here we are again! Today, I'm just sharing a video that I fell in love with a while back. I had just watched Tin Man and I was looking around online for more videos similar to it when I found:

It's so sad, but just a really good piece when you're in the mood for a bit of beautiful heartbreak (am I the only one that has those days?) a little steampunk, and some grey scenes.
I noticed that even though I've watched the vid several times, I can never remember what the woodsman's face looks like later on. Perhaps that is how it is supposed to be...


"My heart is yours, love. And yours alone..."

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Website Wednesday

Because this blog is fairly new and we're just getting established and acquainted, I'll have you know today is our first Web Wednesday! Every Wednesday I'll feature a site that is helpful, has a giveaway, or is just plain fun.