Back off Hoser!

The unruly garden hose. Has a mind of its own. Coil it up on the ground after use and it seems to sprawl across your yard, into your sidewalk, and wrap around the dog. Many retailers offer Hose Holders or Hose Containers, but for a pretty high price just to keep a hose contained.

This dilemma has inspired me to take on Cheapskate Tip #2--a low-cost or free alternative to the norm. We just happened to have this old wheelbarrow, which my significant guy picked up for free near a dumpster.

Anything can be used to make a hose container. When out and about, look for items that are deemed trash by someone else, that would effectively work. It might add more charm to your garden than the cookie-cutter designs on the shelves. Once you find that special something...that hoser better back off.
(first image via www.keetsa.com)

Fashion Renewed

Last week's Project Runway continues to inspire my work. The daring assignment to construct clothing out of newspaper was no doubt challenging, yet some of the contestants created outright wearable and beautiful clothing.

Besides the paper dolls that we gals once played with during our juvenile days, paper clothing made its debut during the mid-1960s and faded away. Great way to think outside the box, but not very long-lasting, eco-friendly, nor practical.

The current fashion market is not all that different. All of the clothing traded around the world is made so cheaply, that the ill effects stem into our environment and local economies (not to mention poor working conditions for most). Environmental Health Perspectives illustrates a perfect picture of fashion industry's results.

Upcycled Jewelry's Electronic Circuit Board Earrings

Recycled Plastic Trashion Biker Jacket by Thimblescratch

Glamarita's Upcycled Necktie Ballgown

There are many local U.S. artists making gorgeous clothing out of recycled materials. Please consider buying handmade, or vintage/used whenever possible. In a world that snowballs so quickly, buying used or handmade just might help out everyone.
(Paper doll image via www.bromer.com. Other images via www.etsy.com)

Revivify!

Yes. Revivify is a word. And that's exactly how I feel about things right now. Significant guy and I flew north last week for a breather from the 50+ days of over 100-degree weather in Texas. I believe our sunken and sullen skin perked up in the drier and cooler mid-west weather of Montana.

I admit I'm a travel addict. Not only do you revivify your life, per se, but it gives you the opportunity to observe the environment and things around you in a new light--as it is outside of your daily mundane realm. Alright, enough of my deep thoughts.

While accruing around 1K miles across the state, we couldn't help but notice the deserted remnants of the pre- and post-war era along the roads and highways of Montana. History frozen in time. Literally, year after year.

Nature Versus Nurture

Take person X and person Y and blend together...numerous possibilities arise. The end product could either be left to nature, or could be controlled entirely by the parental entity:

NATURE-

NURTURE-

NATURE & NURTURE-

(all photos via Art & Facts, copyright)

What a Long, Strange Trip it's Been

The vintage Airstream. The significant guy and I have been pining for one for over a year now. We finally found a 1965 Airstream Tradewind, 24' long and in great shape. It was 236 miles from our home and we enlisted a friend to help us get it.

Our trip went a little something like this...

SAT-

1:00 pm - Friend off of work. Get clothing, tools and dog loaded into the car.

2:00 pm - Met friend at his house and all items, including dog have been transferred to friend's truck. Sudden feeling of bringing dog a bad idea.

2:30 pm - Drop off dog back at the house. Meet back at friend's house.

3:30 pm - Leave town. Hit traffic and multiple lights at outskirts.

5:00 pm - Eat lunch (finally)

8:45 pm - Arrive at destination. Too dark to look at the Airstream. Will try tomorrow morning. Park truck. Battery is running very low. Difficult to restart.

10:00 pm - Eat dinner and have some brews at friend #2's house.

SUN-

2:00 am - Sleeping soudly. Friend #2's cat jumps on face. 30 minutes later, cat runs over body. 30 minutes later, jumps on face. 1 hour later, parakeets begin to chirp and play with bell-like toys. Dog licks shoulder. Repeat often, alternating critters. All night.

9:30 am - Tired. Want to strangle all of friend #2's animals.

11:30 am - Finally make it out to where the Airstream is located. Love it, and buy it. Discover that a wire adapter is needed for the electrical portion of the hitch.

12:00 pm - Arrive at parts store and find parts needed. Decide to get friend #1's truck battery tested. Alternator is shoddy. Buy new alternator.

1:00 pm - Back at Airstream. Begin to replace alternator. Discover the wrong alternator part was sold to us. Cannot get the old alternator back into engine. Call friend #2 to meet us and give us a ride back to the parts store.

2:30 pm - Friend #2 arrives and takes us to the parts store. Receive the correct alternator.

3:00 pm - Back at truck and Airstream. Significant guy and friend #1 perform amazing tactics in changing out alternator and figuring out wiring issues with Airstream hookup. Stomachs growling. Strong sun, 102 degrees outside.

5:00 pm - Finally ready to hit the road. En route on the interstate, the skylight cover flies off the Airstream. Oh well.

6:30 pm - Stop in po-dunksville to eat. Food takes 45 minutes to "cook". (Do they kill the cow on the spot around here?)

8:00 pm - Back on the road. Stop 30 minutes later, some parts on Airstream are flying around loosely. Stop to affix loose parts back to Airstream. Stop again. Strange knocking noise coming from the wheel shaft. Oh well.

9:15 pm - Smell burning oil. Stop again to check friend #1's truck engine. Nothing unusual spotted. Hit the road.

11:00 pm - Stop by parent's house to drop off Airstream. Have a beer and converse. Wish we were home.

12:00 am - Depart and trudge on toward home. About 15 minutes into the drive, rear tail lights on truck go out. Then dash lights go out. Stop on side of road to fix the fuses. Off again.

2:30 am - Arrive home. Dirty, must shower. Pass out...

It's true...Good things don't come easy. Glad we didn't bring the dog.

Hats Off to You

Hats were once wearable art forms here today, gone tomorrow. They came in many shapes, sizes, styles and colors back in the day. But before they were merely wearable art, hats were indications of status and protected one from the elements. Women were required to wear them as a means of looking "appropriately dressed." When I don my vintage hats nowadays, I receive very strange looks.

What happened to these beautiful creatures? They are rarely if not ever seen adorned atop of a person's head. I have found myself collecting these lost art forms--secretly wishing that we have a resurgence in hat fashion, where it is an acceptable fashion accessory. Check out the latest unique revivals with Bonnie's Knitting, Katarina Couture, Creations by Gail, and Hey Sailor! Hats.

A Comparative Study on Boxes

We as a society are inclined to boxes. We live in a stationary box. We transport ourselves to work in a box on wheels, in order to pay for the stationary box. We spend most of our days at work in a mini box amongst other similar looking mini boxes--all encompassed inside of a large box. We get stuck in a routine, and as a result, we tend to think inside the box.

Unfortunately, we identify ourselves entirely too much on these boxes. The boxes become who we are. It's our nature. And I can't stop myself from sharing how two of our most commonly used boxes pair up. To be continued...

Dusty 1970s Buick hiding in the neighboring woods.

Yellow Zebra 1970s Volkswagen Thing resting at its 1930s bungalow.