tip

a quick tip for those of you who like to get dirty...

when you find yourself with a sticky mess on your hands
oh say, sap, dried paint, tung oil, whatever
mosey over to your kitchen sink. grab your olive oil and your table salt on the way.

put a dollop of olive oil in your palm, sprinkle it heavily with salt,
and rub like it was a super expensive bath scrub from some schwanky bath store.
follow with a regular old soap & water hand wash and voila!
not only are you no longer sticky and dirty, your hands are super soft and smooth.

don't expect to find any more beauty tips here. usually i just eat what i find in my kitchen.
actually, now that my hands are clean and the olive oil and salt are out... i wonder if we have any bread?

xo. r

( humble )

something ever so humble

can sometimes become

something ever so grand.

{ pallet bench via french by design + olabisi wine room pallet shelving via remodelista + reclaimed shelving via indian summer gardens +  pallet potting bench via design sponge + katrin arens' pallet plate rack via remodelista }

the last image is my own pallet repurpose... as a simple textured background for product photos. and all the credit goes to my better half, who saw the pallet for what it could be and then painstakingly dismantled it. he's a dear, isn't he?

( perfect fit )

two new oeuflings

burleigh & chaff

popped into a vintage mini muffin tin

at the suggestion of a favorite cleverkins,

mrs. am radio. 

yep. have you been to her shop lately?

i could clean it out, i could.

get there first, won't you?

{ psst, the oeuflings are holding court in my little shop! }

( while we're on the subject )

a few other surprising

ways to repurpose:

{ wood boxes as stairs }

{ old piping as bed frame }

{ truck side mirror as tabletop mirror }

{ truck springs as stools }

{ shipping pallet as a potting bench }

couldn't love these ideas more.

unfortunately, the only thing i can't figure out how to repurpose is my time.

{ although, there's a little voice whispering in my head

saying that i could be building these things

instead of blogging about them. sssshhh. }

here. here. here. here. and here.

( simple or not so simple )

usually i prefer the simple. 

however, sometimes life isn't simple.

if it was, we'd all have it figured out by now.

dare i say,

i'm loving the complicated version?

{ simple. not so simple. }

( reuse )

even the bees & the trees are getting onto the repurpose bandwagon! 

{ found here }

and of course, there's nothing but good reasons to do so.

but what always gets me wickedly excited 

is when a tricksy rethink of an old item

results in something better than new.

a few of my

everyday favorites:

using sewing patterns for tissue paper

(bonus: they're usually quite strong)

 -

brown paper grocery bags make sturdy, yet flexible patterns for my little animals

-

the insides of security envelopes make wonderful paper for hang tags

-

plastic grocery bags - stuffed with a bit of newspaper & tied with a bit of air trapped inside - make great  puffy packing material that doesn't get your hands dirty when you're unpacking your newfound treasure

 -

dryer sheets (that have already been through the dryer once)

are the best for pulling dog hair from our microfiber couch

do you have any everyday tricks? 

do share!

{ pretty please }

( people are smart no. 9 )

crap. that's cute and clever.

never seen a bit of visual trickery that made me think:

quick! get me a baby and a lathe!

{ extra credit: tom beshara, whom i can apparently pay to do this when i find myself with a two year old. not sure if this works with smush face french bulldogs. } 

( philosophy )

love this!

{ from the mind of christopher david ryan }

( barn one )

'scuse me a sec while i wander through all your barns

staring at the ceiling.

i need one of these. yes, need.

oh, right. i'd also need a larger house to put it in. 

but one thing at a time...

barn. bench. awesome.

{ designed by john houshmand. discovered via pinterest & desire to inspire }

( a story about hammocks. )

my great outdoorsman is obsessed with these backpacking hammocks.

yes, we own two or possibly three. it was somehow decided that i needed one. { i didn't. }

he was so excited for me to try it out he strung it up in the basement.
i dutifully climbed in and thunk! fell right on the floor. { the cement floor. ouch. }

 i didn't feel even the tiniest bit guilty for laughing my tush off when one week later,

he climbed into his hammock and thunk! ... you guessed it. he fell on the cement floor.

my hammock-enthusiasm was rather dampened.
that is, until i saw this... 

i desperately want to spend my summer in one of these.

maybe anchored to the walls with something like this:
 

heaven, yes?

{ hammock from le beanock, metal knot shot by sandra juto }

( mudpuppy )

mudpuppy + airplants.

oh. sweet. glory. be. 

i love how they feel all tentacley in these hanging pots.

plus, the pots are just plain smart for airplants.

no water pooling in the leaves means no rotting!

mudpuppy, you're a genius.

{ find mudpuppy's shop right here }

( just thinking )

just a stray thought i find rather comforting.

{ found here, ace }

( people are smart. no. 8 )

just, yes.

{extra credit: mabu, who i identify with nicely}

( people are smart. no. 7 )

why imitate nature when you can let nature do the work for you?

use what you've got. that's smart.

{extra credit: bryan nash gill on tomorrow started}

awww, olive you too.

good things to love about olive oil:

1. choose a good one and it's quite tasty.

2. if you get a little on your fingers, rub it into your cuticles. it absorbs wonderfully.

3. if your stainless steel appliances are spotty and frustrating, a light polish with olive oil will make them beautiful (but still frustrating).

4. rubbed into a large wood salad bowl, not only does the bowl look glossy and rich, the salad actually tastes a bit more hearty.

5. if you happen to drop your chap stick on the top of your leather boot and stain the top of it with an unsightly dark mark that no leather cleaner/conditioner/weatherproofer can remove, just polish your boots with olive oil. yes, i have saved my lovely boots with good old olive oil. (they came out a shade darker, but actually look richer and more expensive now. i'm so chuffed.)

disclaimer. i'm not sure knitted olives produce much in the way of oil. but they're rather darling.

{image, and olives, by maryjanemidgemink.}

can i file this under so smart? 'cause i feel pretty smart.

people are smart. no. 5

a few eaves troughs on the side of the garage, enough water run-off from the rain and you have a self-sustaining herb garden. bonus points if you install a rain barrel in back to supplement the watering. (ours is currently waiting patiently for the big thaw). also on our list for spring... adding a drip hose to our line of evergreens. (we have a leaky hose, supplemented by a dog attack and a truck running it over, all ready.) now, if it would just be spring. or snow. anything but this nasty coldness.

{extra credit: i'm pretty sure i saw this on apartment therapy}

people are smart. no. 4

a clever side table that takes up no room at all.

perfect for tiny shoe box houses. wish i'd thought of that.

{extra credit: ?}

people are smart. no. 3

instead of tripping on the shoes i leave on the stairs, i could be kicking them into these cleverly integrated drawers. of course at our house, these drawers would quickly fill up with dog hair. but i'm guessing these people are so clever they don't have dogs.

{extra credit: apartment therapy}

people are smart. no. 2

putting sandwich stuff on a bagel was genius enough to begin with. carrying the whole mess to work in your briefcase calls for another kind of genius. yummy.

{extra credit: pwka}

people are smart. no. 1

they really are. they do funny, clever delightful things that make me wish i had thought of that.

{people are also not smart. because the only credit i can find for this photo is "lego". umm, duh?}