The Suggestions

need a lamp?

2009-05-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

this has been one of my big questions in life... what to do with them all... amazing cd lamp made by DanaTyStudiocraft (i found it on etsy.com)

also, for a more personal suggestion... i took 2 cds and some thin wool plaid fabric and made cool coasters. first i sandwiched the cds inside two layers of the fabric. then i handsewed around them, and made it nice and snug. and then i zigzagged around the edge, and my friends love them! yay! (2 cds just makes it stronger and thicker and uses up your cds faster)

Salty Grin

2009-03-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

Seriously. Weleda Salt Toothpaste doesn't look, taste, or foam up like normal toothpaste, but my teeth have that just-back-from-the-dentist clean feeling every day.

Avoiding Bathroom Issues

2008-07-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Own a plunger and keep it in your bathroom. This is especially vital for when you have houseguests; having a plunger right next to the toilet obligates them to fix any clogged toilet issues they may have contributed to.

a suggestion from grammie

2008-05-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

if you need to organize odds and ends or office supplies, try this suggestion:
find everyday containers such as empty soup cans or small boxes that are the sizes you want. cover them with matching contact paper to unify the look. you can even add a strip of contact paper to something else, for example, the stapler, to make it all fit together. it works well for things like post-it notes, pencil containers and paper clip holders.

any pattern will do, the flowered ones are nice. if you are covering containers to go in your car (for example: containers for coupons, change, and a mini flashlight) find a pattern or color that compliments the interior of your car well.

another variation is to cover small containers, and fit them all into a bigger box like a shoe box, or the lid of a shoe box. since they are now all the same color, the different sizes of the boxes don't matter, it looks like they were meant to be together in the first place!

(i borrowed this suggestion from my grammie...she is the most organized person i know.)

mix tape...or is it?

2008-04-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

another creative way to make mp3 friendly mixes.

i wish you could still put these into your tape player to listen.

New Candy Standard

2008-03-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

Oh man, the other day I had the most incredible chocolate bar: Vivani. I don't really know how to describe delicious food...but it was delicious. It's German candy like this that proves all the other chocolates are mostly made of wax. The one I had was milk chocolate with hazelnuts, but they also make ones with fruit, green tea, and espresso that I want to try.

Find in natural food grocery stores for about three dollars.

Urban Navigational Device

2008-03-15T22:52:00.001-07:00

Next time you're headed for an unfamiliar address, don't scribble the directions in normal-sized ballpoint writing, and don't print out a page of tiny, cryptic internet-mapping text with big colorful advertisements. Instead, grab a fat Sharpie and write out big, bold, easy-to-read directions on a piece of scratch paper. This is especially useful when you're trying to find a place at night. You'll spend less time squinting at a piece of paper, and more time looking at the road: everybody wins!

please don't grow up

2008-02-11T00:03:00.000-08:00

disguises are fun.

Wind Barrier

2008-01-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

I enjoy going on walks (almost) everyday. What I don't enjoy is when the wind whips into my ears. It makes me magically turn into an angry pedestrian. For a quick (and free!) solution I sliced open the sides of an old A-shirt (a.k.a. wife-beater), wrapped it around my head, and tied the ends together in the back.

I would have put my money on "bag lady", but it looked equal parts "doo-rag" and "religious turban". And I found it to be successful!

Things Taste Awesome

2008-01-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Onions brown in about a minute and they make food taste like you've spent some real time on it. I chop up a whole onion and store it in the fridge in a ziploc bag. Since they're already chopped they can just be added to whatever (savory) thing you're cooking/warming up. For example:

Can of soup: Before pouring the soup in, cook a small handful of the onions with a little oil/butter in the pot.

Scrambled eggs: Same thing, but with eggs.

A lot of preparation can scare me away from doing things. This isn't perhaps a huge time-saver, but if there were not pre-chopped onions on hand I wouldn't do it!

happy new year

2008-01-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

be awesome to each other.
make art spontaneously.
inspire your friends. and strangers.
appreciate people more. because they're rad.
post suggestions. sheesh we're slackers.

simply having a wonderful christmas time

2007-12-06T11:21:00.001-08:00

holy shnikies, have you guys heard that Christmas song that is the above line repeated over and over. I was in the store yesterday and they were playing that song and I wanted to rip the pantyhose off the mannequin so I could shove them in my ears. It sounds like a trendy Beatles knockoff band singing the normal christmas cliches over and over; it's so awful.

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas songs. For the last week my usual 3 hr Dr. Laura radio session is broken up by occasional interruptions by the Christmas music station. I think that Weddings and Christmas are times that you can be appropriately cheesily cheery and sentimental, because they represent things that are truly other-worldly and magical, but some of those songs... I could live without.

So... What's my suggestion? you may be asking? I take the inspiration from Ashley on this one: Carry earplugs with you everywhere you go. Never be caught unawares.

Soundtrack

2007-11-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Employees of Fred Flare have assembled playlists for your audio pleasure! A boombox icon at the bottom of their website launches the player. I'm sure it was designed to aid in online shopping, but I like to leave it open while I compose emails or march around cleaning up.

Songs are said to change each month.
Be warned: This is mostly "Groove is in the Heart" type of fare.

Ad Space

2007-11-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

Man, HTML is so hard for me to understand. But I just figured out how to make ads on my blog that link to what I want and look nice. I'm so proud!

If you are using Blogger, go to "Edit Template" and you can mess with all the HTML. To locate the code for your blog's sidebar, scroll approx. 3/4 of the way down. There you can type in the code (as pictured) and replace the text in ALL CAPS with your own info.

WEBSITE
This is the site your ad will take you to. I think the best way is to copy the address (or "URL") from the address bar when you have the site open in another window.

IMAGE
This will be a URL that ends in ".jpg". Your image should already be online. A site like Flickr will host it online for free and can give you the address for your image in a variety of different sizes. (Go to your image on Flickr. Click "All Sizes". Choose your size and copy the URL shown underneath.)

WORDS
This is what will show if your image for some reason won't load. It should say the name of the site or what it is you are linking to.

You'll get to preview your changes to see if it's all going as planned. If it all goes to hell you can always exit without saving.

Cold vs. Sleep

2007-10-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

Climbing into a freezing cold bed is no fun. And electric blankets creep me out, but I'd still like to be warm at night. I've found that if I put a hot water bottle in the foot of the bed my nighttime experience is a lot less like jumping in a lake. People have done this throughout history with a hot rock or a pot of coals, which I'm sure still works if someone is down for trying that.

When I Say Off You Say How High

2007-10-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

Makeup companies, for whatever reason, are creating products that stay on for huge amounts of time. Even after showering. But before running out to buy their special remover potions, know that if you coat it with hand lotion a tissue can wipe it off.

Superhuman Grip

2007-08-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

I never can work jar-opening gadgets very well. Instead, my sneaky trick for unscrewing a tight lid is to keep a deflated balloon in the kitchen. Just setting it on top of the lid while twisting gives you Hulk-like strength.

liquid heaven

2007-08-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Trying to beat the summer heat? I keep a constant supply of irresistable, refreshing and delicious fruit juice in the fridge. It's great any time. I also enjoy Orange-strawberry-banana and Kiwi-strawberry. I'm a dole man

Free Catharsis

2007-07-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

Back in '05, an artist named Frank Warren decided to do an installation made of secrets. He mailed out 3000 postcards, inviting people to send a secret back on a postcard of their own. But secrets kept coming in long after the installation ended. So Frank began a second installation, this time online.

Today, Frank gets 100-200 postcards a day, each bearing a secret from a stranger. He picks about 20 of them to post at PostSecret each Sunday. They are hopeful, tragic, hilarious, horrifying, and brave. Each one suggests a story that is unique, yet familiar. There is no archive; secrets are online for one week only, but during that week, about one million visitors will view them.

PostSecret is not G-rated. Many of the secrets are raw, dark, shocking, or heartbreaking. But to read them is to understand what it means to be human.

Clear Corn

2007-07-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

Private Selection's salad mixes are sold in transparent plastic containers that look great in the produce aisle. But I was surprised to find out that this was grain-based plastic. "This package is made from 100% all natural corn, grown by farmers here in the U.S., and utilizes significantly less fossil fuel and resources." It's both compostable (Under the right composting conditions including high heat of 120 - 140 degrees, humidity, and micro-organisms, the package will disappear in 12 weeks.) and recyclable.

One Man's Trash, Another Man's Paper

2007-06-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

Turn the paper headed for the recycle bin into pads of paper. It's quite easy. Collect sheets that still have one blank side. (1) Measure into 5.5" by 4.25" sections and exacto through a stack of the pages. Any dimensions can be used, I chose these because it is simply quartering a standard 8.5" by 11" sheet. (2) Align a stack of the cut pages with a piece of cardboard of the same dimensions. Apply bulldog clips to press tight all of the pages in one end. (3) Hot glue along the edge and smooth it down to make sure that glue touches every piece. I've found that it works well to collect paper for a while and then make a bunch at once. Having extra scratch paper around sure is handy and could be a great gift for your chronic list-making friends.

Build Privacy

2007-06-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

After moving into a new place there comes a time when you tire of the neighbors looking in your windows and you spring for some curtains. This can get very expensive very fast. In a pinch for both time and money, I strung up a shower curtain liner with loops of twine. One slice up the middle was implemented so that the curtain "opens" and one across the bottom so that it was an appropriate length. This instant solution looks good, and I think it's mildew resistant as well.

2007-06-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

watch the video

Dirty Little Secret

2007-06-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you're eating pizza and you don't have a napkin. And you're holding a spot in line, so you couldn't possibly go and find one. There is another answer besides wiping your hands on your jeans and having an ugly grease stain. That answer is wiping your hands on your jeans while consciously deciding where you would like said stain to be. The stain will be darker than the rest of the fabric, so running your fingers down the outside seams is a good choice. (Don't tell your mom I told you.)

Oily Joe's

2007-04-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

I rarely make it over there, but the cheapest olive oil I've found is at Trader Joe's.
Inexpensive, tasty olive oil in many different varieties(at least five). At half the price of oil at Fred's. And? The bottles have better design than most. Which is the clincher for me.

Plague of the Bags

2007-04-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

I try to reject the collecting gene that runs in my family, but somehow still have a million plastic bags. Grocery and department store bags, from loaves of bread, old ziplocs, etcetera. When they become far too much to handle I take them to my local dog park. The open spaces committee provides bag receptacles(which is great) but they are usually empty. And buying special little plastic bags produced specifically for dog poop is asinine. Donating bags solves problems!

Someday I want to be one of those people who brings their own cloth bags grocery shopping. But reusing is second only to reducing(...okay, I just made that up.). Your dog park contribution will prevent owners from pretending they don't notice when Little Fluffy drops a deuce.

advice from artists

2007-04-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

(compiled from wurst interviews.)

Do you like your job?

2007-04-11T22:44:00.000-07:00

1) Yes.
That's fantastic!

2) No.
Maybe you should quit. Of course jobs are no tea and cake, but they shouldn't suck the life out of you either. I quit mine and feel better already!

a small hint

2007-03-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

hey just in case you are looking for some design inspiration, or for some local resources, check out my design blog at: adaptationdesign.blogspot.com or just click here. okay i know this is a shameless post, but hey- if you have time, why not?
-c

the best new lip balm

2007-03-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Hey- though I would spread the good word- burt’s bees does it again! A coworker of mine told me about it- and made me smell it so I went and bought it that very day.
It has pomegranate oil and I love pomegranates!
Anyways, it’s under three dollars, and you will want to use it all day.
cheers.

Singing + Dancing = My Addiction

2007-03-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

This is what everyone should try to do at least once a day:

Find some loud music
Turn up your speakers
Press play
Dance around like a crazy person
Sing whatever you think the words are to the song
Shake fist in air to the beat for dramatic effect
::repeat::

This also works in your car. Great for getting over self consciousness. Also, a great work out for moms that you can do with your kids. After work stress reliever OR before work pumping yourself up.

Call me a dancing advocate, if you wish but you'll feel better the more you do it!

Currently dancing to:
Gnarls Barkley (highly recommended)

how to not buy a calendar each year

2007-02-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

i was all excited when i realized i could use my free-from-an-estate-sale "four victorian photographers" 1968 calendar from the Met. my favourites are by Braun. this week i was disapointed to find out that only two months of it are accurate for our current year, as 1968 was a leap year. the pictures are still nice plus i also have a "memory jogger" from 1962 which works. being a mac user i depend on the good ol' ical for things i should really not forget about.

Grocery Love

2007-02-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Turns out the best night of the year to go grocery shopping is February 14th -- who knew? I know this suggestion is a little late for this year, but next year, save your grocery list for V-Day. Pick out a cart that rolls nice and smooth, and ride it like a scooter up and down the vacant aisles. The few people shopping with you will express either amusement or alarm; either way, you win.

(If you happen to be burdened with a significant other, this activity can also be fun for two people.)

It's What's For Dinner

2007-02-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

I have recently rediscovered toast. My grandmother, disgusted with my lack of kitchen gadgets, has just bought me a toaster and now I am singing the praises of toast. It works for any meal. Or in-between meals. Lends itself to any variation. Voted All-Around Awesome Comfort Food.

Guaranteed Party Nirvana

2007-01-31T22:46:00.000-08:00

I was with a few friends discussing the common flop of parties when it spawned into collective party planning and, quite possibly, the Best New Year's Eve Ever. More or less, we got together to split responsibilities (i.e. location, food/drink bringing) and each went away with a handful of invitations to dole out as we saw fit. It was great because in the end no one was overwhelmed, there was lots to eat, and a good-sized crowd showed up mixed of people I knew and people I didn't.

Kiss This

2007-01-31T22:36:00.000-08:00

Reasons I am a huge fan of Lifeguard's Choice Weatherproofing Lip Balm:

No more chapped lips after a day in the sun and wind!
Puts a thick, long-lasting protective layer between my lips and the elements.
Petroleum-free, made by bees and sheep (lanolin is the stuff that makes wool water-resistant).
Tingly-cool mint flavor.
No weird chemical taste (unlike my big-brand SPF 30 lip goo).
Inexpensive and easy to find (Burt's Bees junk is, like, everywhere).

into the frying pan...

2007-01-31T21:18:00.001-08:00

my favorite way of cooking is on the stove. i have no microwave(please don't give me one, i really just don't want one)and i have to get on my knees and light a pilot light to use our oven, so stove it is. Between scraping eggs off metal pans and absorbing carcinogens from teflon coated death pans, i have found that my favorite kitchen tool is my cast iron pan.

iron is a safe and even beneficial substance to cook on, and you get an upper body work out moving it around. when it has charred food stuck to it, fill it half way up with water and boil it for a few minutes, then it wipes right off. all you have to do then is empty the water and return it to the hot burner until the water has evaporated(to avoid rusting). then you drizzle some canola oil on it to make a healthy and happy little pan.

the best part about these pans is that if you don't use soap on them(never use soap on them) they will outlive your grandchildren. i have 2 pans that i got right after my wedding. one i exchanged some stuff and bought one new, and the larger, i got handed down to me. so used and new alike, they are the best pans i have ever used.
stores you can find them at:
st. vincent de paul
goodwill
your moms garage

New Noodles in the House

2007-01-30T14:13:00.000-08:00

These noodles are wonderful! A high fiber, low calorie substitute for pasta made of tofu and yam flour. Only 40 calories per serving. Use in soups, salads, or with spaghetti sauce.

House Foods offers these recipes. Also available in fettuccine shape. Look for them in natural food stores, Whole Foods, or Asian markets. (Be sure to rinse thoroughly before adding them.)

Brown Paste, Not Brown Teeth

2007-01-28T22:27:00.000-08:00

Herbal Vedic Ayurvedic Toothpaste is brown. It gives the finger to all the glistening, tinsel-y white pastes out there.

This company isn't afraid to print the ingredients directly on the tube, touting 26 different herbal extracts. It has no saccharin, no dyes, no scraping granules of any sort. And it leaves you feeling spearminty fresh without the ferocious listerine bite.

I got it for $2.70 at the Kiva, but it's also here.

Where Tea Meets Art

2007-01-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

In all my years of tea-drinking, I have never found a more aesthetically pleasing way to steep loose leaves than the Teastick. At $18, it's a little pricier than your standard-issue teaball... but no teaball was ever this cool.

Soup du Jour

2007-01-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

Pacific Natural Foods has the best soup! Organic, kosher, gluten-free, creamy, and ready to serve. My favorite is Cashew Carrot Ginger. There are several other flavors worth trying. The company also makes good organic broth and gravy. You can find it at your local natural food store, Fred Meyer, or even at Winco Foods.

Mightier than Average

2007-01-25T21:38:00.000-08:00

Since I don't get to carry a sword on a daily basis, the Sakura Pigma Micron is my weapon of choice. It's marketed "for serious technical and artistic applications," but its smooth, precise lines infuse a certain subtle pleasure into even my grocery lists. (I recommend the black 03 tip for writing.) Don't look for it at whatever-mart or the office products store, but your local art supply will have a nice selection. About $2.75 apiece, and worth every penny.

For the Cold-Blooded

2007-01-25T08:53:00.000-08:00

The SmartWool Midweight Long-Sleeve Zip-T. This top is described as a base layer thermal to wear skiing. I wear it everyday as a shirt...as an undershirt...as a sweatshirt. Made of 100% wool but not thick or scratchy. And it can go in the dryer!

Runs you $60-75.
Probably cheapest at the sporting goods store that decorates with taxidermy. Also available in men's.

Inaugural

2007-01-24T22:06:00.000-08:00

It's about the good stuff. The simple pleasures. The little things that make us happy on a daily basis.

It's about the useful and the ridiculous, the nifty and the essential. It's about the happy intersection between the virtuous glow of frugality and the unmatched high of the good purchase.

It's about what we like, and what we think you'll like too.

Welcome to The Suggestions.

2007-01-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

ccheck one