Holme's Farm Mobile Farm Stand

Long time no talk, huh?  If you've wondered where I've been for most of June, the short answer is Manomet.  The long answer is that I've been spending every free moment I have down in Manomet, MA (just South of Plymouth) transforming this gigantic white trailer into a mobile barn (complete with a cow, pig and full vegetable garden) for the wonderful women of Holmes Farm's brand new mobile farm stand.  

This monsterous trailer needed to be sanded, primed, painted, resanded, repainted, drawn on, painted on and sealed all by hand and all during a particularly rainy June while all-the-while being parked outside in the elements. It was definitely a labor of love and I couldn't have done it without the help I got from Jeremy, Liz and Jennifer.  Thank you guys so much!!

 There are 2 ways to see the trailer in action- you can either go directly to Holmes Farm on Saturdays and support their farm stand or catch them at the Plymouth Farmer's Market every Thursday at Plymouth Plantation.  

I can't believe I'm (almost) done!  I'm as happy as a pig in...uh, mud.

Giving in to Trends: Ombre Paint Chip Art

I spent a good portion of my teenage years rejecting all things trendy and popular.  That habit has stuck with me now into my late 20's (ok, early 30's) whenever I see something adorable on another craft blog and/or everybody's favorite website, Pinterest.  (See, I'm even trying to pretend like I don't totally love Pinterest.)  Instead of happily jumping on the bandwagon and admitting that something is adorable, I dog ear it and come back later, trying not to make eye contact with it and acting like it's not so great. 

Today I decided that it was time for me to make eye contact with paint chip art and I'm glad I did because it was a fun and easy project (not to mention practically free!) that only took about an hour to finish.  

Here's how I did it:

First, go to your favorite paint store and grab some paint chip samples from the big wall of colors (or use different colored construction paper).  I actually felt a little bad about taking so many so I asked the guy behind the counter if it was ok.  He shrugged with complete indifference and I was guilt-free.  

Next, find a small circular object to outline onto the paint chips to utilize as much of the colored area as possible- I used a small roll of tape- and cut out your circles.

Experiment with the layout of your circles until you have 'em just how you want 'em.

Prepare your frame- I got this white matted frame for $5.99 at the Christmas Tree Shop by my house- the frame has some dings in it but I'm writing them off as "shabby chic."

Remove the mat and backing from the frame and outline the opening of the mat directly onto the cardboard backing.

Now, starting and the bottom and beginning with the lightest layer, glue the circles to the cardboard using a glue stick.  The second layer should overlap the first slightly and the circles should become progressively darker towards the top of the cardboard.

You only have to fill in the area inside of the outline we made but be sure to overlap the edges so that none of the backing shows.  

To add a letter, take another paint chip in a coordinating color and draw your letter backwards on the BACKSIDE of it.    

Cut out the letter, glue it into place wherever your little heart desires and presto- you're an artist.

I decided to let some of the lettering from the names of the paint show on my final product.  It gives it extra home-made-i-ness.  

Now you have a personalized gift to give as a new baby or shower present and no-one has to know about the ridiculous internal struggle that it took to make it.   

Happy Friday!

Tufa Pots by Jennifer!

My very talented friend and gardener, Jennifer McCabe, recently started a blog (follow her here) and just announced that she'll be selling her handmade Hypertufa Pots at Scrub Oak in Nantucket starting June 10th.

Hypertufa pots are lightweight pots made of a cement & peat moss mixture.  They're durable like cement, lightweight like a regular pot and make beautiful additions to gardens, porches or table displays.  Jennifer's Tufa pots are all one of a kind, shaped by hand and cured to withstand the elements.   You can also learn to make your own tufa pots from Jennifer herself during workshops she's leading at the Nantucket Garden Festival, July 25th & 26th.  Contact Jennifer for more information or to sign up for a class.

Happy EMS Week!

“EMS: More Than a Job. A Calling.” is this year’s theme, reflecting the idea that EMS practitioners do not choose this field for big salaries, comfortable working conditions, or 9-to-5 hours; they have a true calling to help and care for others in their hour of need.


Go here for more information. 


Happy EMS Week!

Riverdog Doggy Daycare: Window Painting

Liz and I painted the window over at Riverdog Doggy Daycare in Union Square last week.

  

Below is what the window looked like before....wahhhh-wahhhhh.  

(That's the sound of something sad and lackluster.)  

We did a big Bernese Mountain Dog and dozens of little pink flowers to celebrate the arrival of Spring.  

And we also had to pay homage to Riverdog's River-Cat, Dennis, the friendliest cat I've ever met and the shop's unofficial mascot.  Dennis alone is reason enough to stop by the shop for a visit. 

Go check it out if you're in the neighborhood and tell 'em Mandee sent you!

Happy Mother's Day!!

 Mom, 

Happy Mother's Day!!

  

Thanks for teaching me to tight roll my jeans,  sew a straight line, do the hippy hippy shake and to not accept less than I deserve.   

YOU'RE AWESOME!!!

And I love you all the way!! ;) ~mandee rae

Commuter Crafts: 30-minute Wrapped Earrings

I have almost all of my best ideas while r-u-n-n-i-n-g out of the door to catch the bus to get to work.  (Usually at the exact moment I run out of time to actually do anything about it.)

Last week as I was throwing things in my bag in an effort to leave only 4 minutes after I was supposed to- it hit me, "I should make some custom earrings to wear with this outfit."






Of course!  I'm 4 minutes late leaving to catch the bus that only comes once an hour, I ran out of time to make my lunch and already nixed that, my hair is a mess and I don't think I brushed my teeth but of course- of course there's time for custom earrings.  Why wouldn't there be?

I grabbed some cheap silver hoops from my collection and embroidery floss from a friendship bracelet I was making for a friend and ran out the door to chase after my bus.

Once on the bus (I made it- with seconds to spare I might add) I set up my workspace on my lap and began to wrap the hoops with the embroidery floss.   I chose salmon, beige and black for my colors. 

Tie a knot with all 3 colors on the post side of your hoop (above) and begin wrapping the end of the string with your first color (below).  Keep the floss held taught while wrapping to keep it uniform.  

Switch colors and wrap with each color to create your design.

At the end, quadruple knot the floss, cut as close as possible and you're done!

In about a half an hour you've made some new earrings that you can now wear into work and give the impression that you are a grown-up who wakes early, puts together perfectly matched outfits complete with earrings and who doesn't leave the house cussing at your cat or wrestling with your jacket.    

(No-one has to know what really happened this morning.) 

UPDATE! Cat House: Free to a Good Home

***UPDATE!*** 

The house was picked up last week to help catch a feral cat living (and breeding) in the woods.  Good luck Heather!

Remember this?

I don't need it anymore.  

I found Grits a home and now I'm wondering if anyone needs a double insulated, water tight, outdoor cat shelter.  Anyone?

Here's the link to it on Craigslist.  IT'S FREE!!  

Let me know if you want it or if you know someone who would please pass it on.  I'd hate to have to throw it away.  

Safari Painting for Baby Ryan

This huge 36" x 24" painting was done for Ryan whose Mom wanted a bright, colorful, happy Safari scene.  Ryan's walls are painted a neutral color so the sides of this painting were done in alternating dark and light green stripes to really make it stand off the wall.  The happy characters are intentionally kept very simple to keep the painting from being overwhelming to baby.  

Ryan's date-of-birth was snuck into the painting on a leaf in the zebra's mouth and Ryan's loving Mother is represented by the giraffe who's giving her son's name a good snuggle.  

From rough sketch to final product:

 This painting was designed to grow with Baby Ryan- being young enough to be appropriate for a nursery and also bright enough to be able to transition easily into a toddler's room.  Email me if you'd like a painting made for your little one or if you have questions about price, sizing or anything else.  All questions are welcome.   

POW! ZAP! BOOM! Super Hero Shoes!!

I made these custom kicks for my super hero loving 5-year-old niece, Tabitha, who is in a two man band with her Dad that she aptly named 'Tabitha and the X-Men.'  Wolverine is second only to Daddy in her life, she even calls people (including her Mom) "Bub", just like Wolverine, he's her absolute favorite.  Her other great love in life is Wonder Woman, she is a little girl after all. 

She always looks for shoes with her favorite characters but "those shoes are for BOYS, Aunt Mandee"- that's where I come in.   

Sister bought these white canvas mary janes at Target.  They're perfect, just-girly-enough, simple and easy to draw on.  I decorated them using a combination of paint markers and acrylic paint.  The drawings are comletely water proof- they won't run, drip or fade. 

And now Tabitha has her own custom, Wolverine & Wonder Woman girly super hero shoes.   What more could a girl ask for?

Do you have your own hard to shop for tot that needs some custom kicks?  Email me and let's see what we can come up with. 

MEATLESS MONDAY!: Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Found this recipe on the Vegetarian Times magazine website.  It's super delicious for veggies and meat eaters alike.

Try it for dinner tonight:
Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Super Mario Bros. the Cast

I had a small outpatient surgery last week to correct my DeQuervian Tenosynovitis.  When I woke up from surgery, I found a big cast on my arm.  It was unexpected but during the last week it's turned into my favorite accessory.  I've had it hot pink, black, red, yellow, white with a "POW!" and now, my coup de grace, it's Mario Brothers World 1-1.

The cast started out white and I covered it with Coflex which comes in a bunch of colors, I chose light blue and grass green.

Then I made the decals- tunnels, bricks, clouds, man eating tunnel flower- out of white fabric medical tape and started arranging them on my cast.

And now I have a cast that any 80's baby could be proud of.

Save the Princess!!

Why don't you make me?: Three-Tiered Terra Cotta Planter

With limited space in my small city yard every inch counts so each Spring I am faced with a decision: do I want pretty flowers or a functioning vegetable garden?  I envision myself having friends over for dinner and quickly running outside with my schears to an adorable, and lovingly attended to, little vegetable garden- I'd grab fresh herbs for the potatoes, pluck some peppers and lettuce for the salad and maybe bring in some grape tomatoes for my friends to snack on before dinner.  They just love that.  Then, after dinner we'd all get in my spaceship and go visit Unitron, the home of the last living unicorn.  In other words, it's not going to happen.

What did happen however is this- a triple-decker half veggie/half flower tower of compromise.  I'm taking baby steps to becoming the world's best hostess by growing only the greens to my future salads and I still have room for flowers! 

Here's how I did it:

First, I invited Liz over who did everything.  (This was an important step because Liz is wicked good at this stuff and because I have a cast on my right arm up to my elbow right now.) 

Next, we took pots from the pot graveyard on the side of my house and selected 3 in decending sizes.  (These don't have to match perfectly, as you can see.)

Pick a sunny spot in your garden to place the biggest pot- we nestled ours right into this Vinca Minor- and fill with soil until just below the top.


Add a small dowel or bamboo rod into the largest pot and thread themiddle pot onto it burying the pot about an inch into the soil of the largest pot.

Then trim the dowel until about 3-4" is showing to be inserted into the smallest pot.

Now have Liz thread the smallest pot right over the dowel and press into the dirt on the lower level burying it slightly.  Great job Liz!

And finally, you are ready to plant your Garden of Compromise.  Liz and I decided on some green lettuce, purple lettuce, white & purple flowers, 2 small cascading plants and topped the whole thing off with a ponytail fern.

Now we truly can have our garden...and eat it too.

Thanks Liz!! <3 <3 <3

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!

Today is Earth Day!!!

Find an Earth Day celebration near you!

Today is the final how-to on my 10 ways in 10 days challenge.  Thanks for following me along and I hope some of these ideas stick with you or you were reminded of an earth friendly activity you've grown away from.

Today's project: Make a plant waterer, keep a bottle out of a landfill, feel good about it!  Those are the directions and the description!

Have a Wonderful Day!!!

Day 2: Craft Day!

It's Saturday, aka craft day!  I decided to try my hand at the trash-to-trasure example from yesterday:


the recycled bottle cell phone charging station.
















 For this project you'll need the following supplies:

• a bottle destined for the recycle bin
• 1/4 yard of scrap fabric
• mod podge
• X-acto knife
• sandpaper
• outlet cover
• sharpie
• paintbrush

To create this charging station, cut your plastic bottle in half, you're creating a small cup.

Cover this cup with your scrap fabric using your paintbrush and mod podge.  

On the back of the cup, add a long piece of fabric to attach to he outlet cover. (seen below)

 While that dries, cover the outlet cover with the same fabric.  Follow my tutorial here.

Once both pieces are dry, cut the fabric extension into 3 pieces and cut out the middle piece- you'll be left with 2 strips on either side to adhere to the outlet cover.

Place the cover face down on a surface that is level with the cup and mod podge the pieces together, below.

Allow to dry, plug in your phone and you're done!

Day 2: Recycled Crafts for Kids

Teaching kids at a young age what it means to reduce-reuse-and-recycle is always something taught in school but to really drive the point home, it's important to incorporate those things into real life.  Here are a couple of great crafts to do with kids to show them ways to recycle bottles into something fun and  useful.  

Ages 9+: Ashley over at Make-It-&-Love-It made this awesome cell phone caddy out of a lotion bottle.  This craft would be great for older kids, especially those just getting their first cell phones or iPods.

Ages 5+: This awesome bowling set made by CreativeDish would be perfect for kids old enough to wield a glue gun and is a great way to keep 10 bottles out of a landfill!

Ages2+: And finally, check out this "lava lamp" made by Rainbows & Unicorns (great name by the way!) made with a plastic bottle, oil, water, food coloring and complete with sea creatures!  This is a wonderful project for little ones- also consider throwing in some glitter or sequins!

Happy Friday!!!

Day 3: Plastic Bottles in the Garden

It's 3 days 'til Earth Day and 30-days into Spring so today on the 10WAYS/10DAYS countdown I'm taking it to the garden with 5 easy ways to repurpose plastic water bottles in your garden.

You can use plastic soda bottles to create a hanging garden like Recyclart did.

 http://www.recyclart.org/2011/08/plastic-bottles-garden/

Or use bottles as a cloche to protect young seedlings from weather and help them grow.

http://garden.lovetoknow.com/vegetable-garden/winter-garden-vegetables-oregon

Another style of cloche from House and Gardening Addicts.

I love these clever self watering pots by Desperate Gardner.


http://www.desperategardener.com/2011/03/creative-containers.html









And finally, the automatic plant waterer by Practically Living.






I hope these ideas motivate you to reuse some things you already have...I'm off to dig in my recycle bin for inspiration right now!  

Day 4: Reusable Bags: Not Just for the Grocery Store

By now, pretty much every body I know has caught on to using re-usable grocery bags as part of a daily routine.  They all have a small cache of them to bring to the grocery store or to a weekend farmers market.  What's not common practice however, is to use them when they're out shopping at clothing stores, junk shops, the beer store, etc.

Re-usable bags can and should be used in place of plastic bags whenever possible.  Today's easy way to save the planet is to try to make it your practice to carry a small reusable bag with you wherever you go for those impulse buys you weren't expecting like a quick stop at the drugstore or when you just can't resist a sale at Forever21.  

You can buy small EcoBags for just this purpose.

To help understand why it's so important for all of us to lessen our dependance on plastic Inspiration Green laid out these statistics for us:

Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide.
That's over one million plastic bags used per minute.
planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/plastic-bag-facts.html

Every year, Americans reportedly throw away 100 billion plastic grocery bags.

www.worldwatch.org/node/5565

The average American family takes home almost 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year...
NRDC www.nrdc.org/media/2008/080109.asp

Americans use and dispose of 100 billion plastic shopping bags each year
and at least 12 million barrels of oil are used per year in the
manufacture of those plastic grocery bags.
The Wall Street Journal

Less than 5 percent of plastic grocery bags are recycled in the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.

Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down,
so even when an animal dies and decays after ingesting a bag, the plastic re-enters the environment, posing a continuing threat to wildlife.

www.worldwatch.org/node/5565

There is now six times more plastic debris in parts of the North Pacific Ocean
than zooplankton.

www.acfnewsource.org/environment/plastic_plankton.html

And for those times when you simply cannot use a re-usable bag, please please please recycle it or repurpose it. 

To find a recycling center near you go here.

(Did you know you can recycle the plastic that toilet paper comes wrapped in?!  Me either!!)

Or!

Weave them into a rug like Homestead Weaver or make a rainjacket like PenFelt on Etsy.



JUST SAY NO!  to plastic bags.

Day 5: Buy Vintage, Save the World

                                              Photo property of Poor Little Rich Girl

On Day 5 of "10 Easy Ways to Save the World Without Growing Out Your Armpit Hair" we are going to celebrate the world-saving power of simply buying vintage.


There are plenty of reasons to buy gently used or vintage clothing and furniture: it's unique, has a history and it can be an investment.  It's also recycling!   Buying clothes and furniture from a local second-hand shop or antique store  is beneficial to you and your community by:

                                 Found on Craigslist this morning for $50.

Keeping clothing and furniture out of landfills
Everything you buy second-hand gets another life and thereby skips it's fate in the landfill.


Saving on gas consumption and air pollution
By not having your new dresser delivered to you in a big, gas-guzzling delivery truck from a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, you're saving precious natural resources and keeping exhaust out of the air.  Good job!


Buying local helps the local economy
Money spent locally stays local.  It's the easiest way to boost your own town's economy.  In an article in  Time magazine on the topic they said that "Money is like blood. It needs to keep moving around to keep the economy going, when money is spent elsewhere—at big supermarkets, non-locally owned utilities and other services such as on-line retailers—it flows out, like a wound."  


Keeping Pesticides out of the Soil
The average conventional cotton t-shirt takes 150 grams of pesticides to produce.  According to one study, America throws away two quadrillion pounds of used clothing each year.  Wow.  Getting the most out of vintage clothing will eventually slow the demand for these new items and keep some dangerous pesticides out of our soil and our water table. 


Some of my favorite local places to find vintage treasures are
Craigslist, 
Freecycle, 
the Cambridge Antique Market, 
Poor Little Rich Girl, 
The Garment District, 
The Collector on Highland Ave. (brand new!), 
Goodwill 
and rest in peace, Savers.  

Go shopping and save the world!

Day 6: Meatless Monday

According to MeatlessMonday.com:

 

"Ghent, Belgium became the first city to go meatless in May, 2009 and Paul McCartney introduced Meat-Free Mondays to the UK soon after. Since then, Meatless Monday has rapidly expanded into an international movement! The campaign’s simple message allows each nation to bring its unique culture, customs and cuisine to the table. Join the movement. It's good for your nation's health, good for the planet!"

And here are 6 reasons why you should join in and go 

Meatless on Mondays:

• LIMIT CANCER RISK
• REDUCE HEART DISEASE
• FIGHT DIABETES
• CURB OBESITY
• IMPROVE YOUR DIET
• REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

Not to mention that there are a millieu of delicious vegetarian dishes out there to try, like this one that Liz made for me last week that was so so so delicious I can't even stand it:

Country Fried Seitan 

For more recipes, information and to pledge to go Meatless on Mondays, go to MeatlessMonday.com now!