Getting creative with Hemp

Just because CA Proposition 19 was defeated doesn't mean we can still enjoy a little hemp in our lives. Whether you enjoy it in your cereal bowl, with a snack or all wound up for crafting, I fully support it. 

As I've mentioned a few times, I LOVE my Divine Twine. There are certain times though that a more neutral twine just looks better (no offense DT). Not to mention hemp cord is much cheaper! Here are a few things I put together this week using hemp cord.

I made this thank you card out of my Paper Source wall calendar + a thank you stamp and a little hemp cord. 

It was perfect for tying up this green care package, which included a reusable shopping bag, granola bars and card (also from Paper Source Wall Calendar).

Here is a birthday card I made a while back using hemp. I'm currently working on another larger banner and will be using the cord to string it up. Will be sharing that fun project later!

Not trying to peer pressure you into anything, but if you're looking for a versatile and affordable twine for craft and projects, I highly recommend hemp cord! 

Fall Fabric Wreath

With autumn now in full swing I’ve seen loads of cute, festive wreaths on neighborhood doors and all over the blog-o-sphere. While I don’t know if I trust putting one outside our front door (we do live in Oakland, you know), I really want to make one to display somewhere our the apartment. I even made it a goal before the end of 2010. 

I love fall colors. So much so that I literally gasp when I see a tree decked out in it's best fall colors. B claims that I will go into sensory overload if I ever go to the East coast in the Fall (true that). However, I wasn't sure I wanted to go the silk leaf route with my wreath. Maybe just incorporate the beautiful colors. 

When I saw this wreath + tutorial by one of my favorite bloggers, Elise, I knew that's exactly what I wanted to make!  Using a hanger, fabric and ribbons I made this lovely fall wreath: 

The hardest part of making this wreath was picking out the fabrics - so many awesome fabrics to choose from. After going to three different stores, I settled on these fabrics and ribbons. While I realize there are no purple or pink fall leaves, I liked the way they complimented the others colors much better than red. 

I cut all the strips of fabric and ribbon 7 inches long. I measured the width of the fabric using the width of the ruler. I cut 20-25 strips of each color. Once all my pieces were cut and organized, I got to tying. 

Here is the wreath 20 minutes later, before I twisted the knots so that the wreath had more dimension. To complete, I added the orange polka dot ribbon to be able to hang the wreath.

And here's what happens to your black pants while you're tying all that fabric. It looks like I was attacked by a large, colorful cat. 

The fall wreath is now happily hanging in our hallway. I love how it turned out and the splash of fall its added to our apartment! 

Chicken Taco Soup

Have I told you about chicken taco soup? If I haven't, I'm shocked. It's my newest favorite soup - delicious, hearty and so, so easy. 

I made a big batch on Sunday and invited over a few friends for a "family dinner". About an hour after I'd put all the ingredients in the Crock Pot, our power went out. We quickly realized it wasn't just a blown fuse, but a power outage on the whole block. My first thought was GREAT no excuse or distractions while I clean. Second thought: oh crap, the Crock Pot! Thankfully a clever friend reminded me that we have a gas stove and can cook even during a power outage! Hooray. The soup turned out just as good on the stove top. Given the choice, I'd still use the ol' Crock Pot. 

So without further ado, I give you Chicken Taco Soup that can be made in the Crock Pot or on your stove top. Make it for yourself and have meals for days to come. Or make a batch and invite over friends and ask them to bring toppings (or corn bread and to.die.for. nutella brownies, like Rachel).

Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients: 

2 15oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

10 oz corn (frozen or canned, drained and rinsed)

16 oz can tomato sauce

1 15oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

15 oz chicken stock

1 small onion, diced

1 package taco seasoning

2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts (I say the more the merrier)

Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, corn bread, sliced olives, cilantro

Directions: Place the first 7 ingredients in the slow cooker and mix well. Place chicken breasts on top of the ingredients and cover the slow cooker. Cook on high 4-5 hours, or low 8-10 hours. Remove the chicken and cool on a cutting board while you prepare the toppings. Once chicken is cool, shred and mix back into the soup.

Enjoy for dinner (2 bowls is totally acceptable) AND lunch the next day. Yep, it's that good. 

Recipe found here. 

To the moon

Last week I received some sad news. My Dad's beloved dog Rocky passed away. 
 
When I visited at Thanksgiving last year I realized Rocky was getting old. His legs were a little shaky and hearing was on the outs. I wrote about it here. 

 While everyone was devastated to see him go, it was his time. I hope Rocky made it to the moon, but wherever he landed may he rest in peace. He was a good dog, so he deserves the best!

On Thursday I was at a local book store and the owner had his two pet Samoyeds in the store. They were a lot bigger than Rocky or Schnee (my childhood dog), but it was fun to see them and reminisce. There is something about those black noses and all that fluffy white fur that I just love. 

Halloween 2010

Q: What do you get when you cross a Jellyfish and a Chilean Miner? 

1. A really bad joke.

2. Our Halloween costumes.

3. All of the above.
 

Halloween 2010: Jellyfish and Chilean Miner

A: All of the above! 

We had a fun, low key Halloween: watched the Giants game, dinner with the Tabers and wandered to a few bars in our costumes. My feeling with Halloween and New Years Eve is less hype always means a more fun evening. Not be to Debbie Downer, but too much time, energy and anticipation can lead to disappointment. I was happy we'd made our costumes: pretty simple, creative and definitely did not disappoint! We also managed to spend less than $50 (which was my goal) - double bonus!!

 Here's how we put the costumes together...

  As mentioned here, I found this costume idea on Martha Stewart's Halloween Central. To begin, I printed these instructions as my guide. I knew I wanted to make it a little more colorful so rather than using iridescent cellophane, I went with purple. I also used packing tape rather than hot glue, in an effort to possibly reuse the costume and/or clear umbrella (I didn't want to melt any holes).

When making the costume I was honestly a little nervous that it was turning out to be a cheesy homemade costume. In the end I was happy with the outcome and received quite a few compliments. For the price and final product, I give this costume two thumbs up! If you are going to a bar or crowded party, keep in mind an open umbrella with tentacles is large and may annoy some. After a few comments I carried the umbrella over my head but slightly closed (as seen in top photo with B).

I you decide to make this costume, here are the materials I used:

- Clear umbrella (Nordstrom Rack, $16)

 - Small and Large Bubble Wrap (CVS Pharmacy, $10 - they were BOGO!)

- Purple cellophane and curling ribbon (Michael's, $8)

- Clear packing tape
 

B's costume was inspired by the rescue of the Chilean Miners. After a little internet research, the costume was born. All of the items he already owned, except the $8 hard hat (Ace hardware). 

To make the costume he found an old pair of jeans and white t-shirt. With a new piece of BBQ charcoal (thank you neighbors) he created his "just crawled out of a mine" look. After not shaving for a few days, and a little mascara he had the scruffy face. The large Blublocker sunglasses were from an old costume. Headlamp from our camping gear was added to the hardhat. To complete the costume, he chanted "Chi Chi Chi Le Le Le" while out and about. It was a hit!

These two are off to the costume box in our storage unit...until next time.

you make my heart go BOOM

In our house, the word BOOM is used fairly often. It originates from the game John Madden Football for Super Nintendo, circa 1990. "BOOM, heck of a play" is the actual quote. B and his brother P shortened it to just BOOM. Most days it makes me laugh, other days I ask to take a break from using the word BOOM, but for the most part I've embraced it.

The other day I stumbled upon Vol.25 a blog/Etsy shop with adorable art posters. According to the artist "they're made to give at least one person the warm fuzzies." Imagine my delight when I saw this one:

{via}

Too perfect not to get for the guy in my life that not only makes my heart go BOOM, but uses the word on a regular basis. Plus the turtles remind me of one of my favorite commercials, the Slowskys.  

It immediately went into my cart and I continued to browse. I could have easily purchased tons of other prints, however only went with the BOOM poster...for now. It arrived just in time to put on B's desk for when he returned home last night. In the envelope were some free postcards too, including a mini version of this, lucky me!

Round here

It's officially in busy season at work. I love to be busy and productive. I don't love feeling like there aren't enough hours in the day to do the things I enjoy, like writing blog posts and reading my favorite blogs. So, please allow me to catch up a little bit on the happenings 'round here...

- Today my department hosted a meeting, which I had a hand in planning. One of my tasks was putting together our giveaway for the meeting attendees. With a little help (wink) I settled on these notebooks which are made from recycled materials. To spruce them up, I made labels that coordinated with the other meeting materials.

For the presenters, I added a small thank you card and tied it to their notebook with a ribbon.

- B is in Hartford, Connecticut all this week for work. It's only 5 days and I'm totally fine, but wow, it's quiet at home. While I feel like we are both still adjusting to being together 7 days week, these few days have given me a chance to be extra thankful that we finally live in the same city and same apartment. I've also realized I'm a lot tidier when B is home. I told him that today and he said "let me guess, crafts all over the coffee table." He knows me well.

- In case you might have missed it, the Giants won the World Series! It was really fun to watch them throughout the season, but especially in the playoffs.

- Just started watching Mad Men: Season 1. So far, I'm a fan! I love that there are 4 seasons available on Netflix. Maybe the rainy season won't be so bad. 

- Tonight I went to our communication class solo. I really liked this quote from our workbook:
If you begin the day with love in your heart, peace in your nerves and truth in your mind, you not only benefit by their presence, but also bring them to others. - unknown   And if you're keeping tabs, our classmate was wearing lilac socks.  


- This Friday our office will most likely be shut down due to potential riots in downtown Oakland. I'm planning to work from home to avoid what I think is more probable than potential. The sentencing for the BART police officer will be announced that morning, and they're already speculating he will not get the maximum sentence. This will be riot #3 in less than 2 years. Dislike!


- Inspiration for blog post title: Round Here, by the Counting Crows. I love the whole August and Everything After album. Reminds me of college. 


I hope you are having a great week. Especially now that you're caught up on the whole enchelleada!