Mossin' My Stone Path

There is an awesome natural stone path at my cabin that a friend of mine built leading from my outside shower to the front door - we used only stones that were already here (ones that had been dug up to put the gravity fed water line 6 feet in the ground!) A few days ago my roof was scraped of all it's leaves, moss, sticks, and wet content ... the moss sitting now on the ground in big ole' piles. I thought, it would be cool to shove it in the cracks of my stone path....

I gathered moss in a basket and brought it over to the path, placing bit by bit in the most open cracks- trying to keep it looking like it had grown there. The moss in this region grows on moist rocks and uses only tiny bits of decaying matter to live off of so I am hoping it will continue it's lifecycle on these stones.

COOL TIP: I was told that if you want moss to grow on your stones you can mix it with milk or beer and chop it up, then put it in the cracks to grow. (If anyone has done this, let me know if it works!)

I think I like it! And so does my kitty Toots, she said "Darlin', it looks like it's been around foreva', sooooo authentic." ........... :)))

Xoxoxox

Another Dream Come True (and it's just a pair of used boots!)

I have looked far and wide --- I have scoured Ebay & Etsy for years trying to find hiking boots that would fit this one weird idea(l) in my head.... this idea of tall & cute knee high military style canvas boots that had good shoe soles for gripping the ground while walking in these mountains.
I finally have come to my hiking boot climax after all this time!
The title of these boots (pictured) from Etsy says it all... i mean really, it ALL! Like every keyword i have ever used trying to find something just like this:::::

"Vintage Denim and Leather Boots Canvas Hemp Buckle Combat Retro Knee High Riding Boots Safari Hiking Boots size 6"

I am gonna confess my enthusiastic girlie-ness for shit like this, when I find a sweet pair of boots I need badly and happen to also be hot to trot (freakin' sexy with leather straps), i am totally taken back in time to my mom's shopping bonanzas where she would have us model our score for my dad when we got home from the Lakeside Mall. He was not thrilled ($$$), but we felt awesomely adorable & prepared for all the events city life may throw our way (catholic church on sundays, school functions such as bingo night, seeing my boyfriend on the Westbank, going out to eat at Impastato's with my parents).

Confession #2 : I will wear (now as an adult) high heel cowgirl boots when hiking in the woods, and walking miles along the road. Why? Cause I like them, they are so pretty I can't take them off even when it's an inappropriate terrain.
These old canvas boots I found are gonna save me from this reckless fashion love/consumer zombie/ hurtin' shins fate.

BTW- these are used/vintage boots I got, I haven't bought brand new shoes in over 5 years. I try to stick to an eco friendly plan when buying footwear cause usually the thrift stores, ebay and etsy are full of amazing footies for alot cheaper. And much more interesting looking. Don't ya think?
Xoxo

DIY: Turn a Hillbilly Prom Dress into a Summer Dress

Holy beau-tee-ful mou mou-ness! I found this long prairie style gown at a local thrift store, and fell in love with the cotton fabric, the little late 70's flower pattern, and the layer of see-through material on top - not to mention the frill on the bodice with pink buttons!

Only thing is, no one really sports big long mou mou's anymore so I thought it would be great to take the focal point of the dress (the frilly chest area) and turn the rest of the gown into a smaller summer dress.

***

STEP 1 : I measured the dress for the length I wanted it, more of a mini dress. I measured from the top of my shoulder to where I wanted the dress to hit on my thigh - leaving a small amount of room for the hem line.
STEP 2: I used scissors to cut off the extra material (which is enough to make a whole 'nother skirt or dress!
Step 3 : I then turned the dress inside out so that I could make the other measurements, for my waist, chest, hip - then marked it with straight pins so that a new seam could be sewn.

NOTE: I had originally wanted to keep the sleeves on but because I had to take in many inches of fabric, I ended up removing the awesome see-through sleeves. In the end I liked this better anyway (not to mention i had no idea how to put them back on!)
STEP 4 : Sewing time! This is where I used all my measurements and straight pins to make all the new seams - the new seams will be along the right and left side (where the original seams are), and then to hem the bottom.
The new seams will depend on whether or not the dress fit you to begin with - if it already fits your size, all you'd have to do is hem it into a mini dress for summer fun!
YAY!!! This is the finished upcycled summer dress..... sooooooo not a mou mou no mo' ! In fact, this shit is so cute it's almost punk rock. I left frayed edges where the sleeves used to be for a more punky look.
Check out all the angles... (the frill makes it awesome from the side!)
Time for a party. :)
Xoxoxo

Eco DIY : Turn A Silk Scarf Into A Halter Top

Check out this cute q-bert style 80's scarf! My friend Heather gave this to me as a gift, so that I could make a craft project with it and a simple DIY halter top is what I made...

Here is how I did it (it only takes about 5 -10 minutes to complete!) :::::

Step ONE: Take one of the corners and fold it over slightly, where you get a flat edge a few inches across.
Step TWO: Sew (with a machine or by hand) a line across the folded triangle, leaving a space at the top big enough to run a drawstring, necklace or ribbon through. The space it will create is a drawstring type hole.

Like this picture below... (you can cut off that extra fabric hanging under your stitch.)
Step THREE: Cut a drawstring out of stretchable jersey cotton fabric - or alternately grab a awesome necklace (sparkling bling!), fancy ribbon, braid some fabric, or even a piece of hemp twine will do! Get as creative as you want, as long as it can clasp or tie in the back to hold the halter top up.
Step FOUR: Run the drawstring through the drawstring hole you created when you made the stitch across the triangle. Attaching a safety pin to the end to pull it through always makes it easier...

(((Note: If the scarf is not large enough to tie in the back, add more fabric/drawstring to the pointed corners on the right and left sides for a simple tie.)))
ANDDDDDDDDDD, WA LA! A quickie fancy fun summer shirt you can sport with jeans, a skirt, to a party and to the beach...
The back ties together at the corners (but ties can be added to the corners if the scarf is too short!)
Funky Cold Medina! That sh*t is hawt! ;) Now I just wanna come up with one that is reversible...
Xoxo

Eco Efficient Kitchen: Before and After

The Luck Cabin kitchen BEFORE::::You can see it was a bit spread out and hap hazard, had particle board counter tops, and there was no bathroom in the cabin at all to start with - so this space was to be divided in half, so that the back part was the bathroom and the front was an efficiency kitchen.
The Luck Cabin Kitchen/ Bathroom Wall ::::
The wall was put in with locally milled pine for $40, and then my friend Noelle helped me put together my idea for a kitchen counter to fit in the small space.
The frame was just 2 x 4 studs...
But the actual materials used were mostly reclaimed, reuse, found -

• The counter top is made of left over hickory plank floors
• The sink was already in the house and is being put back in
• The log legs for support I handsaw'ed in the woods
• The nails were already in the house too

So what had to be bought was the 2 x 4's and a working faucet....
the whole thing came together with a rustic look and I love it. LOOooove it.

It's still a work in progress, but most the main stuff is done enough that i wanted to share it with ya'll!!!
The Luck Cabin Kitchen AFTER::::
XoXo

Learnin' A Little Plumbing: Kitchen Faucet

Ya'll might remember my plan to make the kitchen & bathroom in my tiny Luck cabin much more eco efficient... there was no bathroom at all and the kitchen was spread out in a space equal to the bedroom. I cut that room in half and am working on piecing it back together with the help of my friends Noelle (pex plumbing) and Mark (carpentry).

I decided to take the old kitchen sink that had already been in the house and re-furbish it with just a change of faucet fixture. When I was attempting to take the old fixture off, mainly made of cheap plastic and corroded badly to the sink, I learned how to put one back on.

(Note to self: Taking shit apart really does teach you how to build/put things together!)
I had to use pliers to get the old parts off because there was so much old plumbing tape and the funky blue/green colored stuff metal corrodes onto itself when wet. Putting the new one on is fairly easy - you just spin those big plastic thingies all rightie tightie till you can't push anymore.
Yay! I swear putting stuff together myself is doing good things for my self esteem. I recommend trying this at home. DIY! :)
XoXo

DIY: Decorative Bamboo Ladder

Me and my mom were looking through the eco friendly Viva Terra catalog the other day (together ova' the phone) when she fell in love with their towel ladder featured as a super zen bathroom accessory. I remembered a few years back when they had one made of bamboo all decked out with organic towels hanging from it, and told her I would try and make one that was free, simple and with stuff I had around the house.

Here are the supplies you need:

• bamboo
• hand saw (or electric)
• cutting shears (optional cause you can use your saw)
• hammer (or something similar to pound with)
• string (like hemp, jute or organic cotton)

FIRST: I cut two large pieces of bamboo approx. 5 feet high for the side pieces (posts), using a hand saw. The two sides must be the exact same size.

SECOND: I cut 5 smaller pieces of bamboo with my cutting shears (super easy!)
The 5 rungs of the ladder to hang your towels on can be a wide/ long as you like - depending on the width you'd like your ladder to be. Make sure these are all the same length though, more or less...
THIRD: I took the rungs and placed them on the ladder how i would like them to sit, then with a pencil marked lines on the right and left side of each end piece - meaning each rung had four marks, two for each side.
FOURTH: I used the hand saw to cut in grooves, for this neat little magic trick you can do with bamboo... you saw two parallel lines deep enough to hit the hollow part and.........
Then you take a hammer (or some kind of pounding tool) and bang the center between the two parallel lines - which causes a perfect square to open up. Usually it takes a hit or two before it breaks, and split in the middle and the very edges where your saw line ended.
Like this pic below... it just pops open, into a perfect square (or rectangle) - and you pull off the broken pieces with your fingers.
FIFTH: After cutting the grooves on the right and left side of the ladder for all 5 rungs, you can then place the rungs into the grooves.
SIXTH: With the rungs in place, it's time to take some eco friendly string (hemp, jute?) and tie them to the posts of the ladder. I used organic cotton fabric which I cut in strips because it was what I had around.
The type of string you use will change the look of the ladder - for a more island, zen look I think brown hemp rope would work best. But for me, I like the funky bold white ties cause it gives it a handmade primitive look. :)
I bet you could also paint your ladder with Milk Paint too, if you wanted it a certain color to match your decor!

Check out my end result - I totally think it's a big success!!!! And was FREE.
XoXoxoxo