Long time, no see

I'm getting back at it. I've been telling myself for the longest time to start blogging again, and I want to say that things like school, work, and life in general prohibited me from doing such, but that would just be an excuse.

I'm a notorious procrastinator.

It's quite inhibiting, and yet I continue to do it. But I'm really pushing myself to start it up again. So here is "sour orange tree", part two.

WHAT TO MAKE: envelope clutch

These cute little envelope pouches can be used to  protect your glasses, keep your make up in one convenient case, or replace your wallet. I think they're absolutely adorable, and they look so easy to make. I am looking for a new wallet (the zipper on my last one broke), so this would be a great DIY to try out.



1. Oh Joy!  +  2. Design Sponge  +  3. See Kate Sew

WHAT TO MAKE: painted porcelain

What's not to love about painted porcelain? They add a lovely DIY and Scandinavian inspired touch to your home. I especially like these DIY's, which really play up the sharp contrast between the black drawn lines and the clean white ceramic.



 
               




1. Curious and Catcat  +  2. Craft and Creativity  +  3. Mormorsglamour  +  4. A Bird's Leap 

WHAT TO MAKE: leather projects

Warm, rustic leather combined with touches of cool metal make for beautifully modern pieces for you and your home. I've always had a fondness for leather; it's so sturdy and versatile. It's no wonder that I found these leather DIY's so appealing with their straight cut edges and metal pieces to complement.

Leather and brass pull tabs from Brick House

Leather folded basket from Between the Lines

Leather portfolio from DIYolo

HOME GARDEN: day 1 - 8

I'm a bit late to post, but here is the start of my garden. With the help of my boyfriend (who's dad generously built the raised bed for me), we pulled out the weeds that resided in the area that I had chosen to place my garden. After that, we called it a day and went to reward ourselves with some lunch.

The bed sat there, sad and empty, for two days, until I finally went to Home Depot on Monday to buy some soil. It wasn't until I got home and filled in the box that I realized I should have bought more bags of dirt. The box is 4x4 feet, so it took about 12 square feet worth of soil to comfortably fill in the bed. 

Right now, I have some onions, garlic, carrots, and celery that I all started from food scraps sitting in there. In one of the corners is what I think is a pepper plant; I just saw it randomly growing out in the front yard, and stuck it back here. 

I'm very eager for the sprouts to start showing. Let's see how this little experiment of mine goes.  

WHAT TO MAKE: little wooden houses

via julep

I'm a sucker for miniature crafts, and these little houses are just so cute and sweet. I love how the painted roofs complement the grain of the wood. This is a simple gift you can give to a friend, or something you can make for yourself.

EDIBLE WEEDS

Instead of trying to eradicate the dandelions from your yard, why not eat them? I've lately been drawn to the idea of finding wild edibles that grow around parks, disturbed areas, or of course your back yard. There's really more out there than you think. They're growing wild, and are a free source of nutrition that can be added to your dinner.

Weeds and other plants vary from region to region, and so I'll just be talking about the ones that are within the Los Angeles area.
 

WHAT TO MAKE: embroidered foxes

I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought it was adorable and easy. Just get simple shirt or dress and embroider on a few images contrasting in color. I love how Frolic used a dark dress and added some adorable little foxes. I'm now on the hunt for a simple cotton dress so that I can make my own fox dress.

Via Frolic

sour orange tree

So I have this orange tree in my backyard (along with a gangling yet prolific lemon tree) that rarely produces a sweet orange. I used to think that the bees would cross pollinate the lemon and orange, resulting in sour oranges. Then I thought otherwise and decided it's just a sour orange tree. I don't know anything about it other than opossums like it too, as they tend to leave half eaten rinds around.

I also decided that I was tired of letting the opossums have the entire tree to pick for themselves and decided to finally use some. After giving away an armful to some friends (and after telling them of the sour disposition of this citrus), I got out my nifty hand crank juicer and squeezed about 2 cups worth of juice. I made a sort of lemonade out of it, but I used less water and sugar that calls for a lemonade recipe. I also added a handful of mint and pineapple sage just because I have a bunch growing around and I never use them.

And it was delicious! It was nice, light, tangy, and refreshing. Maybe next time I'll try it with some sparkling water. Yeaahh, that would be good. Just be sure to finish it in the same day, otherwise the herbs will turn brown and unpleasant looking overnight.

On a different note, I need to work on taking more pictures and putting them on my computer. I wish I could do it wirelessly, but ehh, what can you do? Anyways, welcome to my new blog, I hope to mildly entertain you in the future with post about DIY, art, and my soon to be vegetable garden.

Update: I gave some to my boyfriend, and he drank an entire cup in one gulp. I took it as a good sign. He said that down in Mexico, everyone drank orange-ade, as opposed to just orange juice, and that my drink tasted exactly what he remembered. I should get points for both taste and the nostalgic value of my drink.