Easy UPcycled Clock

Speaking honestly, I'm not a big fan of  the whole concept of "time." It seems like there is never enough of it in one day, you feel guilty if you waste it or don't get enough done in a certain amount of it. It forces us to rush around when we need to be somewhere, and it is seemingly a source of anxiety and panic more often than not. Heavy stuff, I know right :) I truly wish we never had to know the time! LIKE, NO JOKE, but we do. We all need to know the time and have some legitimate time telling object in our homes in this world (I suppose lol). Everything is intertwined with "time," in some silly way or another. You can't just show up to work any time you please or leave any time you want. Or if you favorite show comes on at 9 you'll miss it if you don't know the time. We are told from a young age to spend our time wisely, make thee most of our time, cherish the time we've shared with those near and dear to our hearts, that we can't go back in time, don't be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and that time is precious among many other time related tidbits of life insight. I guess, time diminishes some confusion and chaos in this complicated world, yet, creates other kinds of chaos like rushing about to be on time or the frequent confusion felt by the unsureness of the time in which we are suppose to be somewhere important and if we don't know that specific time, we panic. I guess you could say, time is not my favorite concept lol. I'd much rather mosey places leisurely like when the sun peaks at a certain point in the sky (and ban the whole concept of working when the moon is out, no one should have to be up before the sun, just saying lol) than feel time induced panic when I know I'm suppose to be somewhere important by such and such specific designated times. Sorry for the rant, JUST GETTING THAT OFF MY CHEST :) I know, Ain't nobody got time for that and I shouldn't be wasting your valuable time with my jargon  ;) 

So let's talk about up-cycling, recycling, and repurposing. It's truly awesome (unlike time lol) and it can be super fun, rewarding, and rarely panic inducing. To transform something that might have ended up in the trash into a lovely little treasure is not only good for all Earth's inhabitants, it makes us feel a sense of pride when it goes from blahness to beautiful. It is an art in itself to see the weird potential of random, rundown, everyday items as something other than what easily meets the eye and further, transform those average objects into unique, thrifty lil' masterpieces of sorts. Not only is it good for the environment and good for the wallet, it's pretty sweet for the soul!

I've been feeling pretty blah about this basic, worn down time telling device on my wall for quite some TIME now. Yeah, it served its purpose, but it was cracked and a lot bit whack. I believe it was my Grandma's kitchen clock at some point (no offense G-Ma) but it was most definitely not my style. I wouldn't have paid 10 dollars for that plain Jane time contraption unless it was the only time telling device left on Earth; it truly had NO CHARACTER, and was the definition of true blah designs! It def didn't tie into my eccentric, funky, eclectic decor lol. So, I started thinking how could I revive this old beast without just chucking it into the trash or without spending any extra cash?!? I looked around at random objects in my domain and I scrolled Pinterest for some nifty ideas, and OF COURSE, there was no shortage of funky clock inspiration! I so love Pinterest, and all the lovely, creative concoctions people come up with! I especially adore, the Eco-friendly, Upcycled and Recycled masterpieces these glorious geniuses make out of everyday objects or things that would be laying in landfills if not otherwise repurposed. Anyhow, after brainstorming and scouring my house staring at random objects and snooping around the Internet, I decided to turn an old piece of funky, vibrant, wall art, gifted to me many moons ago from my older brother, into my new clock! It was perfecto' and a really fun way to revive both of these old pieces without spending a single penny. Thrifty and Nifty folks <3  It even makes checking the time a little bit funner and that's a mega plus in my book!

Poor ol' clock has had a rough time :)

I started by carefully taking apart the old plastic clock, removing the tiny screws in the back, and removing the membrane or mechanical mechanisms that hold the "time."

I then, measured the pictures width and length with a basic ruler, located the center, and marked it lightly with a dot (in pencil). There, I drilled a basic hole and put those mechanisms removed from the old clock into the hole drilled in the center, similarly, to the way they were in the basic old blah clock. (I believe the hour hand goes on the bottom, then minute hand, and then seconds hand lastly, just in case you get fumbled up when taking it apart ;) I applied 2 long pieces of clear masking tape to the back to secure the mechanism in place, but if you prefer, use super glue, or whatever works for you best! (It is completely secure with the tape and won't be visible when on the wall, and it will also be easier for me to remove if I want to in the future or if the ol' beast fizzles out on me and needs replacing)

Next, I thought of how I wanted to display the numbers. Honestly, lovely penmanship is not my forte and I don't own stencils to to make nice legible anythings lol, SO, I decided to go through a few old magazines and look for numbers or relevant words or symbols that I could decoupage onto my clocks surface for easier reference of time. (I didn't want to have to decipher the time for my dude every time he tried to read my clock, ain't nobody got time for that lol) Though... you could do a wide variety of things to represent the numbers that flows with your decor or personal taste. You could print some neat #'s off the internet, paint Roman Numerals on, use random objects like buttons or seashells or really, whatever your heart desires!

I cut a few numbers and phrases out of an old magazine, laid them out on the pictures surface and played around with location and such. Obviously, you want the time hands to fall fairly near the true time so your not panicking or creating chaos with your up-cycled clock lol! I also didn't want to completely clutter up the picture with numbers so I choose to leave a few off here and there, but you can still easily tell what time it is and it serves its' main purpose, while not being too cookie cutter blah :)

Mix a little water into some some basic white glue with a small, funky paint brush (you just made Mod Podge for half the price) and put a thin layer underneath where you want each number to be. Just make sure it is a nice and thin layer so you don't get that crusty effect (icks). Place the relevant number back on the glue in its predesignated area and cover it again with another thin layer or two of the watered down glue/MOD PODGE. Repeat until all the desired numbers are glued on and in the desired locations with a few thin layers of the Mod Podge on top of each #. THEN... allow the little beaut to air dry and put it back up on your wall so you won't run late for any important dates!

Shazam! You just totally up-cycled a blah clock that was destined for the trash in the near future into a fun whala wall clock, all while doing something nice for the planet and all your fellow creatures! Bravo, my fellow thrifty tree huggers and may time treat you kindly ;)

Sorry for the funky lighting, but I was working on this project in the evening, but hopefully, you still get the drift!

P.S. Here's a few more fun, crafty up-cycled inspirations to get your thrifty DIY juices flowing:

http://coolmaterial.com/home/palletart-clock/

http://refurbished-ideas.com/unique-diy-wall-clocks/

http://mydesiredhome.com/40-diy-driftwood-inspiration-ideas/

http://www.hometalk.com/5623161/how-to-make-a-t-shirt-pillowutm_source=original&utm_medium=pinterest&utm_campaign=featured&crlt.pid=camp.Jxltv5uihKYU

http://rooflab.blogspot.gr/2013/02/15-kitchen-ideas-with-vintage-touch.html

isn't that cute!

Growing and Preserving Green Onions

Who doesn't LOVE a fully loaded baked potato, fully loaded fries, fully loaded nachos or FULLY loaded pretty much anything??! If you said moi... just find the cyber door now because I'm not sure we can ever FULLY connect or be pals lol! Just teasing, but kinda serious though :) To moi, life is better fully loaded!! Think about it....Do you want a baked potato or a FULLY LOADED potato with all the fixins' ?? I know where my heart and stomach belong, not that a plain ol baked potato isn't lovely on it's own, simply classic, but I'll take mine with sour cream, butter, bacon and green onions 99% of the time given that option! Sooo on to the point of this post already

 GREEN ONIONS. Glorious, good, homegrown and crispy lil green onions that add a bit of WOW factor freshness to almost any savory food. Some folks like to garnish with parsley, but for me the dish becomes a fully loaded masterpiece with a sprinkle of green onions on top. Just keeping it real here folks, not that parsley or any other lovely greenish garnishing element is really bad in my book. They all hold a wonderful little spot in my ticker, but my one true love... my go to guy is definitely the green onion. He's fully loaded with flavor, easy to grow, handsome on a plate, versatile, adds a nice pop of freshness, and can even be preserved in a freezer! That's right the green onion is fully loaded with awesomeness!

So in previous posts, I mentioned I am a reformed plant murder, black thumb turned dedicated garden- loving, green thumb. Meaning, (translation please lol :) I use to kill the hardiest of plants, but I have really started to do okay at this gardening stuff in more recent years and I LOVES IT BERRY MUCH!!! I also enjoy experimenting, trying new things, saving moola $, and being crafty or anti-conventional!I'm all about ol school with a dash of modern or how can I make a classic feel new type of shtuff?Awhile back, I discovered how easy it was to grow green onions and it didn't cost an extra dime! (Thanks Pinterest) Well...to be exact it cost about ten dimes or 99cents to buy three bundles of green onions from the local produce section at the grocery store, but I was buying them anyways, consuming the green ends, and just throwing the roots or white parts in the trash. Really, there was no losing to be had in the experiment other than not trying it. Safe investment huh, I know right!? 

When, I discovered that these could actually be salvaged and used to grow fresh green onions right in my very own kitchen, I thought well, that'd be freaking AWESOME! One of the best days of my goofy little life looking back now lol! It changed my world really. The green onion actually brought out the green thumb in me and turned me into a plant lover instead of a loather. LIKE I CAN TOTALLY GROW AND KEEP SOMETHING ALIVE (other than myself and my pets) epic life moment, bells rang type of stuff, the impossible became possible and my little life was forever transformed. My love of gardening, plants, and nature truly blossomed with those little green onions growing in my kitchen <3 I promise, it doesn't get any easier than growing your own green onions from the root bulbs you'd probably just throw away anyhow! AND even if it doesn't work out the first time it's not a loss or costly gardening investment! Win/Win. 

 Simply cut off the green part of the green onion until you hit the thick, mostly white root stalk and bulb and place it in a tall glass with enough water to just BARELY cover the roots/bulbs. Too much water will cause them to rot which is way icky and smells like onion vomit :( so less is def more in this case!!! 1/4 cup water would prob be just about right, if it looks dry add more water later, but you don't want the bulbs floating! You just want the roots covered!! Then place the cup in a fairly sunny location, I keep mine right next to my kitchen sink window sill usually, and pretty much let nature do her thang lol. Its that easy, no need for dirt even, but if you feel more comfortable using dirt.... do so. Just poke your finger in the soil deep enough to fit the bulb you are trying to cover (about half an index finger deep, like them fancy measurements lol), you want the tops or slender stalks still visible above the soil. Then just give them a nice drink of water. BAM, you'll be growing green onions in no time! Be sure to give them a drink of water when the soil is dry and make sure the get some steady sun. That's really it, it's that easy! I was planting mine in dirt for months until I neglected them for a few days, and WHALA they were growing just fine in the cup I used to revive/soak the roots!!! So, I just let them go and let them grow right there in the cup :) I have a small petting zoo or so it seems lol, which means the less plants the cats can knock over with dirt in them the better for my sanity/house cleanliness. Urgh cats lol. N.E. WAYS.... However, I'm the main consumer of the green onions or really anything green in my house, so before I knew it, I actually had MORE GREEN ONIONS THAN I KNEW WHAT TO DO WITH!

It was a little awesome, well just knowing that they were growing (since I could barely keep cacti alive back in my day lol) and to boot growing like wildfires, but I'm also not one for waste. Truly, it makes me sad, especially with all those in the world hungry or those who need things they just don't have! Besides not being good for my heart...it's bad for the wallet! Waste truly is like throwing cash in the trash and being a penny pinching/thrifty gal, I'm most def not down with all that trash and wastefulness :) GOOD NEWS IS.....YOU CAN FREEZE GREEN ONIONS! <3 That is correct, they can simply and easily be frozen to prevent all that unnecessary waste and needless cash in the trash! Here's how:

 If you notice your green onions starting to fade or looking on the verge of badness and you really can't consume them or they don't go with your meal plans, IT'S ALL GOOD, just freeze them lil beauts! Simply clean and dice them as you normally would, like you were going to consume them right now. Then place them on a clean paper towel and allow them to air dry for about an hr or two. I put mine under my oven exhaust fan on a paper towel covered baking sheet on low, just to speed the process along, but patience isn't my strongest suite lol! Make sure the diced green onions have room i.e not piled on top of each other, give them some space, and insure they are in a nice single layer, this will speed up the drying process.

Once they are completely dry, than take that same baking sheet you dry them on and spray with a little Non-Stick Cooking Spray, (get rid of the paper towel) and place them in the freezer to flash freeze, uncovered for about 2hrs or until they are all firm to the touch ie not still springy and fully frozen. Remove them from the baking sheet and place them in a clean sandwich bag or storage container of choice and put them back in the freezer. It is that wonderfully easy folks! SHAZAM, no more wasted green onions AND you can have those glorious green beauties growing fresh in your very own kitchen in no time, no matter how limited the space! If I can do it..so can you (trust me, I was bad lol) Fully loaded and frugal folks :) The frozen green onions might not have the same crispness of the fresh green onion (can't win um' all right lol) but they can still make a wonderful garnish or pop of flavor to a soup or tater and won't be going to waste! Now, go get your GREEN ON (and feel free to send me a loaded baked potato if your feeling extra generous hehehe)!

  

Gnat Happening

I'm a firm believer that every creature on Earth has a purpose, some reason for their importance to this life, a contribution, destiny, and overall reason for being alive. But some are a little less clear than others. Pests such as gnats or other irritating little buggers don't seem to have a clear purpose like most other creatures and I would be lying if I said I didn't wish we could rid the world of things like gnats or flies lol! The only clear purposes a gnat has to me is testing my patience and haunting one's home!! Seriously....what does a gnat really do other than drive you bonkers and make you swat at the air repeatedly like a crazy person?!

Moving on to the destruction and massacre of these irritating little pests. They can live peacefully outside in nature, but they are most definitely NOT welcome to dwell in my home. NOPE, not happening gnats. Problem is...I have many houseplants and like to have some sort of fresh fruit in my home on a regular basis which quite often results in these lil jerks thinking they are welcome to linger uninvited in my domain lol!

 I decided to do a little gnat destruction research on Pinterest (which when all else fails folks look on pinterest, seriously, people are ahhmazingly creative, crafty, and ingenious at times, and it is like an ocean of ideas, handy tips, and just plain awesomeness). Needless to say I found many o' different hints, tricks, ideas, and different concoctions for desolating gnats! Problem was... I didn't have all the same ingredients as most of these gnat traps called for and some seemed a bit over the top ie unnecessarily complicated for bug slaying. I like to keep things simple, but effective and that is why I'm sharing this method with ya'll. It's simple and it works. Even my fiance was rather impressed, surprised and pleased since the gnats were driving him batty as well. Honestly, he doesn't always have faith in my crazy concoctions (can't say I blame him, can't win em' all right lol), but once he saw the cup full of pesty dead gnat bodies and noticed the interior peace had been restored, he gave me MAD PROPS :) and he said I should blog about that lol!

So here I am....blogging my simple, but way effective gnat trap, hoping this provides easy relief for somebody else in the world that is way over those little jerks buzzing around in their kitchens. Most traps I found on Pinterest called for covering a cup with plastic wrap, poking holes in it, apple cider vinegar and soap and really a much larger production, and a way more specific ingredient list than really necessary! Gnats or fruit flies as some call them are clearly attracted to fruits or sweet sugary stuff. So give them little pests what they want mwuahaha, bait them in with juice or a lil fruit mixed with water that is on the verge! Its that simple.

I used an old personal sized container of apple sauce that had been in my fridge FOREVER, okay not forever, but it was no longer a safe bet for human consumption lol! I mixed in a dash of dish soap and white vinegar and by the next morning I had at least 20 to 30 dead gnats in the cup! I placed it by my houseplants, away from my kitchen counter, where they seemed to be lingering about and BAM, my kitchen was gnat free within a few days. It's a tad gross aka a bit of an eye sore, but know what's even grosser?? Going to get a drink of your coffee and seeing a gnant floating in it URRGH/ICK!!

What you need:
~An 8oz cup or larger
~Something fruity and sweet~ a little juice, applesauce, old piece of fruit or something similarly sweet to bait them suckers in
~They can't swim so a sweet liquid will attract them to the cup where they shall be doomed, I used a little white vinegar, but water would have worked fine mixed with the ol applesauce. Or you could use a dash of fruit juice and water.
~Fill the cup about half way  and put it in a place where it isn't in the way, where you'd like to attract them to or where you notice them lingering most. I put my gnat trap on my plant stand by my houseplants to steer them away from my counter area and it worked extremely well. Either way, it will attract them if it is a sweet and fruity liquid and they will fall in and cease to be a problem in your house forever more. No need for a funnel, plastic wrap or super fancy ingredients, just a sweetened liquid of sorts, a cup and for good measure a DASH of soap and WHALA gnats no more! Don't go overboard on the soap because the bugs aren't attracted to the dish soap they want the fruity sweet stuff and adding to much might steer them away. Hope this helps you as much as it helped us, it's really gnat a problem and my pleasure ;)