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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Fresh Fruit Juices: Juice it yourself!

The first time I tasted Odwalla fresh juices I was hooked. I think it was their Mango Tango that swept me off my feet on a warm spring day in San Diego. Sigh.

Flash forward to present day. Enter: Our own personal Juicer. And I don't just mean my husband, although he often does the juicing so I guess that kind of does make him my own personal juicer. Thanks, sweetie.


If you've never tried juicing your own fruit? You have got to try it.
The flavor is delicate and rich. It's as sweet as can be and goes down smooth. Like it's right off the tree.  It makes frozen cans of "fruit juice" taste like they juiced a big bowl of plastic fruit! Take that!

My husband bought this juicer a few weeks ago. I think it's called the Healthy Juicer. It uses pressure to push out the juice so there are no blades to worry about.


First you peel your oranges. Come on, it doesn't do everything for you. hahaha


Then you press down on the fruit as you turn the juicer handle.



It pushes the flesh of the fruit through one side while dripping the juice and pulp through the other.



You can either choose to keep out the pulp that has collected in the green tray, or just add it back in your juice like I did. Bring on the fresh pulp!


It's so good you might just cry a little. I did.



And the great thing about the Juicer is that you can juice almost any kind of fruit. So far we've tried pear, apple, orange, grapefruit and stawberries. I am over the moon for Pear juice. It's like putting a straw right into a fresh pear. Unfortunately, soft fruits like strawberries don't work. They only smoosh, they don't juice.

My husband juices veggies, but I can't quite stomach broccoli/celery/radish green/carrot/cauliflower juice. It's a little too "green" for me. I'm partial to the sweet stuff.♥


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DON'T FORGET!
Today is the last day (2/29/12) to 

Win it for yourself or for someone you know!

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Happy Juicing!


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Monday, February 27, 2012

A trip to the Oregon Coast

Ever just need to get away for a few days?
Me too. My husband and I decided to jump in the car and head down to the coast of Oregon for a few days.
Forecast? Rain.
Did that stop us? No.

We did get a few sun breaks here and there, which was nice for snapping some pictures, but overall we got rain, hail, wind and snow. Bring it on!


View just over the Lewis and Clark Bridge (from Washington into Oregon)


First stop. Welcome to Astoria. The home of Kindergarten Cop & Goonies. Yes, I did make us swing by the hollywood hot spots (school where K Cop was filmed, Goonies House, etc.).

We were greeted by a bunch of honking Sea lions. It was pretty hysterical. You could hear them from the main street. We went down to the docks and watched them swim, honk and play.


Astoria waterfront


Back over to the Washington side on the Olympic Peninsula to Cape Disappointment.
Lighthouse #1
The wind was blowing like crazy and it was freezing so we weren't outside very long.


A walk out on the verrrry windy beach, all bundled up as tight as can be.
View of lighthouse #2.


Up to lightouse #2 at Cape Disappointment.
Disappointing?
No.
I LOVE lighthouses.


After stopping at this lighthouse, we traveled on to another beach on the WA Olympic Peninsula, Long Beach. Due to the windy/rainy conditions we only peeked at the beach but went in a few stores before heading back over the bridge to Oregon.

Cannon Beach, OR
Hard to tell from the pictures, but it was frigid. So cold. And the wind just slapped your face pink. With gusts up to 60 mph. Quite a day to be at the beach.

View of Haystack rock

I love the collection of sea foam along the shore line.



Enter Hail.
Here's proof.
A giant front rolled through as we were walking back from Haystack rock. It hailed like crazy, then poured rain. Our pants were soaked and suctioned to our legs, but what a memory it made. hahaha


The next day we ventured out to Tillamook, the home of the Tillamook Cheese Factory.


Mmmmm. Cheese.
Thanks for the samples.


Up Hwy 6 to Porland, enter: snow storm. Luckily the snow only lasted along Hwy 6, and turned to rain as we got closer to the city.

Portland down by the Willamette River. Too wet to walk around for long. 



Portland is the place of a million bridges! I tell you. I didn't realize it, but there are actually 10 bridges that cross the Willamette River at various places through the city, including the double decker variety.



There's a cool shopping area called Nob Hill, with cute little shops tucked in among Queen Anne style architecture. It was really crowded and rainy so we only drove through. Next time we'll walk and shop.


{credit: nobhillbiz.com}
And of course, our trip to Portland wouldn't have been complete without stopping at The Cullen House in Portland (for all you Twilight fans). hahaha I know, I'm pathetic, but couldn't pass it up. At least I didn't go to all the Twilight stops - that would have taken us a couple hours out of our way.




And the final Twilight stop, on our route back to Seattle, was Kalama, WA. The school where the outside scenes were filmed (where Edward saves Bella from being struck by the sliding van). Oh yah. I'll spare you the photo of me faking like I was Bella almost getting hit by the van. 

Well that's all folks!
Hope you all enjoyed your weekend too!



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Monday, February 20, 2012

Unique baby gift: Decorated Onesies: Ink blot style

More {Wearable Psychology} as I like to call it. 

I couldn't resist making a few more Ink blot Onesies after I found another fabric paint that I just love. It's called So Soft, from DecoArt. It's non-toxic, with a flexible, soft feel. Perfect for decorating t-shirts or onesies! (FolkArt fabric paint from Plaid is my other fave)





Check out these smart, new designs! 
And {watch} as each one is created. I post videos showing the design come to life, to make it a little more personal.


This one reminds me of Atlas holding up the world.
What do you see?






{WATCH} this ink blot design come to life







In this ink blot design I see a princess dress, complete with slippers.
What do you see?





{WATCH} this ink blot design come to life







I see Frankenstein in this one, mainly because of his square head, although truly doesn't look anything like him.
What do you see?







{WATCH} this ink blot design come to life




And lastly, I call this one the clown. Reminds me of a clown jumping out of a jack-in-the-box. I think it might be my favorite out of the four, but since they're all unique in their own way, it's kind of a toss up.
What do you see?








{WATCH} this ink blot design come to life






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Tip Junkie handmade projects

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Product Commercials: Walmart's On the Shelf Contest

Do you know about the Get on the Shelf Walmart Product Competition?
[I mentioned it Saturday in my Ink Blot T-shirt Design Kit post.]

It's an entrepreneur's dream, of sorts. Walmart is allowing anyone to submit videos showcasing their personal products, in hopes of getting their product on Walmart's shelf, based on public votes.

I had one product in mind to submit, but then I realized, why stop there? If there's even a remote chance at getting a product on Walmart shelves? Why not go for it?

Want to watch my commercials for the 
3 products I submitted?
{WATCH} Shaving Cream Cozy

I'll be asking for your votes soon (starts March 7th). I can't do it without you!

If you have a product you want to submit, you need to do it by Feb. 22nd.
It's exciting! Good luck to all!



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Saturday, February 11, 2012

Design your own T-shirt ::Ink Blot T-shirt Design Kit:: One of a kind designs

Would you believe me if I told you the t-shirts in this post all started from random paint blobs?


No planning, unique designs completely up to chance.
That's what makes them so much fun to make, and SO addicting!!

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So, I decided to share the love by making a one-of-a-kind Ink Blot T-shirt Design Kit, available now in my {etsy shop}. 

***Sorry these kits are no longer available. Stay tuned for a new link to make your own!

PLUS...


I decided to take it to the masses.
And by masses I mean the GET ON THE SHELF WALMART PRODUCT CONTEST. If chosen, my product could end up on Walmart shelves! Wouldn't that be amazing?!

BUT I NEED YOUR VOTES IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED!

The first round of voting STARTS March 7, 2012 and ENDS April 3, 2012. I can't do this without you. Don't worry, I'll send out reminders. Thanks so much for your support!



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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Ink blot designed t-shirts

Making ink blot designed onesies has been so much fun!  But I can't keep all the fun just for the babies, now can I?

I decided to try my hand at creating some {Wearable Psychology} ink blot designed t-shirts for other people to wear, not just for me. These are Adult (unisex) XL.

And the designs that I "created"? Hahaha it gets me every time. You never know what those plops of paint are going to reveal. And I have to admit, I was surprised. But I think I always am. That's half the fun.



I call this one the Ink Blot Valentine T-shirt because if you look closely, you can see little hearts. And I didn't even plan it. Plus, I liked the combination of red and pink, perfect for Valentine's Day. 





{WATCH} to see how this t-shirt was made



Now this one made me chuckle. Really? The mere fact that blobs and swirls of paint can turn into something completely by chance? Gets me every time.


Looks like a biker dude holding umbrellas instead of guns. Somewhat appropriate to have been made in Seattle.



{WATCH} to see how this t-shirt was made.



When my husband saw this one? 
He said, "Looks like Alien Ant Farm".
(That's a real band, in case you've never heard of them. I thought he made them up.)





Red + black paint blops = Voila. Never could have planned it.


{WATCH} to see how this t-shirt design was made

I love how each design is so totally up to chance. I'm such a wanna-be-gambler.
It's crazy fun people! And I do mean crazy!




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