Try taking a picture "from the ground up" ;)

Recently my friend Arika, (she has a great blog: http://happyhomeypsi.blogspot.com), was looking at some photos I'd taken.  She commented that her favorites were the ones that were taken a little below the "view" of the subject. 

Usually when I take shots like these I get down in the dirt and angle the camera upwards.  (dirty knees and a few bug bites can be clever if you get a great shot!)  I don't always see a great preview of the picture when I take the shot so I take probably 5-10 and then review after each.  I know it sounds a little obsessive, but I really like getting those eye catching stills-like the ones you're enjoying now ;)  I also like to have the "macro" mode and "foliage" mode on.  I have a cannon so these things might be called different things on your camera-basically a mode that shoots small things and a mode that is good for outdoors. 

From a previous entry I mentioned that I always keep my camera on me for when I see something I want to get a shot of.  The vines are from a couple of days ago in a parking lot-go figure! 
I hope this encourages you to try a different angle the next time you take a shot.  Happy hunting ;)

My new favorite biscuit ingredient...sour cream!

I like to play around with biscuit recipes and tonight I read one for
plain biscuits that included using sour cream along with milk.  I'm
pretty picky about my sour cream-I think Daisy is really fresh
tasting and I just bought a new thing of it so I thought I'd give it a
try.  Ammmmaaazing results!  It's a little tangy, but makes it more
rich too.  I didn't think something could taste clever haha ;)  Give
it a try and you won't be disappointed.
 
Here's the recipe that I came up with to make mine:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

-2 packed cups of biscuit mix
-1/2 cup of shredded mild cheese like cheddar+ monterey jack cheese
(Kraft has a good blend)
-1/3 cup of sour cream (Daisy regular works great)
-1/3 cup of at least 2 percent milk
Optional: add a little bit of salt and pepper or Italian seasoning when mixing

Mix the biscuit mix, cheese, sour cream, and milk in a bowl and fold
over a few times.  Place the dough on a big, flat plate and spread it
out and down into about a half inch thick.  Spray a cookie sheet with
cooking spray.  Use a cup to cut rings into the dough and place them
onto the cookie sheet.  Spread a little less than a half of teaspoon
of spreadable butter on top of each raw biscuit.  Before you put the
biscuits into the oven place sheets of tin foil on the whole oven
shelf under where you’ll put your cookie sheet (to catch the butter
drip-it smells bad if it burns on the bottom of the oven).  Bake for
about 9 minutes and let them sit for 1 or 2 minutes before eating them up! 

Do you doodle? Use your drawings to make interesting and original paintings!

The picture on the lined paper is a doodle that I drew and thought looked neat and a little whimsical.  I wanted to make some art for my living room, so I used parts of the drawing to make three paintings.

I really enjoyed this project and felt very clever when I saw the results.  I hope this inspires you to try this. 

To make your own:
Get a canvas-I get mine from Jo Ann's-the Michael's Crafts' ones just don't seem to be as nice and the Jo Ann's ones come in a lot of different sizes and shapes.  Because Jo Ann's offers coupons, do a google search before you go of Jo Ann's coupons-I found some for 40% off!  While at the store grab acrylic paint in a small bottle of a color you love or will match your decor and a bottle of white or a lighter complementing color.  Also grab a smaller brush and a larger spongy brush. 

When you get home paint the canvas the color with the spongy brush.  I painted one coat and let it dry and repeated the process two more times.  While you're waiting for your paint to dry, look through your notebook/whatever you doodle on and find a drawing that you think might be interesting if painted on a canvas.

Before I painted on my doodle in white, I edited my smaller paint brush by first cutting it a little shorter and then I cut it on an angle. 

When I painted my first line I dabbed my paint brush in white and then started from the top of the canvas down.  I started with the highest point of the paint brush and just took my time.  That's it!  Good luck and if you do this project please show me the results!  I can't wait to see how it worked out for you :)

Want to "meet up" with other people who share your interests?

Some of your have heard of this and use it, but for those who don't MeetUp.com is a cool site where you can organize a group online and then meet out in the community.  For example, The Ann Arbor Indie Filmgoers is a online group on meet up.  They use the meet up site to pick which movie to see, when to see it, find out how many people are going, etc. and then meet up at the movie theater to see the movie together-I think that they do like a short discussion after at a nearby coffee shop.  Usually the only cost involved is the movie ticket and sometimes you get a discount for going as a group.  It's free to use MeetUp.com, but if you want to create a group that costs a small amount of $. 

How it works:
-Go to http://www.meetup.com
-On the right side of the screen you can enter in a top/interest and see if there's any groups that you can join
-OR-enter in your zip code and see what's around you
-If you find something and want to join, create a free account (you can set up how many emails you want to receive) and RSVP!

I entered in my zip and found the Indie Filmgoers, Ann Arbor Boardgame Group, Ann Arbor Classics Book Group, a knitting group, a diving group, a LGTBQA group, etc.  Try it and see for yourself :)  You can meet some new people in a clever way!

Marshmallow Shortbread!

So one night this week I wanted a treat, but didn't want to go out to the store to buy one.  I had enough sugar, flour, and butter to make something, but didn't know what I could make.  I google searched "what can I make with sugar, flour, and butter?" and found a shortbread cookie recipe (my new recipe for this is near the bottom of this post).  It didn't call for vanilla, and the shortbread that I've made before has called for it, so I looked around my pantry in search for a flavor I could mix in.  I found a bag of mini marshmallows and thought, hmm clever, why not try it? 

The recipe says to mix the butter and the sugar together well before adding in the flour, so I added in melted marshmallows after I creamed the butter and sugar.  I took about 1/3 of a cup of mini marshmallows and put them in a single layer on a plate.  I microwaved them for about 20 seconds and then spooned them into the butter/sugar mixture.  Note: I didn't spray my plate with non-stick spray before using it, but I think that would have helped in getting the sticky mallows off of the plate after they'd been nuked.

 Next I added in the flour-I added in a little extra to compensate for the extra moister from the mallows, and my shortbread came out a little thick-so I recommend just putting in the cup of flour and making sure that you have 8 full tablespoons of butter to avoid this. 

The recipe that I was going off of told me to cut the dough into shapes, but I wanted to put it in an 8 inch round pan in stead.  I packed my dough into the pan and pushed down the edges of the dough. 

Then I baked this in a hot oven at 275 degrees for about 24 minutes-mine came out a little too crunchy for me so I would try 18-20 minutes.  You want it just turning light brown.

When my shortbread was done baking I put some mini marshmallows on top to give a clue of what's inside.  I did a little pattern on mine, but I wish I would have just put them all over the bread to give it a more even crust-might want to try that. Put the marshmallows on the hot shortbread, and then place a heat safe plate on top of the pan to help the marshmallows melt on to the surface.

Here's my recipe for Marshmallow Shortbread:

-8 full Tablespoons of butter (or a 1/2 of a cup)
-1/2 cup of white sugar (the finer the better)
-1 cup of white flour
-1 cup of mini marshmallows (1/3 cup for in the shortbread, and the rest for the crust)
-Have some cooking spray or something like it available

Cream together the butter and the sugar.  Spray a small plate with a light coating of cooking spray.  Melt 1/3 cup of mini marshmallows on the plate in a single layer in the microwave for 20 seconds.  Spoon the marshmallows into the sugar/butter and thoroughly mix together.  Add in about a 1/4 of a cup of a flour, mix well, and then keep adding until you've put a cup in.

Pack the dough in a 8 inch round pan and bake at 275 for 18-20 minutes (until just light brown).  To make a marshmallow crust take rest of the mini mallows and place on top of the hot surface then cover with a plate for a minute or two.

That's it!  I hope you like it :)

Out and About: Free wireless internet!

Go get your internet on at Starbucks!  Some locations are open 24 hours, here's the address where you can find a location near you: http://www.starbucks.com/store-locator

Here are some other places that have free wireless (out where I live at least):
-Biggby Coffee
-Caribou Coffee
-Borders Books
-Barnes and Noble Book Sellers
-Wendy's
-Panera
-Local Libraries

(If you know of more, post what they are and what area they're in for us)

Something fun my friends and I do at some of the places above is all bring our laptops and play online scrabble together-I think that might be called a Local Area Connection or LAN party!  Here's the site for free online, mulitplayer games: http://www.pogo.com/

If you don't have a mobile computer and want to have a LAN party, meet up at the library-yes it IS cool...and clever ;)

Coordinating Room Decorations

My friend recently gave me a framed mirror that she had bought at ikea a few years back ( http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90044151 ).  I wanted to hang it in my living room, but I also wanted to give it some more character.  I have a quilt in my living room that has this cool sea foam color and was able to find paint that matched it-I used a little bottle of acrylic from Jo Ann's.  I painted the frame the sea foam, but decided that I didn't like the mirror inside and wanted to spruce that up too.

I thought a little and came up with gluing little glass pieces in the same color family from the dollar store on top of the mirror (Gorilla Glue in the smaller clear bottle works the best).  While at the dollar store buying the glass pieces I saw a small box the same wood tone as the frame and bought it too.  When I got home I painted all the wood sea foam, glued the glass on top of the mirror and on the top of the box's lid.  I think it turned out pretty good and it was a cheap a clever way to decorate my space.

Sometimes it's better just to buy it ;)

I love Chipotle's cilantro lime rice and I thought I'd try to make it myself.  I got the recipe off Chipotle's fan recipe site ( http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=rice_recipe ), I bought all of the ingredients that I needed except for the basmati rice (I substituted with Uncle Ben's minute rice), and I got to cooking!  I followed the recipe thoroughly, but sadly when it was time to test, the rice tasted so bad!!!  It was super sour and the rice that I substituted was not a good match.  I think that if I would have used basmati rice it might have been better, but still too sour.  If I had an hour to tweak and test different methods I might have come close to Chipotle's, but I know myself.  ;)  I was hungry and impatient so I let it go and am planning on going to Chipolte tomorrow for some delicious hassle-free rice ;)

Sometimes for some people it's better and more clever just to buy it.  We can appreciate the final product that someone else has worked very hard to perfect!

Haha Happy Father's Day!

Is your dad hard to shop for?  I know mine is! 
This year I had to get clever.  I'm giving him the gift that he won't want to return-himself!  I used a popular photo processing site to help me make a mock cover of TV Guide with my dad as the "star".  To try this with your dad (or whoever you want) go to walgreens.com


When you've gone to Walgreens.com:
-Click the "photo" link at the top near the center
-Create or log in to your account
-Click on "gifts" at the top near the center
-Click on "Under $10" on the left hand side
-Scroll down and select "8X10 Magazine Covers"

You can choose from lots of different mock-a-zine covers from Dog Fancy to Field and Stream!  Have fun with it!

Lime-Beer Soft Pretzels and Cheese Sauce!

Recently I found a couple of recipes on Leinenkugel's website that I wanted to try and make-Soft Pretzels and Beer Cheese Spread.  They sounded so easy to make and, as I learned today, they are (and tasty!)  To view the recipes go to their site www.leinie.com , (sorry-I can't link the recipes because they're a beer site, so you have to enter your bday), and on the left side of the page click on "Peg's Kitchen" and then choose "Breads and Breakfasts" and you'll see the soft pretzel recipe.  For the cheese spread click on "Appetizers" and you'll see it.  Both these recipes call for Leinenkugel beer so I was happy to add that, but when I got to the store today, they didn't have the kind I wanted.  Instead I subbed it with Miller Chill (a light lime beer).  I also grabbed a couple of limes to throw into the recipe.

For the bread I added, along with the lime beer, the zest from one lime in with the flour, and a half of lime's juice on top of the pretzels to help the salt stick instead of using an egg.  When I bit into the warm, soft pretzel it was so fresh tasting because of the lime!  Very refreshing!

For the cheese spread (really more a sauce) I added, along with the lime beer, a half of lime's juice instead of the horseradish.  It turned out to be a good spread, but ended up being a little tart from the sharp cheddar it calls for along with the lime flavors that I added.  I suggest using mild cheddar or a mix of white and yellow cheeses.  Enjoy and if the store doesn't have the beer you're looking for, just be clever and mix it up!

Smells like summer time!!!

 I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here in Washtenaw County for the past week or so it's been dreary and cold.  Usually this time of year it's warm and sunny-ish (It's Michigan, I can't say "sunny" with confidence).  I've been missing our usual rays and anticipating summer.

I went to the store recently and smelled a candle that gave me a mental picture of being on the beach :) ahhhh :)  It's called  Sun & Sand and it makes me so happy on these rainy days.  I also stopped by Michael's crafts and picked up a candle Ocean Breeze on sale.  The other day I stopped into TJ Maxx and saw that they had a fancy selection of candles for discounted prices.  I didn't pick one up there, but I saw that they had seasonal scents too and might be a clever place to look too.  Happy scent searching :)

:) :( :/ :S Music for whatever mood you're in

"behind every song there's always an emotion. we don't know why but maybe that's why we love music.
so we've created a way to suggest songs that follow your feelings: stereomood is the emotional internet radio, providing music that best suits your mood and your activities.
how do i feel? what am i doing now?" (From their website-main page)

How do you use this very clever internet radio?  Click this post's title above (open in new tab b/c it will take you to the site) and choose how you're feeling/what's going on.  They have categories like "happy" (of course, right?!), "melancholy", "homework", "dressing up", "epic", "chill", "snuggle", etc.  I'm pretty sure that you're find a few that match your current mood.  I'm listening to their mood category called "sunday morning" right now-no religious stuff, just stuff that, well, fits a Sunday morning of slacking ;)

This is good music too-not just popular car radio stuff.  I'm hearing songs that I never had before and liking them!  And with this program you can skip songs AND repeat the ones that you like; haven't seen any ad's on here yet either!

Text Google? Why would you do that?

I love google and all it's awesome programs.  Sometimes I joke with friends that I'm going to get a google tattoo one day;)  One of their awesome and totally free services is google text.  What does this do?  Ok, here's an example of how I use this really cool service.

I usually wake up in the morning want to know what the weather will be for the day.  I don't have internet on my phone and I'm usually too lazy to turn on my computer to check.  What do I do?  I text "weather 48103" to 466453 (or GOOGLE).  The text that I get back from google gives me a couple of current weather details as well as a 3 day forecast for my area!  Try it!  Type "weather" and your zipcode to Google.  But wait, there's more....;)

Google text also answers other questions I may have, like, how many cups are in a gallon, what the definition of a word is, what time a movie plays at a theater, or how far my $5 American will get me in another country.  It will even send you turn by turn directions from one location to another all for free!  There's so much more this service does and I recommend you check out this website by them: http://www.google.com/mobile/products/sms.html#p=default

So the next time someone asks you how to get to that awesome new art gallery is, text google and feel clever ;)

Make a white purse white again!

I almost never buy lighter colored purses, but I saw a really cute off white one at target one day and bought it.  

So far I haven't regretted buying it, but lately it's been looking a little gray from all the dirt and dust it's endured.  I tried to wipe it clean with water and a washcloth, but didn't have much luck.  

Today I remembered that I had some Mr. Clean Magic Erasers under the sink.  I used one on my purse and it was like "magic" ;).  My purse is dirty no more and looks cleverly clean! 

A trick to get ready for the week ahead...

 Every weekend I look at a huge pile of worn clothes and think, 'I only have so much weekend, I don't want to worry about taking care of my clothes!'  But once I work past my laziness ;), hang stuff up, and start washing dirty stuff, I start feeling better.  There's nothing like going to bed on Sunday night with a clean and organized closet that's ready for Monday morning with me.  I highly recommend it :)

Cleaning out my purse seems to help reduce my stress and help me keep myself more organized too!  Less stress=clever person! ;)

Vuala! No more tangled jewelry and it looks like a piece of art!

Alright, this is not a completely original, clever idea. I first heard about doing something like this on dollarstorecrafts.com (great site-check it out!!!)

This is a picture frame bracelet and necklace organizer. I like it because it keeps my jewelry tangle-free and displays it like a piece of art.

The background to my frame is just a cool piece of scrapbook paper that looks like planks of wood. When you're picking a piece of paper out for your organizer, find one that you love and will be happy to look at everyday. Also, you might want to take into account what will match the decor of the room that you're placing this in. This piece is in my bathroom, which is primarily browns so this matches perfect!

To make one for yourself, you'll need:

-Picture frame (I got a larger one like this from TJ Maxx for I think $.50 because the glass was cracked. That was perfect because you don't need the glass for this!) You could also thirft it up!
-A piece of scrapbook paper that will fit the size of the picture frame (cut it down if you need t0). I got my paper from Jo Ann's for cheap, but I think the dollarstore sells scrapbook paper too
-Plastic hooks that will be small enough for your clasps to hang on (3M might be too big)
-Gorilla glue
-Paint and brush (optional)
-Picture hanging hardware (nails, screws, etc.) (optional)

Start this project by taking the glass (recycle or save for another project you come up with) and cardboard backing out of the frame and then painting the frame and hooks if you so choose.

Take the backing and put on top of the scrapbook paper. Trace the backing so that the paper is the same size as the backing. Make sure your scrapbook paper will be "right side up" and then glue the paper onto the backing.

Put the backing back into the dry frame, figure out where to put your hooks, and then glue those on too, (some hooks come with an adhesive strip, but to be safe dot the adhesive with a drop of glue). Vuala! You have yourself a jewelry organizer! Don't you feel clever?!

Use picture hanging hardware to hang the frame (make sure you hang it high enough so that your necklaces don't hang over light switches and things). Or some frames have a pullout stand so that you can place this on your sink, dresser, etc. Great job!

Don't like to drink boiling hot water on a hot day? Me neither!

I am a big fan of using stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic ones that leech harmful toxins into water (can cause breast cancer!!!).  The only problem that I've come across using these metal water bottles is that if I leave the bottle in my car for a couple of hours during the summer months, it's boiling lava hot when I come back to get a drink. 


I used to have  a Sigg water bottle, but had to throw it away because I dropped it and cracked.  Recently I started looking around for a new metal water bottle to use.  My friend Arika told me to check in "Klean Kanteens" so I did.  I went to their website and read about the different bottles that they sell.  Happily I came across one that said it was "insulated".  The more I read on amazon reviews and other sites the more I thought that this was the bottle for me.  It is super insulated and is said to keep water cold for a long time even if left in a hot car. 


I bought an insulated Klean Kanteen and so far so good, I'll let you know if it goes sour ;)  If you want to check out more information on this, their site's below and I recommend that you check out the amazon reviews on this.  Good luck staying hydrated and clever ;)


http://www.kleankanteen.com/ (click "kanteens" and then click "wide insulated")...that's what he said...

Groove Shark'n on Broken Bells!

Anji Johnston commented on my Pandora post and told me about Groove Shark a while ago.  I've been using it to listen to a new fave band called, Broken Bells.  The lead singer is the guy from The Shins and it's the same style as them too, but I think a little more interesting.  It's kind of like Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service :)

Check out groove shark: http://listen.grooveshark.com
On the left side up near the top type in "broken bells" and enjoy this clever and inspiring music :)

Copying Martha Stewart...

I get Martha Stewart Living the magazine and in this month's zine there was an article on egg dying.  Martha and co. used shapes made of electrical tape, put the shapes on the eggs, dropped them in one color, took the tape off, and dropped them in another color.  I tried to make shapes out of the tape, but ended up with strips and squares.  I like the effect and am excited to give some of these as cute & clever gifts :)

Because I bought my egg dying kit and vinegar from the Dollar Store I had enough $ left to buy Eggland's Best Eggs, (I think these taste the best and usually are very fresh).

Cute earrings, but uncomfortable backs?

I loved these earrings when I saw them in the store, but when I wore them I kept getting poked by the post in the back. 

I went to my local Jo Ann's crafts store and found earring backs (in the bead sections) that close completely and don't poke.  I used 2 small pliers (also found in the bead section) to open the loops at the top of these earrings and take off the old backs. Then I used the pliers to attach the new earring backs and close the loops.  Now I feel comfortable and clever whenever I wear them. 

When your accessories are overboard "sweet"...

Recently I purchased these headbands:

I got them for the color and I really did not care for the bow on the side.  I took the bows off, but noticed that the fabric was stained because of the glue.  I used flat beads/buttons and gorilla glue, (my fave and I think it's way better than crazy glue), to cover where the stain was and they hid it perfect.  Now I have stylish headbands and feel clever whenever I wear them! 

When in doubt of what beer you think you'd like to try, ask someone who knows!

Ok-you got me! This post is not a craft or decoration or food, but it does make life more fun and enjoyable...which I would say is clever :)

Last week I stopped into my local Whole Foods in search of the beer that I've been loving lately, Rising Moon by Blue Moon. Blue Moon's site describes Rising Moon as "Wheat Ale with extra zest...Crisp with a subtle citrus taste...Brewed with fresh Kieffer lime leaves and peel." It's fresh-tasting without being too heavy, but enough flavor so it's not a bottle of water. The lime hints are in sync with my anticipation for spring!

Back to the story: I got to the beer section and noticed an employee stocking brew. After looking at the bottles I was sad not to see my Moon. I turned to the employee and asked him if there were any citrusy beers like Rising Moon. He told me that it was a little early in the season for the store to carry the limey-lemmony flavored beers that I was craving, so instead he suggested that I try Wittekerke.

I learned that Wittekerke is a wheat beer imported from Belgium He said it was, "what Blue Moon is trying to be". I bought it, brought it home, and determined that it's a great beer! It's fragrance isn't necessarily citrusy, but more floral. It's full flavored and not bitter. I love it! I would have never tried this beer if I hadn't been steered towards it. So I say to you, when in doubt of what beer you think you'd like to try, ask someone who knows! Thanks clever Whole Foods beer guy! :)

Pandora-Awesome internet radio first; the planet from Avatar second!

Have you heard of Pandora? It's a great way to listen to music you love and music you might love while you spend some time on the internet or in the office. I've tried many other internet radio programs before and been disappointed with tons of ad's and bad music. Pandora has very very limited ad's and they're really short. Pandora also plays amazing music.

How does it work? You type in a band or a song you like and Pandora plays something from that band or a song that's similar to the song you dig. Then if you like it, you can "thumbs up it" or if you hate it you can "thumbs down" it and it won't play it again. It has introduced me to so many bands that I now love, but never knew about before Pandora.

You should really try it for yourself. Go to: http://www.pandora.com and ejoy :) You can listen as a guest or make your own account. I recommend creating an "Iron and Wine" station (nice indie music that's not too in your face) and a "Rodrigo y Gabriella" station (Latin music that is upbeat and will put you in a good mood!) I hope you love this clever music appreciation tool as much as I do!

Easy Beading with a Magnetic Bracelet Clasp!

I was at a Jo Ann's Fabrics and Crafts store today and I saw a length of wire with a magnetic clasp attached at each end of the wire-how clever! No more fidgeting with a clasp, now you can just get the ends close enough to each other and they are attracted and lock. And because this is a one piece clasp, there's no jump ring or crimp bead to worry about. You just unscrew the clasp from one side, side on the beads, and screw the clasp back on-super simple way to bead!

This product should be located in the beading section and it's in a little plastic bag with a paper tag at the top. The brand that I bought was "Darice: Jewelry Designer"-blue label with goldish text. I had to go to a larger Jo Ann's to find this magnetic clasp and bracelet-the little Jo Ann's by me doesn't carry this product. Michael's might also carry this product, but I haven't been there to look yet.

Warning-this wire is thicker than typical bracelet wire, so be careful picking out your beads. If the bead's opening isn't big, then they won't fit on this.

This is the final product-I'm giving it to my partner's grandmother for her Birthday. (Thanks to Arika for the pretty goldy beads!)