Stumbling Uncraftily Along on Uncrafty

I've heard mention of Stumble Upon for quite a while now.  It's one of those things that I kept meaning to get around to, but then I'd get distracted by, you know - a puppy...or something shiny, and forget.  I finally took the time to check it out when I saw how many site views I get thanks to Stumble Upon.  The majority of my new visitors come through that way, so of course I had to go see what people are on about.  I wish I'd joined earlier.  I really like the concept.  There are so many things to read online and doing searches only gets you so far.  It's nice to select your interests, click the Stumble button and get something fun to read or interact with.  [read more...]

The Culinary Revolutionary

Julia Child, who would have been 100 years old today, broke a lot of rules and defied a lot of standards during her lifetime.  She did not fit the standard of television beauty (taller than most men and middle-aged, to start), but she was the first celebrity chef, thanks to her TV show on PBS.  She did not grow up obsessed with the culinary arts, but went from having little interest in food to being a cultural kitchen icon who wrote and collaborated on several cookbooks, having survived a rough start at the famous French culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu (her characteristic optimism and fearlessness at work).

Julia was determined, joyful and inspirational.  With her husband Paul, who is said to have sparked her initial interest in French cuisine, she started a food revolution, and what a team those two made.  Their love story is extraordinary.  The kind of story too many of us no longer believe in - a successful partnership involving both friendship and romance.  And Paul never seems to have felt threatened by his wife's success.  On the contrary, he inspired, supported and worked alongside her.  Given the times they lived and loved in, their accomplishments in life, work and their marriage are impressive.

Julia Child left a lasting impression on me.  When I was a kid watching her on TV, she looked too tall and sounded too funny to not be a bit awkward, but she was terribly confident and had a great sense of humor.  The first cookbook my mother bought herself was by Julia.  As well as the first one she gave me (you can read more about that on Uncrafty).   Julia was a remarkable role model for women.  She proved that you can be a feminist, a chef, a successful businesswoman and be happily married - all at the same time.  I am currently looking forward to reading the newest of her biographies, Dearie.  But there is a slew of books that celebrate her life available, including her own memoir.  If you feel the need to be inspired lately, here's your chance:

Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz 

My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud-Homme

Appetite for Life by Noel Riley Fitch

A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS by Jennet Conant 

Julia's Cats: Julia Child's Life in the Company of Cats by Patricia Barey and Therese Burson

As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Breaking Down Beauty on The Thinnest Skin

I have spent the last four days getting my house ready for visitors from California and Utah (for my birthday).  Lots of dusting and furniture moving and reorganizing and more laundry than you can shake a stick at.  During my breaks from extreme housecleaning, I have been researching cosmetic ingredients and terms for a series that Seth and I will be doing on The Thinnest Skin called Breaking Down Beauty.

Breaking Down Beauty: Introduction

There is a glut of misinformation out there about beauty products and cosmetic ingredients.  It can be very hard to figure out what is true and what is misunderstood.  Misinterpretation of scientific findings can lead to erroneous and alarmist statements.  Having worked in the natural foods industry (which includes beauty products), I heard a lot of different things from supposedly reliable sources and I never thought to question the accuracy of the information or do my own research.

These days it is also becoming more difficult to separate fact from fiction because certain key words appear to have been redefined by the industry.  Seth, PhD in Chemistry from MIT, has volunteered/been coerced into exploring the different meanings of toxic, organic, synthetic, natural and chemical.  Are these terms just savvy advertising?  A way for one cosmetic company to slam another?  Or are there real reasons to worry about what companies are adding to their products?  I imagine it may be a mix of all three.

The aim of this series is to try to help you (and me, because I want to know too) sort through all the marketing, hype and misconceptions.  [read more...]

A Beat-Box Kind of Day

I got completely absorbed by Incredibox last night, which I found via Stumble Upon.  It didn't take long for both Meg and me to record our own geeky compositions and share them with each other.  This is a great program just for fun or for showing the kids how to make up their own songs.

They don't have the embed option up and running yet, but if you'd like to listen to my composition for Meg called "Shabumpkin" here.  And you can listen to the one I made for Mary called "Pita" here.

For the Moblins

I have been doing a bit of babysitting this month for a friend of mine.  Her toddler is not afraid of monsters and completely understands that the moblin (which is how she says goblin) that lives in the storage closet of my house is not to be disturbed, but is not mean and won't eat her.  Unless she's stinky - moblins like stinky things.  Did you know?

I am always amazed at the way kids' minds work and the amount of joy they get from the littlest things.  Every time I show this little girl something new, she is so delighted and it is so genuine.  She is smart and fearless and she told me today that my cat Ricochet is her friend (he's in love with her, so yeah).  I think less about the stress in my life when I'm around her and after I drop her off with her mom, I feel lighter, if more sleepy than usual.  She makes me use my brain and gets me off my behind and out of the house.  I even write better because I'm not sitting in front of the computer all day.  It's a nice change.  From here on out, I'm going to refer to her as The Moblin on this blog, at least until someone tells me to cut it out (it might end up coming from The Moblin, herself).

Anyway, I have quite a few friends who have kids and I've promised all of them that I will try to include some stuff for kids and parents on this blog whenever I can.  This has been a bit difficult for me, as I don't have children of my own yet.  But I have been inspired by the moblin child I've been looking after, so I now have a few things to share with you.

California Baby Overtired and Cranky Bubble Bath:  I love the smell of this bubble bath - it is very subtle and calming.  We tried it out the other day and The Moblin loved it - especially because it comes with a bubble wand.  I don't know that the essential oils in this changed her mood at all (she wasn't overtired or cranky at the time), but I can tell you that the next time I'm stressed out, I'm going to use it for my own bath.

LUSH Rocketeer Bath Bomb:  I bought one of these when they first came out, then completely forgot about it.  Now I'm glad that I did - it was a big hit with The Moblin.  It even got her to scrub all over (thanks to the blue foam it left on her skin) and it didn't irritate her skin at all.  This bath bomb fizzes and floats around the tub, leaving trails of brightly colored foam in its wake, turning the water blue, then yellow, then green (without leaving a stain in your tub).  As with all LUSH bathing products, it left the whole house (and the child) smelling lovely.

Classic Disney, Vol. 1: 60 Years of Musical Magic:  The Moblin knows all the melodies to these songs, but is now also learning the words.  She has most of Part of That World down (she knows more than I do).  I'm very sad that this doesn't include Poissons from The Little Mermaid (I'll have to get Vol. 3 for that), but at least it's got Under the Sea.  Sorry, we're big on Ariel this week.  This doesn't have all my favorites, but it does have a lot of hers and that's more important...I guess.

Rick's Reads: A Collection from the Blog:  Rick Riordan is one of my favorite children's authors (Percy and The Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, The Heroes of Olympus).  He has written reviews for a wide variety of books for all ages.  I adore Riordan even more now that I know he's a Jim Butcher fan (a great recommendation for anyone who enjoys SFF).  He is also a dad and his reviews often reflect whether his kids liked the book he gave them to read, which is pretty darn cool.

We haven't had a chance to try out 123 Favorite Kids Song 1-3 yet, but it's going to be in the rotation fairly soon.  We enjoy Disney music, but there is more kids music out there to enjoy and quite a bit of it is educational to boot.  Once I've gotten the kid reaction, I'll let you know how this one turned out.  I'm pretty sure it will be well-received, considering how many songs I recognize from my own childhood from the very long list.

This post is for Sarah, a very sweet lil moblin.  For Tepi, who always trusts my book recommendations for her kids.  And, of course, for Tam-Tam and Wyatt - sorry it took me so long to write this!

Squirreliness on Lost in DC

My bird feeder is certainly not the prettiest, but when I realized how many birds we get in our yard, even without one, and found one in the garage, I immediately went out and bought birdseed.  I hoped I'd get to see a few songbirds.  I had no idea just how many birds and other creatures I'd get to see.  When I comment excitedly on all this, people look at me oddly and ask, "Don't they have wildlife in California?"  Uh yeah, tons, but you're not going to see very much if you live in the suburbs in an apartment building.  The last place I lived in Northern California was very pretty, but it is very different living in a house in such a lush place.  [read more...]

Wonky Crochet on Uncrafty

I discovered just last night that I have not been doing standard single crochet.  What I've been doing isn't technically wrong - it is single crochet and I have completed four scarves already using it.  However, I've been doing single crochet through the front loop only.  [read more...]

Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Daily Cleanser Review on The Thinnest Skin

You may remember my review of Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Soothing Lotion and  how much I loved it.  A few weeks later, I am still excited to use it every day.  However, it did take me a while to decide on using the cleanser from the same line.  I don't usually trust that all products in a particular line will work as well as the first one I fall for.  I have been burned before (literally, in the case of an Aveda product that had cucumber extract in it, which it turns out I'm allergic to) by thinking that everything by a particular brand must be used together.  In most cases, it is simply not true (it's called "marketing").  I've found that picking and choosing carefully is the best way to go and I rarely love every single product I try in a line, no matter how much I love the brand.  [read more...]  

Temporarily Marilyn

This month marks the 50 year anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death.  Marilyn is still a sex symbol in today's world, as well as a great example of doing the most with what you were born with.  Men and women love her still and a quick image search online will grant you a plethora of photographs of both her and today's celebrities impersonating her.    As a beauty icon, she is also celebrated by many professional makeup artists, which is how I came across this article, tweeted by Beauty Report (which tweets about beauty news).

When I first started reading the article, I had hoped it would be about the beauty that Marilyn Monroe was born with (as Norma Jean Mortenson) or about highlighting your best features with makeup or the right clothing.  Something along those lines.

"I care about what she's done in showing the way for women to embrace what I called their 'Inner Marilyn.'  I care about her being remembered as the greatest groundbreaker ever for makeup and women's sex appeal."  ~ Sally Hayes, permanent makeup expert

The article starts off saying that the makeup experts don't care about Marilyn's past, which  sounds great - a lot of people have judged her for the things she went through, the things she did to make it in Hollywood, the people she slept with, etc.  Like all celebrity, she has been revered as much as she has been reviled.  But this article goes on to let women know that Marilyn worked very hard to completely change her appearance and here's how you can, too - permanently.  Just imagine if Norma Jean had access to permanent makeup, hair removal and body contouring.  

"She didn't have today's lasers which could have helped greatly to minimize her hairy arms and peachfuzz on her face,' says Las Vegas Celebrity Cosmetic Surgeon, Julio L. Garcia, M.D. 'Being a full-figured girl, she didn't have today's body contouring options either.  And she didn't have the power of permanent makeup to save her time and effort, enhance her appearance, and give her added confidence being photographed everywhere she went."

First, I can't recall anyone ever mentioning having an issue with Marilyn's arm hair, facial peachfuzz or her curves.  Especially the last, since she was known for being curvy and womanly - that's one of the reasons she's a sex symbol!  In addition to that, I am dismayed at the idea of Marilyn getting permanent makeup.  Some of my favorite photographs of her are those where you see her without any makeup on.  Norma Jean was beautiful and yes, she worked very hard to create the Marilyn Monroe she played off-camera.  It's those natural moments, such a crazy contrast to the icon's standard image, that makes her so much more interesting to me.  That contrast is the first thing you notice about her that makes you realize how much she changed herself, how hard she worked to have the career she did.  The more layers you peel back, the more you see what a survivor she was.

Now I'd like to share with you a fantastic NPR interview of Lois Banner by Diane Rehm.  Banner recently published a biography of Marilyn Monroe that has more research behind it than any of its predecessors.  I hope you will take a moment from your day to listen to Banner talk about Marilyn with such admiration for the woman she was (all aspects of her).  She talks about all that Marilyn survived and all that she did.  Marilyn's mother was institutionalized when she was young, so she was constantly handed off to different family members, often in different towns.  There is evidence she survived sexual abuse in her youth.  And despite being pigeon-holed as a dumb blonde even off-camera, she was a businesswoman who controlled her own career, owned her own production company and strived to improve working conditions for women in Hollywood.  Marilyn Monroe was not just a pretty face, not just a pinup girl and though she dyed her hair blond, she was by no means dumb.

Marilyn changed her name, used makeup to change her face and adopted a breathy, sexy voice to make her all that much more memorable.  But I still can't see her going through painful surgeries to change her body or her face.  I certainly hope she wouldn't have because I look on her as a great rolemodel for women who aren't built like a twelve-year-old boy.  Women who don't feel the need to wear spanx or make their bodies virtually hairless.  Makeup is fun, it's interesting, you can use it to highlight your features or completely change your face, but it's temporary.   Even Marilyn wasn't Marilyn all the time.

Uncrafty Hands Pt. 2 on The Thinnest Skin

For those of you who want a hand wash that lathers but are worried about your crazy dry hands, there are a lot of moisturizing handsoaps on the market.  If you're like me and forget to apply lotion regularly, these soaps can help keep your hands from drying out.  If you're a fan of Bath & Body Works, they have a line of moisturizing hand soaps in various scents that cleanse without stripping moisture.  Cold-process, all-natural soaps like the one pictured below from Plantlife are supposed to be the best moisturizing and non-irritating soaps you can find and I know for a fact that your local Whole Foods Market (or local natural foods grocer) will carry a few different brands (honey, oatmeal, goat's milk and shea butter are great ingredients to look for in these soaps).  Then there's Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Cream Soap Bar which contains pure cocoa butter and Vitamin E and has been long trusted by moms-to-be.  [read more...]

Uncrafty Hands on The Thinnest Skin

As those of you who read Uncrafty know, I learned to crochet in July.  I am really excited about being able to make things.  In fact, I crochet any time that I can - watching TV, waiting for something to bake in the oven, while on the phone, etc.  Because I have sensitive skin, some of the yarns I've used have irritated my hands and, as all crafters know, yarn and other media will suck the moisture right out of your skin.  [read more...]

3 1/2 Scarves on Uncrafty

I haven't continued with my Craftsy Crochet Lab class this week, but only because I have someone teaching me in person and she, unfortunately, is going back home this week.  I have to take advantage of her mad crochet skills while I still can!  I still love and recommend the Craftsy class and am planning on taking more as my skills progress.


So far I've made three scarves using single stitch crochet.  Because it's the only one I currently know.  [read more...]  

Killing Rosemary on Uncrafty

Oops!  Forgot to post this on the main page  yesterday.

Wanna bet?


I have discovered, aside from the fact that I can obviously kill any plant, that putting those that need a lot of water in the same planter as those that don't...yeah, it doesn't work out so well.  The basil and mint have really struggled between being kept indoors during the worst of our wind storms (they really don't love the air conditioning and I'm not willing to compromise my comfort that much) and some seriously withering heat, even though the "heat wave" has been over for a while.  I have to keep a close eye on them to make sure they're not wilting, but a little bit of wilt seems inevitable these days.  And we're not even to August yet.  Ugh.  Most of the time the rain takes care of these two (below), I just have to make sure I don't get lazy and completely forget to water them on dry days. [read more...]

A Breath of Fresh Kick-Ass

After reading the first Fifty Shades book, it was a breath of fresh air to go back to reading fiction with strong female characters in the lead, often with a partner-in-crime to equal their awesomeness.  Not every book I read has a strong girl or woman in the forefront of the story, but looking at my bookshelves, I realize how often I'm drawn to just that (thanks, Mom).  Twilight was one of my notable exceptions, but Meg made the argument during a discussion today that at least Bella comes into her own by the end of the story.  


I'd like to share a little something with you.  Here is my quick list of female characters in fiction who I might not necessarily want to be just like, but I'd certainly leap at the chance to be friends with.  Some were created during a time when women weren't allowed to vote or own property, some were created in the past decade, but all of them are the kind of role models I would like the little girls I know to have in their lives.  In other words, females who kick ass with their brawn or their brains, regardless of the size of their role in the story.

Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Persuasion may be my favorite Austen novel, but quick-witted Lizzie is still my favorite Austen character, and the kind of woman I'd want to know if I lived in that period.  She may be headstrong and a bit judgmental, but she isn't afraid to speak her mind and does her best to be true to herself while remaining diplomatic (with the exception of dealing with a certain someone).  Lizzie loves to read, loves knowledge and loves her family.  She is passionate and brilliant and can hold her own, regardless of her verbal sparring partner's rank or gender.

    

Alexia Tarabotti from The Parasol Protectorate Series by Gail Carriger
Alexia is a model of decorum despite being an oddity and an outcast in some circles.  She's got mad curves in a time when girls fainted from the combination of corsets and lack of food, and she's terribly practical.  On occasion she may have to use muscle, but most of the time she can solve a problem with that gorgeous brain of hers or some fabulous steampunk weaponry.  She's also a bit of a fruit fly and I really love that about her.  Oh, and I mustn't forget, **spoiler alert** when she does find her perfect match, he is truly her equal and loves her for being intelligent, strong and curvaceous.

Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Hermione may be too much of a perfectionist for her own good, but she really is brilliant and she is one fierce young lady.  Loyal, practical and compassionate, she is exactly the girl you'd want around in a crisis (or just on your side, in general) and really develops throughout this series, becoming more flexible about imperfections and rule-breaking.  Also, she has my hair.

  

Maggie Quinn from Maggie Quinn: Girl Vs. Evil by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Maggie is a whole lot of sass in a small, Irish package.  Smart, snarky and creative, Maggie fights evil with a psychic gift, her wits and a friend or two, but little else.  I haven't met a major character Clement-Moore has created that I didn't like, to be honest.  But Maggie was the first one I adored and I'd be her Lisa any day.

Harriet M. Welsch from Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
Harriet was my first role model from fiction (explains a lot, doesn't it?) and I will probably end up with a daughter just like her.  She may be quirky and independent, but Harriet has a wealth of character flaws.  What makes her so fabulous, aside from being such a wonderful troublemaker, is that here was a young female protagonist who I could relate to, in all her individuality and wildness.  Which meant that I, too, could learn to recognize when I was wrong and be brave enough to say so, regardless of the reaction I would get.  But the most important aspect of this character for me was that she was always, unapologetically herself.

Did I leave your favorite off the list?  Does anyone have a favorite kick ass female character written by a male author?  I realize how limited my selection was just based on that, so I'd love to get some recommendations - from any genre.

Clear Scalp & Pantene Reviews on The Thinnest Skin

I have been reading rave reviews about Unilever's newest haircare line, Clear Scalp and Hair Beauty Therapy, for a few months now. At $5-6 a bottle and represented by the lovely Heidi Klum, I decided this was definitely worth a try.  Unilever's claim for this line is that it "feeds the scalp and creates the right foundation for stronger, more beautiful hair in just seven days."  I bought the Clear Scalp Damage and Color Repair shampoo and conditioner and used them for a little over a month.  [read more...]