Monday Magazine Challenge: Southwestern Salad

Now, before you go all, “Pshaw.  A salad?  That’s the best you could come up with this week?”  Let me just say that this salad is really all about the dressing.  Avocado-Lime dressing.  Creamy, delicious, good on anything,  avocado-lime dressing, to be exact.



This recipe comes from Vegetarian Times, May 2010.  For the southwest salad you use a large bowl and mix:

2 cups lettuce
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (I substituted black beans)
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup corn kernels (I used frozen)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup cilantro
Crushed tortilla chips (Enough to sprinkle on top, my husband got overexcited and put ours on top before mixing the salad in these photos.)


And then you make the avocado-lime dressing.  You'll need:

1 ripe avocado
3/4 cup prepared (not chunky) salsa
1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tbs lime juice
4 drops Tobasco sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mash the avocado in a separate bowl and whisk in the salsa, sour cream, and lime.  Season with Tabasco, salt, and pepper.  And BAM!  Best dressing ever!

We loved this dressing so much, we used it all week as a veggie dip, chip dip, and veggie wrap spread.  At one point, I swear my husband was drinking it straight-up.  No lie.

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Now it's your turn!

Share your magazine projects with us, old or new! We would love to check out what you’ve been DIY’ing. Our favorite submissions will also be featured on our Facebook & Twitter feeds.
Monday Magazine Challenge is a new feature we are starting. You can read more about why we’re doing it HERE. A Magazine Challenge is any recipe, craft, DIY, tip, etc. from a magazine that has inspired you. If you would like to link to your own magazine challenge, please use the linky tool below. It would be mighty kind if you’d help us spread the word by linking back to us.

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Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered our cookbook and cupcake accessories giveaway!  We are so grateful to each of you for reading along and supporting D.I.Y. Louisville!

  The lucky winner has been selected, and it is Justy!

Vanilla cake is always delicious!

Congratulations, Justy!  Thanks for being a Facebook fan!

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Insta-Friday

  
It’s Instagram Friday, yay!  Here’s a sneak peek into my week:

~Earth Day Rocks for this hippy-esque family.  To prove it, we celebrated by tie-dying tshirts and planting vegetable seeds.  Rock on.

~Seriously, the best orange I’ve ever had.  Organic.  See above hippy-esque description.  Awesome mint green nail polish, not organic.

~Not earth friendly are these mint green made-in-China babydoll flats from Urban Outfitters.  I love them, but they smell toxic.  I wore them to class and the girl sitting next to me asked, “Do you smell gasoline?”  True story.  I set them out in the sunshine and fresh air for two days and they still smell potent.  What to do?  Also, why do I have purple old lady feet in this picture?

~Betty Crocker cake in a box and organic eggs.  Because 50/50 hippy is how I roll.

I’m sharing my simple moments with all of the other camera-phone crazies over at Life Rearranged.  If you stopped in from there, please say HI!

~julee~

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Birchbox Bandwagon

Who, me?

Don't be alarmed, but that flash of light you just saw was me jumping right on board the Birchbox bandwagon.

For those of you who may not know, Birchbox is a pay-for-samples subscription program. 

Glorified samples, is what it is.

But I like samples.  And I like mail.  And I like samples in the mail.

I got a 3-month subscription for my birthday (thanks, mom!) to see if I think it’s worth continuing to pay $10 a month to receive.

This month my goodies were: Viva La Juicy perfume, Befine skincare, June Jacobs Perfect Pumpkin Enzyme Polish, Show Stoppers clothing sticky tape, and neon green Color Club nail polish.

I was not disappointed with my first box.  Do I think the contents are worth $10?  Well, no, but you’re paying for a certain anticipation.  A certain fun.  A certain what will I get this month oooh, neon polish!  Love it!

This mint green nail polish reminds me of mint chocolate chip ice cream every time I look down at my nails.  I love that.

Do you do Birchbox or a similar subscription?  How do you like it?

~julee~

PS - If you think you’d like to sign up, you can sign up with my referral link: Birchbox Sign Up.  Thanks kindly!

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May Sponsors Wanted

We’re looking for sponsors for May, and we want YOU!  If you’re a blogger or indie business owner we would love to have the opportunity to feature you on D.I.Y. Louisville.  Sponsor spots are $10 for the month and include a 250x120 logo button on our right sidebar, a feature write-up post, and shout-outs on our  Facebook and Twitter feeds during the month. 

D.I.Y. Louisville has been growing by leaps and bounds over the last few months and we plan to keep up the momentum with great tutorials, projects, featured artists and What We Wore posts. In the last thirty days our blog has had over 13,000 views. In addition to our blog, we regularly post on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and are members of the Clever Girls Collective. D.I.Y. Louisville has been featured in Today’s Woman Magazine, Craft Gossip, Tip Junkie, and Little Chief Honeybee.

Any revenue generated from this blog is reinvested in advertising D.I.Y. Louisville in our community and on larger blogs. In this manner, we are able to help secure new readers which in turn helps support your blog or business.  It’s a win-win for all of us!

To advertise contact us at diylouisville@gmail.com. We accept Paypal as method of payment.

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What We Wore: Easy Sunday Morning

I should change that title to “Crappy Sunday” if I'm being honest.  But that song was in my head when I woke up and chose that lovely pink dress from my closet, and who would have known how the day would go down hill.  It started with having to drop my husband at the airport so he could leave on a business trip for a week.  Then the pain in my back started hitting pretty hard.  I have a recurring back problem and I think all the photo shoots I have been doing lately are just pushing it over the edge.  Then I dropped my phone in the toilet.  After that I had to staple together 320 fundraising forms, which took forever and I ended up being 50 short, which means more work for me.  But complaints aside, I did enjoy a nice lunch with my parents and a trip to the playground for the kids and even slipped in a decent thrifting trip.  I’m just going to try and stay positive this week and push through the pain.  Send me good thoughts folks!






Details:
Dress/leggings/cardigan- Target
Shoes- Dansko- best shoes EVER. 
Purse- Shoe Dazzle
Necklace- Claire’s
Bracelets- World Market
Hair Pin-?  I should note, I’m not really trying anything new with my hair.  It was dirty.  My bangs looked greasy.  The end.

--Kim

We're linking up with the What I Wore Wednesday fun over at The Pleated Poppy.

Also, don't forget to enter our Cupcake Giveaway! 

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Sponsor Spotlight: Darling Dear

 Darling Dear Blog ~ Etsy Shop

The name is not a coincidence; Zie Darling  of Darling Dear is one of the most darling bloggers I’ve come across in, well, maybe ever.

 

Zie keeps her blog updated with beautiful, inspiring images.  She recently took her shop on the road.  How adorable is this vintage suitcase set-up?

Zie’s Etsy shop is full of her sweet, sweet art.  I particularly love the sweet cheeks and pink nose on this painting, but there are so many other great pieces in her shop.  You should take a look for yourself.  Which is your favorite?

Thank you, Zie, for your sponsorship this month!

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Derby Hat Workshop

The D.I.Y. Louisville gals are partnering up with Craft E Magee and we’re having a Derby Hat Party you won’t want to miss!  Spots are still available, email us at diylouisville@gmail.com today!

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Monday Magazine Challenge: Chickpea and Potato Hash

Whenever I open my mailbox and see a new copy of “Eating Well” magazine I get super excited.  I love the beautiful food photos and the recipes never cease to impress.  It’s also nice to know that whatever I make from the magazine will be a healthy meal for my family.  I have never made a recipe from one of their issues that I wasn’t happy with.  In this issue there were many recipes that looked tempting and I put several on my list to try, but this one for Chickpea and Potato Hash kind of jumped out at me.  It seemed relatively easy, and I had a lot of the ingredients on hand already.  So, I gave it a try for Sunday dinner.

The recipe is pretty short and simple, the only changes I made were to omit the onions and instead use Tastefully Simple’s Onion Onion.  My kids don’t really like the texture of cooked onions.  Other than that, I cooked the eggs until they were firm instead of soft, again for the kid’s sake as I couldn’t see them eating runny eggs.  The whole thing went together quickly and made a well balanced, one pot,  vegetarian meal option that my kids honestly gobbled up.  I will definitely be adding this to the rotation.

Here is the recipe from the May/June issue of Eating Well Magazine
Serves 4

• 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
• 2 cups finely chopped baby spinach
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 4 large eggs

1. Combine potatoes, spinach, onion, ginger, curry powder and salt in a large bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potato mixture and press into a layer. Cook, without stirring, until crispy and golden brown on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Fold in chickpeas and zucchini, breaking up chunks of potato, until just combined. Press back into an even layer. Carve out 4 “wells” in the mixture. Break eggs, one at a time, into a cup and slip one into each indentation. Cover and continue cooking until the eggs are set, 4 to 5 minutes for soft-set yolks.  I cooked mine longer until the eggs were firm.

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Share your magazine projects with us, old or new! We would love to check out what you’ve been DIY’ing. Our favorite submissions will also be featured on our Facebook & Twitter feeds.

Monday Magazine Challenge is a new feature we are starting. You can read more about why we’re doing it HERE. A Magazine Challenge is any recipe, craft, DIY, tip, etc. from a magazine that has inspired you. If you would like to link to your own magazine challenge, please use the linky tool below. It would be mighty kind if you’d help us spread the word by linking back to us.

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**ENDED** D.I.Y. Louisville: Giveaway!!

***THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!***





It’s been a while since we did a giveaway on the blog and we have a great one for you this time around!

I received this great cupcake book Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson as a gift and was immediately taken with all of the cute cupcake designs in the book.  There is everything from a peacock to a Chinese dragon, to flowers and shoes.  So when Julee and I were deciding on a book to give you guys, I knew this was the one I wanted to share. 

But why stop there?  You need supplies for cupcake making, right?  Well we have you covered on that.  The winner will receive not only a copy of the book but also three packages of cupcake wrappers (pink scalloped, lilac polka dot and green polka dot) and two bottles of sprinkles (white jimmies and spring confetti)! 


Here are the rules:


First Entry: Leave us a comment on this post telling us your favorite cake flavor.


Extra entries: you can score extra entries by following us on our blog, following our Facebook page and/or following us on Twitter.  You can also blog about our giveaway.  Maximum number of entries per person is five. 


The deadline for entries is Friday, April 27th at midnight.  Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond.  If they fail to do so we will draw a new winner.  Winner will be chosen through a random generator. Sorry, this prize can be shipped to US or Canadian addresses only.



****Congratulations Justy for winning this prize!  Thank you to all who entered!****

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Spring Break: The Great Outdoors

Spring Break was just last week but I already miss it so very much.  I am literally counting down the days till Summer Break.  We started our week off with a trip to the zoo and a visit to the movies to see “Mirror, Mirror”,  which while slightly cheesy was a winner with my kiddos.  We save the big stuff for the end of the week when we went on a camping adventure with two other families.  Seven kids under the age of 10 and six adults, headed to General Butler State Park in Carrolton, KY for two nights and three days of adventure., almost.  You see that was the plan and it probably would have happened that way if the weather hadn’t taken a cold turn.  The first night it was 37 degrees.  I wore two pairs of pants, two pairs of socks, 3 shirts and a hat and slept in a sleeping bag with a quilt and was still freezing. So we stayed two days and one night because no one could bear the thought of another freezing night.  But the time we spent was super fun.  We made smores, hiked the beautiful woods and went home with exhausted, happy kids that smelled like bonfires and sunshine.  It was a great trip despite the cold, spent with great friends.








How was your Spring Break?
Kim

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Derby Hat Workshop: Local Event

D.I.Y. Louisville is partnering with Elizabeth Magee of Craft E Magee to host a Derby hat workshop!

No Derby festivity is complete without a Derby Hat, and we are going to teach you how to make your own!

For $30 we will provide everything you need to make your own Derby hat or fascinator at this workshop on Monday, April 30. By the end of the evening you will have your very own hat or fascinator that you can proudly wear to all of your Derby weekend events!

Monday, April 30, 2012
6pm – 8pm
Iroquois Library, 601 W. Woodlawn
Cost: $30 (for supplies)

This promises to be a night full of fun, laughs, refreshments and wonderfully festive headwear. You don’t want to miss it!

Reservations to this event are a MUST. For your convenience, we have set up an easy pre-pay option via PayPal. Email Julee at diylouisville@gmail.com for more info on payment and reservations.

Space is limited, so make your reservation TODAY!

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What We Wore

I asked for a cute umbrella for my birthday last month, and this is the one my daughter picked out for me.  I love it and I’ve been waiting for it to rain so I could finally use it.  Yesterday was the day.  It’s hard to complain about raindrops when you’re carrying something so cheerful.



Here’s a confession.  Keepin’ it real.  I loved this outfit, but after taking these pictures I realized it wasn’t warm enough for the weather we had.  With only five minutes to spare before my class, I rushed inside after these photos and tossed on my comfy jeans and favorite warm cardi.  Oh well, at least now I know what I’ll wear the next time we have a warm spring rain.

Dress: Thrifted

Cardi: Ann Taylor, Thrifted

Boots:  Thrifted

Umbrella:  Totes, Target

What’s your favorite spring raingear?  What’s more fun, cute galoshes, cute umbrella, or both? 

I’m linking up with the What I Wore Wednesday fun over at The Pleated Poppy and The Letter 4.

Happy spring showers!

~julee~

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Monday Magazine Challenge: Dill Face Wash

Stress causes my face to freak out like a  pubescent teenager, so when my Whole Living magazine came this weekend I was excited to see instructions for making an easy milk and dill face wash.  Goodness knows I need to erase some stress off my face, so I set my school books and laptop and phone aside this evening for a little face pampering.



Supposedly, milk and dill get rid of dead skin cells, and milk is a natural exfoliator.  Who knew?  Not me.

Here are the directions to DIY your own milk and dill face wash, taken from Whole Living, May 2012 with comments added by me.

You need:

• 1 tsp pure aloe, from the plant or store bought.  (Beware what you buy at the store and look for a pure aloe product with no added alcohol.)
• 1 tsp fresh chopped dill (No note on how chopped this should be, so my chunks were maybe too large.)
• 1/2 cup milk (Does not specify what %, so I used the 2% I had on hand.)

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until smooth.  Message mixture on damp skin for a full minute and rinse with warm, then cold, water.  Pat dry.  Everyday wash.  Good for all skin types.  The end.



I followed the directions exactly and I got this runny concoction. 

I thought maybe the aloe was supposed to thicken the milk up, so I wonder if the directions called for too much milk.  Also, I wasn’t sure if the dill was supposed to just hang around in the milk & aloe soup like that.  So many questions that weren’t addressed, as the magazine didn’t show any pictures other than the beautiful display you see on the magazine page up there and incidentally helps exactly nada.

Is it love or punishment that I’m showing you a close-up of my pimples and un-make-upped pores?

Ultimately, the best way to apply this to my face was to dip a cotton ball into the wash.  I’m guessing the dill was acting as a “scrub”, maybe?  I don’t know.  All it did was annoyingly stick to my face.

My verdict:  Aside from the confusion listed above and the messiness of applying the wash, my face felt smooth and soft when I was finished.  I usually need a moisturizer after cleansing, but I held off  to see how my skin would react.  It is now several hours later and my skin is still soft without adding moisturizer.  The recipe was enough for at least two washes, so I think I’ll try again with the leftovers tomorrow.

Also, one more note:  I received my subscription to Whole Living and Martha Stewart Living from Recyclebank for free.  At Recyclebank you do little tasks for points which you can cash in for various things.  You should check it out! 

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Share your magazine projects with us, old or new!  We would love to check out what you’ve been DIY’ing.  Our favorite submissions will also be featured on our Facebook & Twitter feeds.

Monday Magazine Challenge is a new feature we are starting. You can read more about why we’re doing it HERE. A Magazine Challenge is any recipe, craft, DIY, tip, etc. from a magazine that has inspired you. If you would like to link to your own magazine challenge, please use the linky tool below. It would be mighty kind if you’d help us spread the word by linking back to us.

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Insta-Friday

It’s been a real quiet week around these parts.  As I’ve said on our Facebook updates, I’ve been knee deep in wrapping up school projects as the semester ends.  Nonetheless, here are a few of the simple moments I’ve enjoyed this week:

~I love black cherry.  Love.Black.Cherry.  I picked up a pack of Virgil’s Black Cherry Cream Soda on a whim this week, and oh my.  I’ve been in black cherry cream soda heaven, and I’m not sharing with anyone.

~Do you play the cloud-shape game with your kids?  We had a beautiful drive this week with lots of big fluffy clouds to gaze at.  Those black spots in the pictures are not UFO’s out in the distance, but rather bug guts on my windshield.  How’s that for ruining a serene moment?

~Summer fruit, how my mouth waters for you.

~My daughter picked her favorite eggs to display on the table.  I love the one with polka-dots.  Do you eat your dyed eggs?  I don’t.  I’m easily grossed out thinking about how long they’ve been sitting around.  How long do you keep hard boiled eggs out?  I always hate when it’s time to toss them.

I’m linking up my simple moments over at Life Rearranged.

~julee~

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