SparkBlog by The Hartman Group

C'mon times aren't that tough...

Consumers are a bit more mindful about extravagant purchases these days. So it’s understandable that books will be written on the subject, such as the latest Be Thrifty. It’s interesting from a cultural perspective but less so from a “how to be thrifty” guide. Advice on cutting credit card debt is welcome, but cutting our own hair is simply not an option. Remember the Flo-be? Nor is cooking take-out at home.

Nevertheless, we tried Be Thrifty’s suggestion for making take-out at home. It cost $28.00 to purchase the list of ingredients for our fave Pad Thai and over an hour and a half to prepare and clean-up. And it wasn’t nearly as tasty as the $8.99 rice noodle-y goodness from the Thai place down the street, who has it ready within 15 minutes of our call.

Thankfully, the memory of cutting our own bangs at seven reminded us there are some things you simply leave to the professionals. This leads us to wonder about the nature of said tips. Keeping busy is certainly one way to avoid thinking about the economy, but many of us are simply lacking the time to get everyday tasks done, never mind trying to “do your own dry-cleaning” on top of everything else. 

Read more on The New Normal: Questioning our self-proclaimed thrift

The Weekly Six: Fall Into Paper Crafts

This week we greet the fall equinox (or the Harvest Festival of Dionysus) with a return to traditional Seattle weather (rain, rain and more rain). Celebrate with a glass of wine and the best paper crafts the Internet has to offer. Or, you know, perhaps just the wine. Your call.

1. Wind Up a Robot Monkey

2. Watch Olde Timey TV

3. Permissibly Indulge in a Bento Snack

4. Fly Vietnam Airlines

5. Enjoy a Steak

6. Build More Paper Crafts

Enjoy!

Know When to Fold 'Em

Still have some extra cardboard kicking around from the holidays? Having a bit of a seating crisis? Unable to reach the top shelf of the pantry? Have a point to make but no soapbox in sight?

Do not fret, foldschool is here to help.

Foldschool provides a selection of free downloadable patterns for making cardboard furniture of your very own. The designs will hold up to wear and tear and are perfect for kids.

Not confident in your construction skills? Cardboard furniture is available for purchase here. However, if dropping 2498.75 Swedish kronors (that's 390 US bucks) on a recliner takes you back a bit, you'd be best advised to roll up your sleeves and start folding.

Turkey Surprise

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, many hungry pilgrims are dreaming of the ambrosia salads and vegetable gelatin molds of yore. Looking to put a new spin on an old favorite? Ladies and gentlemen, allow us to present turkey gelatin:

 Ingredients:

1. One turkey-shaped gelatin mold (available here)
   

2. One large, 6 ounce box of peach or watermelon flavored gelatin. (Use any flavor, if a flesh tone is not desired)

3. Six ounces of lite evaporated skimmed milk (99.5% fat free).

4. Oil Cooking Spray (to lubricate the plastic mold)

5. Green food coloring

6. One 1 cup boiling water, 1/2 cup cold water

 Instructions:       

1. Spray a small amount of cooking oil inside of the cavity of the plastic mold.
2. Place gelatin from the box into a large bowl.
3. Add 1 cup of boiling water. Stir gelatin with a whisk until it is completely   dissolved, about 3 minutes.
4. Stir in cold water.
5. Add skimmed milk and stir for one minute.
6. Add a few drops of green food coloring to produce the flesh tone color, re-stir.
7. Pour gelatin mixture into the plastic Turkey mold.
8. Fashion a towel inside of a rectangular cake pan. Set the Turkey mold inside   and level. This will keep the mold level.
9. Place the mold in the refrigerator overnight.
10. Gently remove the turkey from the mold.

Garnish with some seasonal flare and voila! You're in business.

Looking for inspiration? Check out Danielle Spencer's gallery of gelatin turkeys here.

Lady Depot

What's softly lighted, condescending and embellished all over? Well, in Concord, California Home Depot is launching a pilot store for women. Named Her Depot, the store is said to forgo the lumber isle for home furnishings and decorative storage solutions.

Home Depot's step towards the more feminine side of things is an attempt to draw in an audience typically lost to established home decorating stores. Between DIY trends hitting the mainstream and the increased popularity of sites like The Nest, home improvement is no longer segregated to the old orange-slathered warehouse. In fact, Her Depot will abandon the tried and true color all together in favor of modern shades, elaborate displays and lower shelves.

With His and Her locations planned to coexist mere miles away from each other, why not simply combine the two? Perhaps all that Home Depot needs is a makeover, not an adopted pronoun.

via Consumerist

It's Not Fun Until Someone Throws Up

This past weekend we had the privilege of attending Bumbershoot, Seattle's annual three day music and arts festival. Boasting a plethora of bands ranging in style from The Apples in Stereo to Wu-Tang Clan, the majority of Bumbershoot's focus is, of course, on the music. However, as the DIY craze reaches its peak, the "art" end of things has been growing rapidly, with Bumbershoot devoting large spaces to interactive installations and crafts from various corners of the country.

While we made an effort to attend multiple air conditioned exhibits, we stumbled upon our favorite happening quite by chance. On Saturday, as our spirits grew weary from dodging throngs of surprisingly enthusiastic Seattleites to hear the mellow sounds of The Shins, we decided to head to the main lawn for a quick nap. Upon arrival, however, we were confronted by the excited shrieks of spinning festival goers.

Under the watchful gaze of a large wooden clown head four hollering adults swung through the air as four pedaling adults powered the nouveau-carni monstrosity. What sort of alternative playground universe had we discovered? Cyclecide: The Heavy Pedal Bike Rodeo.

Cameras flashed, children shrieked; interested parties lined up in droves. "Imagine," a friend said to us in awe, "a world in which this is what people did for fun." Exciting, creative, communal exercise for kids and adults? We were at once inspired and overjoyed.

Five minutes on the Dizzy Toy, however, and our long day of people watching was finally catching up to us. Was that the smell of corn dogs in the distance? We were called to investigate.

Stairway to Cat Heaven

Sometimes the spirit of innovation moves us to create. Sometimes we'd rather purchase the darn things ourselves. Somewhere in the middle lies Ikea. For better or worse, Ikea is legendary for supplying a boxed version of the DIY spirit to its customers, from the simple construction of, say, coffee tables to the daunting undertaking of room-sized organizational sets. The minimalist instructions provided with each piece prove ripe for modifications. Who is to say that your run of the mill Laxvik shelving unit can't be reimagined as a fetching wall divider for a small studio apartment or even a large-scale wine rack for serious collectors?  Luckily, the folks over at Ikea Hacker have documented such occasions for innovation.

Looking to fashionably entertain your cats on the cheap? Ikea's minimalist Bjarnum/Jarpen wall shelves showcase your pets while adding a modern flare to any living space. That said, a paper box also does the trick.

(via Consumerist)

Upwardly Mobile Homes

Is the cost of modern living getting you down? Do you find yourself unable to afford even the most humble of abodes? Are you a nomad? If you answered "yes" to any of the previous questions, you might be interested in constructing your very own portable micro home. They DIY zeitgeist has manifested itself in the form of movable housing modules. Providing transitory "social constellations" suitable for both land and sea, micro homes can be easily constructed by, "anybody that knows how to weld."

Does metal work make you nervous? Are you design conscious? Then the m-ch may better suit your needs. Guaranteed for up to five years, the m-ch is sold as a fully-recyclable temporary living space. As the structure is made of aluminum,  "it is possible to clad the m-ch temporarily with a heavy-duty graphic film." Never before have individuals been able to coordinate their cellphones, laptops, iPods and dwellings so seamlessly.   

If you'd prefer something a little more spacious and lasting, IKEA is currently applying the concept of modular green housing to several projects across Europe. The appropriately named BokLok structures (Swedish for "live smart") were initially designed to provide functional, minimalist homes for lower income families.

While the m-ch and the BokLok are not yet available in the US, there are plans to introduce them shortly. Without the collective acceptance of the "less is more" mantra, their potential for success is undetermined.

(via Digg, TreeHugger)