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Subscription Boxes

GoodeBox May 2014

 

I’m not a beauty or eco-blogger, and really this blog is such a mixed bag already, why not add a little more to the randomness?  I had tried out the GlossyBox before and was HUGELY disappointed with the products that I’d never use, SO MUCH FREAKING EYELINER, and their terrible customer service.  So, I ditched them and signed on with GoodeBox.  This is now my second GoodeBox and so far, I’m pretty happy!  I never thought of myself as the subscription-beauty-box sort of person, but have made an effort to actually use makeup on a somewhat more regular basis, even if it is mostly just mascara, lip gloss, and a bit of eyeshadow, that’s still more than my previous no-makeup-ever routine.  The box is $18 per month (billed on the 3rd of the month, box is usually received on about the same date) and includes 5 items, usually at least one is full-size.  GoodeBox trends towards eco-friendly beauty products that are cruelty-free, environmentally friendly, or that feature natural ingredients and botanicals.  On to this month’s haul..

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The box arrives pretty simply in a smallish cardboard mailer, the contents wrapped in tissue paper, all recyclable!  Inside is the product card which lets you know which items you received, how to use them, prices for full size, coupon codes, etc, and this month was a bonus card letting me know to update my profile on the website since they’d added more options/selections to help them better decide what to select for my box.  Really minimal packaging which is what made me so happy after GlossyBox – they used a big cardboard mailer box, a huge pink cardboard box inside, a wad of crinkle-cut paper, and then the products which never filled more than a third of the box.  Wasteful!  And I hate pink, so a pink box, blech.

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Then, what’s inside the box!  This month is pretty good.  I’m not a fan of those little foil pouches, but there are three of them to make up the sample, so that’s okay I guess.  Helps ration out the sample into individual uses I guess.  Going around the image above clockwise, we have the full contents of the box, then..

  • Shea Radiance Maximum Curl Defining Cream – 8oz/$16 – Smells fresh and lemongrassy.  I took a look at the full ingredient list, and there are two ingredients I can’t find information on (one is an acrylate which usually means a build-up factor).  It does say paraben/petroleum/sulfate free, but nothing about being silicone free.  I’m a TOTAL snob about what ingredients are in my hair care since it really does seem to make a difference with curly hair.  Given how dry my crazy curly hair has been, it’s worth a try at least once.. the ingredients are mostly oils and shea butter, so that could help a bunch.  The product card also mentioned a 20% off coupon for future products.
  • Orglamix Eye Shadow in Forget-Me-Not – .05oz/$9 – I love this color so much.  It’s shimmery, but still a neutral light gold color which can go day or evening, plus a 20% off coupon for future purchases.  This is a full size sample, so there’s $9 already.
  • Close-up shots of the papers which have little gold flecks and the swatch of the eyeshadow on my inner arm.  You can see it’s a really light color that matches my skin tone well, but it’s VERY shimmery which doesn’t show well in the photo.
  • Tatacha Petal Fresh Original Aburatorigami Blotting Papers – 1 pack/$12 – Ehhhh.  My face really never tends to get oily anymore, but these will be great to tuck in my photography bag for wedding photography bride touch-ups.  At least someone will get use out of them!  Full size sample though, so this plus the eye shadow already adds up to over the cost of the box.
  • Derma E Evenly Radiant Brightening Cleanser – 6oz/$15.50 – Face wash.  I know I can use that, even if it doesn’t brighten my skin.  My skin tends to be way worse in the summer with sun exposure and being out digging in the dirt and gardening, and it claims to help with sun damage.  Works for me.
  • Derma E Evenly Radiant Brightening Night Creme – 2oz/$27.95 – Night moisturizer basically.  I really don’t care much about how even my skin tone is, but being that my skin has recently decided it’s a desert instead of an oil slick, I can always use a good moisturizer.
  • Derma E Evenly Radiant Dark Circle Eye Cream – .5oz/$27.95 – If this stuff works?  It will be worth the $27.95 to actually purchase.  I have the most woeful dark eye circles.    Bonus too, there’s a 20% off coupon good through the end of June.  (Do you see that glossybox?  Coupons that work for more than two weeks after receiving the box!)

I’ll try to update this post with reviews once I’ve tried the products.  I’m really hoping that curl defining cream works out because my curls have felt like a hay bale lately.  So, that’s GoodeBox!  Coming up on the blog, socks, gardening, and some One Local Summer action.

Shawls/Wraps, Spinning

Antarktis

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Another spun-to-finished project!  I recently realizes just how much handspun I have sitting around, and how much I need to start using it instead of keeping it set aside as precious yarn that shall not be touched.  The resulting shawl came out really lovely, light and airy, and I’m super happy with the results.  I’ll admit to not really being a shawl person, but with the right pattern, I’ve slowly grown to like wearing them with the point in front, and sometimes add extra increases to make sure the long side is long enough to go all the way around.  There’s nothing worse than a shawl that won’t wrap around the whole way without feeling like I’m being strangled.  Details below!

First up, the fiber.  This is Twisted Fiber Art’s Cloudy in colorway “Terrain” which is 60% Merino and 40% Bamboo.  It looks like the name of the fiber was changed to Glam, and the fiber contents tweaked a little.

Next, the yarn.  Spun to something between fingering and lace weight, I came out with 547 yards, chain plied.

DSC_7385DSC_7402DSC_7466 The shawl!  Pattern is Antarktis by Janina Kallio.  Total knitting time was just over two weeks, so it went pretty quickly and was easy enough to bring with me to knit night.  I used up pretty much the whole skein, following the pattern instructions until I got to the border section, except switching the wrong-side rows to purl so that it was garter instead of stockinette with a 3 stitch garter border.  Just not a fan of garter stitch!  I kept repeating the border section until I was just about out of yarn and then bound off using Jenny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off.  Blocked aggressively with wires and the resulting shawl came out beautifully.  Ravelry Project Link in case you’re interested.

On a non-knitting realted note, I’m really trying to blog more, especially with One Local Summer starting again.  It always seems like I go from May to November only posting about food, and I want to try to blog more to break all that up a bit!  I have a whole bunch of projects I haven’t blogged about lined up, and there will be PLENTY going on in the vegetable garden, so hopefully those will break up the summer monotony.  We’re also going on some trips this summer, and I hope to be able to blog from the road.  Anything you’d like to hear about specifically?  Let me know in the comments!

Daily

Happy April 20th

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Or, if you celebrate it, Happy Easter.

I’m not of the religious variety, but I’ve slowly built some of my own funny traditions over the years including one of my favorites, the Easter Peep Roast.  But first, my easter bunnies wanted to say hello.  If it weren’t for a pocket full of dog treats, these bunnies would’ve never tolerated those ears, and they’d be plotting to smother me in my sleep.  Two against one, not good odds.  Best to keep them happy!

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So, the peep roast.  Firey death for these peeps, but it’s a delicious, delicious death.  The outside caramelizes kind of like a creme brulee and it’s definitely more fun than a plain old marshmallow.

  1. Collect Ingredients
  2. Prepare peeps for FIRE
  3. Introduce peeps to fire.
  4. Roast until caramelized to your liking
  5. Apply to graham crackers and chocolate
  6. SMOOSH
  7. Consume

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Getting Crafty

Yarn Scraps

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Because I’m a crunchy granola hippie who can’t seem to part with .. anything .. I’ve been saving yarn scraps for AGES.  We’re not talking those partial balls of yarn leftover from knitting socks, we’re talking the teeny balls leftover after I’ve taken the sock yarn leftovers to make a blanket, the bits cut off after weaving in ends, trimmed off pieces from a long-tail cast on, etc.  The leftovers of the leftovers.  I’ve kept a little yellow pail near my usual knitting corner that has slowly been filling up over the last few years I’ve been knitting.  It finally got to the point that even after squishing the contents down over and over, it wasn’t really fitting in the pail anymore and it was finally time to go ahead with an alternative use for the yarn scraps.

VOILA!  A yarn scrap ball for the birds.  Yep, really!  The scraps are mostly between 2-4 inches long and are perfect for birds to weave into their nests.  I started with a grapevine ball from Michael’s ($6.99) and stuffed it full of my yarn scraps.  I found a chunk of leftover ribbon (scavenged from a gift box at one point), weaved it around the metal support wires inside the ball, and hung it near the bird feeder in the back yard.  I can’t wait to see how it goes over with our backyard birds and I look forward to seeing some colorful bird nests!

As usual, click any photo to view larger.

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Genealogy

Italian Letter 16 Feb 1947

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So, it might seem a little odd that I’m posting these letters to the public.  Two of the people referenced in the letter (Angelina’s daughters) may still be alive and what a thrill it would be to have the internet somehow connect us.  You hear that Thia Guerrini, Rina Guerrini?  If you’re reading this, I would absolutely love to hear from you.  We’re related by marriage, and my cousins would get a real kick out of hearing from long-lost cousins in Italy.  If they were alive, they’d be in their 80s this year (2014).  It’s a long shot, but hey, you never know.

Moving on!  The letters are also interesting for their historical information.  Nellie Gasparri, (my first cousin, once removed) apparently sent a package along with her letter to her aunt Angelina.  The reply letter from Angelina is what I’ve got posted here – she enclosed a separate, smaller piece of paper thanking Nellie very specifically for the coffee since, she explains, it was something they hadn’t seen in Italy for many years since the war.  She also mentions that they’re missing many things, and that her daughters appreciated the clothes Nellie sent.  Basic living supplies seem to have been pretty scarce in San Valentino (Sorano).  There’s also mention of Nellie’s Aunt who I can assume is her mother’s sister, my grandmother, Norma Innocenti.  Just like the last letter, the same grammatical/spelling errors persist (penziero instead of pensiero, “ai” and “o” instead of hai and ho for the verb avere, and a couple various misspellings).  It’s slowly making these easier to read since the handwriting is becoming more familiar.  At the end, Angelina writes a little blurb to also thank the friend (of Nellie’s I assume?) who wrote the letter, Gina Canali.  In my translation, I added some punctuation to help with flow and took a few liberties with some of the not-easily-translated Italian phrases.  I love perfectly literal translations, but it never flows well.  Without further babble, here’s the translation, and images of the letter.  Click any image to enlarge.

February 16, 1947.
Dearest Niece,
Days ago I received your letter and even the package that you sent. I just received it and it was delivered in good condition. I can only thank you for the thought that you had for us. Your cousins Thia and Rina thank you for the clothes that we really needed because in Italy we are lacking clothes and many other things after the war. Your cousins are ages Thia 18 and Rina 17.
Dear Niece, if it’s easier for you to write American, write that way since there is someone who reads to me. As for the letter that I wrote to your aunt, I hope that she has received it and my greetings and if she writes to me again it would make me happy. I’m glad that you are in good health. As for us, my daughters and my husband are well, but for a while I haven’t felt well but don’t worry that it’s serious.
Dear Nellie I would like to know so much about you all. Make your brothers write to me too and tell me how you’re doing now that you’re left without your father. I have so much sorrow for you all. We are far away and I cannot give you any comfort. I would like to have a memory of my brother if it’s possible (a photograph of yours); it would be much appreciated. For this time, I can only greet you and kiss you, united to my family. I tell you that your aunt thinks of you always,
Angelina Guerrini.

Don’t ever forget that my address is only this:
S. Valentino di Sorano
Pro di Grosseto
Only So
Do you understand?
Greetings again to your friend that wrote the letter,
Gina Canali

(enclosure, on green paper)
Dear Niece,
I thank you so much for the coffee, here it’s been many years and you don’t see it any more and I tell you again there are many things we’re lacking here in Italy. Nellie in as much as I remember your address it’s not as it was before. Did you move? It’s been a while since your aunti wrote to me the other time where she is. I want to tell you many other things and ask you many things but I’m afraid I’ll bore you. Write to me at length and tell me many things. Again, many kisses, your aunt,
Angelina Guerrini

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Gloves/Mittens, knitting

End of May Mittens

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I’m REALLY pleased with how these mittens came out!  The yarn was purchased at Purls of Wisdom in Kimberton, PA with the intent to make mittens at some point.  Finally, I grabbed the yarn, found a pattern, and went to work.  I managed to churn these out in five days (worsted weight mittens go pretty quickly even in colorwork), and have been wearing them since mid-January when they were finished.  As usual, I’m super late posting these to the blog, but you know that’s nothing new.  🙂Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Superwash in colorway 15 (orange-rust color) and 19 (cream color).  Lining is Alpaca from a friend’s farm.
Needles: US 3 (3.25mm)
Pattern:  End of May Mittens by Mandy Powers
–Ravelry Project Link–
Notes/Modifications:  The pattern originally called for the lining to only extend up about an inch or two from the cuff.  I went ahead and used the same directions for the outer mitten minus the colorwork for the lining.  It came out a little bit wide (there is some wrinkled-up fabric inside the mitten), but not enough that it’s unbearable.  They blocked out to the perfect size for my hands!  The alpaca actually came from a co-worker of the husband’s who owns an alpaca farm.  It’s really luscious stuff and makes the mittens extra warm – perfect for the cold winter we’ve had!

Brewing

Making Vinegar

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The blog has been a little silent, mostly because I’ve been too busy shovelling all winter long.  Whew.  I think we’re up to #3 snowiest winter ever, and from the looks of the forecast, we’re not done quite yet though there was some loud, house-shaking thunder this morning accompanied by freezing rain.  But hey, the last two winters I think we only managed about six inches of snow each, so it’s nice to have a proper winter again.  I do like everything to be covered in snow rather than trudging around in a mushy, muddy mess.

We’ve been up to something new!  Husband found an advertisement for a vinegar making kit in a magazine and hinted about it around Giftmas time.  So, I took the hint, and it ended up being his present.  The kit, purchased from The Brooklyn Kitchen, didn’t include the vinegar mother or culture for starting the vinegar, so I had to purchase that separately.  Basically, it’s a bacteria that converts alcohol into acetic acid.  The amout of alcohol in your starter liquid (beer, wine, hard cider) is the amount of acid you’ll have in your vinegar.  You want something around 5-7 percent alcohol, so if you’re using wine, you need to dilute it by half with water, and make sure it doesn’t have any preservatives or sulfites that will kill the vinegar mother.  The mother will slowly form as a slimy, gelatinous layer on top of the liquid.  It’s totally safe and completely harmless.  It likes to work at a higher temperature (85 degrees F), but we don’t keep our house that warm in the winter, so it just takes longer, no big deal.  For more information on making vinegar, check out this link.

Husband was pretty excited to get going on his vinegar, so he grabbed a case of Yuengling Premium and loaded up the barrel which means we get a malt vinegar (perfect for french fries).  It sat from December through February and we finally bottled it February 16th.  The information told us that when it starts to smell like nail polish remover, it’s almost done.  Sure enough, that day rolled around about three weeks ago, so we let it sit a little while longer just to be sure.  We bottled the finished vinegar into two 8 oz bottles and shared one with the neighbors.  It’s not much, and we left a good bit of starter liquid behind, but the resulting vinegar for our first go is really good!  Because this was the first use of the barrel, the vinegar picked up a TON of oak from the fresh char on the inside.  We even took a chunk of the mother out to start another glass container with a botched batch of mead to make a mead vinegar.  That should be interesting!  We decided not to pasteurize the vinegar (which would kill the bacteria and allow it to be stored at room temperature) and instead are keeping the bottle in the fridge.

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Today I decided we needed a label for the bottle, so I found a template and slapped together a small label for the wee bottle (the label only measures about 4″ high by 1.5″ wide).  I found a sheet of gummed label paper we used for homebrewing and printed out a sheet of labels that we can use on future bottlings.  I’m pretty happy with how they came out!

Vinegar Barrel – The Brooklyn Kitchen – $100
Malt Vinegar Mother – Beer & Winemaking – $17.99
Label Paper – Midwest Supplies – $5.99
Bormioli Rocco Bottle – Everything Kitchens – $2.99 (We found ours at a local store for less)
Label Template – World Label – FREE
Fonts: Marshall (“Oak Aged”) – Guttenberg MF (“Malt Vinegar”) – Horizon Wide (“Phoenixville”) – Savanne (“Date, Batch, Base”)

One Local Summer

One Local Summer 2013 – Week 24

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This was the last week of One Local Summer for 2013.  Things were starting to get really busy with my photography business and I just didn’t have the time to dedicate to going to the market, finding ingredients, planning the meal, cooking, and doing a blog post.  I was purely in microwave-the-leftovers mode, and the husband was out to his ship for a longer than normal stretch.  Still, I made it to November 5th, and did 24 weeks of meals which is really pretty decent!  This particular meal is one that I only make when the husband is gone since he absolutely loathes fennel.  It’s SO easy to make and tastes SO good! Layer the sweet potatoes and fennel on the bottom of a baking pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper, bake for 30 minutes, then add the sausage on top until that’s done.  Somehow all the flavors melt together just right and it’s magic.

Now, I’m FINALLY all caught up, and am looking for ideas for meals for 2014.  If you happen to have any and want to share, please leave me a comment!

Fennel, Sweet Potato, and Sausage Bake:
Sweet Potatoes – Jack’s Farm
Fennel – Charlestown Farm
Sausage – freezer stock from Mountain View Organics
Non Local – Salt, pepper, olive oil