The Manual of Things That Might Kill You

Hypochondriacs have long had to satisfy their needs for self-diagnosis with medical reference materials written for the masses, but this revolutionary book is dedicated entirely to the hypochondriac’s unique perspective on health. The world’s worst maladies, conveniently organized by symptom (real or imagined), will ignite even the mildest hypochondriac’s fantasy life.

This book profiles over 300 deadly diseases, is organized by symptom, and has an at-a-glance rating system of contagion, pain, suffering, and death!


The Complete Manual of Things That Might Kill You

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Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Shake

Ingredients:
2 oz. Modern Spirits Pumpkin Pie vodka
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
½ oz. simple syrup
Splash of orange liqueur
3 large ice cubes

1. Combine in blender and pulse until smooth.

2. Top with whipped cream and sprinle with nutmeg.

3. Drink until happy/full/sleepy.

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Sweater Vest with Leather Buckle

This is a neat way to slim down a frumpy sweater that may be outdated or perhaps from a thrift store. You could actually turn it into a sweater vest like the one pictured or just add a buckle to gather the waist in a bit. The buckles should be easy to find at Joanne Fabrics or your grannies junk drawer, or steal on of of something else! Here is a site selling cool patent leather ones. And here is a site selling toggle closures.

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I like when people say nice things about me! Thanx Gadgetgirl!

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Talking Jive Turkey

These placemats are so cute and totally DIY-able by just using scraps of fabrics to make a turkey applique'. I like the random lines at the bottom, it gives it a slightly modern touch which is sometimes hard to do at Thanksgiving time where everything is so country.
If anyone happens to have Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing Book she shows you how to make a simple placemat and napkins that would be a perfect place for this cute little turkey.

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Free Child Labor

I want a collage of abstract art for a wall in my living room that seems to be calling for it. But I have no artistic ability. Scratch that- I have no original artistic ability. I am pretty good at duplicating art when I want to. (see below)
Since we are confined to the indoors for a few days due to the smoke in the air from the world coming to an end here in So Cal, I decided to put my little Salamander to work and see if she could create some abstract art for said wall. I think she is doing a fantastic job! What do you think?

This is the original by Shino Arihara.

This is my duplicate. It's not too bad right?

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Deck The Halls With Books

I was just checking out the new Pottery Barn catalog and noticed this cool idea for Holiday wreaths. It's just pages torn from old books, curled in half and adhered together with a nice long thick ribbon as its backdrop. I love it! I'm so not a traditional Christmas gal and I'm always looking for ways to reuse.

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Feather Your Nest For Cheap Cheap

Amy Turn Sharp of doobley-vay and la maitresse de maison wrote an amazing article about the many ways to feather your nest on the cheap. That's something that is right up our alley! She talks about ways to get inspiration as well as ways to save your money and still have a super cool designer look. I don't know about you but I always get stir crazy in the fall and want to redecorate everything! I think its because we are stuck indoors for so many months and our homes so everything needs to feel just right.
There are a few things that I love about Amy's article. One is that it's as if she has been following me around town behind my back, watching me shop. Two- she gave props to my wee little Fancy Schmancy blog! And three- she is an Ohio gal and from a formal Ohio-ian to another, Cheers! And Thank you!
Check out the article here at The Columbus Independent
Check out Amy's blogs here and here

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Branch Hooks

Check out these amazing and so simple hand made from branches. I love the idea of bringing in a bit of nature for autumn and I think this is something that practically everyone has access to. Go for a hike and gather some branches. Cut the back flat so that they rest flush against the wall. Then do a bit of sanding on the cut offs. Pre-drill your holes out and smack those babies up!

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You Lookin For Cheap Fabric?

You could totally DIY this using a twin mattress and some scrap lumber.
Also- for all of you Southern Californians out there (and a few bordering states)- I have 2 words for you. Home Fabrics. Formally $2.00 Fabrics (if you get my drift) They sell hundreds of different upholstry fabrics for mostly $2-6 bucks a yard. They also sell rugs. We just bought a 10x13 wool rug with a contempoary style for $150.00!
Home Fabric

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Dog Judo

This site is so freaking funny!

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Sumptuous Chandelier

How many times do we get stuck with an old ugly brass light fixture when we rent or are first time home owners? This is a very sumptuous way to dress up an ugly chandelier. I can't tell what type of fabric this is but I think a nice rich dark velvet would be gorgeous. Simply make casing's that are a bit wider and a bit longer than the arms of your chandelier. I would just try to find a fire retardant material to use. As for figuring out how to make yours look like this one you will have to somewhat take the lamps apart making it easy to slip your casing onto the chandelier. On the lamp shades you could just spray with a spray adhesive and then loosely drape your material around it.

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