Tuesday 30 April 2013

HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR ITALIAN VEGETABLE GARDEN

In a true Italian fashion, I have to have a vegetable garden. Growing up Italian meant that you didn't buy your fruits and vegetables at Commisso's or No Frills in the summer....that would be ONE OF THE GREATEST ITALIAN SINS! Everyone, if you were a TRUE ITALIAN had or has a vegetable garden, and some fruit trees in their backyards. Keep in mind, you need an apple tree, a pear tree, a cherry tree, and yes a plum tree....I failed at this task...no fruit trees for me!

Growing up, I envied my english friends....they had inground or above ground pools, ornate swing sets, complete with monkey bars and teeter totters, and some had trampolines.  But me, I had the vegetable garden.  My leverage, I could offer them a fresh tomato or cucumber to entice them to play in my backyard.

Alas, we warp speed ahead...46 years later...I now am the proud owner of my own vegetable garden.  But with said ownership, comes ALOT OF WORK!  Mamma and Pappa didn't really share that part with us...they were out there every night, weeding, watering, tending to the fruit of their labours.....INFORMATION THAT I COULD HAVE USED!  Because, like an addictive drug, the Italian Garden, lures you in....the idea of fresh tomatoe sauce, cucumber salad, beans that only come from the seeds imported from Italy 50 years ago....oh, my...how could we relinquish this tradition....WE CAN'T. The Italian Garden calls to you like a street walker calls out to the man walking down the street, like candy calls out to the fat lady, like catnip calls out to the kitty cats, like crack cocaine...the Italian Garden is an addiction that is very hard to resist.

So now, I find myself needing to repair the exterior barrier wall to the inevitable garden of love.  This past weekend, old lumber was pulled out, dirt was dug, and engineering was done!  Check below to see how our project "THE ITALIAN GARDEN REPAIR" went.

First you need to buy fresh railroad ties...lengths depend on your dimensions...luckily my garden is
8'x8'.  We built our walls 3 tiers on each side, so we purchased 12 posts in total.

You will also require 2' rebar to anchor the lumber into the ground and secure it so they don't move.
Next step is to remove the old railroad ties (if you have them) from your garden.  Hence, the rot!

 Not too rotted!


You are going to want to move the dirt to the middle of the garden so you can dig a ditch to place your first railroad tie onto the ground.
 

You are going to drill into each piece two holes, one at each end, the same width as the rebar, perhaps a slightly smaller.  Remember to make your holes at least 12" inward from each side to make sure to have enough enforcement.
  Then you are going to pound the rebar into the ground about 15 inches deep. Once all pieces are in, you slide each tie over the rebar.  If you look at the pic below, you will see the rebar sticking up enough to accommodate the width of 3 pieces of lumber


First layer done!



Second Layer Done!

 Third Layer Done!

All done and secured...those ties are not going to go anywhere...and best part NO NAILS REQUIRED.  Drilling the lumber prevents splitting.  Nails eventually will cause the lumber to split lengthwise and seen in my old lumber pieces.

Last step is to flatten the dirt and make it even!

 
This project was really well constructed and executed. Now all that's left to do is to add manure and peat moss to the garden to ensure the soil is enriched nutrients to yield a great ITALIAN VEGETABLE GARDEN!
 
I hope you enjoyed this blog.  A special THANK YOU goes out to my boyfriend, Brian Kita for an amazing job.  He is not Italian, he does have the genes of a POLISH man....but he rocked this out like any old Italian would! Now he has the lovely task of toiling the soil! Yeah, that will be his on his May "honey do" list...
 
Thank you for reading my humble blog!
 
Ciao for now and happy gardening!
 
xxxx

Sunday 21 April 2013

How To Save Your Broken Eyeshadows and Blushes - SO EASY - DIY!

So how many of you have broken an eyeshadow and decided it was destined for the garbage....I have!

Well, this blog is to help you save those poor eyeshadows from a doomed life in the deep dark shallows of the garbage, as well as save you money on repurchasing the same item.

This technique is so easy and will totally change your life! It did mine! I have demonstrated in my video how to restore a broken eyeshadow, however the same technique will work on broken blushes and bronzers.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

All the broken pieces of your eyeshadow/blush
Rubbing Alcohol - the higher the level of alcohol the quicker the drying time will be
A knife or similar to break down your product
A small bowl

You can watch my video below to view how this is done, or if you just want to read the instructions, here is what you need to do:

Make sure to sanitize all your tools prior to using on your product for sanitary reasons.  You do not want to get dirt or bacteria into your product.

1. Put all the broken pieces of your product in a small bowl
2. Take your knife, spoon, or stick and chop all the larger products into small pieces so all the product is similar size.  You are going to want to finely mill the product for easy mixing and distribution.  This technique works best if all pieces are similar size
3. Take some rubbing alcohol and pour into the product, slowly, you want to add small amounts.  You can always add more alcohol as needed.  You are trying to achieve a thick, muddy consistency that is pliable
4. Make sure to clean all your pot that you are returning your product into.
5. Pour your mixture back into its original pot or container.
6. Tap the container on the table to level the product.
7. Let dry for about an hour
8. Take a clean cloth or you can use a paper towel and wet it with water or some of the rubbing alcohol.
9. Place on top of the product and press down really hard to stamp the product and make sure all the particles are pressed down securely to ensure it is all solid.
10. Let dry - typically I would wait until the next day to use your product

It's that easy, and VOILA! you have saved your favourite eyeshadow from the depths of the almighty garbage can!

I hope this helps you out...check out my video below for a full demonstration!

Thank you for reading my humble blog!

Ciao for now!

Friday 5 April 2013

Starlooks Starbox March 2013

This months Starlooks Starbox is a "Mixed" month Starbox - A combination of bold and neutral colours/products.

UPDATE ON SUBSCRIPTION FEES:

Due to increased international shipping costs the monthly subscription to Starlooks as gone from $15US to $22US per month starting May 1, 2013.

The products received:
"Flutter" Lipstick (Bold Item) - The gorgeous, full-coverage, frost lipstick.  A true orange at first glance but on the lips it translates to a rusty, golden, bronze-red.  Retail: $11


"Disarray" Eye Shadow - (Neutral Item). Although this is a dark colour for an eye shadow, navy is a classic colour for spring.  Pair this eyeshadow with a neutral pink or biege and it looks amazing on the eye. This eyeshadow is highly pigmented, has just a touch of sparkle.  You can create a softer look or a deep smoky eye look.  Retail $12


Lengthening Mascara = (Neutral Item).This mascara is not as dramatic as I personnally like, however it has a nice application.  It definitely lengthens the eyelashes, separates them and does not clump.  The con to this mascara is that it takes a minimum of 3 coats to accomplish some volume to the lashes.  If you are one that likes a more natural eyelash, then this mascara is a nice formulation.  I personally would have liked to see it add more volume.  The con to this mascara is that it has a strong tar smell to the formulation that is not so nice.


Surprise item! Starlooks "Vanilla" all natural Lip Sugar.  This scrub exfoliates chapped lips.  You only need a little amount.  You scrub against your lips to remove any dry skin.  This leaves the lips smooth, soft and envigorated! I really enjoyed this scrub and would purchase from Starlooks.  The taste is incredible! Retail for this size $2.00


CONTENTS OF BOX:

 

CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE VIDEO AND 100 SUBSCRIBER GIVEAWAY!

 
AFTER THOUGHTS
 
Overall I am very happy with this months box. I will continue my subscription for now to see how future boxes are.  The cost of the box will definitely determine if I will remain with this subscription or not.  I currently am very happy so I don't want to give it up yet!
 
Thank you for reading my humble blog!
 
Ciao for now!
Maria