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Room to Create: On Newsstands Now

There is a spanking new magazine in town, and, I was lucky enough to be featured inside. Wahoo!

Room to Create is jam packed with pictures of the studio/office/project spaces of some of the coolest bloggers and creative entrepreuneurs on the web today. It’s hard to look at the photos and not feel inspired to create something amazing. Even I hardly recognize myself in this spread.

As this was the first issue, I didn’t know what it was going to look like, but, now I have it in hand and…wow. Just, wow. I have heard from folks who are seeing it on stands at Target and grocery stores, as well as their local craft stores. If you see it, grab it.

It’s been seven months since these photos were taken, and I feel like there is more to show, so stay tuned for an update later this week!

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(Update: In a later post, the folks at Michael’s asked for a mini tour of my project room, so check it out below, in all its unedited splendor. Flamingos, dinosaurs, and lackluster high school history reports included. Get excited, people!)

Throwback Thursday: No Parking On the Dance Floor

by aunt peaches 47 Comments

Important announcement: I have decided that 2015 will be the year I embrace the selfie.

No, not the bathroom mirror “Does my new outfit make me look fat?”’ selfie, but more of the “Look at my fat ass in the bathroom mirror, do you think it would look better with corn chips?” kind of selfie.

To understand why I hate taking photos of myself, or photos of me in general, you need to understand that I am hilariously unphotogenic. No, you think I’m saying that, but it’s true. Even as a very cute child, I took very bad photos. Everyone says so. Every once in a great while someone would get a good picture of me and I’d tack it up on the fridge and my pathologically Midwestern parents would say “Ouffff, now we need to quit fanning her vanity!” and it would come down and get buried in a box. As a kid, I always thought it was weird to go over to someone’s house and see that they willingly displayed framed photos of themselves, and I’ll admit, part of me still does. But today, in 2015, at the dawn of the selfie stick (HAVE YOU SEEN THESE THINGS?), I realize that attitude toward portraiture says more about me than it does about them.

Just the same, for old times sake, and because it’s Throwback Thursday, let’s review just one of the many hundreds of horrific moments in the photograph history that is Peaches.

Was that weird when I just referred to myself third person? Sorry.

Well folks. There it is. Now, I know what you are thinking, WHAT IS THAT?

That, my friends, is the best that 1989 pre-teen dancewear could offer. Hot look, right? I know. The dance routine was set to Midnight Star’s “No Parking on the Dance Floor” and the outfit was supposed to be some sort of hyped-up traffic cop slash meter maid slash cocktail waitress.

Thing was, being an unusually healthy (read: enormous) child, the costume didn’t really fit. They ordered me the largest size but dance instructor still had to use her manicure scissors to cut darts in the back so I could squeeze into the sequined, hot pink spandex sausage casing as the rest of the dance class looked on in horror.

But wait, it gets better…

Of course, that day I came in wearing zero makeup so one of the other girl’s mom took it upon herself to introduce me to Mary Kay’s finest gift: frosted purple eyeshadow. I’ll tell you something, nothing sets off a mild case of pre-teen lazy eye like a good streak of wild orchid. My smile consisted of two very large front teeth as the rest were missing or half-way grown in, giving me the look of young, snaggletooth meth addict. I attempted a smile with my mouth closed but the photographer refused to take my picture until I showed him, “them pearly whites.”

Well then. I sure showed him.

Now, as you can imagine, my face in the image was so horrible, so embarrassing, that when the photos came back from the photographer I hid them so nobody would be tempted hang one up or send it off to relations. They sat there in that box for 20 years until one day a while back, I ruptured this photographic treasure from its sunken tomb. As I studied the photo more closely, I recalled the too tight costume, the awful song, and the frightening choreography meant to mimic the hand gestures of crossing guard on Soul Train. I did not, however, recall the words on the costume. Clearly, they were designed to conjure images of traffic signs but the repeating pattern of inappropriate sexual messages is hard to miss;

SOFT SHOULDERS
BUMPS AHEAD
SLIPPERY WHEN WET
ENTER WITH CAUTION
…you get the picture.

So that was a fun. Also really gross, but it’s sorta fun to realize that all those years I spent feeling horrified and embarrassed of my appearance in those pictures was really nothing compared to the horror and embarrassment of the adult that ordered a baby stripper costume in the first place. But, I digress. I could use this opportunity to highlight the travesty of a culture that unknowlingly sexualizes children, or, I could use this as a chance to get mad at my dad for letting me walk around in public without noticing his kid was dressed like a hot pink hooker, or, I could use this as a reminder as to why I shouldn’t freak out over how my face looks in a picture today because 20 years later I might find something much worse.

…Or, I could just take it down to the store, get it enlarged, and let it dance.

Come over to my house to use the toilet, and rest assured, my friend, you will not dance alone.

Mrs. Roberson’s Secret Twice Baked Chex Mix

by aunt peaches 13 Comments

There are two types of people in this world; people who understand the power of homemade chex mix and people who buy that devil-trash ready-made stuff in a bag.

I, all-knowing of these critical matters, fall into the former category of people who make their own chex mix. I’m not going to pretend that it’s complicated or anything, but I am going to say that the recipe on the side of the box that your grandma used to use doesn’t cut it anymore. No my friends, like all good things that run in generational cycles of popularity, chex mix is on round three. Maybe four, but who is counting. Most people eating chex mix are half-drunk so I don’t really trust their math anyway.

And. Actually. According to my childhood neighbor Charlene Roberson, historically speaking, chex mix came to popularity as a party food because it goes so great with booze. Cocktails in particular. Hostesses would serve chex mix at the beginning of the party because it was so salty and crunchy and delicious and that would get people to drink more and the drinking would get people to mingle and the mingling would make for a good party. So that just makes good sense. Granted, Charlene Roberson facilitated my first experience with alcohol and what led to a mighty rainbow of vomit sprayed across her garage door, but, that is a story for another time. I digress. Bottom line, I owe the woman a great debt as she shared her secret recipe for twice toasted chex mix with me when I first learning to cook, and it has been a favorite ever since.

Just to clarify, for the two of you who have never had it before, let me tell you, as a snack species, homemade chez mix is delicious. Especially in the dead of winter when there is nothing to do but watch television and drink. If you are going to somebody’s house for the Superbowl, bring this chex mix and you will be the most popular person in the room. If you are staying home to watch Downton Abbey by yourself, that’s cool too. Make chex mix and you’ll love yourself for investing time into this special treat. I don’t why that is, but it is. I don’t make the rules. I just know a good thing when I see it/taste it/crunch it/rub it all over my face/OH MY GOD IT’S SO GOOD.

This recipe is an amped up version of the classic. If you are a hipster or trying to impress someone, I suggest adding bacon grease and wasabi but this is America and I’m keeping this mainstream, just the way Mrs. Roberson liked it – extra Rosemary and seasoning, with the cooking in two phases. She used to say that was the secret, “Toast up the cereal beforehand, then season, then toast again.” I have tried both ways, and the lady knew what she was talking about. Try it yourself!

PART ONE: Dry Stuff

9 cups Chex cereal or similar (I mix about 6 cups corn chex with 3 cups wheat, but you can use whatever you want. If you stick to rice based cereal it’s easy to keep this recipe gluten free)
1 cup mixed nuts (I like to use salted nuts but it’s a matter of preference)
2 cups small pretzels
1 cup Gardetto’s garlic rye chips*

* Gardetto’s garlic rye chips are the quintessence of what I call Old Man Food and you may or may not be familiar with their tasty crunch. You are more likely to find them in the snack aisle at a 7-11 than a grocery store but that’s something you’ll have to take up with the management. If, and only if, you cannot fine Gardettos rye chips 1. I feel sorry for you and 2. You can substitute bagel chips or some sort of pumpernickel chip, but really, Gardetto’s is the thing you want. Some people even make do with Cheezeits, and we all hold it against them. The seasoning on the Gardetto’s are what make this recipe taste retro and manly, so I suggest some investigating before surrendering to the dark side aka: goldfish.

Mix all the dry stuff together and spread on two cookie sheets. Bake at 300F for 15 minutes. You would be crazy to do this without lining the cookie pans with parchment paper, but feel free to try it.

PART TWO: Wet Stuff

One stick of melted butter
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Sesame oil
2 Tbsp. Rosemary
1 Tbsp Seasoning salt (I like Lawry’s)
1 Tbsp. Black pepper
1 Tsp. sugar
1 Tsp. finely minced garlic (double that if you serving amongst friends)

*Like it hot and spicy? Add a tablespoon of Sriracha sauce.

While the dry stuff is in the oven, mix all the wet stuff together in the largest bowl you can get your hands on.

PART THREE: The Secret

Remove the dry goods now in oven and throw them into the bowl with the wet stuff. Toss around thoroughly and then spread the newly wet n’ wild cereal and stuff back on the parchment lined cookie sheets. Lower oven to 250F and roast for a good 45 minutes. This process could actually run anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on the weather and how dry/absorbent your cereal is, so check often, but 45 is a good estimate. The cereal will look brown and toasty – that’s how you know it’s done.

If you like it warm, you can eat it 10 minutes out of the oven, but be sure to let it cool 100% before putting in an airtight container. If you seal it off when it’s warm it’ll get soggy and all your beautiful twice-toasted tastiness will be gone.

THE SECRET: The secret is in the pre-toasting. Those first 15 minutes at a high temp dry out the cereal thereby making it extra absorbent when it comes to soaking up all the flavorful spicy dressing in Part Two. It makes a big difference. The final result is extra crispy and every single piece is packed with buttery deliciousness. I dare you to make a batch and taste test it side-by-side with a bag of that readymade stuff. You will be shocked. No need to send me a thank you note, the buttery crunch in my heart is thanks enough.

The Best $60 I Ever Spent: The Day Designer  

by aunt peaches 16 Comments

I’m pretty excited about what’s coming in 2015 and a lot of that has to do with the roadmap before me. Granted, six months from now I may tell you something totally different, but, for right now I’m in the pre-road trip euphoria of packing snacks and making playlists. Things looks good. Long, but good. Interesting. Unpredictable. Before leaving my job last summer I took a hard look at my finances; what I needed to save, what I needed to make, and what I needed to spend. That last one seems counter intuitive, right? Who spends money when they aren’t 100% on paying next month’s rent?

Well, apparently….me! This is weird because I have always prided myself on putting a $20 limit on purchasing anything I don’t need. But. But. But. Butttttt….Here is the thing: the concept of need is a murky one when it comes to investing in yourself. I can’t remember the last time I bought myself a new shirt but I can tell you exactly how much I spent on my business last week and how much time/money/productivity I expect to see in return next year.   I can’t say everything is going turn out how I want it, but if it doesn’t, I don’t want it to be because I skimped on myself. I am an investment. And I am worth it.

Now, normally I would shrug off the idea of spending $60 on an agenda book when I could buy one at Target for $10, or a phone app for $2, but I had heard about this one, The Day Designer by Whitney English, from a few people. Terms like “game changer” and “task master” came up more than once. I figured it must have been the real deal, so I bought it for myself as an early birthday present, and, don’t you know, it came wrapped in polka dot tissue paper and pink velvet ribbon! Major pretty factor. More importantly, it’s changed my daily work strategy in a major way. It is the best $60 I ever spent.

The edition I bought starts in August (I’m guessing that is a school year thing?) but they have regular January-December editions as well, and in the most spectacular patterns. To tell you the truth, I considered buying a new one for January in new pattern but I have so many notes and insights in the one I’ve been using since August, I don’t want to part with it. Also, if I’m being truthful here, I started writing this post the first week of December thinking some of you guys might want to buy or request a Day Designer as a Christmas gift, but when I went to insert the purchase link I saw they sold out and closed shop for the rest of the year! (Seriously y’all. When was the last time you heard about calendars selling out BEFORE Christmas? That should tell you something. This thing has a cult following. It is a cult and I am drinking the Kool-Aid!). Welp, the shop reopened today. I was hoping to provide a link so you could check them out but THEY ARE ALREADY SOLD OUT. AGAIN. The good news is, they have a waiting list and you can buy direct from some stores around the country. I’m sad that I can’t tell where you to buy one direct, but if you are in the market, I’ll tell you why I think it’s worth the wait…

1. Each day is slotted with two central columns, one for time, one for to dos. That doesn’t sound like a big deal but it is. Most agendas favor one or the other. When your schedule involves 20 small items of varying length/time/importance/non-importance, being able to line them up in the same spot is a big deal. A really big deal. Also, the to-do lists come with little boxes and checking them off feels so good.

2. And this is really my #1 but I’ll mention it second; At the top left corner of each page there is something called “Today’s Top Three” –
which I use to mark off the three things I need to complete. Three. Three things. There are days when I don’t have my act together enough to even write anything else on the page, but if I can get those top three items, I can handle it. Not going to lie, sometimes one of my top threes is “shower” and you know what? I don’t feel bad about it one bit. I get to check off that little box and feel good about it just the same. BAM. Shower. High five!

There are also little boxes for other stuff like “Daily gratitude” “Dinner” “Don’t forget”….just stuff that comes in handy. I don’t necessarily fill them out, but knowing there is a consistent receptacle for this information is hugely helpful. And I guess that really is the thing – just knowing there is a place to file stuff away. Wow. It makes a difference! One time, I heard somebody say, “When you feel overwhelmed, make a list and you’ll feel better.” And I have found that to be very true. Sure, working and doing is what it takes to lighten the load and really feel better, but, making an itemized list releases just enough steam to make sure the work happens and stuff gets done.

3. Every month has a two-page month at a glance page as well. That seems totally normal right? But do you know how hard it is to find daily agendas that ALSO have an integrated 30 day spread out large enough that you can make notes? IT’S HARD. I CHECKED. Personally, I use the month at a glance stuff to calendar the blog and the other pages for work. Of course they overlap all the time, but it’s nice to have two calenders running in tandem in one spot. I imagine this would make sense for someone wanting to split business/personal activities, or work/school, diet/exercise… you get the idea. It really does come in handy. No idea why every daily agenda doesn’t do this…

Two other nifty things.

Thing one – The first 6 pages of the book are dedicated to brainstorming ideas and breaking down goals. This is stuff we all sorta know how to do, but because it’s laid out so beautifully and clean it prompts me to want to up my game. That is huge. That is the power of graphic design at its best! Also, the questions are very thoughtful and pointed. It’s strange how quickly life priorities start coming out when someone asks you a pointed question (and on paper, no less).

Thing two – Each month is tabbed to a nice brassy gold piece of cardstock where you can dump whatever you want. I keep a legal pad for all my everyday notes, but at least once a day I cross something that I want to file under “don’t forget that”…thus, a special place for nuggets of brain dump comes in handy. This is also something you don’t find in a lot of agendas where the layout is designed to economize on space. The Day Designer is bigger, heftier, and doesn’t skimp. It’s probably not the kind of agenda you keep in your purse at all times, but it’s great on a desk or bedside table…whatever place you use it most. I cannot recommend it enough!

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A year ago, if you had told me I would be writing a blog post about a sold out day planner I’d tell you you were drunk, but here we are and this is what I know about that. Just as a disclaimer, I want to be sure to say that this is not a sponsored post. I have no affiliation with Whitney English or the Day Designer, other than my place in the chorus of praise and thanks. If they sell out again (which they will) I cannot tell you where to buy a copy online. You are on your own. I’m just telling you a good thing when I see it. If you are interested in learning more, here is an in-depth video comparing the Day Designer to a similar planner, and here is a link to a podcast interview with Whitney English titled “Intuition, Failure and Authenticity” where you can get a feel for the strategy and intention behind the design.

Happy Monday: Churches, Cheesecake and Taylor Swift

by aunt peaches 14 Comments

A list of my favorite distractions from the last week (including these flamingos chillin’ in Antarctica captured by Gray Malin).

First things first: who is coming over to my house for Downton Abbey and Oreo cheesecake bites?

The largest church in the Middle East was founded by garbage people and it is beyond rad.

10 Famous Love Song Recipients I’d like to Hear From.

Have you ever heard of a capsule wardrobe? I’m intrigued.

The best time to buy an airline ticket (prices change 3 times a day? wtf?!)

Everyone knows about book clubs, but what about an articles club?*
*HAY. Maybe these Happy Monday posts *are* my one person articles club? Can you even have a club with yourself? But you’re here so it’s not just me. We are a club, you just haven’t shared yet. What? This is so meta.

Shopping malls in all their 80s glory.

Rabbit hole alert: The best of the best crafty dollar store ideas.

Ever need to create a simple contract in a hurry? The Freelancers Union just created this awesome (and free) tool. Just plugin in the essentials and it spits out a contract. Also on the freelancing front, this gal’s pinterest board is busting with great tips.

Taylor swift gave John Cleese a death glare to end all death glares for making fun of her cats. So you know he totally deserved it. GO TAYLOR, GO.

Also, these people might sing Taylor Swift songs better that Taylor and my 5-year-old niece. That’s saying something.

Happy New Year

by aunt peaches 18 Comments

You guys. How is already another new year? I’m not even used to writing 2014 on my checks and here it is, come and gone. Golly. I’ll level with you, for me, 2014 is going to be a hard year to beat! Professionally, personally and just as a person, I crossed a lot of hurdles in 2014. Actually, I think I crossed about five items off my life list in the last month alone. It’s an exciting time! Of course, as with most things in life…along with the sweet comes the bitter. My cycle of success and failure in the last 12 months is not something I will soon forget. This adventure into owning my own business has brought about some signifigant changes for me and it’s hard to think back to a year ago today, December 31, 2013, when I sat down and wrote out what I wanted to see in the year ahead. Now I sit down to map out the mountain to climb in 2015 and I find that I am not nearly as concerned about where I am going as much as who is coming along for the journey.

That means you.

That means all of you. All of you who stop by this acre of internet to gawk at the cat lady with a penchant for rhinestones. All of you who have chimed in to share your thoughts, your insights, your experiences. All of you who never leave comments but still check in 5 times a week just the same, always keeping my page views up and my ad revenue predictable (which, let me tell you, is kinda important for us self-employed types). And all of you who have been here, hanging out, giving me a place to plop down whatever particular breed crazy I feel like serving this week. All of you, thank you.

Best wishes to you and yours for a happy, safe, healthy, loaded-with-confetti-and-whatever-else-floats-your-boat, new year. Cheers to us!

Happy Monday: Cookies, Books, and the Disappearing Smells

by aunt peaches 2 Comments

Photo of the Hemsley building on Park Ave. Nobody decks the halls like NYC!

Happy Monday Y’all! Hope you are enjoying a happy, safe and restful holiday season. I’m just getting back from vacation to DC, New York, and everywhere in between. Lots of driving. Lots of eating. Lots of family. Lots of making…art, food, things with glitter. Throw in a few late-night board games, cocktails made in milk jars, a round of semi-intellectual fart jokes, and that about sums it up. More on that later. As this was also a partial vacation from technology, I am still catching up on matters of bidness, but in the mean time, here are some of my most favorite recent distractions.

Bruce Springsteen’s list of 28 books that shaped his mind and music.

Eleven little-known words for specific family members. You might have a machetonim and not even know it.

The Rolling Stones swinging 60s French villa of debauchery.

Speaking debauchery…pretzel chocolate chip cookies.

Some seriously impressive libraries.

Eleven smells that are slowly disappearing.

NASA is using glitter to solve giant space telescope problems. If that doesn’t legitimize my glitter hoard, I won’t know what will.

Welp. Now we know how I’ll be ringing in the new year.

Chris Rock on Cosby, Ferguson, Obama…just about everything that needs to be said but nobody else knows how to say.

Ten amazing kid-friendly art projects.

Ever seen a baby pigeon? Nope. Me neither. This is why.

This thing. This thing is too weird to not share.

Merry Christmas

by aunt peaches 4 Comments

Uh oh. One of Santa’s reindeer went rogue…

Wishing you are yours a very merry Christmas.

Christmas Morning Mimosas

by aunt peaches 4 Comments

My cousin John is something of a mixologist. Two years ago he shared this recipe for Santa’s Little Helper and it’s been one of my most popular Christmastime posts ever since. Everybody loves a good cocktail! Now I’m back with the fam this week, chillin’ and boozin’ and waiting for John to hurry up and make whiskey punch, which is apparently something made in a can, so, when I asked him to share another yuletide concoction to share with y’all, his suggestion was something much more elegant and can-free: Christmas Morning Mimosas.

I garnished with rosemary and cranberry because it’s festive and photographs better, but don’t be fooled – the flavor is all apple and sparkles.

Once Santa’s hard work is done, the aunts and uncles of the world deserve the chance to enjoy Christmas morning exactly as much as the kidlets. And if there’s a morning that you can get away with a cocktail before 10 AM, it’s Christmas, right? And mimosas hardly even count as drinking in the morning. In our family, special meals gets our grandmother’s cardamon flavored rolls (a recipe she must have stolen from a Swedish lady along the way), so nothing tastes quite as much like a holiday as cardamom, and if infuses really well in apple cider.

THE RECIPE:

A Jug of Apple Cider

15-20 Whole Cardamon Pods

5-10 Pieces of Candied Ginger, plus more for garnish

Prosecco

If you have some time, just smoosh the cardamom gently with the flat side of a knife and throw it and 5-10 pieces of candied ginger into a jug of apple cider and let it hang out overnight or longer. Half infused cider, half prosecco. Garnish with a piece of the ginger if you’re fancy. Done. If you’re in a bigger rush, heat up the cider with the cardamom on the stove to a simmer to get the flavor moving quicker, and then throw it in the freezer to cool it down before serving.

Oh Flamingo Tree, Oh Flamingo Tree

by aunt peaches 19 Comments

If you have been following this blog for a while, you know I have a thing for flamingos. Christmas flamingos in particular. It might be a pink thing, or a feather thing, but our love grows deeper and stronger every passing year. Last year my collection exploded thanks to The Great Hand-made Flamingo Swap of 2013, but even still, the collection grows a bit every few weeks. Just yesterday I was in the Christmas market here in DC and found the loveliest hand-pounded tin flamingo from Mexico. Score! I can’t wait to take it back and get it on the tree!

Last year I hung all the flamingos on my pink flocked tree, which is pretty swell, but the flocking fall-out is a major pain. When Treetopia offered to send me their lipstick red tree, I jumped at the chance. Pink and red? Oh hell yes.

This is my first tree from Treetopia, though I had read about them from some other bloggers over the years. My experience with faux trees is pretty darn extensive, and honestly, this is a great tree. The lights are strung from trunk to tips in a way that all the branches can easily expand or be fluffed to your heart’s content. My favorite part though, the hallmark of a good tree, is a stomper plug. No bending over behind the tree to plug it in each night — just put your foot on the stomper switch and that’s it.

Pardon my weird pinky shot here — I’m trying to throw the lens focus so I can demonstrate how awesome it looks to mix lights. The lights on the tree are red, which, is A LOT to handle. I tempered them a bit with a string of colored lights of my own, but there is no mistaking, this a statement tree. I know there are some people who are WHITE LIGHTS ONLY purists, same with colored lights, but if you ask me, the best lights are mixed. One color strand paired with a rainbow strand is rad. I’m sure someone just read that and is feeling horrified right now, but you know what? It’s Christmas. Variety is the spice of life!

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