Photo by epSos.de

I’m not one of those people. You know, the kind who can take a grubby uninspired and over-sized shirt from the Good Will box and turn it into a well tailored, four part jacket as part of a Mad Hatter’s outfit, complete with sewn in LED lights. My sewing skills are limited to a rough hem stitch and repairing the occasional button.

Yes, I am the idiot of which the title speaks.

Every Adult Should Have A Costume Box

Still, I’m not going to let what I can’t do yet get in the way of something else I want to do. Yep, I have my tricks for filling the costume box without driving myself crazy, spending too much money or ending up frustrated over a pile of half finished projects I’ll never use.

First stop: Haunt second hand and vintage stores.

The base of my costumes begin second hand. Good Will, Salvation Army, Army-Navy surplus stores and stoop, garage and yard sales. I rarely buy anything costing more than $15.00.

Photo by Leigh Shulman

Brand name stores often have great deals. Last year I found an amazing pair of high heeled knee-high silver boots at Zappos. The Target scarf I found for $5.00 makes a really effective dust mask at Burning Man.

I buy things I really like. I have to like them a lot. Fuzzy sweaters, bathrobes, bustiers, tutus, vintage rain coats, really anything that catches your eye. Everything I choose is comfortable and versatile.

Most pieces serve a double function. My neon green hat has been part of leprechaun, cowboy and super hero. Red hat? Sinister criminal turns to jaunty Santacon elf and eventually becomes weird bride by attaching a veil. (Tell you how below.)

Those silver boots, by the way, have never let me down. I’ve biked, walked and run in them, depending on the occasion. Add a pair of knee socks with a fur strip on top, and they’re fur lined.

Next stop: Fabric & Craft Stores

This is where I find shiny, textured meshes and lames, glittering star buttons and faux fur in a variety of colors. Ribbons, feathers, fake leather, even plastic fabric you’d imagine as a table cloth all work well lining collars and sleeves, highlighting anything you want.

The Tool Box
Attach fabrics et al with safety pins, self adhesive Velcro and simple stitching. You’ll also want needle, thread, glue guns and scissors.

Photo by Leigh Shulman

Hardware stores also offer plenty of options particularly for fixing broken finds. You should never underestimate the usefulness of a zip tie.

The Zen of Costume Boxing

My costumes start really simple. A black lacy bustier was meant to be top for a fancy dress ball gown. I never did find the right bottom. Eventually, I will.

The changes I make aren’t permanent. Everything can be undone. I’ve had more costume ideas fall flat than blow up, and using removable pieces allows me to recycle materials.

Over time, the pieces I add connect to create themes. Silver boots match silver fabric lined boy shorts. I’ve been wanting a good tutu for a while now, but didn’t find one until a stop at Psycho Sisters in Little Five Points, Atlanta. That is my little red dancing tutu. I’ll wear it as is to Burning Man later this month, but eventually I’d like to do something with the straps.

It’ll happen when it happens.

Two Dead Easy Projects For Burning Man

Hat With Removable Veil

I took a piece of self adhesive Velcro, attached the fuzzy soft side of the Velcro to the front part of the inside of the hat. Then I doubled up a big square of mesh and bunched it up on the adhesive side of the harder, spiky part. Connect Velcro parts and wear. Easy to switch out with other fabrics.

Sun Reflective Parasol

The umbrella is my main project this year. It had been missing a plastic spoke cap and while it would have been a nice as a prop, I also want it to be useful and maybe give a bit more shade than light lace can.

Photo by Leigh Shulman

A wire cap nicely replaced the spoke tip. I cut a groove in the plastic before sewing it on with needle and thread. I cut shiny silver fabric into triangles and big-stitched them to the underside of the umbrella. Both hold in place securely, but are also easy remove.

Last year, someone gave me an amazingly soft blue bath robe. Only problem, it’s too big. I’m not quite sure what to do with it, so I’m asking a friend who is one of those people for ideas. I’ll let you know how it goes.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Do you make your own costumes? Brag about your costuming adventures and tell us what you did.

It’s been getting slower. You’ve been ignoring it. Or you have indoor plumbing … barely. Or you’re rushing to an interview, brush your teeth and find you’ll be leaving your housemate a not-so-verdant pool in the bathroom sink.

Not to worry. Whether you are a homeowner, a renter or a couchsurfer, when the drain isn’t draining, you can fix it yourself — and most of the options are eco-friendly.

Stage one: Going slow

The best time to catch a lame drain is when toothpaste residue, elderly plumbing and lost hairs are beginning to gang up. You want to startle clogs into making their way out of your plumbing.

Step #1: Clear the Clumps. First, remove the plug. For most sinks, you can unscrew the plug stopper. For some bathtubs, you can remove it with a screwdriver. If it won’t come out, work around it.

Use a handy tool — perhaps an unbent paperclip, or ask your local hardware store — to fish around and pull out what you can.  Warning: It will be black, gunky and most likely smell. Repeat to yourself, “This is naturally occurring biodegradable matter.” Compost or trash your findings.

Step #2: Volcano! If you liked science fair as a kid, you will like this. Dump half a cup of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) into the drain.

Photo by author

Now pour in a cup of vinegar. If the vinegar doesn’t drain, swizzle it around with a stick or chopstick until it does. If you have a washcloth handy, use it to plug the overflow drain. Meanwhile, put a big pot of water to boil. When the volcano has bubbled down the drain, pour in the boiling water. Most likely, more black goo will come up, but the water will clear away the slowdown. If it doesn’t, repeat step two.

Stage two: Blocked with standing water

If you didn’t attack it in stage one, you might have more work to do. Wear gloves — this can get messy.

Step #1: Repeat step one from above and see if anything significant comes out.

Step #2: Plunge it. Ideally, use a small plunger dedicated to sink clogs. In a dire situation, you could sanitize a toilet plunger and use that, but you lose bragging rights, or else no one will want to eat at your house ever again. Stop up the overflow drain with a wadded-up rag to make the plunger work.

Step #3: Pull out clogs. If step two fails, try to dislodge the clog and pull it out. In a pinch, use a wire coat hanger or other heavy wire to fish deeper in the drain. Or use a plumber’s snake or pipe auger. This is a dense, flexible wire on a reel that you unwind it slowly, forcing the snake into the drain where it can grab onto clogs when you wind it back. Buy one for around $20 US at a hardware store. For a bathtub, remove the overflow cover and push the snake down the overflow drain. Use care not to scratch porcelain.

Step #4: Remove the trap. The “trap” is a curved pipe (P-shaped or S-shaped) in the plumbing beneath a sink. First, place a bucket beneath the trap to catch the water that will rush out. Next, use a wrench to unscrew the giant nuts that hold the pipe in place. Dump the water in the bucket.

Photo by scott*eric

You might be able to see a clog in this trap that you can remove by hand. Or you might need to run the plumber’s snake into the pipe from here. Replace the trap the same way you took it off. You will need plumber’s Teflon tape to reseal the pipe when you replace it. Check for leaks before you go on your merry way.

Step #5: Last resort –chemicals. For a bathtub clog where you can’t access the trap, you might have to resort to a drain-cleaning chemical. These caustic chemicals usually contain lye and interact with water, so make sure you get rid of standing water first. Wear protective gloves and eyewear, and read the directions carefully. These products are quite hazardous, although they can be used with a septic system. Do NOT use them in toilets — they build up heat that can cause a toilet bowl to crack.

What if it’s the toilet?

If plunging and a snake don’t work, you might have to remove the toilet and turn it upside down to get rid of the blockage. You will need a new wax toilet ring on hand to reseal the toilet when you put it back. If the unclogging takes more than a minute, plug the hole in the floor with an old towel to avoid toxic fumes.

If all of these fail, you might have to call in a professional plumber. If you don’t own the plumbing, talk to your host or landlord before calling a plumber or taking dire steps, of course.

Most of the time, you’ll be able to resolve the situation quickly and without harm to the environment. And after you’ve washed off the black goo and changed out of your sweaty clothes, you’ll have a semi-disgusting anecdote to share with your friends when you go out for the cocktail you so richly deserve.

Community Connection

Want to share any plumbing horror stories? Any other unclogging tips?

For more green ideas, check out Neha Puntambekar’s guide to creating a peaceful and positive home. Looking for some DIY tips? Find tips on saving your sanity during home renovation projects here.

My husband and I just bought our first house. Before we even closed, we had dreamt of all the imaginative, colorful ways to decorate and renovate our house. We felt prepared, excited, and optimistic.

Then we started the renovations.

Like so many other newbie home renovators, we experienced a very steep learning curve under the tutelage of trial by fire. So things didn’t go as planned; at least we’re still having fun.

Here are 10 ways we’ve learned to retain some of our sanity during home renovations.

1.) Drink. Or Meditate.

Either way, get in a state of mind where you don’t care and/or find humor in the mistakes. Repeat this mantra: “Shit is going to happen.”

2.) Set Goals.

Set realistic, small goals and a modest budget. Now half those goals and double the budget. Do that again. Now you won’t give your husband the stink-eye when he comes in with another Lowes receipt and you’re two weeks behind your carefully planned schedule.

Photo by exfordy

3.) Determine Priorities.

To help keep a budget, ask yourself the obvious. What do you absolutely not want to live without? New low-flow toilet to replace the fugly blue monster or new closet door? Keep the carpet and buy furniture or get hardwoods and live empty for a while? Digging deep will be worth the effort when fatigue and dwindling funds set in.

4.) Approach big box stores with caution.

Ever walk into Target to buy laundry detergent and come out with a $136 tab of god knows what? Approach Home Depot, Lowes, and other home stores with similar caution. Know what you’re coming in for and try not to get sucked into cool displays. You’ll regret buying that cool-sounding stainless steel paint and XXL bucket of spackle when the diy-high comes down and all you needed was a pack of nails.

5.) Count to 10.

Try not to scream at above employees when you’re back for your third trip in a day. It’s not their fault. Ok-maybe it is their fault when they mix the wrong paint color again or sell you the wrong apoxy. Either way, count to 10 and take a deep breath. Picture being on a beach, mai tai in hand, as you head to the returns desk again and scowl at the chipper greeter who acts like they haven’t seen you already today.

6.) Sleuth out cheap stuff.

Check out websites like freecycle and craigslist; wander your local consignment stores, lumber yards, Goodwill and Salvation Army. It will not only distract your from manual labor, but help you find cheap, even free (!), furniture, supplies, and other home wares. Magazines like ReadyMade also offer diy project ideas for the younger, eclectic set.

7.) Open the Windows.

Or don’t. (See #1). Even low-VOC paints may have you trippin from the fumes, so open all the windows and take fresh air breaks. If you can’t smell the paint anymore, it’s time to go outside.

Photo by rioncm

8.) Blast Music.

The louder the better. Rock and roll fits well, so dig out Led Zepplin “How the West was Won”, CCR “Bayou Country”, and Jimi Hendrix “Electric Ladyland”. Air guitar is highly encouraged.

9.) Life or death?

Ask yourself this question as your try to decide whether you need to hire someone on your tiny budget. Need some electrical stuff done? Possible cause of death. Hire an electrician. Want to lay down some tile? A bitch, but doable and safe.

10.) Be Silly and Social.

The most important tip of all. Make your house a non-stop open door party. Invite people over, keep food and libations around, and create wacky games involving sandpaper. Force yourself to laugh when the paint bleeds through the drop cloth, you burn through three drills in a night, and your rip your pants at the crotch.

Bonus Tip:

Don’t paint in socks. You’ll understand why.

Community Connection

Do you have any other tips for staying sane during home renovations? Any resources you want to pass along?

Check out this article by Leigh Shulman explaining why you don’t have to leave your home to travel. Want to share part of your day to day life with Matador Life and readers? Send us your photo submissions.

Chicken Tractor. Photo: Jessica Reeder

Pretty much everywhere I’ve been where I thought life is good, the people had chickens. It just makes sense on so many levels. You can get organic eggs, you can harvest meat, the chickens help make the land more fertile–and it doesn’t take a lot of space to do it.

A couple days ago I saw this piece on the recent surge of people raising backyard chickens, which is legal here in Sarasota county. People living even on very small lots can use chicken ‘tractors’ like the one pictured here. Tractors are basically inexpensive floor-less coops that you move from place to place around your yard. The chickens scratch at insects and worms, and their manure goes directly into the ground as organic fertilizer.

Here’s a great resource to find out what the laws are for having chickens in various places around the US. It’s surprising how many urban areas, such as Seattle, allow you to raise chickens. Here’s another good site that sells tractor kits (although they’d be super easy to build yourself if you have carpentry skills) as well as poultry supplies.

As we settle down in Patagonia this fall, we’re definitely thinking about having chickens. I’m tired of buying everything. I want Layla to grow up eating food that comes right from our land, food we raise ourselves.

Community Connection

Anyone raise / raised chickens in an urban environment or using a tractor? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Wedding photos by Philip Chang

I could write about how not to spend money on a wedding — getting married at City Hall or eloping to some far flung place. But this is for those who want to have a more “traditional wedding” without having to take out a second mortgage on their home.

Below are some tips on where and how you can save some cash in planning your wedding, and still make it the beautiful and classy one you always wanted.

Free cherry blossoms

1. Keep the guest count down

Do you really need to invite your third cousin twice removed’s little niece? Stick to those who you keep in touch with on a regular basis. If you haven’t broke bread with someone in over a year, it’s probably not appropriate for them to partake in your day. We kept the guest numbers down by limiting the invitees to immediate family and the closest of friends.

Yes, you may rub some people the wrong way, but this is your day. You have your reasons, and they should be respected.

To take that further, we split the wedding in two parts: ceremony/dinner and par-tay. Half the guests came after dinner to celebrate with us, which also helped keep costs down.

2. Make your own invitations

Another nice thing about keeping the guest count down is you need fewer invitations. This means you should have time to make and send them out yourselves. If you’re crafty like my wife, you can make unique and special cards. We included a blank page in the invitation and requested that the guests make it their page in our guestbook and to bring it to the wedding.

With the time they had we received some really thoughtful and colourful pages to insert into our guestbook. Much more personal than just a couple sentences and a signature, or, worse, drunken words of advice.

3. Use your contacts

If you think about it, you probably know someone who has some handy skills you could take advantage of. Maybe even a friend of a friend. An old high school chum who I occasionally ran into agreed to do our flower arrangements (it just so happened she is a florist). In lieu of payment, we invited her to the wedding.

Friends and family were also more than willing to chip in as they could, some coming to the venue early to help set up decorations and chairs. And speaking of venues…

Barclay Manor in Vancouver’s West End

4. Find a cheap venue

While the big ballroom with floor-to-ceiling glass and a panoramic view over the ocean is ideal, it’s going to be expensive. Find a place that doesn’t normally do weddings.

We scored a beautiful heritage house and struck up a nice little relationship with the events coordinator. We negotiated a great deal and had extra access to the venue for planning purposes and also cleaning up post-wedding.

5. Be your own DJ

Sorry DJs of the world, but you aren’t needed here. We sent out an email to our guests and asked them for song requests. I then mixed everything together myself with MixMeister. It was easy to use and it was fun putting it together, plus it makes a great memento. We still have the original file and dance to it on our anniversary.

At the wedding, you can play this mix from your iPod or laptop. We rented a mixing board and big speakers for party level music. We also got a dancing colour light.

Professional DJ for $1000 or this set-up for $80? You decide.

6. Don’t go pro

It’s not always a case of “you get what you pay for”. We’ve all heard the horror stories of professionals providing less than adequate service. But it also works the other way round. You can get some seriously good service for a discounted price.

Photographer: We found one just starting out in the biz and so was offering a deep discount while he built up his profile. He came with an assistant (with his own camera too) and was with us for eight hours.

Plus, he was willing to give us all the images he (and his assistant) took throughout the day instead of just a set amount of prints.

The “homemade” wedding cake

Videographer: Also a newbie, but as this was his first wedding he offered to do it for free to get his portfolio going. The end result was fantastic and he was extremely professional, polite, and took great care of us.

Caterer: Try a culinary school to keep your catering costs down. If you’re in Vancouver, check out Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. My mouth is watering just thinking of the food they dished up that night.

We found a cheap and cheerful bartender off Craigslist, where we also found the photographer and videographer. Just make sure you meet with them at least a couple times to make sure you’re comfortable with them.

7. Make your own cake

This is not for the faint hearted, but you can save heaps here. Rather than a sugary, fluffy cake, use one you actually like. We used a tuxedo cake (from Save-On Foods) square base, with a round raspberry and white chocolate cake on top, offset in the corner for artistic purposes. And, of course, decorated it.

8. Find some good, cheap booze

Who says you have to spend over $20 a bottle for some good wine? We tested a bottle or two each week, which was fun in itself, and found a red (Chile) and a white (Germany) for around $10. Same goes for the sparkling stuff, no need for the Dom Perignon.

9. Finally, recoup the costs

I don’t care what people say, I think it’s perfectly fine to ask for cash gifts, especially when the guest knows where it’s going (i.e. travel funds). You can also mix it with a registry of sorts for things you actually need.

Other random things we did to keep the costs down:

We rented a white PT Cruiser — modern, classy AND cheap — and I asked a work colleague to be our chauffeur. We “pruned” the cherry blossom trees around town for some free and beautiful center pieces (do this under the cloak of night).

All unopened bottles of booze and mixers were returned to the liquor store and Safeway, respectively.

Also, Yvonne’s wedding dress was so last year. But it was also so not expensive. And it was so gorgeous.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If you’d rather plan a destination wedding than go the traditional route, Matador has the Ultimate Guide to Planning a Destination Wedding.

And we’ll never leave you at the altar– check out 16 Places to Stretch Your Honeymoon Dollar too.

For those of you who have already passed this stage and are on the next phase, you’d best read the Expectant Mom’s Guide to Travel.

How about you? Do you have any wedding money saving tips to share?

Pop them in the comments below!

Photo: mynameisharsha

Why Cold-Brew?

Chilling hot coffee is a common way to make quick and easy iced coffee. Cold-brewing takes several hours. Why bother?

Cold-brewing extracts the flavor and caffeine of the coffee grounds, but less of the oils and acids. Without heat, you get great-tasting iced coffee without the bitterness. Try the two side-by-side sometime. You will be converted.

The Recipe

Fill a glass container with 6 tablespoons of ground coffee.

Add 2 cups filtered water.

Cover and let rest for 12 hours.

Strain the coffee through a filter.

Fill two glasses with ice and add coffee.

(Optional) Add cream and sugar to taste.

Develop Your Caffeine Habit

Photo: findfado

Twelve hours is a long time to wait for coffee. To make cold-brewed coffee regularly, you need to plan ahead.

First, get a French press. They are easy to use for brewing both hot and cold coffee. Each night, around dinnertime, fill the press with coffee grounds and filtered water.

It will be ready at breakfast.

After you try it a few times, experiment with the amount of coffee grounds and the timing. I like the portions in the recipe above, but you might want to adjust the strength. Also, some people prefer a 24 hour brewing. On the other hand, you can cut it down to as little as four hours – make it at breakfast and enjoy it with lunch.

Cold-brewing Tips

Photo: thebittenword.com

To get great coffee flavor, buy good whole-bean coffees. Look for fair trade. Make sure it was roasted recently.

Coarse grind your coffee. The mesh screen on the French press will do a better job of filtering.

Add a little cream and sugar if you want, but try it plain first. It is smooth and probably won’t need as much extra stuff added as you are used to with hot coffee.

For variety, add a bit of honey or cinnamon to the coffee grounds. Or try adding some peppermint loose leaf tea. Flavored syrups will work as well.

Use filtered water.

If you drink iced coffee all day, you won’t be able to make them fast enough with this recipe. Consider purchasing the largest French press you can find. Multiply the recipe to make large batches. You can store the extra coffee in your refrigerator. It will keep for days and it won’t get that nasty old coffee taste.

Community Connection:

Travelers looking to make coffee on the road should check out Matador’s Coffee Gear for Coffee Fanatics. Also, don’t forget how your purchases affect the lives of coffee producers. Read more at Fair Trade for Beginners.

Feature photo by CrowdedGarage. Photo above by joey.parsons.

Erase

Purchase a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (or your store’s knockoff). These sponges are the greatest invention since the stripper pole.

Cut the sponge into 2-inch strips (you’ll get more use out of them, since using a whole sponge dirties it fast), apply a little bit of water and rub like crazy on anything vinyl. You’ll be shocked at how much dirt you can remove, especially from the sneaker’s lower sides.

Wash

It’s time to dunk these Chucks in the washing machine. Always take the laces off first, as they’re prone to turning machinery into mayhem. Remember to pack the machine with a whole load of clothes, because otherwise the noise from the machine will wake every baby within a two mile radius.

Photo by Tom Gates.

Add detergent and if you’ve got some, fabric softener. If you’re cleaning white Cons, I’ve also had success adding them to the “whites” wash load using some bleach.

Dry

When washed, you’ll want to dry them in the sun. I never put them in the dryer, mostly because heat doesn’t seem like a good thing to do with cheaply glued sneakers. Also, the noise is just ungodly.

Open the tongues and imagine the fragrance from all of the smelly bar-nights disappearing into the atmosphere. If you’ve worn the to a concert or festival recently, it also helps to pray. When half-dry, I often stick a Bounce inside for good measure.

Surgery

Arm yourself with some Crazy Glue. The first thing to go with Chuck Taylors is a piece of molding in near the toes. Nobody knows why – it’s one of the great mysteries of the world.

Five Months And Still Kicking. Photo by Tom Gates.

Get in there and do a little bit of surgery, if necessary. I take the cotton off a q-tip to apply it and use as little glue as possible, so that it won’t splatter onto the outside of the shoe and look unsightly. There’s also a product called “Shoe Gum Repair” that can help out if things have gone horribly wrong.

Sole

Chuck Taylors are VW Bug’s of sneakers, efficient but not meant to last. After a couple of polishes, you’ll might have to add a new insole. Heel pads can play an important role, as the area at the back of the sneaker seems to rot quickly, as if it’s been attacked by a sneaker-eating virus.

Lace

The last step is to add new laces. Remember to buy a size appropriate for 14 eyelets, usually 114cm or so.

Photo by Tom Gates.

The cool thing is that with a little expense and lots of love, a pair of Chucks can easily last a year. We’d love to hear your tips for shoe/clothes resurrection in the replies!