February 10, 2020 Exhuming love Sometimes on my walks, I even leave my phone at home.…I KNOW! Lately, I’ve been trying to imagine my phone in my hand as a strong cocktail — do I really need to take this cocktail on a walk with me? Yikes. Do I really need to have this cocktail in my hand while I’m hugging my son? Eep. Is 7am really a good time for a cocktail? Barf. Read More January 4, 2020 Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out For the new year, I'm trying this new idea. Any packaging that enters my home must now be filled up with old stuff, and given away. Read More 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home February 10, 2020 Exhuming love Sometimes on my walks, I even leave my phone at home.…I KNOW! Lately, I’ve been trying to imagine my phone in my hand as a strong cocktail — do I really need to take this cocktail on a walk with me? Yikes. Do I really need to have this cocktail in my hand while I’m hugging my son? Eep. Is 7am really a good time for a cocktail? Barf. Read More January 4, 2020 Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out For the new year, I'm trying this new idea. Any packaging that enters my home must now be filled up with old stuff, and given away. Read More 18 Comments September 30, 2019 What's the best thing about your local library? Libraries are getting more popular as Millennials and Gen Z re-embrace the idea of not purchasing everything we consume. It's one of the only places you can go outside of your home where you're not expected to spend money. You can use your library to look for jobs, scour the internet, take classes, join book clubs, and more. But we want to know what makes YOUR library amazing… Read More September 25, 2019 Seattle event: WITCHES, SLUTS, PUSSIES (Oct 1, 2019) You know how I do this Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle? I've got another event coming up NEXT WEEK, with New York author Kristen J. Sollée. Read More More Home > Recent Life October 9, 2019 Learn from my mistakes: Questions to ask before accepting a job teaching English abroad I am just finishing a job teaching English in China. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was hired by a nightmare employer. I won't go into all the details, but by reading my suggestions you can guess what kind of problems I ran into. I would like to make some suggestions so that you don't make the same mistakes if you decide you would like to teach English in another country. Read More October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
January 4, 2020 Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out For the new year, I'm trying this new idea. Any packaging that enters my home must now be filled up with old stuff, and given away. Read More 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home February 10, 2020 Exhuming love Sometimes on my walks, I even leave my phone at home.…I KNOW! Lately, I’ve been trying to imagine my phone in my hand as a strong cocktail — do I really need to take this cocktail on a walk with me? Yikes. Do I really need to have this cocktail in my hand while I’m hugging my son? Eep. Is 7am really a good time for a cocktail? Barf. Read More January 4, 2020 Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out For the new year, I'm trying this new idea. Any packaging that enters my home must now be filled up with old stuff, and given away. Read More 18 Comments September 30, 2019 What's the best thing about your local library? Libraries are getting more popular as Millennials and Gen Z re-embrace the idea of not purchasing everything we consume. It's one of the only places you can go outside of your home where you're not expected to spend money. You can use your library to look for jobs, scour the internet, take classes, join book clubs, and more. But we want to know what makes YOUR library amazing… Read More September 25, 2019 Seattle event: WITCHES, SLUTS, PUSSIES (Oct 1, 2019) You know how I do this Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle? I've got another event coming up NEXT WEEK, with New York author Kristen J. Sollée. Read More More Home > Recent Life October 9, 2019 Learn from my mistakes: Questions to ask before accepting a job teaching English abroad I am just finishing a job teaching English in China. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was hired by a nightmare employer. I won't go into all the details, but by reading my suggestions you can guess what kind of problems I ran into. I would like to make some suggestions so that you don't make the same mistakes if you decide you would like to teach English in another country. Read More October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home February 10, 2020 Exhuming love Sometimes on my walks, I even leave my phone at home.…I KNOW! Lately, I’ve been trying to imagine my phone in my hand as a strong cocktail — do I really need to take this cocktail on a walk with me? Yikes. Do I really need to have this cocktail in my hand while I’m hugging my son? Eep. Is 7am really a good time for a cocktail? Barf. Read More January 4, 2020 Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out For the new year, I'm trying this new idea. Any packaging that enters my home must now be filled up with old stuff, and given away. Read More 18 Comments September 30, 2019 What's the best thing about your local library? Libraries are getting more popular as Millennials and Gen Z re-embrace the idea of not purchasing everything we consume. It's one of the only places you can go outside of your home where you're not expected to spend money. You can use your library to look for jobs, scour the internet, take classes, join book clubs, and more. But we want to know what makes YOUR library amazing… Read More September 25, 2019 Seattle event: WITCHES, SLUTS, PUSSIES (Oct 1, 2019) You know how I do this Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle? I've got another event coming up NEXT WEEK, with New York author Kristen J. Sollée. Read More More Home > Recent Life October 9, 2019 Learn from my mistakes: Questions to ask before accepting a job teaching English abroad I am just finishing a job teaching English in China. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was hired by a nightmare employer. I won't go into all the details, but by reading my suggestions you can guess what kind of problems I ran into. I would like to make some suggestions so that you don't make the same mistakes if you decide you would like to teach English in another country. Read More October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home February 10, 2020 Exhuming love Sometimes on my walks, I even leave my phone at home.…I KNOW! Lately, I’ve been trying to imagine my phone in my hand as a strong cocktail — do I really need to take this cocktail on a walk with me? Yikes. Do I really need to have this cocktail in my hand while I’m hugging my son? Eep. Is 7am really a good time for a cocktail? Barf. Read More January 4, 2020 Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out For the new year, I'm trying this new idea. Any packaging that enters my home must now be filled up with old stuff, and given away. Read More 18 Comments September 30, 2019 What's the best thing about your local library? Libraries are getting more popular as Millennials and Gen Z re-embrace the idea of not purchasing everything we consume. It's one of the only places you can go outside of your home where you're not expected to spend money. You can use your library to look for jobs, scour the internet, take classes, join book clubs, and more. But we want to know what makes YOUR library amazing… Read More September 25, 2019 Seattle event: WITCHES, SLUTS, PUSSIES (Oct 1, 2019) You know how I do this Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle? I've got another event coming up NEXT WEEK, with New York author Kristen J. Sollée. Read More More Home > Recent Life October 9, 2019 Learn from my mistakes: Questions to ask before accepting a job teaching English abroad I am just finishing a job teaching English in China. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was hired by a nightmare employer. I won't go into all the details, but by reading my suggestions you can guess what kind of problems I ran into. I would like to make some suggestions so that you don't make the same mistakes if you decide you would like to teach English in another country. Read More October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
February 10, 2020 Exhuming love Sometimes on my walks, I even leave my phone at home.…I KNOW! Lately, I’ve been trying to imagine my phone in my hand as a strong cocktail — do I really need to take this cocktail on a walk with me? Yikes. Do I really need to have this cocktail in my hand while I’m hugging my son? Eep. Is 7am really a good time for a cocktail? Barf. Read More January 4, 2020 Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out For the new year, I'm trying this new idea. Any packaging that enters my home must now be filled up with old stuff, and given away. Read More 18 Comments September 30, 2019 What's the best thing about your local library? Libraries are getting more popular as Millennials and Gen Z re-embrace the idea of not purchasing everything we consume. It's one of the only places you can go outside of your home where you're not expected to spend money. You can use your library to look for jobs, scour the internet, take classes, join book clubs, and more. But we want to know what makes YOUR library amazing… Read More September 25, 2019 Seattle event: WITCHES, SLUTS, PUSSIES (Oct 1, 2019) You know how I do this Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle? I've got another event coming up NEXT WEEK, with New York author Kristen J. Sollée. Read More More Home > Recent Life October 9, 2019 Learn from my mistakes: Questions to ask before accepting a job teaching English abroad I am just finishing a job teaching English in China. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was hired by a nightmare employer. I won't go into all the details, but by reading my suggestions you can guess what kind of problems I ran into. I would like to make some suggestions so that you don't make the same mistakes if you decide you would like to teach English in another country. Read More October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
January 4, 2020 Steal this resolution: one box in, one box out For the new year, I'm trying this new idea. Any packaging that enters my home must now be filled up with old stuff, and given away. Read More 18 Comments September 30, 2019 What's the best thing about your local library? Libraries are getting more popular as Millennials and Gen Z re-embrace the idea of not purchasing everything we consume. It's one of the only places you can go outside of your home where you're not expected to spend money. You can use your library to look for jobs, scour the internet, take classes, join book clubs, and more. But we want to know what makes YOUR library amazing… Read More September 25, 2019 Seattle event: WITCHES, SLUTS, PUSSIES (Oct 1, 2019) You know how I do this Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle? I've got another event coming up NEXT WEEK, with New York author Kristen J. Sollée. Read More More Home > Recent Life October 9, 2019 Learn from my mistakes: Questions to ask before accepting a job teaching English abroad I am just finishing a job teaching English in China. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was hired by a nightmare employer. I won't go into all the details, but by reading my suggestions you can guess what kind of problems I ran into. I would like to make some suggestions so that you don't make the same mistakes if you decide you would like to teach English in another country. Read More October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
18 Comments September 30, 2019 What's the best thing about your local library? Libraries are getting more popular as Millennials and Gen Z re-embrace the idea of not purchasing everything we consume. It's one of the only places you can go outside of your home where you're not expected to spend money. You can use your library to look for jobs, scour the internet, take classes, join book clubs, and more. But we want to know what makes YOUR library amazing… Read More September 25, 2019 Seattle event: WITCHES, SLUTS, PUSSIES (Oct 1, 2019) You know how I do this Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle? I've got another event coming up NEXT WEEK, with New York author Kristen J. Sollée. Read More More Home > Recent Life October 9, 2019 Learn from my mistakes: Questions to ask before accepting a job teaching English abroad I am just finishing a job teaching English in China. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was hired by a nightmare employer. I won't go into all the details, but by reading my suggestions you can guess what kind of problems I ran into. I would like to make some suggestions so that you don't make the same mistakes if you decide you would like to teach English in another country. Read More October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
September 25, 2019 Seattle event: WITCHES, SLUTS, PUSSIES (Oct 1, 2019) You know how I do this Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle? I've got another event coming up NEXT WEEK, with New York author Kristen J. Sollée. Read More More Home > Recent Life October 9, 2019 Learn from my mistakes: Questions to ask before accepting a job teaching English abroad I am just finishing a job teaching English in China. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was hired by a nightmare employer. I won't go into all the details, but by reading my suggestions you can guess what kind of problems I ran into. I would like to make some suggestions so that you don't make the same mistakes if you decide you would like to teach English in another country. Read More October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
October 9, 2019 Learn from my mistakes: Questions to ask before accepting a job teaching English abroad I am just finishing a job teaching English in China. Unfortunately, it turns out that I was hired by a nightmare employer. I won't go into all the details, but by reading my suggestions you can guess what kind of problems I ran into. I would like to make some suggestions so that you don't make the same mistakes if you decide you would like to teach English in another country. Read More October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
October 4, 2019 Radical accountability: Holding yourself responsible so you can hold yourself POWERFUL Here's the thing about blaming others: it might feel sort of good for a moment, but ultimately when you hold yourself accountable for your choices, you regain a sense of agency and power. When you blame others, you're trading responsibility for power… and I truly believe we all want to feel more powerful. Read More September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
September 16, 2019 4 brands that let you rent your whole wardrobe (& end fast fashion!) I'm sure many of you are just as guilty of succumbing to fast fashion as I am. Fashion rental brands like Rent the Runway are opening the door to sustainable fashion that lets you have a minimalist closet but loads of quality fashion options. Here are a few companies that are paving the way for the future of your wardrobes… Read More August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
August 12, 2019 It's happening: there are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office Fans of The Office: rejoice! There are now Funko Pop! dolls for characters from The Office that you can put in your own office. It'll be super easy to relive some of your favorite moments from the show when you're stuck at the office and unable to rewatch. Read More More Life > Recent Food August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
August 26, 2019 Here's the easiest way to de-stem strawberries If you're a strawberry lover like I am, you might be used to chopping off the stem of the strawberry before making it into your oatmeal topping, smoothie ingredient, or shortcake deliciousness. But with that technique, you're sending a lot of the yummy fruit into the garbage or compost. Here's a trick I learned to save as much strawberry guts as possible… Read More 9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
9.9k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.1k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More More Food > Recent People 6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
6.3k November 11, 2019 One woman answers the question: should I stay in a marriage without chemistry? I wrote the Offbeat Home post I'm not attracted to my husband: Marriage without chemistry? in 2013. [One of the most popular posts on Offbeat Home & Life, of all time. -Ed] After 6 years of working on myself, finding myself, and trying to do absolutely everything I could to save the marriage… I finally had the strength to call it quits. Read More 1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.6k 16 Comments October 14, 2019 My husband has chronic health issues, so I can't get boned I read the Offbeat Home post about "Asexuality and queerness redefined sex for us," and I hate to be a downer, but this is so much harder when you are in a monogamous heterosexual relationship… Read More 1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.1k July 22, 2019 How to navigate your kids through that rigid gender concept phase Categorizing the world (including based on gender) is a really important developmental phase and one that kids shouldn't be shamed for. However, introducing kids to many incarnations of gender is important. Kids categorizing and gendering items and people is based on what they see around them. I know this phase can be REALLY hard for a lot of gender-bending parents. Here are my tips for getting through this phase… Read More 2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
2.1k June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. It weighs less than a pound, secures in about 20 seconds, and is perfect for traveling, cabs and other rideshares, and for keeping on hand whenever you need it. Read More More People > Recent Pets October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
October 21, 2019 7 Tips For Keeping Cats and Dogs in a Tiny House Whether it's financial savings or living a more minimalist lifestyle, there are many advantages to living in a tiny house. However some people argue that it is unfair to have….. Read More 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
September 2, 2019 Here's how to save money by making your own vinegar cleaning spray If you're going greener with your home cleaning, you've probably wondered about using white vinegar as a replacement for commercial cleaning sprays. You'll also save a ton of money since water + vinegar is CHEAP. Here's how to mix up your own vinegar cleaning spray at home that actually smells nice… Read More 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping 1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.4k December 1, 2019 WTF White Elephant Gifts safe enough for an office party Oh, it's about that season again — the time of year when we all awkwardly gather around with groups of people we may or may not know at all (randos at the office! second cousins and their new girlfriends at family gatherings! neighbors who just moved to the hood!) and give each other weird (but not so weird that they're offensive) gifts as part of a white elephant gift exchange. Read More November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
November 20, 2019 3 life lessons I'm tryna teach my kid through holiday cards I don't have that many holiday traditions… But my son and I do holiday cards together every dang year because I think they're a silly tradition that's oddly important. There are valuable life lessons I'm tryna teach a guy… Read More October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
October 17, 2019 This forgotten jewelry box holds my grandmother's ghost Suddenly, I heard a weird tinkly noise. I have a new phone, and it makes weird tinkly noises I don't recognize, but this wasn't one. I wandered through the house trying to track down the noise, and found it coming from our bedroom… in my closet… on top of my drawers. The jewelry box I hadn't touched in almost a decade was playing music. What the fuck? Read More 1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping > From Shitshow to Afterglow: posts related to the next Offbeat book publishing June 2020 Turning future desires into present contentments Book club: Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram Scrubbing a naked stranger: my twist on Tinder's disposable dating culture Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Memoirist ethics, aka how to write your story without being a dick about it Let's talk about my article for The Guardian about divorce Food that FEELS good vs food that just tastes good Resilience reading: Books to help with the bounce-back Read More > PROS BEFORE BROS A new book from the author of Offbeat Bride and publisher of Offbeat Home & Life Ariel’s true story about sex work and grabbing your own healing by the balls, the narrative explores identity, feminism, shame, surrender, gender roles, bdsm, empowerment, embodiment, and trying to get out of your own damn head. A luxe, limited edition art book, each copy is sold paired with handcrafted raw brass jewelry. Read an excerpt
1.2k September 9, 2019 6 of our favorite organization tools you can buy online We rounded up a few of our favorite new ways to organize all our stuff, and it can all be purchased online. From headphone hangers (get them off the floor!) to tiny space savers all around your house, these organizational wonders get the job done. Read More More Shopping >