June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More June 14, 2018 Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts We've been having some discussions about body positivity lately that made me remember that not everyone is entrenched in body positive role models on social media as others of us are. What better way to shine some light on our favorite bad-ass body positive babes than by finding some of the best body positive Instagram accounts out there? Whether they're loving their fat bodies, their differently-abled bodies, their perceived "flaws," their feminism, and their everyday realness, these are some babes who will prove that "the norm" means nothing. Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home June 8, 2018 Comparing buying vs. renting? Your state's "breakeven horizon" might be key These days most of us aren't in a position to buy a home in our state. It's all that avocado toast, I tell ya! But if you ARE in a position to consider it, there's this metric called the breakeven horizon that will help you decide if it's financially better to buy than to rent. And it varies widely from state to state… Read More June 6, 2018 7 things to do to safeguard your stuff in case of a house fire In October 2017, my garage caught on fire. It's all been a truly awful experience, and there's been a steep learning curve for us. Here are a few house fire preparation things that you can do right now to make sure that, if you face a catastrophic loss, you end up with the best of a bad situation… Read More May 30, 2018 Ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space If you're like me, you might be living in a small apartment. It seems to be a big trend since a lot of us aren't in a position to buy a big ol' house. But fear not! Small space living solutions are, ironically, HUGE right now. I decided to go hunting for some ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space. I'm talking storage solutions on walls, desks, tables, and beds that fold and become multi-use when you need it, and tiny decor items that take up no extra room (because you still want the place to look fun!). Read More 3.7k 11 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 May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. 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June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More June 14, 2018 Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts We've been having some discussions about body positivity lately that made me remember that not everyone is entrenched in body positive role models on social media as others of us are. What better way to shine some light on our favorite bad-ass body positive babes than by finding some of the best body positive Instagram accounts out there? Whether they're loving their fat bodies, their differently-abled bodies, their perceived "flaws," their feminism, and their everyday realness, these are some babes who will prove that "the norm" means nothing. Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home June 8, 2018 Comparing buying vs. renting? Your state's "breakeven horizon" might be key These days most of us aren't in a position to buy a home in our state. It's all that avocado toast, I tell ya! But if you ARE in a position to consider it, there's this metric called the breakeven horizon that will help you decide if it's financially better to buy than to rent. And it varies widely from state to state… Read More June 6, 2018 7 things to do to safeguard your stuff in case of a house fire In October 2017, my garage caught on fire. It's all been a truly awful experience, and there's been a steep learning curve for us. Here are a few house fire preparation things that you can do right now to make sure that, if you face a catastrophic loss, you end up with the best of a bad situation… Read More May 30, 2018 Ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space If you're like me, you might be living in a small apartment. It seems to be a big trend since a lot of us aren't in a position to buy a big ol' house. But fear not! Small space living solutions are, ironically, HUGE right now. I decided to go hunting for some ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space. I'm talking storage solutions on walls, desks, tables, and beds that fold and become multi-use when you need it, and tiny decor items that take up no extra room (because you still want the place to look fun!). Read More 3.7k 11 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 May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. 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June 14, 2018 Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts We've been having some discussions about body positivity lately that made me remember that not everyone is entrenched in body positive role models on social media as others of us are. What better way to shine some light on our favorite bad-ass body positive babes than by finding some of the best body positive Instagram accounts out there? Whether they're loving their fat bodies, their differently-abled bodies, their perceived "flaws," their feminism, and their everyday realness, these are some babes who will prove that "the norm" means nothing. Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home June 8, 2018 Comparing buying vs. renting? Your state's "breakeven horizon" might be key These days most of us aren't in a position to buy a home in our state. It's all that avocado toast, I tell ya! But if you ARE in a position to consider it, there's this metric called the breakeven horizon that will help you decide if it's financially better to buy than to rent. And it varies widely from state to state… Read More June 6, 2018 7 things to do to safeguard your stuff in case of a house fire In October 2017, my garage caught on fire. It's all been a truly awful experience, and there's been a steep learning curve for us. Here are a few house fire preparation things that you can do right now to make sure that, if you face a catastrophic loss, you end up with the best of a bad situation… Read More May 30, 2018 Ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space If you're like me, you might be living in a small apartment. It seems to be a big trend since a lot of us aren't in a position to buy a big ol' house. But fear not! Small space living solutions are, ironically, HUGE right now. I decided to go hunting for some ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space. I'm talking storage solutions on walls, desks, tables, and beds that fold and become multi-use when you need it, and tiny decor items that take up no extra room (because you still want the place to look fun!). Read More 3.7k 11 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 May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home June 8, 2018 Comparing buying vs. renting? Your state's "breakeven horizon" might be key These days most of us aren't in a position to buy a home in our state. It's all that avocado toast, I tell ya! But if you ARE in a position to consider it, there's this metric called the breakeven horizon that will help you decide if it's financially better to buy than to rent. And it varies widely from state to state… Read More June 6, 2018 7 things to do to safeguard your stuff in case of a house fire In October 2017, my garage caught on fire. It's all been a truly awful experience, and there's been a steep learning curve for us. Here are a few house fire preparation things that you can do right now to make sure that, if you face a catastrophic loss, you end up with the best of a bad situation… Read More May 30, 2018 Ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space If you're like me, you might be living in a small apartment. It seems to be a big trend since a lot of us aren't in a position to buy a big ol' house. But fear not! Small space living solutions are, ironically, HUGE right now. I decided to go hunting for some ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space. I'm talking storage solutions on walls, desks, tables, and beds that fold and become multi-use when you need it, and tiny decor items that take up no extra room (because you still want the place to look fun!). Read More 3.7k 11 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 May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home June 8, 2018 Comparing buying vs. renting? Your state's "breakeven horizon" might be key These days most of us aren't in a position to buy a home in our state. It's all that avocado toast, I tell ya! But if you ARE in a position to consider it, there's this metric called the breakeven horizon that will help you decide if it's financially better to buy than to rent. And it varies widely from state to state… Read More June 6, 2018 7 things to do to safeguard your stuff in case of a house fire In October 2017, my garage caught on fire. It's all been a truly awful experience, and there's been a steep learning curve for us. Here are a few house fire preparation things that you can do right now to make sure that, if you face a catastrophic loss, you end up with the best of a bad situation… Read More May 30, 2018 Ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space If you're like me, you might be living in a small apartment. It seems to be a big trend since a lot of us aren't in a position to buy a big ol' house. But fear not! Small space living solutions are, ironically, HUGE right now. I decided to go hunting for some ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space. I'm talking storage solutions on walls, desks, tables, and beds that fold and become multi-use when you need it, and tiny decor items that take up no extra room (because you still want the place to look fun!). Read More 3.7k 11 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 May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 8, 2018 Comparing buying vs. renting? Your state's "breakeven horizon" might be key These days most of us aren't in a position to buy a home in our state. It's all that avocado toast, I tell ya! But if you ARE in a position to consider it, there's this metric called the breakeven horizon that will help you decide if it's financially better to buy than to rent. And it varies widely from state to state… Read More June 6, 2018 7 things to do to safeguard your stuff in case of a house fire In October 2017, my garage caught on fire. It's all been a truly awful experience, and there's been a steep learning curve for us. Here are a few house fire preparation things that you can do right now to make sure that, if you face a catastrophic loss, you end up with the best of a bad situation… Read More May 30, 2018 Ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space If you're like me, you might be living in a small apartment. It seems to be a big trend since a lot of us aren't in a position to buy a big ol' house. But fear not! Small space living solutions are, ironically, HUGE right now. I decided to go hunting for some ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space. I'm talking storage solutions on walls, desks, tables, and beds that fold and become multi-use when you need it, and tiny decor items that take up no extra room (because you still want the place to look fun!). Read More 3.7k 11 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 May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 6, 2018 7 things to do to safeguard your stuff in case of a house fire In October 2017, my garage caught on fire. It's all been a truly awful experience, and there's been a steep learning curve for us. Here are a few house fire preparation things that you can do right now to make sure that, if you face a catastrophic loss, you end up with the best of a bad situation… Read More May 30, 2018 Ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space If you're like me, you might be living in a small apartment. It seems to be a big trend since a lot of us aren't in a position to buy a big ol' house. But fear not! Small space living solutions are, ironically, HUGE right now. I decided to go hunting for some ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space. I'm talking storage solutions on walls, desks, tables, and beds that fold and become multi-use when you need it, and tiny decor items that take up no extra room (because you still want the place to look fun!). Read More 3.7k 11 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 May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
May 30, 2018 Ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space If you're like me, you might be living in a small apartment. It seems to be a big trend since a lot of us aren't in a position to buy a big ol' house. But fear not! Small space living solutions are, ironically, HUGE right now. I decided to go hunting for some ultra useful furniture for small apartments to help you save room in your small space. I'm talking storage solutions on walls, desks, tables, and beds that fold and become multi-use when you need it, and tiny decor items that take up no extra room (because you still want the place to look fun!). Read More 3.7k 11 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 May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
3.7k 11 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 May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 12, 2018 How to turn up the volume on fine, flat hair I have flat, straight, fine, and thin hair, that falls flat no matter what I do. It's long and has no volume whatsoever. How should I style my hair and how do I make curls stay? I also don't want to damage my hair, and because it's thin it gets damaged really easily. Does anyone have any tips do deal with this? Read More 2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
2.0k 10 Comments June 9, 2018 Doing everything "right" & changing the world: My mental health and Anthony Bourdain When I found out Anthony Bourdain took his own life, I was in shock. I still am. I cried all day. I’m crying now. My shock doesn’t come from a place of ignorance; I have clinical depression myself, and I’ve been medicated for a couple of years. I’ve worked hard to change my habits so that they help my mental health. Overall, it’s working. But there are still days, weeks, months when things are bleak… Read More May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
May 31, 2018 Feeling color & other traumatic brain injury weirdness We're not the ultimate coordinators of our lives. Activities that we definitely DID NOT PLAN will show up on our doorsteps quite uninvited. This happened to me in December 2017 with a traumatic brain injury, and I've now had a wrong-footed motion-sick fish feeling for 506 consecutive days. Because I hit the fuck out of my head. Read More May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
May 23, 2018 Bad-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for LARP, Ren faires, cosplay, or Halloween I was thinking about the upcoming summer festival season, convention season, Renaissance faires, and of course, it's never to early to plan your Halloween costume. And it dawned on me: this past year has been ALL about the woman warrior. From the Dora Milaje in Black Panther to Wonder Woman to Captain Phasma to Tessa Thompson's epic Valkyrie, bad-ass women in armor are where it's at. So I went a-hunting for some not-too-revealing, super kick-ass woman warrior costumes and armor for all your LARPing, convention, Ren faire, cosplay, or sexy role play needs. Here are some of the best I found… Read More May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More More Life > Recent Food May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
May 16, 2018 Is ugly produce your path to food budget bliss? We all know there's a big problem with food waste. So if you're not the type to fuss too much about picking the perfect apple in the stack at the grocery store, a new food delivery service might be the solution for you AND for the environment. You may have already seen friends posting on social media about a company called Imperfect Produce, a CSA-style program that delivers just slightly bruised or weird-looking veggies to you. They're still tasty, but just not quite as pretty as you may be used to. Read More 1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
1.2k 10 Comments April 13, 2018 Your microbiome and you! How to feed it a healthy diet Three years ago, I decided I needed to re-haul my diet. I was slowly gaining weight, no matter how much I exercised. I had a host of health issues, including eczema, vitamin deficiencies, and food sensitivities. I had lots of chronic pain, and caught every single cold and flu that came home from school with my kids. It got to a point where I began to wonder what was wrong with me. Why was my body fighting against me? That's when I got interested in feeding my microbiome. WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE… WHAT IS A MICROBIOME? Read More 1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
1.1k April 9, 2018 19 super easy meal ideas from readers' go-to recipe files Back in the summer, we featured a call-out to readers for their favorite super-easy lunches and dinners and you delivered. You gave us a ton of awesome lunch and dinner ideas! Let's face it, we're also tired after work, amirite? I've divided them into categories: grains and stuff, easy pastas, salads and greens, and sandwiches and toasts. There are a lot of super easy meal ideas to be had here… Read More March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
March 14, 2018 Let's get spicy: reader-favorite cooking spices & flavor staples Way back in the day we called upon our Offbeat Homies to pony up their favorite garlic and onion alternatives for those of us who can't eat them. Sad, I know, but there ARE a ton of delish cooking spices that slay when it comes to amping up flavor in recipes. I decided to cull a bunch of those helpful reader comments into a roundup of reader favorite spices that will take your cooking game up a few notches. Read More February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
February 26, 2018 Disney: Magical gluten-free vegetarian land? Yep, here's how! My husband, Tom, and I recently vacationed in Orlando, Florida and went to Disney World! Pause for magical reaction. I am a gluten-free vegetarian (Tom is also a vegetarian, but can eat the wheat), so you KNOW it's tough to eat and travel. There was a lot of internet advice that mentioned dining as a gluten-free vegetarian in Disney is so easy, and Disney is so accommodating. I was dubious, but guess what — The internet can be right sometimes! Here are just some of the vegetarian and gluten-free Disney yummies I got to enjoy on the trip… Read More More Food > Recent People June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 18, 2018 I'm a tattooed, blue-haired mom dealing with mental health stigma: do I need to tone down my look? I'm a tattooed mom with blue hair who loves her family and teenage kids and live in a home full of love. Recently we've been working through challenges relating to mental illness — minor but requiring therapy and medication. I've lost some friends over it, people who could overlook the superficial style stuff, until it seemed less superficial. My wardrobe has toned down a LOT in the six years we've lived here — but should I go back to being a brunette who tends to stick with long sleeves in the summer for the sake of my teen daughters? Read More June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 15, 2018 "Are you a boy or a girl?" How do you explain gender to a child? My kiddo is biologically male, but when kids ask him if he's a boy or girl, he says, "I'm me. I'm a person." Kids, however, don't accept this answer and pester him to the point of tears. I don't know how to tell him the difference between boys and girls, or if I want to tell him that there is a difference at all (besides anatomically). How do you explain gender to a four-year-old? Read More 10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
10 Comments June 13, 2018 Partner bashing: Are you venting about your partner too much? Partner bashing (in my case, husband bashing, though it's not limited to heterosexual couples by any means) is one of my biggest pet peeves. I notice it happens a lot in mom groups; women get together and complain loudly about their husbands. I recognize the importance of venting, but is it ever too much? Read More June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 1, 2018 6 pregnancy apps that aren't cheesy AF One of my biggest pregnancy symptoms is getting nauseous over cutesy pregnancy speak. I get green around the gills every time I downloaded an app and read the phrase "bundle of joy." Or it referred to my stomach as "your baby bump." [Insert eye roll emoticon here.] So after some trial and error with apps, I've narrowed down my favorite non-cheesy pregnancy apps to these… Read More 1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
1.0k May 29, 2018 Making mom friends: playgrounds & gonorrhea pee Remember when I wrote about making friends as a grown-up? I talked about putting the work in, being forward and direct, and making plans — not just talking about making plans! Friendships don't "just happen." But sometimes the work that goes into making friends means reaching out to be there for people when they need you. Here's a story… Read More More People > Recent Pets 3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
3.7k 11 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 May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
May 21, 2018 This Instagram of dogs eating gently is your new relaxation happy place You haven't reached the end of the internet until you've seen this relaxing Instagram account where sweet and mild-mannered pooches eat treats, noms, and fuds gently… oh so gently. They're so sweet and so relaxing and ZZzzzzzz… For fans of cute-ass puppies (and maybe ASMR for some of y'all?), this feed of gently scarfing dogs will be your new happy place. Get away from the news, from work, from your whole damned stressful life for five minutes while you remember that dogs are too good for this world… Read More 1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
1.5k 25 Comments April 11, 2018 My area is going plastic bag free. How do I dispose of this cat poop? In Australia, our big supermarkets are about to switch to being plastic bag free. I'm all for this, but I regularly use the bags to dispose of icky kitty litter and was hoping I could get some suggestions as to more environmentally friendly (and hopefully cheap) options? Read More 1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
1.1k January 10, 2018 I tried a a pet camera to spy on my kitties and it was comedy gold I was able to get my hands on a fancy-pants pet camera (Thanks, Ariel!) that had wifi, night vision, two-way audio, motion detection, a phone app, notifications, and even a treat dispenser! But this wasn't just a webcam — this was supposed to be a state-of-the-art surveillance swat team of a camera that also allows me to taunt coo at my kitties while rewarding them for chilling out in front of the camera. Here's how my pet camera trial went down… Read More December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
December 26, 2017 This epic doggy dream house has everything a pooch needs Insta-famous pooch Eggnog the Bulldog lives the high life with his amazing doggy dream house. It's fully equipped with a hydration station, a ramp up to her humans' bed, a hidey hole with sleeping cushions, color changing, Alexa-driven lights, a storage area for all her toys, and has her name right on it. It is truly a ramp house of which puppy dreams are made. Read More More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
May 4, 2018 May the Fourth be with these spinning BB-8 heels (with a tutorial!) It's that time of the galactic year again: May the Fourth be with you! Sure, you're probably already inundated with merch from the new Star Wars rebooted universe, but this DIY tutorial HAD to be shared. Why? Because it's for spinning BB-8 heels. Seriously, the heels are BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they SPIN. Read More April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
April 26, 2018 Your walls and floors will never be the same once they meet these funky & fun wall stencils Wallpaper is making a comeback big time, wall decals are hot, but my favorite way to make a surface my own is with stencils. You can use any paint color combinations you want, layer stencils on top of other stencils, and have total control over the placement of the imagery. Win! Have you investigated the sheer amount of wall stencils you can nab online? Use 'em on the walls, on the floor (for a faux tile look or in place of a carpet!), or on a big piece of wood or canvas as artwork. Here are a few of my fave funky and chic wall stencils to try out on your big blank walls and floors… Read More April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
April 23, 2018 Where can I find more subversive and offbeat stickers for scrapbooking? "I’m starting to get into scrapbooking, and am wondering if there is any place or website that has offbeat stickers and designs? Some of the stickers sold for scrapbooking are too sweet for my taste." Great question! If you've been searching "scrapbook stickers" and only seeing happy-sappy and precious ones, that's no surprise. There are a lot of cooler and more offbeat stickers out there, you just have to dig a little outside of the scrapbook market. Here are are some of my favorite sites to find more unique, subversive, and offbeat stickers to illustrate your adventures… Read More 1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
1.1k March 19, 2018 8 DIY dollar store design hacks on the cheap This honeycomb painted wall was DIYed with paint stirrers and diluted paint to create that gradient effect. It's just one of the zillion ways you can grab something from your local dollar store to craft up a cheap and cheerful design or organization project. Here are eight of my favorite ways to turn a cheapo dollar store item into something way more useful and stylish… Read More March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
March 13, 2018 You can DIY coloring pages from your own photos We featured this in-depth tutorial on how to create DIY coloring book pages from your photos for weddings, but they'd kick ass at kids' parties, family gatherings, or just for your own zen coloring needs. Imagine a coloring book or coloring calendar as a holiday gift this year! Yep, you can totally do this yourself if you have access to a program like Photoshop, GIMP, or Pixlr. My tutorial focuses on Photoshop, but I've linked other program tutorials in the post as well. Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 11, 2018 Super sweet host & hostess gifts to bring to all your summer parties and BBQs You're probably lining up a whole lot of BBQs, summer parties, and general merriment now that the weather's finer and we're all in vacay mode (even if we're just dreaming about it!). The best way to ensure that you keep getting an invite to those swankier parties is to bring a host/ess gift. They're putting work into hosting and feeding y'all, so it's a nice gesture. Here are some of my favorite ways to say, "thanks for letting me eat, drink, and be merry with you!" Read More June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 5, 2018 So much rainbow pride gear for LGBT Pride Month (that you can Amazon Prime today!) If you're in the market for some new LGBT Pride Month gear, outfits, and accessories, 'tis the season. It's June and we're pulling out our rainbow wear! Before you say anything, consider sending your money to good places by grabbing merch from organizations like The Trevor Project, ACLU, or tossing an equal amount to your favorite cause. But if you're in need of some rainbow Pride right NOW (and want to Amazon Prime it to your house), we've got some to check out… Read More June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
June 4, 2018 Angel wings float: an epic, overwrought product review I got a free FUNBOY Angel Wings float to review, so I took it out to a friend's place on Lake Washington and did some very thorough testing of the product. Here are my thoughts… Read More May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
May 18, 2018 No drama with this llama: alpaca & llama home gifts for the camelid fan in your life In what HAS to be in the running for cutest roundup of home stuff ever, get ready to find the best alpaca and llama home gifts ever. Your camelid-loving pals (or you!) will go totally apeshit for these wild and (very) woolly finds. From llama tea strainers and lunch totes to cookie cutters and desktop dusters, there's an alpaca or llama item for every flavor of friend. Get your epic cuteness on… Read More 1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping > Crazy cat ladies My favorite holiday-time purchases made by YOU The return of partying hard: I Wanna Get Stupid with You How our cat demands we use fabric grocery bags — and the 5 tricks we use to remember to use them! How we made our DIY wall-mounted cat tree A hot pink tipi and a suave cat in our reader photos Cat-friend vs. Dog-friend Classical book porn, a handmade crib and a menagerie of pets My cat is a litter tracker: what boxes & litter can help us contain his mess? Read More > Body Image Get your daily self love by following these body positive Instagram accounts Read More I am curvy and that's beautiful: my (ongoing) journey toward body positivity Read More How one woman tackled her body dysmorphia with pole dancing Read More Let's be careful fat shaming public figures (yes, even Trump) Read More Read More » > Offbeat Families How do you prepare your kids to stand up for themselves — and for other kids? Finding beauty in the birth of my daughter even though she was born ill Kids rocking out Tavi's got four grandmas I became a parent by straightening a bathroom towel What an overstimulated mom, empathetic toddler, and the Care Bears have it common Here's a list of all the stuff pregnancy books won't tell you How do we pick a preschool that's right for us? Read More > Smart & Sexy Monday Moment: An ever-changing artistic display (with sexy imagary bonus) Penis in vagina: this way of making babies is kind of crazy Make subtly sexy sex wall art with your partner Incontinence pads saved my new mattress from messy sex Italian treehouse with the peekaboo bathroom Did you compromise with your partner on finding out your baby's sex? Discovering I'm asexual… then telling my partner Kynslie and Taylor: From Mormon wedding in Utah to expecting a baby in Idaho (by way of Georgia and the UK) Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW Copyright © 2003 - 2018 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Illustrations by Ursula X. Young Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
1.9k May 15, 2018 BDSM gone refined: this classy kink gear is sleek AF & your partner's dream gift In the BDSM and kink communities, the search for elegant and lovely accessories can be a little limiting. There's a whole lot of clunky and less-than-delicate options for D/s jewelry, collars, and leather. Thankfully, we've got a connection that offers high quality, classy kink gear handmade from fine-as-hell materials for the discriminating D or s. It's time to get to know Restrained Grace, a woman-owned kink gear and jewelry provider that takes everything up a notch. Read More More Shopping >