June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 11, 2019 SEATTLE EVENT: Self-Publishing PROS, CONS, and WTFs on June 18, 2019 As part of my Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle at Ada's Technical Books, I'm hosting an evening of discussion with two Seattle publishing industry colleagues to dig into….. Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More May 6, 2019 The North remembers these Game of Thrones gifts (to commemorate the end!) If you're keeping up with the final seasons of Game of Thrones, you know there are only TWO episodes left (or zero, depending on when you're reading this). Either way, the end is nigh and the The North remembers. Winter truly is coming and all we'll have left will be our memories and whatever loot we can snag before it's lost to the next TV show that ensnares our hearts. Read More January 16, 2019 The most expensive home on the the market in LA is this palatial estate for $125 million What do you think a home would look like if it was set to be LA's most expensive home? If you're imagining 3.25 acres of eco-friendly hilltop property in Beverly Hills with a 18,500 square foot palatial estate with a huge open floor plan, automated doors, a screening room, an 85-foot pool pool, and much more? Then you'd be right… Read More January 7, 2019 Everything you need on an alternative bar cart for all your swanky soirees "Do you guys have any interesting ideas for setting up a mini bar in my new place? I've always wanted a grown-up bar cart for guests and impromptu gatherings and such. My new place doesn't have a lot of space and I want something a little off the beaten path. Re-purposing weird furniture or shelves, building something from scratch, crazy cart makeovers, — got any brilliance for me?" Let's see what bar cart inspiration is out there and what basics you'll need to get started on your own… Read More 1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 11, 2019 SEATTLE EVENT: Self-Publishing PROS, CONS, and WTFs on June 18, 2019 As part of my Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle at Ada's Technical Books, I'm hosting an evening of discussion with two Seattle publishing industry colleagues to dig into….. Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More May 6, 2019 The North remembers these Game of Thrones gifts (to commemorate the end!) If you're keeping up with the final seasons of Game of Thrones, you know there are only TWO episodes left (or zero, depending on when you're reading this). Either way, the end is nigh and the The North remembers. Winter truly is coming and all we'll have left will be our memories and whatever loot we can snag before it's lost to the next TV show that ensnares our hearts. Read More January 16, 2019 The most expensive home on the the market in LA is this palatial estate for $125 million What do you think a home would look like if it was set to be LA's most expensive home? If you're imagining 3.25 acres of eco-friendly hilltop property in Beverly Hills with a 18,500 square foot palatial estate with a huge open floor plan, automated doors, a screening room, an 85-foot pool pool, and much more? Then you'd be right… Read More January 7, 2019 Everything you need on an alternative bar cart for all your swanky soirees "Do you guys have any interesting ideas for setting up a mini bar in my new place? I've always wanted a grown-up bar cart for guests and impromptu gatherings and such. My new place doesn't have a lot of space and I want something a little off the beaten path. Re-purposing weird furniture or shelves, building something from scratch, crazy cart makeovers, — got any brilliance for me?" Let's see what bar cart inspiration is out there and what basics you'll need to get started on your own… Read More 1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 11, 2019 SEATTLE EVENT: Self-Publishing PROS, CONS, and WTFs on June 18, 2019 As part of my Offbeat Ada's event series here in Seattle at Ada's Technical Books, I'm hosting an evening of discussion with two Seattle publishing industry colleagues to dig into….. Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More May 6, 2019 The North remembers these Game of Thrones gifts (to commemorate the end!) If you're keeping up with the final seasons of Game of Thrones, you know there are only TWO episodes left (or zero, depending on when you're reading this). Either way, the end is nigh and the The North remembers. Winter truly is coming and all we'll have left will be our memories and whatever loot we can snag before it's lost to the next TV show that ensnares our hearts. Read More January 16, 2019 The most expensive home on the the market in LA is this palatial estate for $125 million What do you think a home would look like if it was set to be LA's most expensive home? If you're imagining 3.25 acres of eco-friendly hilltop property in Beverly Hills with a 18,500 square foot palatial estate with a huge open floor plan, automated doors, a screening room, an 85-foot pool pool, and much more? Then you'd be right… Read More January 7, 2019 Everything you need on an alternative bar cart for all your swanky soirees "Do you guys have any interesting ideas for setting up a mini bar in my new place? I've always wanted a grown-up bar cart for guests and impromptu gatherings and such. My new place doesn't have a lot of space and I want something a little off the beaten path. Re-purposing weird furniture or shelves, building something from scratch, crazy cart makeovers, — got any brilliance for me?" Let's see what bar cart inspiration is out there and what basics you'll need to get started on your own… Read More 1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More May 6, 2019 The North remembers these Game of Thrones gifts (to commemorate the end!) If you're keeping up with the final seasons of Game of Thrones, you know there are only TWO episodes left (or zero, depending on when you're reading this). Either way, the end is nigh and the The North remembers. Winter truly is coming and all we'll have left will be our memories and whatever loot we can snag before it's lost to the next TV show that ensnares our hearts. Read More January 16, 2019 The most expensive home on the the market in LA is this palatial estate for $125 million What do you think a home would look like if it was set to be LA's most expensive home? If you're imagining 3.25 acres of eco-friendly hilltop property in Beverly Hills with a 18,500 square foot palatial estate with a huge open floor plan, automated doors, a screening room, an 85-foot pool pool, and much more? Then you'd be right… Read More January 7, 2019 Everything you need on an alternative bar cart for all your swanky soirees "Do you guys have any interesting ideas for setting up a mini bar in my new place? I've always wanted a grown-up bar cart for guests and impromptu gatherings and such. My new place doesn't have a lot of space and I want something a little off the beaten path. Re-purposing weird furniture or shelves, building something from scratch, crazy cart makeovers, — got any brilliance for me?" Let's see what bar cart inspiration is out there and what basics you'll need to get started on your own… Read More 1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More More Recent Posts > Recent Home May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More May 6, 2019 The North remembers these Game of Thrones gifts (to commemorate the end!) If you're keeping up with the final seasons of Game of Thrones, you know there are only TWO episodes left (or zero, depending on when you're reading this). Either way, the end is nigh and the The North remembers. Winter truly is coming and all we'll have left will be our memories and whatever loot we can snag before it's lost to the next TV show that ensnares our hearts. Read More January 16, 2019 The most expensive home on the the market in LA is this palatial estate for $125 million What do you think a home would look like if it was set to be LA's most expensive home? If you're imagining 3.25 acres of eco-friendly hilltop property in Beverly Hills with a 18,500 square foot palatial estate with a huge open floor plan, automated doors, a screening room, an 85-foot pool pool, and much more? Then you'd be right… Read More January 7, 2019 Everything you need on an alternative bar cart for all your swanky soirees "Do you guys have any interesting ideas for setting up a mini bar in my new place? I've always wanted a grown-up bar cart for guests and impromptu gatherings and such. My new place doesn't have a lot of space and I want something a little off the beaten path. Re-purposing weird furniture or shelves, building something from scratch, crazy cart makeovers, — got any brilliance for me?" Let's see what bar cart inspiration is out there and what basics you'll need to get started on your own… Read More 1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More May 6, 2019 The North remembers these Game of Thrones gifts (to commemorate the end!) If you're keeping up with the final seasons of Game of Thrones, you know there are only TWO episodes left (or zero, depending on when you're reading this). Either way, the end is nigh and the The North remembers. Winter truly is coming and all we'll have left will be our memories and whatever loot we can snag before it's lost to the next TV show that ensnares our hearts. Read More January 16, 2019 The most expensive home on the the market in LA is this palatial estate for $125 million What do you think a home would look like if it was set to be LA's most expensive home? If you're imagining 3.25 acres of eco-friendly hilltop property in Beverly Hills with a 18,500 square foot palatial estate with a huge open floor plan, automated doors, a screening room, an 85-foot pool pool, and much more? Then you'd be right… Read More January 7, 2019 Everything you need on an alternative bar cart for all your swanky soirees "Do you guys have any interesting ideas for setting up a mini bar in my new place? I've always wanted a grown-up bar cart for guests and impromptu gatherings and such. My new place doesn't have a lot of space and I want something a little off the beaten path. Re-purposing weird furniture or shelves, building something from scratch, crazy cart makeovers, — got any brilliance for me?" Let's see what bar cart inspiration is out there and what basics you'll need to get started on your own… Read More 1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
May 6, 2019 The North remembers these Game of Thrones gifts (to commemorate the end!) If you're keeping up with the final seasons of Game of Thrones, you know there are only TWO episodes left (or zero, depending on when you're reading this). Either way, the end is nigh and the The North remembers. Winter truly is coming and all we'll have left will be our memories and whatever loot we can snag before it's lost to the next TV show that ensnares our hearts. Read More January 16, 2019 The most expensive home on the the market in LA is this palatial estate for $125 million What do you think a home would look like if it was set to be LA's most expensive home? If you're imagining 3.25 acres of eco-friendly hilltop property in Beverly Hills with a 18,500 square foot palatial estate with a huge open floor plan, automated doors, a screening room, an 85-foot pool pool, and much more? Then you'd be right… Read More January 7, 2019 Everything you need on an alternative bar cart for all your swanky soirees "Do you guys have any interesting ideas for setting up a mini bar in my new place? I've always wanted a grown-up bar cart for guests and impromptu gatherings and such. My new place doesn't have a lot of space and I want something a little off the beaten path. Re-purposing weird furniture or shelves, building something from scratch, crazy cart makeovers, — got any brilliance for me?" Let's see what bar cart inspiration is out there and what basics you'll need to get started on your own… Read More 1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
January 16, 2019 The most expensive home on the the market in LA is this palatial estate for $125 million What do you think a home would look like if it was set to be LA's most expensive home? If you're imagining 3.25 acres of eco-friendly hilltop property in Beverly Hills with a 18,500 square foot palatial estate with a huge open floor plan, automated doors, a screening room, an 85-foot pool pool, and much more? Then you'd be right… Read More January 7, 2019 Everything you need on an alternative bar cart for all your swanky soirees "Do you guys have any interesting ideas for setting up a mini bar in my new place? I've always wanted a grown-up bar cart for guests and impromptu gatherings and such. My new place doesn't have a lot of space and I want something a little off the beaten path. Re-purposing weird furniture or shelves, building something from scratch, crazy cart makeovers, — got any brilliance for me?" Let's see what bar cart inspiration is out there and what basics you'll need to get started on your own… Read More 1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
January 7, 2019 Everything you need on an alternative bar cart for all your swanky soirees "Do you guys have any interesting ideas for setting up a mini bar in my new place? I've always wanted a grown-up bar cart for guests and impromptu gatherings and such. My new place doesn't have a lot of space and I want something a little off the beaten path. Re-purposing weird furniture or shelves, building something from scratch, crazy cart makeovers, — got any brilliance for me?" Let's see what bar cart inspiration is out there and what basics you'll need to get started on your own… Read More 1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.3k December 11, 2018 Don your Mrs. Weasley sweaters for this spectacular Christmas at Hogwarts decor Remember this magical Harry Potter home decor from reader Jasper Price and his wife Angie? We could only imagine how extra festive it got around the holidays at Chez Hogwarts. We don't have to imagine anymore — Jasper shared with us their fantastical collection of mystical Christmas enchantment! Here's what they had to say about their efforts to recreate the spectacle… Read More More Home > Recent Life June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 3, 2019 Why electroconvulsive therapy was the closest thing to a magic bullet I’ve found for my depression When I requested electroshock (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) from my psychiatrist, she was shocked that I was actually requesting it. Nearly every medical professional I spoke to on my ECT journey made a concerted effort to sing its praises and try to convince me to stick with it. I didn't need convincing, and I am incredibly glad that I stuck with it. ECT has helped me in ways that no other treatment has, lifting me out of a 15+ year fog of depression and making me much more capable of functioning like a "normal" adult. Read More 1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.2k May 27, 2019 An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear On this particular evening I was in full Spanx. I did look great in the dress, but I had not thought about how bathroom breaks would work. I took a bathroom break during the award ceremony and it was exhausting. I'm totally going to overshare here… Read More 1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.3k April 22, 2019 3 steps to get through a conversation when you're the family's liberal black sheep Are you one of the few liberals in your conservative family? If you're a black sheep like me you probably get stressed out when they ask you, "What are you doing, ya know, with your life?" Here are some ways to save your mental health and hopefully your family ties. Read More 1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.1k April 15, 2019 How sex toys empowered me after trauma & shame In December of 2009, I bought my first sex toy, and it was incredible. Here was an entire industry dedicated to the act of bringing my body pleasure. Not for anyone else, but for my own enjoyment. And it wasn't presented as secretive and embarrassing and shameful: it was bright purple. And for the first time, my body felt like mine and my sexuality belonged to me. Since then, sex toys have been an active interest of mine, and I've learned a lot about them — and about how important they are. Read More 1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.3k March 25, 2019 There's an app that'll help you find places where you can actually take up space as a larger person You know what's rad? Stores, restaurants, bars, theme parks, and other public spaces which are accessible for everyone — even those of us who take up space or call ourselves fat or otherwise like to not be squeezed into spaces which are only meant for a fraction of the population. I stumbled upon an app that is sort of like a Yelp but for rating accessibility for fat/plus size (you pick your terms!) people. If you are one of these people, these things will sound familiar… Read More More Life > Recent Food 1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.0k May 13, 2019 Delicious ways to use Trader Joe's umami seasoning at every meal If you're unfamiliar with the savory glory that is "umami," you're not alone. It's one of the basic five tastes (like sweet, sour, bitter, and salty) but definitely the least known. Trader Joe's rolled out a version of the flavor in a handy sprinkly seasoning. I think a lot of us went out, bought it, and then didn't have a clue how to use it. So I did some digging and came up with some ideas on how to cook using Trader Joe's umami seasoning. Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
December 24, 2018 17 gingerbread house fails that made the sugary housing market crash Not every gingerbread house attempt turns out as sweet and pretty as the one above. Sometimes the sweet turns sour and you end up pouring icing over the wreckage and calling it a day. Not all of us are meant to be baked good architects (myself included!) but most of these are pretty hilarious in their chaos. Let's revel in the holiday spirit of trying our best. It's the thought that counts and it all tastes yummy in the end, right? Read More October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
October 31, 2018 Reader favorite raw vegan holiday menu recipes Once upon a time, we talked about how to create a raw vegan holiday menu for Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays. Our readers, adept as they are in specialty diets, came hard with raw vegan holiday recipes that I am jonesing to try. From pumpkin pie to mezze plates to green bean casserole, you'll be shocked at what traditional dishes can be just as delish in raw vegan form. Read More 1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.4k September 24, 2018 11 unusual pumpkin recipes that go WAY beyond pie Tired of pumpkin yet? Pumpkin isn't tired of YOU. It never tires of you. It loves you. And when you see these unusual pumpkin recipes, you may change your tune and return that love. OR maybe you're still totally ready for pumpkin to find its place in your menu, in which case, scroll for the goods. We've got savory pumpkin dishes, pumpkin sweets that totally aren't your usual pumpkin pie, and even a little treat for the pooch in your life. Because y'all KNOW puppies love pumpkin. So grab a can of pumpkin puree or a whole pumpkin if you're feeling Martha Stewart-ish today, and tell us how the cooking goes… Read More More Food > Recent People June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 17, 2019 Our laid back family photo shoot at Grandpa's hardware store This beautiful family decided to take advantage of all the nooks and crannies at grandpa's hardware store in Wisconsin for a dynamic family photo shoot. Let's see the magic that they created and learn a bit about the inspiration from the family… Read More June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 10, 2019 A tale of unconditional love this Father's Day Father's Day is this weekend and that can always be a complicated time for a lot of us. But here's a tale of divergent personalities coming back together to celebrate a birthday (and father's day!) with love and compassion. Read More 1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.1k March 18, 2019 When kids are not our "mini me": accepting your children as they are When you become a parent, I think it's natural to have expectations and preconceived ideas of what the little person you have created is going to be like. Imagining the future and what that could look like is perfectly natural. But as they grow, you begin to see them become this little person who is unique and special in their own ways. At that point, you should let go of the ideas and expectations you had in your mind at the beginning… Read More March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
March 11, 2019 Try not to squee too loudly when you see this newborn dressed up as a baby bear If you have your own bundle of adorableness or maybe just like squeeing at newborn babes in cute costumes, this newborn photo sesh has it all — a sweet baby named Cade, bear ears, sleepy grump face (my fave), and that mysterious magic that goes into posing a sleeping baby. If you need some rustic inspiration for your own baby portrait session, here's your chance to take notes… Read More More People > Recent Pets 1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.9k 66 Comments January 28, 2019 Keep your dog leashed: thoughts from one friendly pet owner to another Where signs clearly say, “All dogs on leash," folks can’t help but release them. I get it. There’s nothing like seeing your four-legged friend filled with joy as they bound freely through the field or trot proudly down the path. But here's why I'm asking for everyone to keep their dogs leashed in those areas. It's for a few reasons… Read More July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
July 31, 2018 My cat medication hack (that I stole from dog owners!) My cat has diabetes and has to be given food and a shot every 12 hours. It's a pretty smooth process unless I can't be around at that 12-hour time and have to do a big schedule adjustment. Or worse, I'm on a 5:30am and 5:30pm schedule where I'm giving a sleepy shot and forget to write it down. Either way, I needed a solution that let me keep track of the fact that I gave her the shot. I stole this idea from a dog owner… Read More 3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
3.9k 14 Comments May 25, 2018 I tried out a space-age automatic cleaning kitty litter box to see if it was worth the hype I own two kitties who love to crap. All the time. I recently got the chance to try out a product I'd been eyeballing FOREVER: a Litter-Robot! Yep, one of those fancy-pants automated litter box cleaning machines. Plus it's the really nice kind that isn't cheap and it shows. I decided to give it a whirl to see if a robo-litter box from the future was the better way I was seeking. Read More 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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
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 1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.6k 27 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 More Pets > Recent Do It Yourself 1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.1k October 8, 2018 Crafting projects + charities = DIY for good We've been talking about the hurdles of learning to sew recently and got a great comment that made me think: can charities + crafting = DIY for good? If you're learning to sew, quilt, crochet, whatever, is there a way to donate your crafted items to a charity who needs them? Sees like a no-brainer. I decided to find out. Read More 1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.2k September 13, 2018 Bollocks, Pulp Fiction, & Oregon Trail: 9 subversive cross-stitch patterns When you're more about the LOLs and less about the "live laugh love," these are the subversive cross-stitch patterns for you. Most are DIY patterns you can download, but a few are available to purchase completed, so you can find something no matter your skill level. From bollocks to Pulp Fiction to IT Crowd references to Oregon Trail, the cross-stitch market has gone hilarious… Read More 1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.8k August 31, 2018 Intimidated by learning to sew? These are the resources you need (with reader advice!) Back in the day we had a great discussion about sewing anxiety from a reader who wanted to learn but didn't know where to start. Our amazing readers stepped up to the plate to offer some great sewing advice on where to start and how to wrangle a needle and thread. (My favorite resource is Threadbanger on YouTube!) I pulled some of my favorite comments so that we can share in their collective sewing knowledge and start making clothes, totes, costumes, and whatever strikes your fabric fancy. Read More 1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.4k August 17, 2018 How to carve an everlasting jack-o-lantern (from a foam pumpkin!) I've loved holiday-specific crafts my entire life: gingerbread house building, Easter egg dying, and most especially, pumpkin carving. I moved to Louisiana seven years ago. The first few years I was down here I'd carve a real pumpkin, and due to humidity it would be moldy in three days or less no matter what I did to try to preserve it. That's when I discovered foam pumpkin carving! Read More July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
July 13, 2018 How to waterproof canvas shoes the easy way If you've got a pair of canvas shoes that you really love, you probably want them to last. I just nabbed this pair of rainbow shoes from Target recently and they're already showing some wear. Sadface. There are a couple of really easy ways to waterproof canvas shoes to keep them more resistant to rain and the elements: beeswax and my preferred way, Scotchguard. Here are both methods to try on your fave pair… Read More More Do It Yourself > Recent Shopping June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 19, 2019 Yep, there's a safe child's car seat that fits in your pocket(!) I was introduced to a truly neat, seriously overdue concept: a super safe child safety seat that condenses down to the size of a medium cup of coffee. Seriously. When….. Read More June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
June 7, 2019 Accio slip-ons! Here's the new Harry Potter Vans collection that we've been waiting for I've been hearing rumblings about the new Vans Harry Potter collection for months now. Since I'd missed their previous Mario collection a few years back, so I wanted to get in on this one while it was still available. Y'all know some of these won't last long. And now it's here! Here are some of my faves from the collection. Read More May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
May 20, 2019 Woodgrain housewares to give your place that Midcentury feel Offbeat home decor may have new trends coming and going, but woodgrain details always come back strong. I scrounged up some new faves for woodgrain on both expected AND unexpected items in your house. Think wallets, glasses, fans, gaming controllers, and some contact paper to cover anything left over in your house. Let's get to shopping for mid-century-inspired woody goodness… Read More 1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.0k February 27, 2019 It's dangerous to snack alone, take these: geeky candy gifts to perk up your nerdy pals Are you surrounded by hungry geeks who need candy right now?! Maybe you're having an RPG party, game night, geektastic birthday that needs fun candy or maybe you want to send a gift to a nerdy pal who needs a little love. No matter the occasion, I scrounged up some truly adorable and geeky candy gifts that you can snag for only a few galleons or sickles. Gather your gold and grab a gift worthy of adventuring… Read More 1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping > Body Image An extremely relatable bathroom adventure with shapewear Read More How underwater maternity photos helped me enjoy my pregnant body Read More You’re looking at crones. Can you see the beauty? Read More When kids books go bad: how Mr. Men and Little Miss teach kids to hate themselves Read More Read More » > Getting Older Here's the weird thing about getting fit after 40 Why I'm totally ok being the 40-year-old at the music festival Just try not to be empowered by this stunning 60th birthday boudoir session "Then and now" family dog photos! Telly gawps and the past tense: Loving and caring for a relative who has alzheimers Move over "spinster": this old term for an unmarried woman is bad-ass On being an aging weirdo I like cleaning my house: WTF?! When did this happen? Read More > We're everywhere! Follow us on social media. Offbeat Home archives READ NOW
1.8k January 30, 2019 25 offbeat Valentine gift ideas for a sweet, sexy, & smoldering Valentine's Day If you celebrate the silliness of Valentine's Day, this roundup of offbeat Valentine gift ideas is for you. And if you don't, I totally get it. But it doesn't have to be all about partners and love and junk. It can be about friendship, self love, and lots of, ahem, playtime, too. Here are 25 Valentine's Day gifts that are sincere, goofy, spiritual, glam, and maybe totally for you or your partner(s). Keep an eagle eye out for a shout-out to our publisher's new passion project (literally)… Read More More Shopping >