Category Archive

Life

We launched as Offbeat Home in 2011, but it has become clear that the site is about much more. In 2013, we relaunched as Offbeat Home & Life, with an expanded focus on Relationships, Budget & Career, Travel, and Style. This is the category for the non-home/rest of life stuff!

Let’s celebrate the return of Game of Thrones with themed home goods!

I know we have a lot of TV-loving Homies. Last time I geeked out about the return of Doctor Who, I did a Doctor Who-themed roundup, and y’all loved it! This time… you know what’s coming… WINTER IS COMING! With the return of Game of Thrones.

Stuff vs things: Musings about minimalism, self-sufficiency, and accumulating things

In the last few weeks, I have been thinking about stuff. Or more specifically, thinking about minimalism, the absence of stuff. I have lived that lifestyle before — minimalism is easy to do when you’re broke. Now that we have two full-time incomes, and plenty of empty space to fill, minimalism is harder to achieve. In 2008, I owned only five pairs of shoes (and I will admit, I let myself feel a bit smug about that). Now, in 2013, I own five pairs of Melissa shoes alone. Gone are my smug days of shoe-minimalism. Did I need to buy two new pairs of sparkly Melissa flats last year? Not at all. But they are pretty, and I love them. Pretty things aside, I do feel like there is a difficult balance to achieve between minimalism and self-sufficiency.

Golden Girls cross-stitch

I LOVE seeing new stuff when it pops up in the Offbeat Home Flickr pool. (Ahem, have YOU been submitting?) And our latest photo addition is one of the best things I’ve ever seen to come out of the crafting world: Viva la Frida’s Golden Girls cross stitch.

I caught that dream I was chasing. Now what?

Have you ever seen a little dog chasing a squirrel? Have you seen the look of surprise and bewilderment on the dog’s face when it caught the squirrel it was chasing — almost by accident, it seems? Chasing a squirrel, or a dream, is fun. You’re not risking a lot, because it’s not like you’ll actually catch it, right? But then you do. You caught the shit out of that squirrel! But now what? What do you do with this elusive concept of a squirrel, once you’ve finally caught it? Suddenly, it’s real — and maybe you’re no longer sure you want this squirrel.

How To Hair Girl wants to show you how you can do your own hair at home

Roxie Hunt is the DIY hair blogger who’s site is geared towards empowering you to experiment and have fun with your hair at home. Let’s talk about ALL the ways that Roxie’s How To Hair Girl site can revolutionize the way you think about your hair on the daily…

Why I consider “homemaker” one of my jobs

I’ve always heard the term “homemaker” applied to people who don’t do anything else, a PC term for “unemployed and not looking.” If you had another job, no matter what it was, that was how you identified yourself. But I’m an editor and a homemaker, and I’m proud of both of those jobs.

On the virtues of the comfy sweater, or: How sometimes old, green, and baggy is just right

Ah, the comfy sweater. You all have one, whether you want to admit it or not. Occasionally you think about donating it, but you just can’t do it. Maybe it’s like mine — old, green, at least two sizes too big, and shapeless as a potato sack. It might not be a sweater at all; it could be sweatpants, a hopelessly faded t-shirt, or jeans so old and worn it’s like they were molded for your ass. I think it’s time we celebrated this much-maligned garment.

Accepting my life will never be perfect

It was a small revelation when I started reading about those studies that show that looking at Facebook makes you more depressed. Of course, what we see on a lot of those sites is what I would call a good-parts summary. People want to showcase the best of themselves, and so do I. I’m guilty of it too when I brag about my accomplishments but not my mistakes in my statuses, or untag the most unflattering pictures my friends have posted of me. I remember the moment I realized that everyone can feel like they don’t measure up…