a covered ottoman.

I've benefited so much from a number of kind people who have taken the time to post detailed tutorials on their blogs and websites. This post shows a project I did for our house using a great tutorial I found via Pinterest.

 

 

A friend had told me about this tutorial she had found and as soon as I saw it, I decided it would be perfect to try for the ottoman in our living room that had recently torn and needed a cover. Before I put time and money into picking out fabric for the living room ottoman, I decided to make a practice one using materials I had on hand.

 

Lest you think I'm something I'm not, I think this is the first time I've ever had the foresight (or motivation) to make a practice version of any project I've made. 

 

 

 

 

I love that when people see this ottoman in person, they have no idea that it is actually a crate and old cushion. I keep my journal and the books I read daily tucked underneath--the perfect hiding spot!

 

I found the tutorial helpful and instructive, although there were a few changes that I made in order to get the cover to look like I wanted it to. If you decide to ever make your own, just take your time making the corners, clipping off and hemming the fabric carefully. Measure twice, cut once. :c)

 

 



 

Juicy

 

Carrot Celery Tangerine Lime Juice

 

 

I've started juicing this year, as a result of finally watching the documentary, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, and rediscovering my juicer during a whirlwind of late winter closet cleaning. I love knowing that what I'm putting in my body is fresh and healthy as well as experimenting with different combinations of fruits and vegetables in my juices.

 

After a few weeks of juicing on a regular basis (I'm aiming for a few times a week), I discovered a few things that have made a big difference in whether I am motivated to juice frequently or if I succumb to making excuses and choose to snack on a handful of Cheese-Its instead.

 

Our fridge has two produce drawers--I am finding it really helpful to use one to store my juicing produce and one to store other produce. This helps me easily keep track of what I have to use for meals for the week and what is available for juicing.

 

After I have prepared my produce for juicing (washing, peeling, chopping), I pile it all into a large bowl or onto a cutting board that I keep close to the juicer as I'm processing the fruits and vegetables in order to help reduce the length of time the juicer is running without anything in it.

 

Lining the canister that collects the produce pulp with a produce bag from the grocery store helps to cut down on the clean up time.

 

While juicing, don't leave the chute uncovered very long after dropping something into juicer. I once dropped half an apple into the chute without covering it quickly enough and the apple shot out of the chute at me! It was hilarious at the time, but could be dangerous. 

 

Keeping an eye on the juice pitcher while processing produce in the juicer helps ensure that you capture all of that tasty juice. If it moves out of place, your juicer will start pouring juice out onto the counter, onto the floor and into the heater vent...

 

Clean your juicer immediately after juicing. If you don't have time to scrub it down, at least give it a good rinse and use a nylon brush to clear the filter of any pulp that has gotten lodged in it. If you don't clean the filter shortly after juicing, you will regret it later.