The Zizzler

Living THE life on a shoestring budget. Traveling, DIY projects, general fabulousness.......

Thursday, April 27, 2006


April Showers Bring May...Hikers?

The weather is just starting to be absolutely PERFECT for hiking adventures! Not too sweaty, super sunny, and crisply breezy. I love traipsing around nature, but love it even more when I have a photo project in mind. Locally, I love Valley Forge Park. Its full of Revolutionary War remnants, memorials and deer. But my most loved hiking spot is in Western New York, at Griffis Sculpture Park http://www.griffispark.org/ which is about an hour drive from my hometown of Buffalo, NY.

The Griffis Family were sculptors, many of their works can be seen around Buffalo. In the late 1960s, the family acquired the land which is now Sculpture Park. Unlike other Sculpture Parks, Griffis isn't just a flat land of gardens. The steel sculptures are incorporated into the landscape. Some are only reachable via intense trails. I can't help but think of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead when contrasting the sculptures with the landscape. (if you have not read that book, go read it NOW!) The two, so different, nature vs. man, compliment each other so well. It just seems "right".
Selfishly, the park is ideal for photo projects of all kinds. Personally, I like to force my friends and young cousins to hike for hours in the beating sun, then make them change into feminine/ethereal clothing and pose with the sculptures in the beating sun, for a few more hours. If they don't look beautiful, then I leave them there. Well, except for whomever is driving.
Bring a picnic lunch, some sunscreen, lots of water, your camera and some willing models!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006


Its Everyone's Birthday...But I only have $10!

Why is it that all birthdays come at once...not to mention weddings, bridal showers, baby showers etc.... So how do I show my love to all, when I can't even afford ONE decent gift? A mix cd is always nice, but I tend to think of them as a great gift accompaniment, rather than gifts themselves.

My friends aren't materialistic, and in fact prefer a handmade gift. So, I'm very lucky! (And hey, they are too! Because they get something unique and from the heart, rather than a stupid handbag or something.) So, okay..with $10, how can I make 3 cool gifts? I'll use Limewire to make the obligatory mix cd, and blank cds are super cheap. But what else?
First, hit up a craft store and pick up a bottle of Modge Podge (a decoupage adhesive) for $5, a mixed bag of sequins (99 cents) and a cheap foam brush (3 for $1).
With about $3.50 to spare, head to Home Depot. Heading right to the bathroom section, pick up 5 of the cheapest white bathroom tiles, which are 20 cents each. (I know, I only need 3 gifts, but even the Zizzler makes mistakes! And I've said before- I'm messy!) Then pick up a 10 pack of alligator-style backing hangers ($1).
Take your goods home and start looking through old magazines, greeting cards, catalogs and photos for images you think a particular friend will like. As mentioned before, I LOVE loteria cards, and use them for EVERYTHING. So here, I chose the ones I thought were the "funniest"...ok and a little off color. Slap some ModgePodge onto a tile, fix your picture in place, then arrange sequins around it. I stab the center of the sequins with the tip of a pen to put them in place. This takes forever, and your back will hurt...but just think of how much your friends will LOVE it! Let it dry overnight, then hotglue an alligator hanger on the back, so they can proudly display your tile on their bedroom wall.
A few years ago for Christmas, I worked at this restaurant with alot of employees, who ALL wanted to exchange gifts. So I went to the cemetary and took photos of several angel statues in black and white, color copied them, then decoupaged them onto the tiles. Christmasy and they loved them!
So.....the breakdown
Modge Podge (which you can use again and again) $5
Sequins " $1
Cheap foam brush $.33
Tiles (5) $1
Alligator backings $1

TOTAL $9something plus change