The Zizzler

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

Thursday, June 15, 2006


Watching People Have a Good Time in the Summertime!

Summer fun. Outdoor patios. Frosty fruity drinks. Dresses and cool summer breezes, and daylight lasting until 8:30 pm. I want to do everything outside, and love to spend my money on happy hours and dinners at restaurants and bars with outdoor seating. But I especially love gathering a crew of friends in the park, lounging on blankets and sipping (well-concealed) sangria.

A traditional sangria recipe involves sugar, good red wine, citrus fruits and some sort of liquor- usually brandy, white rum or triple sec. You'd combine the sugar with the red wine over a stove, or set in the fridge for 12-24 hours. This IS delicious, but I don't always have the time to do it right. Also, having spent most of my money on previously said happy hours and dinners, I've been reduced to creating ghetto sangria recipes, OR buying boxed sangria. Yes. BOXED wine. I decided to just try it for its sheer cheapness/kitsch, and it is surprisingly good! A 5 liter box of Franza Sangria is $8-$11, depending where you live. With cut up fruit it's amazing, and hides and pours well from a backpack. If you feel like being more creative, I've created 2 "recipes"
Recipe 1:

  • Bottle of cheap Merlot or table red
  • 12 ounces of lemonade, or Lorina Sparkling Lemonade
  • chopped apples, oranges, lemons, limes

Recipe 2:

  • Bottle of cheap Merlot or table red
  • 16 ounces of flavored seltzer (I like to use raspberry or Berry sparkling water from Target)
  • chopped strawberries, maraschino cherries, lemons

Both recipes taste better when you let the fruit sit in the mixtures and infuse awhile. Pour over ice and serve with lots of fruit in each cup.

Now for the perfect evening, I take snacks, blanket, BUG SPRAY, opaque cups and the most important part- I bring a little romance to the park and light a candle in the middle of it all. It sets the "mood". The mood for making fun of park jerks.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Podless.

Last night was the most perfect night. Warm enough to be completely comfortable in a T shirt, with a slight breeze, unusually quiet, little traffic. I spent the evening walking around the historical areas of Philadelphia, discovering new Colonial cobblestone alleyways, art galleries, hidden restaurants and reading the plaques infront of historical notes of interest. Not to quote Roberta Flack or anything, but I thought the evening would be better if I had set the night to music... maybe something mellow like Sigor Ros or American Football. Then, I realized I'm unlike most Americans in that I do not own an iPod. Its not that I'm against them or anything. (Although in former years, I was so against cell phones that I carried a rotary receiver with cord around with me, and would "talk" on it when jerks would be talking on their cell phones in public.) I just don't have $300. Or even $100 for that matter.
I was at the drugstore for shampoo and the like, when I noticed that Garnier Fructis was giving away a "mini radio" with their shampoo. This company is weird. They always give weird things away. It used to be just smaller sizes of other products, but then they started giving checked Garnier Frutis bandanas with their stuff. Now a MINI RADIO?? Anyway, I got clean hair and something to set my walks to music with, for $2.48. Nuts. Sure, the radio kind of sucks. It requires 2 AAA batteries, and you can't see what station you're listening to. And just that - you have to listen to the RADIO. But, its free. So whatever. So I walked a bit with it today. Sure, I had to listen to this weird calypso (?) version of "Lost in a Supermarket", but it was better than listening to the 5000 jackhammers which ring in the summer construction season in Philly. And its GREEN!
In other discount news, sometimes I too need retail therapy. I've been wanting Marc Jacob's BLUSH fragrance ever since I saw it at the Duty Free Shop in Spain for $50. How I regretted not getting it! In stores, its $65. Out of my range. So I did a major internet search and found it for $29 on http://www.AlbertAdams.com. I decided to just go for it, although I was totally afraid they'd send me a designer impostors, or just the wrong order or something. But in a few short days, I got it. Its the real thing. Now I smell amazing.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Brides, Brides Everywhere!

I've gotten to that dreaded age when people are starting to strap on the ball and chain. (I'll try not to comment about how I haven't wanted to go on even a 2nd date for months!) And of course, everyone decides to get married at the same time, and have their wedding showers in the same month. So basically, I'm supposed to be able to afford to buy shower gifts, wedding gifts, dress for the weddings, paying an gigolo to escort me... it adds up. So, the affordable option is to make them a bridal gift, saving money for the cash gift. People, I may be thrifty, but I DO NOT skimp on the wedding gift! Weddings cost a ton, I give $50-$100, depending on how good of friends I am and if I bring a date.
So, one of my friends had registered for a cocktail shaker, amongst other boring things. I bought her a nice shaker at Target for $11, then decided to make her custom highball glasses and wrap it up as a bar set. What you'll need:
  • Armour Etch Glass Etching Cream
  • Glasses
  • Paint brush
  • Mylar stickers

Getting Armour Etch cream can be tricky. It's illegal in Philadelphia. It's essentially acid, and so a lot of graffiti brats have been using it to tag up store front windows and such. Its permanent, and causes major damage. Totally sucks. I had to go to Pearl Paint in Manhattan to get it (they don't sell it on their website.) You also have to be 21 to purchase it with ID, so with all that trouble, I bought a larger jar of it for $17. It should last a long time. Glass etching cream is really temperamental, so I've experimented with it a lot for you. I found the best "stencil" to use are Mylar stickers. They provide a clean edge with no leakage. I tried to make my own stencils using contact paper and crack and peel. Both leaked and had messy edges. I found its easier to make a "negative image" (the shape is clear) and to not etch large areas (it can be spotty and uneven.) So, for the most best/most "professional" looking glasses, I chose horse mylar stickers (1 pack includes 12 stickers for $1.50) and placed them galloping around the glass. I got the highball glasses at Ikea for $1/each. Get a few extra for mistakes. I bought 6, and gave the happy couple 4 in all.
After the stickers are placed, use the paint brush to put a thick coating of etching cream on the glasses. I painted it on in a random, messy edged pattern, so mistakes aren't really noticeable. The on-purpose messy edges looked great with the horse motif. (Note: this stuff is toxic. Its not that messy, just don't get it on you or breathe it or eat it. Make sure your dog is in another room. This is a step I forgot at first. I had to chase the dog with etching creamed glass in hand! Also, the first time I used it, I had a fan on and the fumes gave me a headache for hours.) The directions say to leave on for 5 minutes, but I like to leave it on for 10, then rinse with warm water and peel off the stickers. That's it! If it comes out uneven, coating it again won't really help, since it is acid and eats away at the surface of the glass. So basically it'll just continue to be uneven, just in different layers.

My friends loved these. They were touched that it was hand made, but they look good enough to be bought in a design store. Aside from the initial purchase of the etching cream ($17), the gift is pretty cheap- about $18.50, including the shaker, the 2 extra glasses and the stickers. Now you'll have extra cash to pay an even classier dude to be your date! Or maybe that's just me...