DIY: Princess Peach Halloween Costume

My work crew decided to go as characters from Mario Kart last year. Being female and blonde automatically elected me to be Princess Peach. No matter, the costume was super easy to put together and cost about $12.

Here's how I would advise transforming into Princess Peach:

Start this project with a trip to a home improvement store. Pick-up a can of the cheapest pink spray paint you can find and procure a long empty box. 

Remove all flaps from the cardboard box with scissors and take it outside for a makeover. Spray paint the box by spraying a few inches from the cardboard to prevent running. For my box I used the entire can of paint and gave it a light layer all the way around.

                                                

This was my point of reference for Peach's car

                                                    

This Rustoleum paint was at Lowes and cost about $3

I painted wheels and head lights with craft paint and printed a quick decal for both sides. The tulle straps on the inside kept the car balanced from my shoulders so it looked as though I was sitting inside.

 Now for the princess skirt.

This roll of tulle was on sale at Hobby Lobby for $2.99. I bought a baby pink and hot pink to use for my costume. Both rolls had 25 yards. I used the tulle for my princess skirt as well as the bow on the car.

I simply used elastic, cut a strip as long as my waist, pinned it together in a circle and cut the baby pink tulle in one yard increments. To secure it I formed a loop (with the tulle even on both sides) and pulled the tulle around the elastic until it was secure. I then proceed to repeat 20 times.

Viola! Skirt!

My pink tank top body suit was actually my mom's from the 1980's. To add the poofy sleeves I simply cut the hot pink tulle and looped it around the tank top portion of the suit.

As for the crown, I started with some thick presentation board. I free handed the crown pattern, cut it out and bend it to shape. I then used clamps to secure the bend while hot gluing the seam. Once dry, I cut two tulle strips the length of the diameter of the inside of the crown and hot glued them in an 'X' fashion to the inside. This gave me something to put bobby pins through to secure the crown to my hair and keep it from falling off. 

                                            

For the jewelry, I used the same gems featured on the crown (the whole box was $3 at Hobby Lobby) and hot glued them to cardboard. I used tulle as the string, hot glued it to the cardboard cutout and slipped it on moments before the costume party.

Here is the final product!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock! What will you be going as for Halloween this year?

How to: Buy a Car

Meet Penelope the Cruise... or as I called her; Penelope.

Penelope and I go waaaay back. When I was 16, this was my first car. We made it through high school, college and into my twenties together. A tragic side swiping a mile from my house and a faulty oil change from Honda (which completely ruined her engine) really caused me to think about finding a replacement. After she got a complimentary used engine from Honda, I decided it was finally time for us to part ways.

My parents have always driven Honda. Our family car, the Piece, had 417,000 miles before the timing belt broke and bent the head on the engine. It was always an underlying goal for me to break that record with Penelope. That bad oil change stopped the odometer at 309,770 and the new engine reset to 180,000 miles. 

The good news is, I had been keeping my eye on the Nissan Murano for a few years so I knew EXACTLY what I wanted when the time came to make the replacement. I began looking for the right year, color, and interior package but much to my dismay, they were very difficult to come by. After a couple of months, and a handful of disappointing test drives, I stumbled upon this little gem...

I learned quite a bit during my first car buying purchase and thought that it would be helpful to share.

• If there's a list price online, it's likely not the same on the lot. Document the price with a screenshot and ask that they honor that price. If they don't, walk away from the deal.
• Don't buy a car at night! You need to have good lighting to assess the imperfections of the vehicle and bring those into your negotiations. For example, if there was a big scratch in the paint, you may want to have them fix it before you buy it. Bringing it in a week later when you notice it won't provide any accountability on their end.
• Decipher the mileage you'd like in a car. If you get a 3-5 year loan, you want to be sure that based on your driving habits, you won't owe more on the car than it's worth before it's paid off. If you drive 100 miles per day, you may want to buy a car that you can afford over three years, so that you don't owe more on it before the loan is due. 
• Imagine you're in a car wreck and at the time, you owe $5,000 on the car. Based on mileage, the insurance company will only give you $3,000. That means you have to come up with the difference of $2,000 to repay your loan on the car before you can buy something else.
• Read reviews of the car online! Search things like... "2013 Nissan Murano problems," or "2013 Nissan Murano issues." Know what other owners are saying are the pros and cons of the vehicle.
• Show me the CarFax! But seriously... you need to know if the vehicle has been in any kind of fender bender. From my experience, if you read anything about the car frame being bent - move on!
• Know what you want to spend. Set a number and stick to it! It's easy to get starry eyed in the car lot and forget what your budget is. It's better to be honest with yourself up front about what you can afford than to make the first car payment and realize you can't make ends meet.
• Get pre-approved for a loan BEFORE you look. If you get into a bid war with someone else, or want to make the seller act fast, have that pre-approved check handy to seal the deal. I recommend keeping this check secret until you're really ready to solidify a number and buy the car. Don't tell the seller what your top approval dollar is or they won't be as inclined to come off the list price.
• How do you get pre-approved? Call your bank and tell them you'd like to get pre-approved for a car loan. They'll run your credit score, check your finances, etc. Then a check is mailed to your house within a few days and you can keep it handy until you're ready to make a purchase. You cannot exceed the dollar amount of the check without another pre-approval from your bank. 
• Find out if your vehicle will be under any warranties and if there are any recalls. Ask for the recall record too incase parts have not been replaced that should have been.
• Haggle, Haggle, Haggle. Come prepared with comparable pricing on similar vehicles and specs. The more educated you are, the more leverage you have. I like to print a couple of copies of comparable cars, look up the value on AutoTrader, Kelley Blue Book, and more. 

Before & After

Happy car buying! 

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock!

Cara

Travel: Roadtrip in Ireland

Many of you (my faithful readers) have asked about a road trip Andrew and I took this Spring within Ireland. In this blog I'll detail my planning, the results, and my advice so that you can plan your very own trip to the Emerald Isle.

My timeline backdater for a May trip:

• January - Determine your stay duration and buy airline tickets. 
• February - Plan road trip route and work with a travel agent to book rental car and bed and breakfasts.
• March - Plan excursions and book them.
• May - Freak out! You're visiting Ireland during the last week of the month!

Airline Tickets

If you can get tickets from the United States to Europe for < $1,000 you're shaping up pretty nicely. I used CheapOAir and got ours for $950. I bought them four months from our travel date on a Sunday evening. I hear that Tuesday/Wednesday is the best day to buy them, but the price was too good to wait two more days for here-say. We flew from Indianapolis to Chicago and then to Dublin and were gone from Saturday to Saturday (seven days). Leaving of an evening out of Chicago let us sleep on the flight and better prepare for the full day awaiting us across the pond. 

Our Road Trip Route 

I encourage you to do research of places you'd like to go. But, if you'd like a pre-made route to start with (knowing what's feasible in seven days), start with our route. You can even view my reviews on Trip Advisor to see what I thought, in thorough detail, of each location.

Route of Ireland Road Trip.

• Day 1 - Obtain rental car and drive from Dublin to Kilkenny. Visit Kilkenny Castle, Smithwicks, and explore the town. 
• Night 1 - Stay in Kilkenny at Carraig Rua (walking distance from Kilkenny sites).

Streets of Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle

Smithwicks

• Day 2 - Drive from Kilkenny to Middleton (Jameson), Waterford (Waterford Crystal and Reginald's Viking Tower), Cobh (Titanic's last port of call), and Kinsale (after dinner, visit Old Head).
• Night 2 - Stay in Kinsale at the Friar Lodge.

Jameson

Waterford Crystal showroom 

Reginald's Tower in Waterford

Titanic Trail in Cobh

Kinsale

Old Head

• Day 3 - Travel just north of Cork to visit Blarney Castle. Consider visiting Blarney Woolen Mills and Old English Market in Cork if you like fresh meats, fruits and some crafts.
• Night 3 - Stay in Kinsale at the Friar Lodge and be sure to take a Ghost Tour (historical comedy, not creepy!) after dinner.

Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle Estate

Blarney Stone

Old English Market, Cork

Ghost Tours, Kinsale

• Day 4 - Drive from Kinsale to Doolin. Once in Doolin, visit Cliffs of Moher and take the 8km walking tour before taking a ferry tour of them.
• Night 4 - Stay in Doolin at the Doonmacfelim House.

Cliffs of Moher

Hiking

Hiking along the Cliffs to the boat tour in Doolin.

Hiking along the Cliffs to the boat tour in Doolin.

View from boat tour

• Day 5 - Tour The Burren around Doolin over the course of 3-4 hours. Stop at the Burren Perfumery and Poulnabrone Dolmen. Make time for the sheep herding show if possible.
• Night 5 - Listen to traditional (Trad) Irish music in McGanns or Fitzpatrick's in Doolin and be sure to try an Irish Coffee. Stay in Doolin at the Doonmacfelim House.

Burren Perfumery 

Paulnabrone Dlomen

Free styling along the Burren

Free styling along the Burren

• Day 6 - Drive from Doolin to Dublin and return the rental car at the airport. Check into Temple Bar Hotel and visit Guinness!
• Night 6 - Stay at the Temple Bar Hotel. **Disclaimer: Temple Bar is a district, so be wary of all things in this area being named "Temple Bar____."

Dublin

Dublin 

Dublin

As fresh as it gets! 

Guinness at the 360 bar

• Day 7 - Take a day tour north to Belfast via Wild Rover Day Tours. See the Titanic Museum and ship slip, Giant's Causeway and Carrick A Rede Rope Bridge.
• Night 7 - Stay at the Temple Bar Hotel one last time before heading home!

Titanic's slip (left)

Titanic Museum

Giant's Causeway (looking inland)

Giant's Causeway

Giant's Causeway

Carrick a Rede Rope Bridge

Car Rental
I used an incredible agency called Terry Flynn Tours who not only booked the car, but handled bed and breakfast reservations for us after I shared our desired route. I trusted their recommendations, and they worked with my budget. Email Michelle to get started and tell her that Cara sent you :)

Anticipate gasoline to be purchased by the liter. On average, it cost $30-$40 euro to fill our car; which we filled 2-3 times over the course of ~1,000km. We rented an automatic Class BA car with a GPS. Get the GPS, you'll thank me later. Also ask Michelle to explain CDW insurance to you. This is every important for Americans to understand because of the high accident risk that could occur while driving on the wrong side of the road and car.

Our rental car, Opal :)

Bed and Breakfasts
We preferred these to a hotel. They were cozy, served amazing breakfasts, and were like home. Be sure to check for parking at these locations so that you can make room for your rental car!

Excursion Bookings and Costs    *implies student discount

• Kilkenny Castle (FREE to explore grounds - fee to explore one of few furbished castle in the country).
• Smithwicks* - €9.50 or ~$12. Book before you go.
• Jameson Experience* - €12.00 or ~$15. Book before you go.
• Waterford - FREE to tour the showroom - fee to get the tour.
• Viking Tower - FREE to gaze upon the edifice - fee to climb the tower.
• Titanic Trail in Cobh - FREE
• Old Head - FREE
• Blarney Castle* - €12.50 or ~$15. Book before you go.
• Old English Market - FREE
• Kinsale Ghost Tours  - €15 or ~$20. Buy tickets at the Tap Tavern in Kinsale to attend.
• Cliffs of Moher - FREE to walk the grounds, __for walking tour, ___for boat tour
• Burren Perfumery - FREE to explore, products and cafe' available.
• Poulnabrone Dolmen - FREE
• Guinness* - €14.50 or ~$16. Book before you go.
• Wild Rover Day Tours* - includes Titanic Museum, Giant's Causeway and Carrick's Rope Bridge. Book before you go.

Random Tips

• Don't worry about exchanging dollars for euros and pounds (northern Ireland uses this currency) until you land in Dublin. Visit an ATM and use your debit card to withdraw the local currency. My bank changed $5 per withdraw which was much cheaper than the exchange rate commission. Talk to your bank to learn about the restrictions. My credit card tacked on an additional 3% charge to each transaction that I didn't want to pay. We took this trip primarily with cash, so do your homework before racking up unnecessary fees.
• If you aren't an Irish resident, you can be reimbursed for tax on purchases of objects while visiting. This is valid for textiles, souvenirs, etc. but does not include food or tourism fees. Visit this link to learn more.
• Freestyle! If you have down time... EXPLORE. We had the best time doing this. Including boarding a ferry in our car and traveling across the ocean for 10 minutes.
• Take your college ID for student discounts :)
• Pack lots of layers. A windbreaker (shell) is a brilliant idea. Bring at least two pair of comfortable shoes.
• Plan to use iMessage to talk to family/friends in the States. Just connect to wifi and it's no charge!
• Seriously, get the GPS.
• People don't really tip money in Ireland. Don't anticipate these costs.
• Take LOTS of pictures and expect everyone to say 'wow, it's really green there,' once you get home.
• Be sure to try Irish Coffee, Fish & Chips, Guinness Stew and Shepherd's Pie!

Total Expected Cost: $3,500-$5,000 (depending on your trip preferences and activities).

What did I forget to mention? Comment below with questions and I'll provide additional details!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock!
Cara

DIY: 30-Minute Scrap Wood Project

Hi friends!

If you were following along with DIY projects on the Humble Hammock last winter, you’d have seen the Elfa linen closet makeover. Remember that first photo on the post? Oh, it’s all right I’ll wait… go look at the post….

Being the thrifty crafter that I am, I saved those pieces of wood for a rainy day project. Today happened to be rainy so I hammered the nails out of the corners of each piece, lined them up in a fun pattern and created a little wall piece for the dining room. Don’t worry ladies, it just took one vertical piece of wood on the back with two screws holding each horizontal piece of wood to the vertical piece. You can do it without help!

Yes, I'm wearing pants :)

Not sure what I’ll paint on it yet, but I’m thinking I’ll hand letter the prayer we use for dinner and repurpose those frames I designed from Decorate: Dining Room Prayer with some of our wedding photos instead.

What was the best part of this DIY project? It was FREE!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock! If it were yours, what would you paint on the new wall art piece I created today?

Budget: I'll Side with Duramax

If you live in the glorious flyover state of Indiana, you’re certain to be experiencing a wet summer full of fluctuating 60 – 90 degree temperatures during the day and the occasional hailstorm or tornado. As luck would have it, our home wasn’t hit by a tornado; however, we did luck into some hail. 

So here we are, a couple of homeowners in the dark on who to call for siding replacement. When we have problems bigger than we can handle, I start by calling our realtor, Cate Waggoner, who over a year later still refers us to awesome contractors and keeps a pulse on our journey. Cate pulled through for likely the fifth or sixth time since we’ve had possession of our home and gave me a list of contractors.

The list dwindled quickly with no callbacks and no interest in repairing aluminum siding. Steve, the owner of Duamax Roofing and Siding, replied to an email almost instantly, visited our home and assessed the damage within a couple of days, and had an acceptable quote for our insurance at the visit.

Steve went above and beyond by giving us two quotes - one for two sides of aluminum siding (to replace what was damaged), and one for four sides of vinyl siding so that the home would be completely damage free and match forevermore. He came by with samples, made customized suggestions and even worked well beyond the required workday to be sure that the job was done right.

Here's the final product...

Before

After

After

His team consisted of four gentlemen who were incredibly tidy while they worked and constantly picked up trash and debris that came off of the home. They also didn't bring any materials for the job until they showed up on the first day of work - which meant our yard didn't have to be the eyesore of the neighborhood while we waited on work to begin.

It took three days (during which it rained and rained) to get the job done. Afterwards, the craftsmanship and attention to each detail was undeniable. Steve's crew even added some personal touches, replaced compromised wood that they weren't required to do based on the scope of our work, and fought off bees living under our siding. They even replaced the fascia above our garage door with a custom, handmade overhead detail that now sets our garage apart.

Garage door fascia replacement

Front detailing and rehanging of the shutters

Chimney detailing

Window trimming and caulking with attic vent detailing

New gutter with perfect color match for our back patio

More craftsmanship around the roofline, chimney and corners

Corner channeling and clean siding lines

We cannot give enough kudos and recommendations for Steve at Duramax. Check out his company if you live in the Indianapolis area and need a referral for roofing, siding, or an honest to goodness contractor with a knack for quality. You can find out more about Duramax on Angie's List, BBB and Facebook.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock!
Cara