UsedEverywhere.com

Halloween Decor For The Senses

You can carve as many pumpkins and wear as much make-up as you want, but if those little trick-or-treaters come to your door and see you watching Glee with the lights on you’ve failed to impress. So what’s the trick? You’ve gotta deceive all of the senses – in the foyer at least – and here’s how you do it:

Hearing

In my opinion, the most underrated of all the senses. Nowadays we go to see a movie, but what about the scary music that makes your hair stand on end? Anyone who presses the mute button during the scary bits knows what I’m talking about. It’s absolutely essential to a scary experience. An old favorite is the spooky Halloween tape/CD with generic spooky noises. If you have one of these or can find a cheap one online, great! If you don’t, why not get the kids together and tinker around in GarageBand or another free audio recording program. Nowadays it’s as simple as hollering and booing into your computer and burning it to disc.

Sight

Unquestionably important is the power of light and dark. A bag of cotton balls can be transformed into spider’s web and cardboard can be turned into bats. If you’re pressed for time though, there’s a simple solution: Turn the lights off, because everything is scary in the dark (use a fog machine to increase creepy).

Touch & Smell

Hold the jokes. Touching and smelling should not be part of anyone’s Hallowscream repertoire.

Taste

The be all and end all of Halloween is the candy you dish out to all of the ghosts and ghouls that stop by your door. I enlisted the help of the Used crew to decide once and for all what the top five “candies” to give away at Halloween are.

1. A Full-sized Chocolate Bar
2. Maynards Candy (Cherry Blasters, Fuzzy Peaches)
3. Bite-sized Chocolate Bars
4. Tootsie Pops
5. Pop Can

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

PVR saved my marriage

Finally my good friend has taken my advice and chosen the path of surrender over futile resistance against the hypnotic pull of televised sporting events.  She finally got a PVR.  For those of you who haven’t yet joined the ranks of the less righteous, this means that live TV can be paused for pee breaks, replayed and recorded at the click of a button.  No more setting up the clock on the VCR to record your favourite show…only to be bitterly disappointed when you find out you’ve accidentally recorded Sesame Street at 8am instead of the lovely Jamie Oliver at 8pm.

But how did the PVR save my marriage?  Well my husband, like my friend’s, is a  sports fiend – hockey and football mostly.  But when a major sporting event like the World Cup or Olympics is on, the kids and I could go to Mexico and leave a Roomba vacuum and a couple of those flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz to keep the house noisy and messy and he wouldn’t notice us gone.  We used to squabble when sports were on when the 5-7pm witching hour was upon us.  While I do enjoy watching hockey, the din of cheering fans and bubble-headed sportscasters was just too much to take over the regular racket of hungry kids and pets.  Now those early east coast games get PVRd so that we can have dinner and conversation, do homework and unfortunately listen to my daughter’s violin practice (sounds like she’s killing the cat) before the game goes on.  The best part of it is that 3 hours of hockey can get condensed into 1 and a half.  Brilliant!  And Football Day (known to most as Sunday) can be shortened, paused and best yet – deleted.

Now I have to say that I like the PVR too; I can record my shows while he’s watching hockey or football or sailing (major snoozefest).  There was one particular day in February that the PVR probably saved us from divorce or at least full scale mutiny.  My youngest was invited to a Birthday party that happened to be in the middle of the gold medal Olympic hockey game.  After a heated discussion about whether it would be considered bad parenting to put her in a cab, I agreed to drive her.   We had a houseful of people here for the game and when it was time to take her we paused it, I left a bucket of wings to keep everyone busy and I drove at breakneck speed (55.5km/hr) through completely deserted streets to drop her off; I may have even left the car running outside in the loading zone.  I returned home and we shut curtains, closed windows and didn’t answer the phone as we’re were watching 20 minutes behind the rest of the world, but eventually we caught up to the live broadcast and rejoiced with everyone else.  Three cheers for Canada…and the PVR!

While I’m not suggesting that TV runs our lives and I know that a lot of you are saying that I should just turn it off.  I could and I do.  But if petty squabbles over televised sports can be eliminated for pennies a day, I’m in.  We have enough to argue about.

Similar soles, similar souls?

Looking around the UsedEverywhere.com office the other day, I noticed – between the randomly strewn pumpkins and halos – a pretty awesome team of employees!   *Pause for the audience to “awwwww”*

Then, as my eye wandered I saw that those who were chatting together had similar shoes!  Strange?  Maybe not… my theory is that your lifestyle lies in your shoes.  And more importantly, in your work shoes!  Sure, on the weekends you’ll wear runners for sports and heels for dinner out.  But work is where you really show your personality.  It’s where you most likely spend most of your time!

Are you a practical wearer, who needs to be able and run errands around town in a moment’s notice?  Or are you a look-like-how-you-want-to-feel wearer, who can sacrifice a few bucks to drive to work in order look reallyREALLYreally ridiculously GOOD-looking?  Or are you somewhere in between like me, who wears heals and a skirt one day and jeans and runners the next?

Either way, I awkwardly walked around the office today talking pictures of shoes in order see if I have a point!  Pictures below – enjoy

1. Professional. Polished. Slip-ons.

*these people are in and out of the office and bring their practical get-it-all-done shoes with them!

2. One of these things is not like the others…

*though these people do all work hard/ play hard, not sure if my shoe theory applies

3. Caj comfy slip-ons.

* these two are walkers. to and from work. need something sturdy.

4. Super caj and wonderfully trendy!

* these two are the lively ones that give us our online trends of the day

So at the end of the day, how did I do?

1. Yes I think my theory applies to the practical lot. 1 point.

2. One outlier… isn’t there a statistical calculation that can make that one disappear and my theory correct? 0 points.

3. Caj walkers might have been a stretch.  I’ll give myself a half point there. 1/2 point.

4. Yes I think my theory again to the trendsters but not sure if I get a full point. 1/2 point.

2 out of 4.  won’t quit my day job.

This Month’s Conversations

I think you’ll agree that the Internet moves pretty quickly. Every day, there are a countless number of new videos, news articles, blog posts, and cat pictures to soak up, and while most of the content is welcome, only the super nerds of the web can keep up. With this in mind, we’ve decided to bring you some of the more interesting discussions that have started on our Facebook, Twitter, and Blog feeds. If you missed out on the first conversation, feel free to join in now.

Facebook – Are modified gaming consoles illegal in Canada?

Our Facebook community seemed to agree that modding your gaming rig should be legal, but how about ethical? There are certainly game developers and publishers that are losing out when you pirate a video game. Whether or not it’s legal, do you think it’s right?

Twitter – Make an iPhone/iPod app

Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been getting a steady stream of tweets from theDRUMMERDUDE. Without confirming or denying anything, I’m just going to put our response here…

Blog – But mom, it’s so special…

Sharene, our resident mom and UsedVictoria junkie discusses the strategy behind purging old kids clothes without becoming the bad guy. Click here to check it out and add your opinion in the article’s comment’s section!

Turn It Off

If you work in an office and use a computer, give the environment a break and Turn it Off this weekend.

Source: Nigel Upchurch

But mom, it’s so special…

So, just want to update you on how my sales for Kidsport charity have gone.  I have sold a few things ($30 so far) but I have lots left and way more yet to put up so keep checking my list for new items at http://kidsportcharity.usedvictoria.com/

On to other things.  Yesterday a good friend of mine gave me a bag of hand-me-downs from her daughter to mine.  We love hand-me-downs in our house.  My kids don’t care whether the ‘new’ dress comes with a tag on it or if it was worn by someone else first – it’s new to them.  So while bag of used clothes causes great excitement in our house, my friend who gave me the clothes has to sneak them out of hers for fear of her little one seeing what’s being given away.  It got me thinking about how and why children hold on to their things with such fervor.  Why does the broken spider ring found under the tire of my neighbour’s car while trick or treating in 2007 mean so much when I say it’s time to throw it out?  I got my kids involved in selling their own things last week, with some success.  But at one point when I suggested to my 7 year-old that she sell her Groovy Girls that she doesn’t play with anymore she responded ”but my friend Ellie would be really upset if they weren’t here when she comes to play”.  True.  Ellie does like them and I had no response for that one.  I need to prepare better for these conversations in the future. 

So for all of you who need to get rid of some of the things your kids collect over the years, I’ve come up with a few strategies that work most of the time.

1. Purge their things when the kids aren’t around.  This worked well when the girls were young and unable to keep their own things organized and I never got rid of anything of value – sentimental or otherwise.  If you feel a little guilty about this approach, don’t get rid of the toys immediately.  Put everything in a box and store it away for a while.  If you’re child does not ask after any of the toys for a period of time (like 1 mth, 6 mths or whatever you’re comfortable with) then you can be pretty certain that you didn’t take anything noteworthy and you can feel safe about donating or selling it.
2. Or involve them in the process and sell the items either on-line or have a garage sale.  My kids were THRILLED with the idea of making money at a garage sale.  We jumped in on a neighbour’s sale this summer and the kids sold lots of stuff.  I’m sure that a few people ended up buying crap they didn’t need just because 2 cute kids convinced them they needed it.  You can even add incentive that money earned from selling old stuff can go towards something special – just make sure that you don’t end up with more than you got rid of!
3. If you have tried everything and find yourself mired in the “but it’s so special” debate, remind your kids that some children don’t have everything they want and that donating toys and clothes to charity shops is a good thing…it’s a good thing for adults too.  Lots of people insist on keeping things for sentimental reasons.  But just because that boombox that’s as big as a gas powered generator was a gift from that dreamy lifeguard you were madly in love with in the third semester of third year, that’s not a good enough reason to keep it stashed in the garage for 15 years.  Someone with a vintage collection of cassette tapes could actually use it.  It’s more valuable being used than simply being kept. 

It is sad when kids move on and stop playing with the teddy bears and playmobile sets.   It’s especially hard to pass on things that were presents, but kids grow up and change and find new interests.     I do have to admit that I have a couple boxes stored away that are filled with the girls’ special things - a few outfits worn when they were infants, souvenirs from abroad, gifts from grandparents and now deceased great grandparents.  I figure I’m allowed to keep a few things, but I had to get rid of that boombox to make room.

7 Useful Steps to a Sexy Jack O’ Lantern

A couple of weeks ago I guided you through a few easy steps to make a pumpkin stencil out of a photograph. As handy as that may be, it won’t do you much good by itself. This week, I’ll finish this two-part series with a second tutorial on how to carve the pumpkin with your stencil.

There are two ways to go about creating your masterpiece and at some point you’re going to have to decide which is right for you. One option is to carve a shape out of the pumpkin. This is the traditional pumpkin route that most tend to take considering it’s less time consuming. However, you can also choose to peel off the skin of the pumpkin in such a way that the candle glows through your design. Check out the two examples below to see what I mean. This tutorial will deal with the latter as it will allow you to add more detail to your stencil.

Required Material:

• Stencil (see Stencil Tutorial)
• Adhesive Tape
• Push Pin
• Pumpkin (make sure it’s sized to fit your stencil!)
• Pumpkin Carving Saw or Serrated Knife
• Scalpel or X-Acto Knife
• Bread Knife
• Spoon/Hands
• Large Bowl
• Newspaper

Step 1) Prepare Your Working Area

Pumpkin carving can get messy! Grab a bundle of old newspaper and lay it out on the surface you will be working on. If you’re carving on the floor, make sure to place your knives and carving saw in a safe place so you or someone else don’t step on them.

Step 2) Carve Out Innards

Hold up your stencil to the pumpkin to get a rough idea of what side you want to carve your image on and to make a note of where the uppermost point of your image sits. Then, grab your carving saw or serrated knife and cut an angled hole in the top of your pumpkin, making sure not to cut through your image area.

Pull the lid off and use your spoon to scoop out the pumpkin guts into your bowl (keeners will separate their pumpkin seeds and guts to roast and make into pie later).

Step 3) Tape and Poke Stencil to Pumpkin

Place your stencil on the pumpkin and place a strip of adhesive tape on each side of your stencil paper. Try your best to stretch out any folds that occur during this process, but don’t stress over it. As long is the stencil doesn’t move the image will turn out fine. Once attached, take a push pin or another small, pointy object and poke it through the stencil to create a dotted line on your pumpkin. If you’re using a push pin, push it as far as you can into the pumpkin, otherwise you may not be able to see the holes you’ve made when you take off the stencil.

Step 4) Outline Design with Scalpel

Tear off the stencil and keep it beside you for a reference. You should see the holes you’ve poked in the pumpkin but it may not look like anything quite yet. Then, grab your scalpel/X-Acto Knife and connect the dots.

Step 5) Peel Off Pumpkin Skin

Now that you’ve outlined your image, you can start peeling off the pumpkin’s skin. In small fragments, cut an incision near the edge of your design and leverage the skin off with your blade. Do this until the white area of your stencil design is skinless on your pumpkin. Don’t worry about how rough your peel job is, we’re going to smooth this out in the next step.

Step 6) File Down Front and Back of Design

Grab your bread knife and gently grind down the skinless sections of your image. When you’re satisfied with your smooth surface, use your bread knife or spoon to grind down the pumpkin from the inside. Your goal is to make the peeled sections of your design as thin as possible without breaking through the pumpkin’s body.

Step 7) Light and Enjoy!

You’re done! Place a candle or light inside of the pumpkin and test it in a dark room. If you find that your image isn’t bright enough then you may need to thin out your pumpkin design even more. Also note that if you’re using candles, you’ll need to cut a hole in the top or back of the pumpkin to allow oxygen in.

Hope this tutorial helped and happy Halloween!

Costume Picking Apps

Halloween is like a first date; it can be incredibly fun but is most often incredibly stressful, and what you wear matters. If you haven’t picked out your costume yet, you’re certainly not alone. However, with 11 days left until Halloween you’re cutting it close. Don’t give up yet! Below are a couple of iPhone/iPad apps that will help you find your way:

Costume Ideas – Halloween ($0.99)

Simple but sweet. All this app needs is a shake of the hand and in return, will dish out a costume idea. Not bad if you’re the easy going type, but if you have more of an indecisive disposition then watch yourself… you may be shaking your arm for a while.

Halloween Costume Generator ($0.99)

Don’t let the lofty price of 99 cents deter you, this app will take into account your gender, the type of party you plan on attending, and even your mood. Then, it’ll hook you up with a Google image search to perfect the look.

Pottery Barn Kids Costume Finder (free)

This neat little app asks you to take a front-facing photo of your kid and shows you what they would look like in various costumes. It doesn’t have the most diverse selection of get-ups, but I hear toddlers aren’t the most difficult bunch (maybe someone who actually has one will disagree).

Costume Decider (free)

The Costume Decider app takes the interesting approach of randomizing your your costume to make Halloween “way more twisted.” You spin two wheels, which combine together to make something… umm… original. I’m not sure how viable each combo is, but I can’t think of any other word to describe the “Vulcan Nanny” suggestion.

We’ve Changed the Post an Ad Form!

A little bit of history: My name is Michael and I answer the UsedEverywhere.com telephone. Don’t believe it? Go ahead, try me… Call 1-888-480-3250 and then press 2 for general inquiries. It’s part of a larger effort to let everyone who uses our site know that we’re not just a bunch of autonomous robots. Since I started chatting up the community I’ve encountered one question over and over again, “how do I upload pictures?”

Veterans of the site know that the image upload screen comes after the Place an Ad screen, or does it? We’ve noted the confusion and we want to terminate it like the robots we are. Starting tomorrow, every site across the UsedEverywhere.com network will have a single Place an Ad screen that you can use to add a price, title, description, location, and pictures to your ad.

Check out what the new page looks like in the pic below and find something to sell tomorrow so you can play around with it. Then, let me know what you think of it in the comments section below (or over the telephone if that’s more your style – Did you know we have a telephone?).

5 Useful Steps to Create A Pumpkin Stencil

Everyone has that one neighbor that decks out their drive with a number of hand crafted cucurbita maxima (that’s what they call them at least… to the rest of us, they’re pumpkins). Passersby crowd around the complex cut-out designs in wonder of their creator’s skill, to which you throw your fist in the sky and yell “curse ye neighbor! One day my pumpkins will be the talk of the neighborhood!”

Luckily, we’ve prepared a little tutorial to teach you how it’s done. The first step is to create a stencil. There are various websites online (Check out Victoria local Crafty Momma) that you can browse to find a stencil that suits your fancy. For beginners, this may be the best place to start. If you’re in for more of a challenge, follow the steps below to turn a picture of your own into the perfect pumpkin stencil.

Step 1) Find a Picture

Take or find a picture that you’d like to convert. You’ll have the best luck with images that have a lot of contrast and definition. For the sake of this tutorial, we’ll be using Andrea, our graphic designer. You’ll note that she’s reppin’ the signature UsedEverywhere.com halo.

Step 2) One Step Photo Edit

Next, open your favorite image editor. If you have Photoshop, awesome. If you don’t, then head on over to www.pixlr.com and click on “Open Image Editor.” Now click “Open image from computer” and locate your pic.

Step 3) Play with the Threshold

Click on the “Adjustment” tab (or the “Image > Adjustments” in Photoshop) at the top of the page…

A box should appear with a scale and numerical field. Click on the scale and drag it left and right. For this image, I found 200 to be the perfect threshold level, but every image will be different. When you’re happy with the image preview, click “OK.”

Step 4) Clean & Cut

Clean up the image with the brush tools, getting rid of artifacts that you don’t need and changing any areas that don’t look quite right. Then, click on the “Crop” button on the toolbar (highlighted below) and drag it over the image. This will effectively cut off the unnecessary space.

Step 5) Save Your Work!

Click “File” then “Save,” and click on “OK” when you’re happy with the save settings and you’re done! Find the image on the computer and print it. You may have to scale the image or take it to a printing office. Don’t worry about it getting blurry after enlargement either, it only has to give you a rough idea of where to cut.