BENTO!!!

Today, I am obsessed w/bento boxes!  For those of you who do not know of bento boxes, they are similar to our brown paper bag lunches, but usually brighter, cuter, and more eco-conscious. They are also a good start for dieters since it's more or less portion control.

Many parents have found out that creating cute, quirky, colourful lunches to be a bit more time-consuming, but rewarding when their children eat alll of it.  Who could blame them?  Look at some of the boxes below...Who wouldn't want to eat these?

I extract my statement, I would never be able to eat the Sailor Moon one...that is just too pretty.  Maybe my fiance would eat his w/Beethoven(or is it Mozart?)

Of course these are sometimes more artwork than food.  There are many simpler ones out there which will take a LOT less time.  This one on the left just added some cute flower cutouts.  Doesn't it make a serious difference?!  Who needs an embarrassing love letter in their lunch when this SCREAMS LAOVE!  A bad day would be cheered up by a teddy bear in my lunch...just saying.

TOOLS!  These silly little cutouts and forms make your bento box much faster to create.  These are for bento specifically, but you can always use cookie cutters, and candy molds.  I personally have a dinosaur sandwich cutter and a hello kitty sandwich maker,(which makes awesome pancakes btw).

I also found that you can jazz up a potluck w/these.  I made 10 pbj and pb banana choc chip sandwiches w/the dino cutters and people loved them!  Cheap AND fun!


This is one of the things I want to incorporate into my lifestyle.  I need to eat healthier, lose some weight, and stave off depression.  I would love to buy the books, but seriously there are sooo many websites out there that teach and showcase their bentos, so for more information check out:

Just Bento: Probably the best site I have found so far.  It helps w/diet, proportions and has a book. 
 If you want to try some serious cuteness go for Adventures in Bentomaking:  There's some major cuteness factor here.  She co-wrote a book called Yum Yum Bento Box.  For anime fans you might like the The Manga Cookbook.  Having crazy cartoons making cartoon food is always better!
OOP!  Almost forgot that there was an article in Parent Map, 20 Lunch Box Ideas for Kids. This is for parents who just want to jazz up regular food for kids.

Who wouldn't want to eat eat a pirate made out of taco?

Om nomnomnomnom

I absolutely LOVE this picture!  Gives me a bad case of the giggles.

Recycled Gardening

I never seem to have much money.  I'm also just cheap.  I hate buying things when I can make something cheaper and weirder.  Here are a few pictures, ideas I thought were pretty cool!

Planters

Coffee cans
Maybe it is because they are such a happy colour against a brick wall, but I loooove these!

Simply poke holes in the bottom for drainage, scuff up the can with sandpaper and paint with a metal paint.


Outgrown rain boots.

These are very colourful, cheerful, and a good way to recycle worn and and outgrown boots.
Just add holes, dirt and hang.




These, I just think are funny/clever

Decor

Glass Chandelier
WantWantWantWant!!  This one is made with glass yogurt bottles, beaded chain and a circular cooling rack.  It looks like you tie the chain to the jars then to the rack.  Add super fine pebbles and tea lights.




Mirrors

This is really a nice touch.  Mirrors can make any garden (or room) appear larger.  Perhaps you should add a ledge to them so birds can admire themselves.

Piano keys
I added this because my fiance is a music nerd.  :)

Effective way of fighting litter

Bike mower

LOVE IT!!

I need to learn crochet

 + =

I could probably put it on a headband, but then it'd be a headband slug, not a brain slug!

Question:
With all these funny websites (DYAC, memebase, postfunz failblog) available and popular these days, are we just getting lazier and stupider by spending hours looking at them, OR are we just showing our sense of humor and enjoying it? (for sometimes hours on end *guilty*)
Discuss.