art-of-pilo

[art-of-pilo]

Six-Ingredient Body Wash

I was about to go to the store one day to buy more body-wash, when I had a sudden moment of clarity: Why on god's green earth would I PURCHASE body-wash? Why would anyone PURCHASE BODY-WASH?? What have I been doing all these years BUYING BODY-WASH? Absolute lunacy. I've seen the light.

Now I make my own body-wash. I've made this recipe four times, and have found it to be overall excellent. It doesn't have exactly the same slippery texture as commercial body-wash (which, apparently, is a ploy to make it feel nice) but it leaves my skin more hydrated than any body-wash I've ever used.

This body-wash is truly glorious. It has a beautiful thickness to it, lathers nicely, and smells however you'd like it to smell. In the last batch, I used tea-tree, lavander, and vetiver for a nice earthy aroma, but do it up with citrusy lemongrass, spicy cinnamon, or minty freshness. Whatever floats your rubber duck.

Commercial body-wash uses wax, or something, to give it that silky smooth feeling, but that slick texture doesn't actually help to clean OR hydrate your skin, it literally just feels nice. This recipe doesn't give you that silkiness, but its still thick and lovely and honestly works way better. I've been using it for a year or two, so I can guarantee it.

A note on some of these ingredients, for your peace of mind:

Citric acid: This is literally what it says on the tin. Acid procured from citrus fruit! Its a natural preservative, totally safe to eat, used commonly in preserved foods like jam, and in most flavored seltzers.

Guar gum: A natural thickener that comes from the guar tree. Totally safe to eat and non-controversial. I prefer it to corn starch because you don't need to heat the mixture for it to thicken. (It has a tendency to clump if you're not careful, though.) I use it for MANY of my bath & body recipes.

Recipe

Its moderately easy! You might have to visit a health food store or order out for some of the ingredients, but they will last for many batches and are generally useful to have.

Tools

A friend, if possible

Mason jar (if your oil and/or honey are solids at room temperature)

Mixing bowl

Whisk (sub fork)

Rubber spatula (helpful but not required)

Sifter (sub with a fine mesh tea basket)

Funnel

Pump bottle or reused body-wash bottle, cleaned with a vinegar solution — vinegar (an acid) disolves soap (a base). (I bought some cheap soap from Home Goods that came in a nice glass pump bottle and poured out the soap. (it smelled weird))

Ingredients

2 Tbsp coconut oil (sub extra virgin olive oil)

1 Tbsp Raw honey (skip honey if you want it to be vegan)

1½ C. Castille soap, unscented (I use Doctor Bronners)

1 tsp citric acid

1 tsp Guar Gum

essential oils

Directions

First, melt the coconut oil and raw honey (skip if you are using liquid oil and honey): Put a small pot of water on the stove and add the oil and honey to a mason jar. Set the jar in the pot of water, bring the water to a simmer, and then lower the heat. Let it sit, stirring occasionally, until the oil and honey are fully melted.

Remove the jar from the pot and add the castille soap and citric acid. Mix gently with a whisk or fork until they are well combined.

Transfer approximately a cup the mixture to a mixing bowl. Leave the rest of the mixture in the jar.

The tricky part (get a friend to help stir, if possible, because the guar gum WILL clump badly given the chance): Ready your mixing bowl, sifter, and whisk. Put the powdered guar gum in the sifter and gently sift it into the mixing bowl, stirring constantly and swiftly, but not so swiftly that you create bubbles (test a mixing speed beforehand to get it right). It should become fairly thick, about twice as thick as you'd like your final product to be.

If your guar gum has formed clumps, wash your sifter and strain the mixture back into the mason jar, using a spatula to help get it all through the holes. (I made such a mess at this part LOL)

Whisk the mixture now that everything is returned to the mason jar.

Add your essential oils and whisk. (You can test to see if you've added enough essential oils by rubbing some of the body-wash on your arm — not your hands because they probably smell like your ingredients at this point — and give it a smell!)

When you're satisfied, ready the bottle you want your body-wash to be in, put the funnel in the opening, and pour your finished mixture through the funnel. Use a spatula to get all of it out of the jar.

(Optional) Make a cute label! If you seal it with a coat of Mod Podge, it will be waterproof.

Washing up tip:

Vinegar will dissolve the soap, but soap will dissolve the oil, so use both to clean up (not at the same time, though).

Now take a shower and enjoy your amazing new body-wash. Rest easy knowing you aren't falling prey to capitalism and you're using a product on your skin that doesn't have any weird ingredients that you can't read the names of. You are amazing, self-sufficient, and hot damn — you smell really nice.

Love, Milo

[art-of-pilo]

How to Talk to your Ignorant Family about Racism!

Hello non-black friends with non-black families! Let's talk about talking.

It is 2020, and racial tension is high. It feels like the US is shaking out its carpets and centuries of swept-under filth is flying absolutely everywhere. Its a total mess, and its too late to just lay the carpets down again. We have to choose to move forward, and that means having hard conversations.

Dear non-black people:

Talking to your relatives is hard and sometimes scary, but as a non-black person, you have a responsibility to try. We all live in this society together, and that means that we have a responsibility to each other: to protect each other, to uplift each other, and to suppport each other. So when our own family members are ignorant about important issues and we have the power to educate them, we should. Its important to be mindful of how we approach these tricky conversations, and remember that if you want to teach your family, you must act like a teacher, which requires understanding and patience.

There will be two types of conversations:

With those who are uninformed

With those who are bigoted

The discussion will not be easy (they call this work for a reason) but it is doable. Every person is vital! We need them to understand. We can't just wait and hope that the racist people will go away. We need them, and with the right strategy, patience, and respect, we can teach them.

Those who are Uninformed

All you need to do is inform them! But there are different ways of doing this, and some ways are more effective than others.

Least Effective:

Tell them to educate themself.

This approach is confrontational and doesn't give your conversation partner any direction. For someone who truly doesn't know about the topic, they will have no idea where to start — so they won't.

Sort of effective:

Give them a read & watch list and tell them to do it on their own.

This is better because you are giving them clear direction, but doesn't offer them any real incentive or support. They know what to do, but the task of learning by oneself is daunting.

THE BEST!!

Collect materials, sit down with them, and learn together.

Human-to-human interaction always works best. Read the articles together so they have the opportunity to ask questions. Watch the documentaries together so you can both learn at the same time. Explain things in your own words (if you're able) and show them compassion and understanding.

Those who are Bigoted

Bigoted means "resistant to new ideas" and that makes these conversations hard, but bigoted people are not lost causes! Even your bigoted and racist family members have the potential to change, and they deserve our help, not our hate.

The first step in communiticating is to try and understand where they are coming from. How do they see the world, and what is their perspective? We need to understand their mindset in order to communicate effectively.

For most people with bigoted attitudes, it all comes down to a lack of empathy. When a self-centered person isn't affected by a problem, they have trouble understanding why anyone else would care about it. They have trouble imagining being hurt by it, and they have trouble putting themselves in another's shoes. We need to talk to them about these concepts in ways they can understand, and frame the ideas with language that they identify with.

Note: Lacking empathy isn't a bad thing! Some people are good at empathy and some people aren't, thats just one of the many ways that people vary. However, just because someone isn't good at empathy doesn't mean they can't learn compassion, and that is where we need to help them grow.

Clarifying word choice

Words have different meanings for different people. We all have our own word associations that are formed by the people we talk to and the media we consume. This means we have to be VERY clear and define what we say.

Why? Your conversation partner has an idea in their head of what (for example) "Privilege" means. You cannot change that meaning for them. When you say "Privilege," their ears close. We must talk about all of these vital concepts, but we cannot use words that will not be heard.

It may be uncomfortable to let go of the words you identify with, but you are the teacher, and you must get level with your student. Take these words, explain them, and be as clear as possible.

Put it into practice

To avoid misconceptions, we need to avoid and clarify certain hot-button phrases.

Take, for example, the word Immigrant:

When I hear "Immigrant" the first thing that comes to mind is someone who is: • brave • good intentioned • deserving of support

When Racist Uncle Gary hears the word "Immigrant" he imagines someone who is: • violent and criminal • smuggling drugs • hates americans

Imagine you just said "We need to support immigrants" and Racist Uncle Gary becomes furious. You might think he's a horrible person who doesn't want to support good intentioned relocators, but from Gary's perspective, you are suggesting that we should be supporting murderous drug-runners.

When you realize this miscommunication, Racist Uncle Gary's anger makes way more sense. By understanding where he is coming from, you can clarify your statement by instead saying, "We need to support good intentioned immigrants who are here to start a new life."

While Uncle Gary may still believe that lots of immigrants are evil caricatures, he now understands how you see immigrants and the intention of your statement. Baby steps!

A couple important ones:

Instead of — White Privilege Try saying — Your life has been hard, but the color of your skin didn't make it harder.

Instead of — Black lives matter Try saying — Everyone's life must be protected, and right now Black people are in danger.

Instead of — White fragility Try saying — I know this might feel like a personal attack to you, but its important to step outside ourselves and see things objectively.

These are extremely important phrases that are key to understanding racism, so it feels wrong to replace them with gentler language. It feels like we are catering too much to white fragility. However, the meaning of the phrases are more important than the phrases themselves. We cannot say words that will not be heard, no matter how important those words are.

Respect is key

You need to show that you respect your conversation partner in order for them to respect you. Don't tell them that they are wrong, even if you know they are. You need to show that you respect their ideas in order for them to listen to yours.

For example, if you think you might be able to bring a word like Privilege into the conversation after describing it, don't say, "That is what Privilege means," instead say, "That is what people mean when they say Privilege." By using this wording, you are explaining other people's intentions, rather than telling your conversation partner that they are using the word incorrectly.

These conversations may be short

The person you're talking to might turn away and not want to continue. They might walk out of the room, they might look like they don't care. That's ok, because they still heard you.

Don't become angry, don't follow them, don't demand to keep talking when they've shown they are done. You have to be the bigger person here, because you are trying to teach. It is hard and it may be dissatisfying, but as long as you are being respectful and using clear language, you will slowly but surely get through their shell.

Good luck out there!

Discussion with your family is worthwhile, and YOU CAN DO IT! Humans are powerful and capable of change, even though we can be stubborn about it. No matter what, believe in your family's ability to learn and grow. Be kind and be proud of them, and you will do a wonderful job.

As always, feel free to send me a message on instagram or an email if you have further questions or are looking for specific advice. Stay strong!

— Milo

[art-of-pilo]

Worn-Once-but-Still-Clean Clothes: The Saga

The bane of my existence, the crux of all my problems: the immortal undefeatable pile of worn-once-but-still-clean clothes. Not quite fresh enough to put back in the drawer, but not dirty enough to put in the laundry. I swear, I’m gonna wear those pants again on Friday! But where do they live until then??

On the 8th day God created clutter, and this pile of clothes is perhaps the most potent and widespread of all of Clutter’s army of demons. Yet we CAN defeat it once and for all! It is in our power! The catch is, we defeat it by embracing it (which is of course my favorite method of defeating anything — a hug).

There are many different methods, but the following is what I have found to be the most effective and versatile of them all.

Give Them a Home

Consider this pile (or Pilo, as I affectionately call it) not to be a criminal outcast of society, but someone neglected and displaced: homeless.

It harasses us because the norms of our homes have failed to make space for it. If we give them a home of their own, they’ll surely settle down and behave, right? (The answer is Yes, as described in Purgatory Zones.)

How??

Dresser and closet (👎) are already a no-go, because the very minor sweat and body oils on the clothes will, over time, cause bacteria to grow in those closed-off spaces. We need open air to keep them fresh, and honestly, a bit of quarentine from the rest of your wardrobe (because they aren’t really on the same level as those freshly laundered clothes, if we're being honest).

A dedicated chair in the corner (👎) is a popular one, but it can easily become a crumply mountain that haunts the edges of your vision and gives off a miasma of low-key anxiety. You’ll forget its there, but it won’t forget you.

(The reason for this isn't only the crumpled state of the clothing, it is also because a Chair isn’t designed to hold a pile — its designed to hold your butt. When you use a piece of furniture for something it isn’t definitively designed for, it creates a fissure in the system, a crack of chaos in the order of your home. Its terrible feng shui.)

The Solution

A chic clothing rack or a stool with rungs is the ideal solution. Something like this:

The Rack

Benefits: Literally designed for the job, and provides a lot of space if you have a lot of clothes.

Drawbacks: Large and expensive! These tend to be around $100 and take up a significant amount of floor and visual space.

The Stool

Benefits: A highly versatile piece of furniture that is much cheaper, easier to find, and comes in a wide variety of styles! Its significantly smaller and can be repurposed for something else if you upgrade.

(I got mine for $15 on craigslist. It's outrageously cute but needed a coat of clear finish to protect its literally peeling paint — a look that I love but doesn’t jive with white shirts sitting on top.)

Drawbacks: None that I have found so far! Its smaller, so that means less space for your Pilo, but I’ve found that that is actually a good thing in my case, because it keeps Pilo from getting too big.

Why do these work? Intention!

Quite honestly, the only reason I didn’t think of the solution earlier is because I spent such a long time treating Pilo like an anomaly. Once I started respecting it as a part of my life that isn’t going to change, it was a very short journey to the solution. Humans use a dresser to hold our clean clothes, a shelf to hold our books, a drawer to hold our forks and knives; it only makes sense that this solution is also a dedicated piece of furniture that treats our limbo-laundry with respect.

Pilo is every problem that we are trying (unsuccessfully) to ignore, and thats a phenomenon that isn’t unique to laundry at all. Pilo takes all forms in every angle of our lives. The end solutions are always different, but the path to get there is always the same: Respect and intention.

When we treat these problems like they're wrong and bad, they act like they're wrong and bad. Its a contstant battle when all we want is peace, and as any good diplomat knows, the path to peace is respect. When we address our enemies with open minds and understanding, suddenly they aren't our enemies anymore.

Treat Pilo with respect, and you'll begin to make friends with your resident demon.

[art-of-pilo]

The Ancient (underrated) Art of Fixing Holey Socks

Socks! They get holes! Its terrible! I, for one, never buy expensive socks because I know they'll eventually have to be thrown out. Until now.

I have rediscovered an ancient craft called darning, a practice where you patch a hole by using thread to weave a patch directly in the fabric. It sounds a bit daunting, but it's actually relatively quick (half hour for a medium sized hole) and really easy!

One of the best things about darning is that you can be as messy as you want and still have a perfectly functional patch. I've just started, and I'm not particularly good at it, but it doesn't matter! As long as you've got the patience to darn, you can do a darned good job. (I'm so sorry, I had to)

One of the other best things about darning is that you won't have to buy new socks, so its a relaxing, stay-at-home way to subvert capitalism. Hooray!

The Tools:

A needle (the longer the better)

Thread (the thicker the better — but not yarn)

Needle threader (in case you're using thicker thread)

Scissors

A darning egg (alt: a foot-shaped rock, a small maraca, etc)

A sock with a hole

I'll get deeper into the tools a little further down, because there are types of thread and needles that make for a better job. But before that I'll explain how this works.

The Method:

You can darn small holes, large holes, or fabric thats simply worn thin. Either way, the technique is mostly the same. As I said before, your goal is to weave a patch out of thread directly in your fabric, covering your hole or thin spot to reinforce, patch, and make sure it doesn't get any worse. The pattern looks something like this:

Looks like a lot of work? Don't worry, there's a trick! Darning uses a running stitch which is just a bunch of stitches in a straght line. This is super convenient because that means you can load a bunch of stitches on your needle all at once. It take a little bit of practice, but its a shallow learning curve. Observe:

While you're working, you might run out of thread prematurely. When you do, don't tie off any knots! You know how annoying it is to have a tiny pebble in your shoe? Well, thats what a knot tied on the bottom of your sock would feel like. Instead, we just let the ends of the thread hang. You can cut the end short and it'll be fine, because a running stitch like this actually IS a finishing technique in itself. Nice! So, when your thread runs out and you need to switch in a new piece, don't tie them together or anything, just let the ends hang out and all will be well.

The last important thing is to always use a darning egg or something smilar! A darning egg is essentially just a piece of wood with a handle that has similar curves to an actual foot. You put it inside the sock while you're working on it so it holds its form. I don't have one yet, so I've been using a fist-sized rock I had laying around that seems to do the job pretty well.

This is an essential part of the process for two reasons. 1, you don't want to accidentally sew through both sides of the sock or stab yourself. 2, its very important to stretch the sock as you go. If your darned patch is tight, your sock will lose its stretch and might not fit your foot!

Here are some pictures of a sock where I used the pattern I drew above:

And the final product! What a sock!

More details about the thread and needles:

Your Thread

During my first go with darning, I used some all-purpose thread I had lying around. It certainly worked, but it lacked cushiness and softness. I went supply hunting last week and asked an employee about darning thread and darning needles. She told me they don't sell them anymore because nobody darns. Hmmm. I got some good advice anyway, though!

I ended up taking home two types of thread:

Pearl cotton thread, size 8 (yellow, pictured above)

Embroidery floss (pink, pictured above)

They are both a little bit thicker than you might imagine for sewing into fabric, but they are soft and cushy and work great.

I use the pearl cotton thread over the entire area, since its slightly thinner than the embroidery floss.

I was much more sparing with the embroidery floss, and used it specifically inside the actual holes. It was really useful because, as you can see, I'm not doing the tightest rows in the world here. When I sew over a completely bare hole, there are small gaps left, and thats where the embroidery floss comes in. After doing my first pass in yellow, I went back over the hole itself in the pink embroidery floss, which resulted in a colorful and effective patch that matched the thickness of the rest of the sock.

Your Needle

If you hang out in your local craft store for a while, you will notice that there are about 1 billion types of needles that exist, so I asked for help with this, too. They didn't have a classic darning needle, but my helpful new friend directed me to some good alternatives.

So far I have used both the embroidery needle and the tapestry needle. They both have really big eyes (which is useful because the thread I'm using is much thicker than average) and are fairly long. The difference is that the embroidery needle has a very sharp tip, and the tapestry needle is blunt.

Why both? A sharp tip makes for easy sewing throught the fabric of the sock, however, it will also go straight through the center of existing thread, which can weaken it. I'll take the trade-off most of the time, but when I'm going over a hole with embroidery floss, I want to maintain the integrity of the thread I've already sewn across, so a blunt tapestry needle is perfect.

And that's pretty much everything you'll need! I hope this guide was helpful, your feet will thank you if you put these skills to use. Send me an email, I'd love to see your beautiful holey socks!

Love, Milo

[art-of-pilo]

Purgatory Zones!

Purgatory Zones, AKA corners-where-junk-piles-up, are one of Pilo’s core realms of power. Behind the door, on your dresser, under that one shelf, etc etc etc. We all have them, its just a natural part of not being Marie Kondo. Yet, even us sad not-marie-kondos can learn how to tame these zones of chaos!

Purgatory Zones exist for two reasons:

A space's purpose isn't well defined

A category of your belongings doesn't have a defined home

Purposeless spaces

Intention, or doing things on purpose, is one of the core tenants of creating a beautiful home. When we don't know exactly why a space in our house exists, we abuse it. Since we don't know what its for, we'll put ANYTHING there.

Homeless objects

Mostly, we put things that don't have a home in those purposeless spaces. After all, if they don't have a home, where else could we possibly put them?

Fixing the problems:

Now that we understand the problems, finding the solutions is easy: Both of these problems come down to intention, and putting these two problems together like puzzle pieces.

Look at your Purgatory Zones. What are the actual items that are piled there? The first question to ask is, does this type of item have a home? If its piles of paper, put them on the desk, if its dirty mugs, put them in the sink, if its trash, put it in the trash. But maybe its something else, something that you just don't know where to put it!

This is a homeless item. Collect all your homeless items and categorize them. Some that I found in my Zones were sewing supplies and worn-once-but-still-clean clothes. The sewing supplies were easy: I found a nice little box they fit inside and put them in there. The box now sits on my coffee table and looks extremely cute. The clothes were harder.

If you can't make a home for all of those items immediately, make a plan (and do it!!!) and take care of those at a later date. (tomorrow!!!)

Now we look at the Purgatory Zones themselves. Some will resolve themselves once your items all have a home, like your coffee table, but some need some real thinking. One of mine was a little side table that was super cute, but I didn't really have a use for it. I solved this by putting a lamp and a coaster on it, and putting it next to my couch. Now its useful! Another Zone was the space behind my door. I put a box on the floor to hold some assorted items, and put some hooks on the wall. Now I keep my hats and scarves on the hooks!

Now, don't forget to actually go out and get whatever you need (new furniture, wall hooks, a little box) and actually give your homeless items a new home! Its worth it. Simply having those new spaces where your stuff actually belongs makes it easier to motivate and clean your house! Once you take the time to look at your spaces and make some improvements, you will literally become happier and less stressed in your home. A happy house is a happy you.

Love, Milo

[art-of-pilo]

Ethical Online Shopping! I did some research for you.

It is way too easy to buy things that seem benign, but are either made unethically or sold by unethical companies. When you buy from companies who do things you hate, you are essentially giving money to those things you hate!

This is not a perfect list when it comes to being 100% ethical. It IS a perfect list when it comes to being about 90% ethical and 100% emotionally sustainable for me to create habits around. I'll take the 10% cut for that trade-off.

1. Local small businesses in your community!

I know, this isn't online, but it should always be the first try, because keeping wealth in your community is one of the best ways you can support it, and most importantly, it helps keep businesses open so corporate giants can’t move in!

2. Thrive Market

Check them out →

Thrive is a shoppers club ($60/year) that has all sorts of groceries, including household products, non-refrigerated foods, and pretty much anything else except fresh foods that you might need!

Ethically sourced everything, full transparency on products, selective with their brands!

With every purchased membership, they give a free membership to a low-income family

Filter by values (cruelty free, ethically produced, etc) or diets (vegan, keto, etc)

Carbon-neutral shipping, 100% recyclable packaging, zero-waste warehouses

Pay $60/year and get discounts on all of their products

3. Grove Collaborative

Check them out →

Grove is a shoppers club (for $20/year) specializing in ethical and environmentally friendly home products. Some perks:

Certified B Corporation

Environmentally friendly everything, and transparency about the products they sell

They Carbon Offset all of their shipping!

Pay $20/year and get discounts on all of their products

4. Package Free Shop

Check them out →

An online store (with a Brooklyn location) that selectively carries products that replace single-use products in your life. Or in the case of sponges or shampoo, biodegradable and minimally packaged alternatives (like bar-soap style shampoo and conditioner). Some perks:

They sell everything as free of packaging as possible. When there is a little packaging, its always biodegradable or at least recyclable!

Transparency about each product from creation to end of life

No membership required

5. cleancult

Check them out →

An brand of cleaning supplies that sends you refills packaged in recyclable milk cartons! Handsoap, dishsoap, multi-purpose cleaner, dishwasher pods, and laundry pods. You buy their set of dispenser bottles the first time, or jump right into the refills if you have some already.

Cruelty free (Leaping Bunny certified!)

100% recyclable packaging

Need something else you just can't find?

Do a Google Shopping search, and see if the manufacturer sells the item.

If they don't, check out some online stores you've never heard of. Find one with an about page or a blog to learn who the heck they are!

Some things to look for are NOT having big discounts like amaz*n, and having an amature web-presence (for instance, a blog that's set up but has only one default "welcome to my blog!" post from 2014 — this is a GREAT sign)

If they look small and privately owned, purchase the thing!

Got other favorites? Let me know, I'll research them and add them to the list!

There are always going to be things that you need that you just can't find from an ethical seller, and thats ok. If you are only able to get fresh food at a corporate grocery store, that's ok! This world is set up against us. As long as you are making some kind of effort, you are doing enough.

Love, Milo

[art-of-pilo]

Succulents — Not Actually Easy

Adorable, lots of shapes and colors, slow-growing, and trendy as hell. Succulents are also extremely popular because they’re supposed to be easy to take care of, but lots of people who have taken the dive know that they are tricky — mainly for those who don’t live in the in their natural habitat: hot, sunny & dry.

I’m located in the US north-east. I have about a billion plants (that are mostly thriving) and two succulents that are kind of sad. Over the years I’ve had a LOT of succulents that were all kinds of sad, and usually died. Why?

What succulents need

Very intermittent watering (easy)

Very high sunlight (not easy in the north)

Succulents like big dumps of water very far apart from each other, like 3 or more weeks between watering. The larger the pot, the longer you should wait. To debunk some myths, they don't care about humidity, and you should not spray them! Their leaves are waterproof, so they don't absorb it, and the extra damp can cause plant illnesses.

Some common problems

Thin, deflated looking leaves

If its been a long time since you watered it, your plant is fine! Its just time for another watering :)

If you've watered it within the past week, you may have the beginnings of the too-much-water problem. Try transplanting it, or propagate some still-plump leaves. (I'll describe how to do that in the next section.)

Wrinkly leaves

Too much water. Your only hope is transplanting them into new soil, but it might be too late. Attempting to propagate a leaf at this point probably won't work, because it doesn't have enough stored up nutrients, but its worth a try!

Long stringy stem

Not enough sunlight. Your succulent is healthy, just ugly. Its attempting to reach for more sunlight, and unless you've got a super bright window to move it to, this might be a sign that your home isn't a good match for this sun-loving species. Alternately, get a really bright plant light for them!

If you ARE able to light it up, I recommend chopping off the top bit where the leaves are tighter together, and re-rooting it, which I shall describe next.

How to propagate and re-root succulents

Choose a succulent that has been watered in the past week and has nice plump leaves.

Cut the stem just below a leaf (with clean, sharp scissors), or take a single leaf that has been broken off from the stem cleanly.

Let it sit for a couple hours, so the end scabs over.

Once its nice and dry, just set it lightly on the surface of some soil. It will use its stored resources to grow roots! Thats it, super easy.

I hope this proves helpful to some of your northern plant aspire-ers! And hey, even if you kill 2 or 10 succulents in the process of learning, that's ok! Plants don't feel pain the same way mammals do! They will forgive you. Whatever happens, if you want it, keep trying and you'll eventually get it. That's just how it works. I believe in you!

Love, Milo

[art-of-pilo]

Dual Hot & Cold Pack

I’ve seen adorable hand-made hot/cold packs and craft fairs for $20+, and I just never felt right paying that much for what was essentially (as far as I could tell) a bean bag. It turns out, it IS essentially a bean bag, and its incredibly easy to make if you have a sewing machine, and moderately easy to make if you don’t have one!

To clarify before we begin, a hot pack can ALSO be a cold pack! They are the same thing! This tutorial will teach you how to make your own little bag-o-beans that can do either.

The Recipe:

Tools:

Scissors

Need & thread OR sewing machine

Funnel

Ingredients:

Cloth (an old t-shirt or pillow-case will work, as long as it doesn't have any holes!)

Dry rice OR beans OR similar dry food product

Dry herbs of your choice (optional)

Instructions:

Determine how big you want it to be. I wanted to be able to drape mine around my neck, so I knew it needed to be long and skinny. I used a scarf to see how long it would need to be to rest on both of my shoulders, and used a couple inches more than that as my long-side length. For my short-side length, I just chose 5" off the top of my head. (If you want a more generic one, just choose a size and add an inch or two!)

Cut a rectangle of fabric that is twice the size of your finished product. The easiest way to do this is to fold your fabric in half, and using the folded edge as one side, cut the size you want the hot/cold pack to be.

Start sewing! Sew along the outside edges, leaving about 3" on one side open. When you're finished, flip it inside out by pulling the inside through the hole you left! Don't sew it up yet. If you are making a long one, divide it length-wise into segments of about 5 inches, and mark where they will be with a pin or paperclip. By dividing it into segments, you will prevent your filling from falling to the ends when you, for instance, drape it around your neck.

Prepare your filling. Measure out your filling by pouring it into your empty hot-pack so that it fills between 1/3 and 1/2 of the space. Now pour it into a bowl and mix your herbs in. (I didn't use any herbs, and my hot-pack has the aroma of starchy rice, which I find to be pleasant enough.) If you have segmented your hot-pack, divide your filling into the number of segments you marked out.

Start filling! Pour your filling in using a funnel, and carefully sew up the hole on the end. If you have segmented your hot-pack, only pour in one-segment worth of filling. Then, carefully sew along the line you marked, making sure not to leave any holes. Repeat this for the next segment, until all of your filling is in, and then sew up the small hole you left on the outside of your pack.

Storage:

Keep your hot/cold pack somewhere dry, because it WILL absorb any moisture around it. What happens if it gets damp? Well, not too much, except that when you heat it up, it will get steamy. Maybe that's what you want! Personally, I mine has accumulated some moisture and I'm not a huge fan of the steaminess. But its delightful when I'm chilly so I use it anyway!

Aaaaand that's it! I hope this helps you out with all your aches and discomforts. If you have questions or are looking for further tips, feel free to hit me up, and I'd also love to see your beautiful creations.

Love, Milo

[art-of-pilo]

Cutting a glass bottle with a firey string — what to do when you royally screw up

I had at least three great ideas for projects to create using a wine bottle that involved cutting the bottle in half. I read a lot of tutorials, and found the String Method to be the simplest. It involves tying a string around the bottle in the place you want to cut, soaking the string in lighter fluid, lighting it on fire for 30 seconds, and then running the whole thing under cold water. The stress from the temperature change will cause the glass to crack!

It is possible that the reason mine broke so badly is because I only lit it on fire for 10 seconds on my first try (because I was scared), and when I ran it under the water… nothing happened. Then I got a new piece of string and lit it on fire again for 30 seconds, and it was terrible.

But this isn't a tutorial on how to cut a glass bottle. This is a tutorial for what to do when you screw it up. Follow these simple instructions:

Cut the glass bottle in half by lighting it on fire, and mess up so it breaks real ugly.

Cover all the sharp edges with packing tape so it doesn't slice up your trash bag.

Throw it in the trash.

I hope this was helpful, enjoy! And remember, screwing up is just the first step to eventually succeeding. Every craft is worth trying a second time (and a third, and a fourth).

Love, Milo

[art-of-pilo]

Clean your Home Without Dying

Fancy store-bought chemical cleaning products didn’t hit the shelves until the 40s. Before then, people were cleaning their homes with basic & highly effective ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen.

Why should you start using those clean ingredients instead? Fun Fact: The Poison Control Hotline was a direct response to chemical cleaning products becoming widely available. Basically, store-bought chemical cleaning products are toxic, bad for your body, and dangerous to have in the house if you have small children. Not to mention, those single-use spray bottles are expensive and wasteful! But don't worry, there's a better way.

The Good Stuff

White vinegar is a fantastic multipurpose cleaner, great for mild disinfecting, removing gunk, and cleaning dirty surfaces! And best of all, its gentle on humans and animals. You can even drink it.

Baking soda is amazing for absorbing smells, like removing weird fridge smells and deodorizing old furniture and carpets. Sprinkle it on a surface, let it sit for a few hours (or a few days, depending on how powerful the smell is). Don't forgo using soap to clean up the bulk of the mess first, though!

Soap straight up. Dove, Ivory, Mrs. Meyer’s, Dr. Bronner, or just that basic as heck bar-soap you can make yourself. Relatively safe to eat (although I wouldn't recommend it) and you can use it on your body as just as well as your dishes.

Less Safe But Frankly Invaluable

Lighter fluid removes sticky residue leagues better than anything else, although it is not safe to ingest, and obviously, flammable.

Pet Odor Eliminator with enzymes gets rid of pee or vomit smells or basically anything else gross your pet might do indoors. It is honestly essential if you are a pet owner, because getting rid of the lingering smell is the best way to make sure (for example) your dog won't pee on the couch over and over again. I haven't found any DIY alternative for this, but non-toxic stuff like Paw Sense is solid as heck.

Primary Uses & Combos

As a general rule: Vinegar + soap = ineffective Vinegar + baking soda = GREAT Soap + baking soda = Just fine

Dishes

Bar soap will take care of mild mess, and a paste of baking soda and water will remove grease or oil. Normal soap will leave a residue on your dishes, so rinse with a mix of water and vinegar to get everything squeaky clean.

(Note: Don't use vinegar in your dishwasher, it cleans your dishes but damages the rubber parts of the machinery.)

Counters, tables, and other surfaces

Mix a solution of 1 part White Vinegar and 3 parts water in a spray bottle, it does an greate job! It isn't strong enough to truly disinfect, but using true disinfectants in your home isn't healthy, anyway.

If you don't like the smell, don't worry, it dissipates completely when it dries.

Non-porous Floors (linoleum, ceramic tile, etc)

1 part White Vinegar and 3 parts water with a mop will do a great job.

Porous Floors (hardwood, stone, etc)

Mix a small amount of pure soap in water, spray it on, and mop it up! You'll want to do another round with just water to remove any soapy residue, and one last pass with any recommended treatment for maintaining your floor.

Toilet

Mix 1 part baking soda with 4 parts vinegar. Mix it with your toilet brush, let it sit for 15 minutes, then SCRUB and flush!

Mold and Mildew

Soak the surface in 100% vinegar and leave it for an hour. Scrub scrub scrub! If it's a vertical surface, mix baking soda with water so it forms a paste, and let it sit for an hour. Then wash with vinegar and SCRUB!

Clothes

You can use white vinegar in your laundry! It will brighten whites, but may fade colors on certain fabrics, so use caution. Do not mix vinegar with laundry detergent, though! They cancel each other out because of their pH, so stick to one or the other.

What have I missed? I probably missed stuff. Send me a message with questions and I'll update!

Storing your new cleaning potions and mixtures

Chances are, you've been using store-bought stuff for quite a while, and I'll bet you've got a bunch of spray bottles under your kitchen sink. This is excellent, because we can reuse all of them!

For bottles with tops that come off easily

Unscrew those puppies, rinse them out about 10 times. (Don't forget to rinse the inside of the spray mechanism by spraying vinegar and clean water through it a whole bunch!)

For bottles with tops that are locked on

These are a challenge, but we can do it. Most of these locking mechanisms are made by angled plastic teeth inside the cap. They're angled in such a way that the cap can be screwed on, but not off again. I used this method specifically to hack a Swiffer Wet-Jet, which had a nasty cap. The hack goes like this:

Dunk the cap in boiling water for 1 minute.

Wear oven mits to protect your hands from the heat, and twist it HARD.

Find the little teeth inside the cap, and use a nail-clipper to clip them off.

Once you've made the cap friendly, wash the bottle out real good, and fill it with your stuff!

Removing labels so you can make your own

Peel off the labels and then use lighter fluid to get rid of the sticky residue.

To label them yourself, you can do something as simple as writing on the bottle with a sharpie marker, or make something cute and fancy.

For a paper label, cut out a piece of paper that fits nicely on the bottle. Decorate the paper however you want! When you're finished, use Mod Podge or a similar glue to attach it permanently on the bottle. Paint the back of the paper with the glue, and stick it on the surface. To waterproof the label, paint the front of the paper with glue as well (as long as you are using a glue that dries clear).

Now, I'm gonna be totally straight with you, I DO use 1 totally unsafe store-bought cleaning product: motherfreakin Foaming Bleach Bathroom Cleaner. Here's why. I have really old bathroom & kitchen sinks in my apartment that get yellow and gross in 0.5 seconds, and bleach is the only thing I've been able to find that turns them white again. To me, the nasty stuff is worth it because of how much less stress I have over yellow-y sinks.

So my takeaway is: replace the products you can, that you feel good about, that don't create additional stress in your life. The best thing you can do for your home and the environment is keep yourself feeling good and strong about the efforts you're making so you can keep on making them. Now, go obliterate some gunk!!!!

Love, Milo

[art-of-pilo]

One-Ingredient Hair Gel

I've enjoyed plenty of hair products over the years, but I've never really used hair gel before. I wanted to try it out with my new hairstyle, but, as with all hair products, its a journey to find a product that is 1) good, and 2) trustworthy. So, instead of going through that ordeal, I decided to make some myself.

After a bit of research, I learned that you can make an excellent hair gel with only one ingredient — a DIY dream come true! The two most popular recipes use either flax seed or gelatin. I decided to go with the flax seed recipe because I already had flax seeds in my pantry, and because gelatin usually isn't vegan.

This hair gel is awesome. It's light-weight, dries nice and soft, and it brings out your hair's natural texture while reducing frizz beautifully. Also, flax seeds are fantastic for your hair! They're rich in Omega-3 fats and high-quality proteins that your hair loves. So, not only is this a great styling product, it will also make your hair healthier.

The Recipe:

Tools:

Cooking pot and stove

Mesh strainer or cheese cloth

Small jar for storage

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Flax Seeds (You can find them in bulk or in a bag at your local grocery store)

2 cups water

Instructions:

Put the flax seeds and water in a pot, and simmer on low heat, stirring constantly.

Take it off the stove when small white bubbles begins to form on the surface. The mixture will still seem thin, but it will begin to thicken as it cools.

Let it cool a little bit (so you don't burn yourself) and then strain the mixture through a mesh strainer or cheese cloth to separate the seeds from the gel. (I used a spoon to press the mixture into the strainer, but I think a cheese cloth would have been easier for getting more of the gel off the seeds.)

Put the gel into a jar, put the jar in the refrigerator, and let it set for an hour or two before trying out your new hair gel.

Once its cool and thickened up, work it into damp or dry hair. Enjoy!

Storage:

This gel has no preservatives in it, so it DOES have a shelf life. Keep it refrigerated to keep it fresh longer. If you have short hair or don't plan to use it often, consider making a half-batch (with 1/4 cup Flax Seeds and 1 cup water).

Love, Milo

[art-of-pilo]

The Essential Beginner Toolbox

Building and repairing your own things is one of the most rewarding skills you can learn. Sometimes its as simple as fixing a crack in your favorite bowl, sometimes its as complicated as building a custom shelf for a strangely shaped corner. Either way, being able to do it yourself will make you more self-sufficient and confident, and give you a new sense of ownership over your belongings and your spaces. It all starts in one place: Your toolbox.

Making a toolbox can be overwhelming when you're just starting out. There are a LOT of options out there, and its hard to know what you need and what you don't. There are certainly pre-designed starter toolboxes you can buy, but they won't necessarily have all of the essential things for the kind of thrifty DIY'ing that I find most useful. This is a breakdown of the essential tools with the most bang for your buck — and janky alternatives that can successfully replace them.

I won't include anything expensive, anything hard to find, and only one cheap power tool (which of course, can be substituted for the non-powered version). I also won't include links to purchase these tools online because I always believe in buying local when possible — so I HAVE included the type of store to find each one at! Do your best, but there's no shame in hitting up Am*zon if that's the only thing available to you. :)

I'll break it down into four categories of Things Tools Do: Cut, Hold, Impact, and Measure. With these four abilities, you'll be able to make or fix just about anything you put your mind to!

CUT

Wire Cutters for clipping things that might dull your scissors Substitute: scissors Average Price: $5

X-acto Blade for small precise cuts Substitute: small kitchen knife Average Price: $3

Hand saw for big cuts Substitute: honestly, borrow someone else's saw Average Price: $8

HOLD

Pliers for holding small things with precision Substitute: fingers Average Price: $5

Two small clamps for holding things over a long period of time Substitute: a pile of books or heavy object on a flat surface Average Price: $10 each

Screws for holding firm things together permanently Substitute: nails, sometimes Average Price: $5 for a small kit

Sewing needle and thread for holding soft things together permanently Substitute: staples will do in a pinch Average Price: $8

Glue for holding anything together permanently Substitute: glue gun, mod podge, or tape might work in a pinch Average Price: $5

IMPACT

Power Drill for making holes in things and putting screws in things Substitute: screwdriver with self-drilling screws Average Price: $25

Hammer for pounding things into place Substitute: place a flat, sturdy surface (like a spare piece of wood or a cutting board) over your target, and hit it with something that won't break. Average Price: $5

MEASURE

Tape Measure for knowing the length of things Substitute: an object you know the length of Average Price: $6

Straight Edge for drawing or finding straight lines Substitute: the edge of a book, and envelope, a laptop, a table, etc etc. Average Price: $2

And there you have it! This relatively small set will get you through almost any project. If you don't have a toolbox, you can use a plastic bin or even a tote bag to store them in (except for the saw) and a pencil case or ziplock bag will help keep your small items together.

Personally, I use a soft tool bag (pictured below) that my drill came with, and then two smaller tool bags, one I snagged from my dad, and the other I purchased.

The details!

Here is some more info on each type of tool, some tips on using it and its alternatives, and where to find it. Feel free to send me a message with any questions beyond this!

Wire Cutters

Why: Wire cutters can cut most materials, and won't get dull like scissors will. Wire is also a really useful material to work with! You can use it to attach things together, make an improvised hook, fix jewelry, and lots of other things. Where: You can get them at a hardware store or craft store.

Xacto Blade

Why: For cutting small things or making accurate cuts. The blades can easily be replaced and are pretty cheap for a pack of 50, so you won't have to worry about it getting dull. I carry one in my pencil case at all times. Where: A craft store is your best bet.

Handsaw

Why: When you're working with wood or even foam-core boards, a saw is the only way to go. A simple handsaw isn't particularly fun to use, but it'll get you far. Where: Hardware store.

Pliers

Why: They're great for small, accurate work. You should get both the flat-nose and the needle-nose for jewelry or wire work, but flat-nose pliers alone will be good for anything else. Where: Craft store for the needle-nose and small flat-nose, hardware store for a heftier flat-nose.

Small Clamps

Why: If you're gluing something together, clamps are the best way to go to ensure a tight fit. Two small clamps will take care of most situations for you. Don't worry about price, the cheapest ones will hold just as well as the expensive ones. Where: Hardware store.

Screws

Why: Screws can do it all. Or, most. In any case, I love them. Hang a picture, attach two pieces of wood together, use them as makeshift hooks, etc etc! Why not nails: If a nail can do it, 99% of the time a screw can do it too. But the reverse is not always true! Screws tend to make a bigger hole than a nail, but they are sturdier, more versitile, and much easier to remove. If you have a drill: Any screws will do, because you can drill a pilot hole! If you don't have a drill: Make sure to buy very pointy, or self-drilling screws. Where: Hardware store.

Sewing Needle

Why: Whether its fixing a rip in a shirt or making yourself a home-made heat pack, any work with fabric should have a sewing needle on hand. Where: The craft store or fabric store. You can also find travel kits at gas stations, rest stops, and airports.

Glue

Why: Stick stuff together!!! I'd recommend having two types: a general use glue (my favorite is Gorilla Glue) and a Super Glue. General use can be used for most things, but super glue is uniquely essential for fixing broken dishes or reinforcing buttons on clothing. If you have really heavy-duty stuff to glue together, look for epoxy glue. Where: Hardware store, craft store, or office supply store

Power Drill

Why: Why electric? I held off getting an electric one for ages, and even tried to find a hand-crank drill because I didn't feel like I really needed it. (It turns out a hand-crank drill is really hard to find.) However, it will REALLY open up doors for you. Putting screws into place is much easier, but also DRILLING HOLES INTO THINGS. Wow. Seriously. (As a note, if you don't have one and just use a screwdriver, look for "self-drilling" screws. This means that you don't have to drill a starter hole to get the screw in.) Where: Hardware store.

Hammer

Why: Nothing beats a hammer when it comes to hitting things. You can also use a board and hard-thing to hammer in nails. The method involves putting a board flat against the end of (usually) a nail, so the force of the blow distributes evenly across the board. As long as the board is perpendicular to the nail, all the force will go in the correct direction. Its a necessary precaution, because your object most likely doesn't have the flat hitting surface that a hammer has. It'll do in a pinch, but its difficult. Any kind of hammer will make a big difference, even a small cheap one. Where: Hardware store or office supply store

Tape Measure

Why: Whether you're building something or buying furniture or fitting clothing to yourself, a tape measure will do you well. However, there are good methods for measuring things without one! The first is using an object you know the length of, for instance, a common moleskine notebook is 8" the long way. Divide the edge in half, then half again, and then half once more, and you've got an accurate ruler. If you don't need actual numbers or are measuring something long, use a piece of string and tie a knot or mark it with a pen to record your measurement. If you need the numbers, use the first technique to make a homemade ruler, and run your string along it, a bit at a time, to find the length. Where: Hardware store.

Straight Edge

Why: Straight lines are important! There are all sorts of reasons you might want to draw or identify a straight line. A ruler is the standard, but the number of objects you can use to achieve this is pretty much anything with a straight edge on it. Where: Pretty much anywhere! Nice!

I hope this guide gave you some helpful info! Go ahead and shoot me an email if you have questions, I'd love to hear from you. :)

Love, Milo