By Audrey van Petegem, Chief Editor

I have been married for 26 years now and, unbeknownst to our children, my husband and I still have sex. Yes, it is true. It may not be as often as we once used to, but my feeling is that quality beats quantity. And I love married sex. No one knows me and what I like more than my husband. There is a complete level of trust that allows us opportunities to explore, experiment and let our fantasies come to life. So, when I saw Jeremy Brown’s Love is Art Kits, I thought that this [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Just in time for Father’s Day, a do-it-yourself kit beer making kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. Whether your patriarch is familiar in the kitchen or not, this no-brainer, easy-to-follow process allows even the I-can’t- boil-water type to make high quality and complex beers on top of the stove.
Brooklyn Brew Shop’s user-friendly beer making kit uses only fresh, whole ingredients, such as cracked barley, hops, spices and yeast, and follows the traditional brewery method to producing beer that has been used for centuries. This kit includes a one gallon reusable glass fermenter, chambered airlock, thermometer, tubing, [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
This year I am challenging myself to grow a vegetable garden. I have tried in the past and failed miserably. Having a green thumb is obviously not an inherited trait. I have many fond childhood memories that are all about helping my father in our garden, going out to pick the lettuce for our evening salad, or simply pulling out carrots, beans and sugar peas to munch on.
I want my children to have similar memories and to see firsthand how food is grown. My childhood memories are from living in a small town, in a [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Admittedly, I love this time a year. And what is not to love! The outside is looking all anew with trees budding, flowers blooming and the freshness in the air is intoxicating! As I open my doors to bring in the sights, scents and sounds of the outdoors, I look at my home and see that it is tired looking, stuffy and drab.
It is definitely time to refresh, rejuvenate and reorganize the inside of my home. And I want to do it quickly and inexpensively. So, I went looking for versatile and budget-friendly ideas to [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I love the idea of creating something beautiful. And when someone compliments me on it I can then say ‘thank you, I made it!’  Sadly, I am not that creative, but there is hope for me yet with For the Makers. This crafty do-it-yourself monthly subscription company was created by Katie Covington and Janet Crowther, who met over ribbons, sequins and beads when they were both designing jewelry for New York fashion houses. They felt that, given the right guidance and material, anyone can learn how to create something beautiful and inspire others to do [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I will be the first to admit that Halloween is probably my least favorite festivity. But that does not mean I am a party pooper. Au contraire! With two young girls in the house, I have to keep my ghoulish spirits up during this time of year.
And although I can’t say either that I am a very crafty person, I do like to do fun projects with my girls who love being creative. So, this year I searched for a few simple things for us to do together and I came up with some great [...]

As you know by now, cookie-cutter solutions don’t really cut it for us at The Succulent Wife. We always prefer to do things a wee bit differently. So, though weddings are not our usual focus, we simply couldn’t pass on sharing these fun and creative Design-Your-Own-Wedding related products and services.

Note from The Succulent Wife: We have invited Lisa Hughes Anderson to write a monthly DIY column for us. Lisa, aside from being one the most creative, poetic and eloquent writers we know is also an exceptional “gifter”. Her life philosophy is all about giving: “take your neighbor a sprig of rosemary or a lemon from your tree, frame a candid photo of a special moment back in time… Often it’s the simplest gift found in your own backyard, which opens doors and celebrates one’s spirit.” We hope that you will enjoy her very special creations that you can replicate [...]

Now, I know that I’ll personally never get a tattoo (I’m too afraid of what it’ll look like when I’m old and wrinkly) but it might be fun to toy with some temporary embellishments. Summer is for baring skin, might as well beautify it with skin art… before I’m really old and wrinkly.
I believe that the temporary tattoo trend might have been rendered acceptable and stylish and perhaps even sophisticated when la maison Chanel introduced its temp-tatt collection earlier this year. They’re cool, though perhaps a little obnoxious but they are also Chanel-priced at $75 for the pack. So, we [...]

This new campaign for Pilot pens just came out. “Type on a computer with your own handwriting” is a way of romanticizing the handwritten note and quite a clever attempt to invigorate what might appear to be a dwindling market: the writing instrument… You know, with most of us being permanently glued to our computers, the handwritten note has now become a rare sighting.
 
 
It’s a charming idea but this particular application didn’t really work for me and it does not create a downloadable font. Now that I was teased with this idea and really wanted my own downloadable personalized handwriting [...]