A Dozen Decorating Tips for the Scrabble-Obsessed

Upcycled Food Recipes To Make In 2024

Bacon Fat: The crisp slices may be the real star, but the bacon fat is nothing to just discard. (Plus, tossing it down the drain or in the trash can't be good for your home's plumbing or the environment, right?). It adds a subtle smokiness to this yummy bacon jam, but you can also use it as a popcorn topping!. (via Brit + Co)

Citrus Peels: Turn your favorite peels into marmalade with this easy recipe. Spread it on toast for breakfast or use it in a dessert — it's just that versatile. (via Brit + Co)

Pumpkin Seeds: We can hardly keep track of all the ways pumpkin seeds and guts can be repurposed. Stirring them into puppy chow is a great option for those who enjoy theirs a little sweeter. (via Brit + Co)

Apple Peels: You'll love sipping on homemade apple peel bourbonas a spicy, warming alternative to the usual flavored vodka and “fiery" store-bought selections. The sweet, autumnal notes mean it's just as good enjoyed neat or in a hot toddy. (via Food52)

Leftover Bones: Whip up a batch of brodo or this delicious creamy chicken, mushroom and green chile soup the next time you roast a chicken and pick it clean. (via Kitchen Sanctuary)

Chard Stems: Yeah, we can pickle chard stems for a sour afternoon pick-me-up. Not feeling something so puckery? Toss them on the grill instead. (via Bon Appétit)

Broccoli Stalks: Use the florets in your next stir fry, then transform the stalks into tasty baked fries like these broccoli stem fries. Dip 'em in chimichurri tahini for the ultimate snack. (via What's Cooking Good Looking)

Carrot Tops: If you buy fresh carrots with their tops, don't let them lop them off at the register. Instead, transform the fronds into a lovely pesto for roasted carrot soup. (via Cravings in Amsterdam)

Potato Peels: Crispy potato skins get an apeeling makeover when roasted, especially when sprinkled with cheese and scallions. (via The Kitchn)

Fennel Fronds: A pinch of fennel frond salt adds a subtle anise flavor anywhere it's sprinkled. (via Chew Town)

Apple Cores: Simmer apple cores and peels with a little sugar in a big pot of water to make an easy, no-waste apple juice. (via Inspiration Kitchen)

Papaya Seeds: You'll enjoy the interesting peppery taste papaya seeds lend this sweet and spicy watermelon blueberry salsa. Consider this the ultimate addition to the Memorial Day picnic. (via The Healthy Foodie)

Kale Stems: Kale stems are pretty tough to chew, but blending them in your next post-workout smoothie takes care of that issue, no sweat. Plus, when whirled with strawberries and banana, you'll hardly even know they're there. (via The Roasted Root)

Almond Pulp: If you make your own homemadealmond milk, it probably pains you a bit to just toss all the pulp you get after straining. Happily, it can be used to make grain-free cinnamon and peanut butter almond pulp crackers/cereal and more. (via The Edible Perspective)

Spray a hula hoop, cut some ribbon, and print off some of your favorite pics for a cheap but stylish backdrop for your desk. (viaBrit + Co)

This DIY can get pricey since paint and supplies come at a cost. If you want to keep the expenses down, opt to just paint one wall for statement. (via Brit + Co)

Listen to this — you can get large black and white prints for super cheap thanks to architects! Embrace the grainy effect by printing your favorite old memories. These large prints will be costly to frame, so we suggest sticking to washi frames. (via A Beautiful Mess)

You can add color instantly to your walls and remove it without your landlord getting mad. Score! Try shapes, patterns, diagonals, the sky's the limit! (via Brit + Co)

Use your leftover wall washi tape to create colorful accents on your furniture. (viaCarnet Deco)

Paint can do amazing things to IKEA furniture andcan boost the appeal of something cheap in an instant. (via Erin Spain)

This DIY requires some thrift-store and garage-sale scouring. Once you've found the piece, add some patterns with fabric paint. Think about stripes, polka dots, plaid, floral, the list goes on. (via Sugar & Cloth)

Update some crates with spray paint, and drill them together for a DIY bookcase to store all your odds and ends. (viaBrit + Co)

This might look intimidating, but it is actually very doable. Transform an old dresser into a beautiful tiered rack to display all of your alcohol and cocktail glasses. (via Brit + Co)

The key to adding instant warmth to your home is texture! Weavings are all the rage and can be made on the cheap. It will take some time but we promise it's worth it. (via Brit + Co)

Don't have enough time for a wall weaving? We understand. Try a macrame wall hanging. You can add the same colors and warmth to your room in half the time needed for a weaving. (via Brit + Co)

A home isn't a home without a wine rack. Just kidding! But if you do feel compelled to show off your bottles, create this geometric wood display for your beautiful bottles. (via Brit + Co)

Purchase some colorful, chunky wool yarn and start a quilt from scratch that's woven by your own two hands! (via Brit + Co)

You don't need a headboard for your bed — make a colorful curtain backdrop instead. (via Brit + Co)

If you do buy a standard headboard but want to personalize it, grab some paint and give it a whole new look! (via Brit + Co)

Add some whimsical poofs to your duvet for an instant update. (via Brit + Co)

Use iron-on transfers to update pillows with your favorite phrase. This DIY, plus many others, can be found in our book Homemakers. (via Brit + Co)

Succulents will always win us over. Create this quirky DIY to add some whimsy to your decor. Don't worry — this DIY comes with a free printable to get the perfect cactus shape. (via Brit + Co)

Not a master at sewing? Take our sewing online class, then you'll be equipped to make these trendy pillows. (via Brit + Co)

This is the perfect way to add patterns to your life. You'll never believe how easy it is to create your own stamps! (via Brit + Co)

These pillows are great for couches, and they also double as floor pillows for lounging. Play with shapes, colors, and sizes and create a look that's all your own. (via Brit + Co)

White leather mixed with a bright colored cord? We're swooning! We couldn't be more excited about this kit and can't wait to add this piece to our own space. (via Brit + Co)

Step up your paper-folding skills with this origami pendant lamp. Pro tip: These lights aren't meant to be used as your main light source. We recommend turning them on for reading or as a mood light. (via Brit + Co)

Turn light into art with this hack that hits all the right marks. (via Brit + Co)

As a Power of Women honoree, Mariska was recognized in regards to her work as an advocate for sexual assault survivors. She took the stage and used her platform to discuss rape and assault conviction reversals, shining a light on the recent overturned ruling in Harvey Weinstein's landmark NYC case. Here's what she said:

Today I want to talk about reversing convictions, and more specifically I want to talk to you about how impossible it is to reverse mine. It’s impossible to reverse my conviction that survivors matter. It is impossible to reverse my conviction that what happens to us matters, and that our society must respond to survivors with a more a compassionate, holistically, deeper, and more nuanced understanding of what healing means.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that after a trauma, survivors can reclaim lives of hope, of possibility, of audacious risk, beautiful intimacy, and glorious, glorious abundant joy. And I stand before you as evidence of that statement.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that we must listen to survivors as experts on what justice means. It is extraordinary how little their voices are consulted, let alone incorporated, in the process of deciding how to repair harm. Justice is not a one-size-fits-all journey.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that patriarchal impunity has to end. Patriarchal impunity is when a male-dominated system exempts perpetrators from punishment. Studies show that only 20% of all rape cases in the U.S. are reported to the police, and that between 5 and 0% of all rapes result in a guilty plea or a conviction. So why do 80% of victims not report? Because they're met with a system that grants impunity to perpetrators; a system that blames victims; a system that accepts only those victims who are experienced as "real" rape; a system that completely misunderstands the neurobiology of trauma, which causes behavior in women that doesn't fit the picture of how a "real victim" would act.

Is that change needed that victims should just pull themselves together? Just buck up and report anyway? No. No, it's the system that receives them that needs to change

It is impossible to reverse my conviction — and the conviction of my extraordinary team, The Joyful Heart — that the backlog of untested rape kits can be brought to zero; that the testing of all new kits must be mandated; that we need a statewide kit tracking system; and that survivors have the right to access the status of their kits.

It is impossible to reverse my conviction that grammar — yes, grammar — that we use when we speak about rape must change. In the sentence, "A woman is raped," there's a crime and there's a victim, but there's no perpetrator. Where's the perpetrator? Where is he? Statistically, as we know, most likely he's walking free. He's so free that he doesn't even appear in the language about the crime that he committed. Is that not extraordinary? It's extraordinary that in the very grammar, the perpetrator goes free. Reintroducing perpetrators in the language of rape will make some very unwieldy grammar, but that's the nature of change. It's unwieldy, it's messy, it's uncomfortable, but it's necessary.

Hargitay continued on in her prolific speech to describe that rape shouldn't be considered a "crime of passion" because it's "not simply the next step in the trajectory of his passion" when a man takes a consensual hookup too far and assaults a woman against her will. She stated that it's "an exercise of power," doubling down that the language we use is important.

The speech went on to address that rape is both about power and control, as a "construct" that was "built, and assembled, and reinforced over time." She noted that there are people with these positions of power — and she specifically called out those in the entertainment industry — that could make a difference and aligned themselves to victims and survivors.

After this and some other remarks, Hargitay specifically called out the Weinstein conviction reversal. She said:

I do want to say something about the Harvey Weinstein conviction, specifically about the reason that it was overturned: too many women's voices. Too many women's voices were allowed to speak. Hallelujah! Amen! I can't imagine anything more beautiful than that. The Daily podcast episode talked about how it was so risky for the prosecution to have that many women testify. Risky to let women speak? You're damn right it is!

Too many women speaking brings change. Too many women speaking shakes the establishment. Too many women means we get listened to more, and people might actually hear what we have to say. Look what happened when women started saying just two words, right? Me too — just as an example — a tidal wave of change. Me too.

And then of course, there was the response: the Me Too Movement. The backlash. The examination of whether the changes that have come are lasting, or are even positive. Of course there's a backlash! What did they expect? For women to speak repeatedly, loudly, together, with a purpose — for there to be no backlash? The backlash is evidence of how powerful those voices were, how powerful those voices ARE.

Watch Mariska Hargitay's Full Speech Here

Turns out that your TV heroes really can be your IRL heroes after all. Long live Olivia Benson! Long live Mariska Hargitay!