Talented Self-Taught Illustrator Doodles on Her Thighs

We recently learned women’s thighs can be used as premium ad space, but Boston-based film student Jodi Steel found a new intriguing use for her upper leg. She recently shot to internet fame after photos of her detailed thigh drawings went viral on popular news sharing site, Reddit.

Like many other bored students, Jodi Steel used to pass the time during boring school lectures by doodling, only instead of exercising her artistic talents on the back of her notebooks, she did it on her bare thighs. Despite having no kind of formal training as an illustrator, Jodi’s dermal masterpieces look like the work of a seasoned artist, a fact which she attributes to relentless practice, despite what everyone else may think. Her talents didn’t go unnoticed, and after seeing the artworks on her thigh one day, a teacher at Emerson College, in Boston, asked Jodi to draw the illustrations for a ‘steam punk’ book called Steaming into a Victorian Future: A Steampunk Anthology. She recently uploaded photos of her thigh drawings on Reddit, where some of them were actually mistaken for tattoos. Steel has since gotten multiple job offer from all around the world, but she doesn’t want to work full time as an illustrator, instead hoping to one day to concept art for films and paint on the side.

This Kitty Has Mad Eyebrows That Give It A Funny Judgmental Look (9 pics)

5 Side Effects of Consuming Too Much Dairy Protein

If you’re a dairy-free eater, most likely, you ate dairy at some point in your life. Unless you had an allergy, it was likely a part of your childhood, something you never gave much thought to. Or maybe now, you’re just now becoming interested in the idea of consuming less animal products and contemplating other choices besides cow’s milk products.

Whatever the case, the decision to go dairy-free is a smart one, especially when we considerthe negative health effects that dairy can bring, some of which we’re just now learning and others that we’ve known for years now. Lactose intolerance is something we’re all familiar with, but the effects that dairy can impose on our health go way beyond just a little stomach upset. Dairy’s protein is so highly concentrated, that over time, it has the potential to cause some health side effects that none of us want to experience.

Here are five to avoid:

1. Chronic Inflammation

Dairy is highly acidic, despite it containing high amounts of calcium that acts as an alkaline agent by nature. Milk is rich in natural acids that can cause calcium deposits to build up andpotentially cause arthritis and long-term inflammation. It also doesn’t necessarily keep our bones strong as we once believed. Most plant-based foods do a much better job (such as chard, kale, almonds, figs) and don’t contribute to chronic inflammation.

2. Aging

Quite honestly, animal products just age the body, plain and simple. Think about how much work they have to go through to process the particles from another living being. No wonder they’re tired! Dairy is an especially poor choice since it’s one of the hardest to digest and one of the most well-studied in its relationship to cancer and disease. Raw (and even some cooked) fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, beans, legumes, and healthy fats are a much better option. These foods all contain plant-based protein, along with vitamins and minerals that help in extending longevity and promote beautiful skin that ages slowly.

3. Poor Skin (and Internal Health)

As superficial as it might seem and as unimportant as it might be in the grand scheme, your skin’s health is just as important as any other aspect of your health. Why? Because it shows how healthy the inside of your body is. Your skin is the largest organ on your body and whatever the internal body can’t get rid of, the skin will try to do so itself. This is especially true when it comes to the liver and digestive system having a hard time with internal wastes that can’t be properly removed. When you consume too much (or for some people, even a little) dairy, the skin usually takes a major hit. You’ll see this through acne, redness, splotchy, or just lackluster skin. Many people notice huge improvements to their skin the first few days without dairy. This is because the inside of the body is better able to clean itself out and the skin isn’t left to do all the work itself.

4. Chronic Digestive Problems

Aside from a little lactose, dairy can also cause some gut damage due to the way it inflames the gut lining. It’s one of the worst to cause and irritate leaky gut syndrome, which can lead toautoimmune disease and other health issues over time. Then there’s the digestive disturbances along the way such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or even long-term IBS. Many people who suffer from more serious disorders such as Crohn’s disease find that once they ditch dairy, healing naturally begins. Others just find their systems work much better without dairy. After all, let’s remember that outside of the fancy cartons and marketing, that dairy is basically just a COW’s mammary liquid produced after being pregnant – do you think your stomach really wants to deal with that!?

5. Cancer Risks

What’s even worse than digestive disorders is the way dairy contributes to cancer. It’s been found to be a leading cause and contributor to prostate, breast, testicular, and colon cancer. Dairy is not a health food and one can’t be certain how much is too much and how much is okay. Why risk it, we ask? Don’t ignore your health and pretend the little signs don’t matter. They could be the one thing your body is using to tell you that you’re dealing with a more serious health issue. A plant-based diet, free from dairy, has been found one of the best to prevent cancer and other forms of disease.

If you’re looking to #DitchDairy, then see some more of our Ditch Dairy posts for further inspiration and pick yourself up a carton of non-dairy milk, yogurt, and even a container ofnon-dairy ice cream this week!

Kitchen Hack: 11 Ingenious Ways to Clean With a Lemon

Fresh and bright, lemon is the smell of cleanliness. Just a whiff evokes images of laundry just pulled off the clothesline, sparkling-clean glasses, and shiny buffed floors.

While everything from dish soap to toilet cleaner comes in a citrus scent, you don’t always need store-bought products to get it—the fruit itself is a powerful cleaning agent in its own right.

Pick up a lemon on your next grocery trip (it shouldn’t cost you more than a few cents!) and put it to work in cleaning your kitchen, bathroom, and even laundry. Here are 11 different uses to try around the house.

1: CLEAN THE OVEN

Baking a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies on a dirty cookie sheet would be unthinkable. But when was the last time you cleaned the oven? The layer of apple pie filling, turkey grease, and mozzarella cheese crusted onto its bottom is no match for this DIY oven cleaner with lemon peels. It lifts off baked-on food effortlessly—which means less scrubbing for you.

2: GET DISHES SPARKLING

Next time you slice or juice a lemon, don’t toss the used wedge. Save it until you’re ready to run the dishwasher, and skewer that slice on a rack or toss it in the cutlery section. Not only will your dishes come out with an extra fresh scent, but they’ll also sparkle like never before. Weird, but it works! 

3: DISINFECT A WOODEN CUTTING BOARD 

No question about it—wooden cutting boards are far sturdier than plastic. Without regular disinfecting, though, the wood can hide bacteria long after you’re done cooking. Keep everything perfectly sanitary by rinsing off the cutting board with a solution of equal parts vinegar and water, then scrubbing with half a lemon and coarse salt.

4: WIPE OUT THE MICROWAVE

This is the easiest way to clean the microwave, hands down. Combine the juice from a lemon with ½ cup water in a small bowl, then add the peel and nuke it until the water boils, about three minutes. Keep the microwave door shut for five more minutes—the steam trapped in the appliance will loosen any food remnants. The pop it open, carefully wipe out the interior, and you’re done.

5: DEODORIZE STORAGE CONTAINERS AND OTHER SMELLY KITCHEN TOOLS

No matter how good those brownies tasted last night, if you tote them to work in a plastic container that still smells like chicken stir-fry, they’re going to be awful. Keep yesterday’s flavors from seeping into today’s food by deodorizing your storage containers with lemon juice. Just leave Tupperware, spatulas, to-go cups, or anything with a lingering scent to soak in a solution of lemon juice and water for an hour, then rinse.

6: REMOVE RUST SPOTS FROM SILVERWARE

So you accidentally left your chef’s knife soaking in the sink, and now it’s covered in tiny rust spots. Don’t freak—you can get those pesky stains off with a little lemon juice. Squeeze some into a tall glass or cup, then soak the blade in it for a few minutes. The acid will help loosen the rust, and with a little elbow grease, you should be able to wipe it off completely. This works on spoons and forks, too!

7: CLEAN THE BLENDER

Figuring out how to sanitize the blender by hand can seem downright impossible, as it’s tough to reach all the nooks and crannies. To make it easy, put the machine to use to clean itself; fill it halfway with warm water, add a chopped lemon and a few drops of dish soap, and run it.

8: LOOSEN COOKED-ON FOOD FROM POTS AND PANS

Half a lemon and coarse salt can clean pretty much anything—including grease and food that has burnt to a crisp on the side of the frying pan. Scrub, scrub, scrub, and you’ll see that debris lift right off.

9: SHINE CHROME FAUCETS

Wiping down shiny silver hardware with plain water leaves those irritating spots. Opt for lemon instead—either the juice on a paper towel or a half does the trick.

10: SCRUB DINGY GROUT

Grout—that paste holding your bathroom counters and kitchen backsplash together—gets dingy fast. Since it’s naturally porous, it absorbs dirt, mold, food, and just about everything else. Turn it bright white again by scrubbing with a toothbrush dipped in lemon juice. Just test this trick on a small area first—the acid can cause discoloration on some types of tile.

11: BRIGHTEN WHITES

As chic as white T-shirts, jeans, and button-downs look, there’s one big downside: they inevitably turn a dingy shade of pale gray. Keep all your whites looking bright by throwing ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice plus 1½ cups hydrogen peroxide in the wash—the citric acid works like bleach, without the acrid smell.

Now, when life gives you lemons, you can do more than just make lemonade.

7 Natural Remedies for Constipation

Constipation is incredibly common, and you shouldn’t feel alone or helpless when dealing with this issue! Learn some simple, natural remedies for constipation and when to see a doctor about it.

Constipation is estimated to impact up to a quarter of the population, and while it’s an ailment that we like to poke fun at, it can also be uncomfortable and even painful. There are a lot of factors that can cause constipation, so you may need to try more than one of the natural remedies below to get some relief.

When Constipation is a Warning Sign

There are some instances where constipation is more than just a nuisance. It can be a symptom of serious medical conditions, so you should contact your doctor if:

• it comes on suddenly along with severe pain and stomach cramps or severe pain while using the bathroom.
• there is blood in the toilet after you poop.
• it’s accompanied by unexplained weight loss.
• it lasts more than two weeks.
• your poop is “pencil thin.”

Constipation can be a warning sign, and it can also lead to other health issues, like hemorrhoids and urological disorders, so it’s important to address it as soon as possible. 

Natural Remedies for Constipation

1. Drink more water. Your gut needs water to move things along, and not drinking enough can stop you up. Eight glasses a day is a general guideline, but individuals actually need more or less than those 64 daily ounces to stay healthy.

 2. Eat more fiber. Water and dietary fiber work together to keep things moving through your body. Try adding more fiber-rich foods to your diet or taking a natural fiber supplement, especially if you’re not eating a lot of plant-based foods.

3. Look at your medications and supplements. Iron supplements, for example, can be really hard on your gut, but there are alternatives that are not as constipating. Google the side effects of anything you’re taking regularly to see if it could be making you irregular. If a medication is to blame, talk to your doctor about alternatives.

4. Eat more probiotics. There is a growing body of research suggesting that probiotics can help ease constipation. When you think probiotics, you probably think of yogurt, but there are plenty of other probiotic-rich foods that you can add to your diet.

 5. Do some yoga. Certain yoga poses can help stimulate the digestive tract and give you some relief from constipation. Yoga Journal has an eight-pose series aimed at supporting digestive health that’s worth trying!

6. Try a Squatty Potty. A Squatty Potty is just a little stool that you put your feet on while you’re using the toilet. It helps your body simulate a squatting position, which is ideal for pooping. You don’t have to buy the Squatty Potty brand, that’s just the one I’m familiar with. We bought ours years ago, and there are lots of similar step stools on the market now.

7. Don’t hold it. I know, there are situations where you’d rather not stop to use the bathroom. Maybe you’re at an outdoor festival, and the Port-o-Let isn’t your ideal pooping place. Maybe you don’t like to poop at work or at school. Holding it in now can make it a lot harder to go later, so if you can, try not to put off the call of nature!

Oddly Satisfying Pictures That Any Perfectionist Will Appreciate (29 pics)

New Jersey artist Adam Hillman, 21, creates aesthetically pleasing pictures. The artist said, “I’m always thinking about possible ideas, but the best photos I've created come about very organically."

Clarke Bedford’s Bizarre Art House And Cars

On Nicholson Street in Hyattsville, in Maryland, the US, stands the outlandishly decorated house of Clarke Bedford, a retired art conservator at the Hirshhorn Museum. Every square-inch of the exterior is decorated with pieces of metal that Bedford has salvaged or bought. There are old metal fans, statues, fenders and headlights. On the white fence surrounding his house hang more objects that have been bent and shaped. His steampunk cars parked on the street in front of his house have underwent the same kind of treatment.

An artist all his life, Bedford’s home improvement began in 2000 when he began experimenting with his Saab convertible. He ripped off the bumpers, and with other replacements, made his car look more like a ‘30s roadster. He then began incorporating the unused parts into the fencing around his property. Once he was done with the fence, he began working on his house.

Bedford calls his site "As-sem-blage Co-ttage," pronounced in rhyming French. His best-known vehicle, called “Vanadu”, is an ’88 Ford Econoline van.