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Sundown Reptiles presented a standout display at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo, featuring blooming orchids and elegant reptile enclosures. Learn more about this experienced and active vendor. Sundown Reptiles at Tinley Park Reptile Expo Sundown Reptiles stood out at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo with their orchids and beautifully designed reptile enclosures. Their professional display and active online presence show a clear dedication to both reptiles and presentation. When I was at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo, my eye was drawn to the Sundown Reptiles table right away because of the orchids. I’d never seen that variety in bloom before, and it stood out among the typical displays. The reptiles were housed in beautifully designed enclosures, clearly prepared with care. This vendor came across as professional and seasoned, with a setup that was both visually engaging and educational. They’re active on Facebook and Instagram , and you can also visit their website to see the variety of reptiles they breed and raise. Corky Lorenz October 18, 2025 Tinley NARBC All Articles

Learn what hognose snakes eat from hatchling to adult. Includes feeding tips for new owners, starting with chicken hearts and pinkies as they grow. What do hognose snakes eat? When they are first hatched, and are very small, they can eat cut chicken hearts. As they get bigger, they transition to eating pinkies. Feed a hognose like most other pet snakes. In the wild, hognose snakes can eat toads and amphibians. As pets, hognose snakes are not unique in what they eat. Feed them like you would any other common pet snake. Pinkie mice : newborn mice (usually frozen/thawed). This is the standard feeder for most pet hognoses once they’re big enough. Fuzzy mice : slightly older/larger mice, used as the snake grows; they’re the next step up from pinkies. Chicken hearts or pieces : often used for newly hatched or picky eaters before they transition to rodents. The challenge when they are first hatched, is that they are quite small. You can cut up chicken hearts to give them appropriately sized food. As they get bigger, you can store frozen pinkies and thaw them when you need to feed your hungry little hisser . Consider interacting with your hognose with and without food, so they don't just associate your company exclusively with food. They might confuse you for a snack. Corky Lorenz October 11, 2025 Hognose Snakes All Articles

Learn how to get intense, saturated color in tie dye by using concentrated dyes and controlled application methods. Includes a real example with orange and yellow gradients for maximum brightness. How do you get really bright color with tie dye? The most important elements of bright tie dye color are: using natural fiber shirts, presoaking in soda ash, using enough dye, and letting it fully set. I love vibrant color, and recently I have experimented with simple dye application methods that prioritized color saturation. In that experiment, I used concentrated orange and yellow dye colors to deeply saturate a shirt with a really simple gradient design, in a plastic bin. The bin snuggly fit around the shirt and the amount of liquid didn’t go much over the top of the shirt. I let it sit for about 24 hours. It was pre-soaked in soda ash solution before applying dye. When I first posted about it, some people were annoyed, thinking I was trying to claim the most basic methods as my own. What I think is actually happening, is we forget the simple basics in pursuit of more complicated and complex designs. We are spending hours doing intricate folds and tie work, and forget that just having a really bright orange shirt can be delightful. My return to something considered fundamental and basic is only meant to bring your attention back to an easy way to get vibrant color. It doesn’t need to be complex or time consuming to be breathtaking. Whenever I go out in one of these bin style gradient shirts, people always comment on how nice the color is. I probably get more comments on simple bin dyes than I do on geode style shirts. Corky Lorenz October 8, 2025 All Articles Dye

Geode tie dye is made by wrapping sinew tightly around fabric to form rings and lines that look like a sliced geode. Works well with ice-dye or the cold mist method. What is geode tie dye? It’s a style of tie dye that ends up resembling a sliced agate or geode. Artificial sinew is wrapped around fabric and pulled tight to resist dye and create lines. I first saw this style of tie dye from a creator who was dyeing fabric to sew reusable pads and cloth diapers. She was tying multiple concentric lines with sinew on bamboo sherpa fabric, and I thought it was really beautiful and wanted to try it myself. At first, it’s difficult to get a feel for how tight the ties need to be if you want the lines to stay crisp without blotchiness between them. The tied item ends up looking like an octopus with a bunch of tentacles poking out everywhere. It’s a time consuming method, but a lot of people enjoy the results and the ways the colors will split when it’s ice dyed or when someone uses the cold mist method. I usually ice dye geodes, and I get the best results when I apply ice and dye to one side, let it melt, then flip it over and apply more ice and dye to the other side. The results end up being more even across the whole item, especially if it’s a shirt. The parts of the shirt that face up and get the most contact with the ice and dye usually look the best, so doing two applications helps even that out. There’s also a lot of benefit to the cold mist method in how fast you can flip the item and apply dye from different directions. Corky Lorenz October 8, 2025 All Articles Geode Dye

Geode style tie dye is known for concentric bands of color that are created with a resist style of tying with waxy thread. Here’s how you create those crisp lines. How to tie crisp lines in the geode tie dye style? Getting crisp lines without blotchiness requires making the ties really tight and properly spaced. When I say that the ties have to be tight, I don’t mean that you’re actually tying knots. What you’re actually doing is grabbing a bunch of fabric and wrapping the sinew around the fabric 4 to 5 times. Then you pull it really tight until it starts to lock down on itself because of the wax coating. If you want the line to be thicker, you can wrap 3 more times and pull again. It works better to wrap 3-4 times and pull, multiples times, rather than try to wrap it 8 times and get all of those wraps to cleanly tighten down. The next trick is figuring out how to pull the sinew without hurting your hands. Usually, I just use a scrap piece of PVC pipe that I wrap the sinew around. Then I use the pipe to pull the sinew. When applying dye, you want the liquid to be able to reach all of the tight space between the ties. It helps the lines to appear crisp and well defined, if there is enough space between the ties for the dye to fully saturate. Corky Lorenz October 8, 2025 All Articles Geode Dye

Handmade fantasy sculptures by Rhonda Whitledge at Rebel Art Fest 2025 in South Bend, Indiana. Expressive clay characters that captivated festival visitors at Potawatomi Park. Sculptures by Rhonda Whitledge at Rebel Art Fest Rhonda Whitledge creates hand-sculpted fantasy figures that feel alive, each with expressive faces and detailed clothing. Her booth at Rebel Art Fest drew steady attention from visitors. At the 2025 Rebel Art Fest in South Bend’s Potawatomi Park, I came across one of the most striking displays of the afternoon. Sculptor Rhonda Whitledge filled her booth with detailed, handmade fantasy creatures, each one with its own distinct expression, posture, and personality. The figures had a cinematic quality, like a glimpse into a fairytale world that existed just beyond sight. Some resembled the figure of a nose, which I found to be delightful. People stopped often, taking time to study the details and talk with her about the characters. Rhonda was warm, and happy to share about her process, and it was clear that each piece was carefully crafted. You can find more of her work on Instagram and Facebook under Sculpture by Rhonda Whitledge. Corky Lorenz October 20, 2025 All Articles

Known for its Olive burgers and standard fast food menu, this location in Sturgis Michigan is the last remaining Hot n’ Now restaurant. Is Hot n’ Now still open? Yes, there is one remaining hot now location left in Sturgis, Michigan. It operates more like a family business and no longer like a franchise. A few months ago, a friend asked me if I’d ever been to Hot n’ Now. I said no, and he was appalled. So we immediately drove from Elkhart to Sturgis Michigan. He got the famous Olive burger, which is in the picture above and I got a normal cheeseburger. We also got fries and onion rings to share. The crispy fried foods were exactly as you would expect and lifted my mood as intended. It seems like they stayed consistent with the branding and menu, even though they now operate independently. I noticed in the drive-through they had Hot n’ Now merch that they were selling. It seems like this is a very nostalgic fast food place for a lot of people because when I posted about it on Facebook, it went kind of viral locally. If you happen to be in the area, it’s probably worth a visit just to say that you tried it or that you’ve gotten food from the last remaining location. Corky Lorenz October 5, 2025 All Articles Food

Fernwood Botanical Gardens features two charming model train displays, one indoors near the fern conservatory and one outside among the trees. A fun stop for families, kids, and train enthusiasts. Model trains at Fernwood Botanical Gardens There are two different train displays at Fernwood. One is inside, in the building where you buy your tickets. The other is a short walk from the entrance, on the trail. When planning my visit to Fernwood Botanical Gardens, I somehow missed the fact that they would have trains on display, not just in one place but in two! Inside the Fern Conservatory room, there are train tracks weaving in and out of the different fern displays in the visitor center that you walk through when you first arrive. Then, outside, there are even more trains, which was such a fun surprise to discover. I would have gone to Fernwood just to see the trains if I had known about them, so it was really exciting to stumble upon them. I loved the way the trains were weaving through the trees, like they were meant to be there. It didn’t feel like an artificial or commercialized setup. The whole thing looked carefully crafted with materials you would actually find in the forest. The tracks worked perfectly for the trains, but nothing felt copied or mass produced. It is the kind of display that a true train lover would appreciate, and any young kids who are train obsessed would absolutely love. I am not sure how long they run into the wintertime since snow could make things tricky, but when I visited on November 1st, the trains were still running. Leaves were falling, the air was chilly, and it was such a cozy scene. You will find the outdoor train display not too far from the main building where you check in. There is also a children’s exploration area nearby with a slide, open space to run, and plenty of trees and foliage to enjoy. Corky Lorenz November 2, 2025 Fernwood All Articles

Bamboo fleece makes a soft and absorbent topper for cloth pads. Use either side of the fabric, enjoy vibrant dye results, and repurpose scraps for pad cores. Can you use bamboo fleece as a topper for cloth pads? Yes. Bamboo fleece is soft, absorbent, and works beautifully as a cloth pad topper, whether you use the fuzzy side or the smooth knit side facing up. Lots of people really love using bamboo fleece as a topper for sewing cloth pads , because it is very soft and very absorbent. Usually when they are using it as a topper, they’re using the 300 or 400 gsm fabric weight. Often, people are getting the fabric from Nature’s Fabrics , Kinderel or Wazoodle. There are lots of other places I’m sure you could get it, but those are some of the common sources I knew of when I was most frequently buying fabrics for cloth pads. A lot of people who like using bamboo fleece as a topper think that the fuzzy side is really cute, and they like to have that as the side that faces out and is visible. When you think of a sweatshirt, the fuzzy fleece side is usually on the inside, but in the context of cloth pads and diapers, the quality of the fleece is better, and the fuzzy side is actually nice and desirable to be seen and felt. Some people still like to have the smooth knit side towards the body because it’s their preference and they want the fabric for its absorbent capabilities, but it can be used either way. The really nice perk about bamboo fleece or bamboo terry is that it takes dye very well. The colors are quite vibrant, and it’s a nice instant gratification activity if you want to have some beautiful, colorful pads. If you end up having scraps that are dyed and not big enough to sew a whole pad, you can just use them to bulk up the core section of the pad. Even if it’s dyed, it doesn’t matter, you can use it on the inside of the pad. Corky Lorenz October 22, 2025 All Articles Sewing

Original Versodile sewing patterns by Corky Lorenz, designed for fully customizable cloth pads. Mix and match fronts, backs, and wings for the perfect fit and coverage, from light to heavy absorbency. Versodile Sewing Patterns for Cloth Pads Sewing patterns designed for getting a custom fit to suit your needs. Mix and match the ends to get the cloth pad length and shape you need. Corky is the original designer of the Versodile Cloth Pad Sewing Patterns (Etsy link) . The name was meant to playfully communicate the function of the patterns: customization. Each pattern has two ends, a front and a back, that can be mixed and matched for a custom fit. In the past, most pads and patterns were made symmetrical, so the front and back were the same size. If someone needed extra coverage in the back but not the front, they had to buy a pad that was too long overall and still didn’t fit correctly. I designed these patterns so the two halves align perfectly in the middle, allowing you to choose the exact shape that fits your body. Every body is different, and needs for absorbency and shape can vary. These patterns give you the ability to swap wings and flares for both style and function. The most recent pattern, The Contour , is designed for people who need heavy absorbency or full coverage at night. It’s the longest and widest pattern in the series and can be sewn with a regular sewing machine or finished with a serger for a clean edge on both the pad and the core. Corky Lorenz October 22, 2025 All Articles Sewing

Thomas Greenhouse and Gardens brought a stunning selection of Hoyas, variegated tropicals, and carnivorous plants to the October 2025 Tinley Park Reptile Expo, offering rare varieties like Thai Constellation Monstera at unbeatable prices. Thomas Greenhouse and Gardens at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo Thomas Greenhouse and Gardens is a returning favorite at the Tinley Park Reptile Expo, known for rare tropicals and affordable Hoyas. Their displays always stand out, colorful, vertical, and packed with hard to find plants. One of the main things I look forward to when I go to a reptile expo is hunting down the plants, particularly the Hoyas. At the Tinley Park Reptile Expo in October 2025, I found the vendor Thomas Greenhouse and Gardens. This was the third time seeing them, if I remember correctly, and they have had an impressive display every time. This year, they had a large variety of variegated plants that were previously considered rare and hard to get, at prices that were mind blowing. There were Thai Constellations in 4 inch pots with leaves already developing fenestrations for 25 dollars. On the second day, you can usually get good sales on plants because vendors prefer not to take them all home. If I remember right, there was a buy two, get the third free deal. They also had carnivorous plants and small species meant for terrariums, plants that grow in humid, closed environments. But most of the collection seemed aimed at people who collect houseplants and tropicals as a separate hobby from providing enrichment in reptile enclosures. This vendor sets up their displays in a way that is actually fun to browse, with stands that make use of vertical space instead of just tables. It is visually commanding, you can spot them across the room. I would say they are a staple vendor at the Tinley NARBC Reptile Expo, and I look forward to seeing them again in the future. Corky Lorenz October 23, 2025 Tinley NARBC All Articles

Photos from the 2025 Tinley Park NARBC Reptile Expo featuring lizards, snakes, frogs, and other reptiles. Includes candid shots of displays and animals from vendors and attendees. Lizards, snakes, & frogs at the Tinley Reptile Expo There was so much variety to see among vendor booths! I was also impressed by the number of vendors I recognized from the previous two visits to this NARBC expo location. Here’s a collection of images from the 2025 Tinley NARBC Expo that don’t yet have vendors or categories. If you see an animal that belongs to your display, please let me know so I can credit/tag you! Corky Lorenz October 14, 2025 Tinley NARBC All Articles