while the sun shines

happy new year

2011-12-22T09:22:00.030-05:00

We’re ringing in 2012 with these festive party hats. Print the template and follow the step-by-step below to make your own festive head wear. You'll need scissors, some curling ribbon, a stapler or tape, and a piece of string or elastic.

Print one (or all!) of the four different designs by right-clicking and opening the image in a new window. Then follow the steps

1. Cut out your hat base

2. Roll the base into a cone by overlapping the ends and staple or tape to secure

3. Curl ribbon and attach to the top of your cone with tape, staples, or glue

You can also slide the ribbon through the top, you have a small opening at the top of your cone and tie a couple knots to keep it in place

4. Punch two holes for the elastic where they are marked (by small circles) on the template
5. Loop elastic string through the holes and tie in a double knot

You can also staple the elastic and tie a knot above the staple to keep it in place

Add glitter, tinsel, or confetti to give your hat some extra flair!

glittered letter banner

2011-12-14T06:07:00.000-05:00

workspace

2011-12-12T21:20:00.000-05:00

advent

2011-12-01T14:40:00.000-05:00

yarn-wrapped letter

2011-10-26T05:25:00.002-04:00

I've seen a bunch of these yarn-wrapped letters on pinterest (here, here, and here) and loved them. So I was just waiting to find the right letter "C" to create my own (I wanted a fairly modern sans-serif typeface and hadn't seen any around.) The other day I was in Michael's Art & Craft and saw a bunch of letters in the dollar bins on clearance, I was excited to find this sans-serif "C" for just forty cents! I picked up a $2.50 skein of yarn in a soft gray color, and used a little bit of hot glue that I already owned for a quick, $3 project.

I wrapped the end caps first so they'd be underneath.

Here's the finished letter:

autumn wreath

2011-10-25T05:45:00.002-04:00

Just a little wreath I put together so that we'd have some fall in our dining room.

I picked up this grapevine wreath base at the craft store, and used a few artificial stems I already had on hand, plus some stalks of dried wheat to fill it in a bit.

lamp revamp

2011-10-22T21:20:00.003-04:00

I was given a cardboard lamp base over the summer and had a yard of fabric from IKEA laying around so I decided to combine the two to make a lamp for my studio. I wrapped the fabric around the base inside out and then marked it with a pin, then I sewed a seam at the mark to make a sleeve. Hemmed the top and bottom to the correct height to cover the cardboard area, and slipped the finished sleeve over the base. It was quick to make and will be easy to change for a new look if I ever get tired of this fabric, though I'm loving it so much, it's hard to imagine wanting to change it.

Here's the before and after:

Indah & Gavin Print Materials

2011-10-19T06:00:00.001-04:00

Programs, Seating Cards, & Table Numbers for Indah & Gavin's Wedding

ladies sign

2011-10-18T12:32:00.000-04:00

I just loved this little brass sign for the ladies room, from the Waveny House in New Canaan, Connecticut.

chevron fever

2011-09-26T05:45:00.004-04:00

This metal box was another thing I rescued from the trash pile at my office. I loved it immediately, but thought it could use a little something extra . . . maybe on the lid. I've been crushing on chevron patterns for a while and even though I made this chevron rug a few months ago, my fever for the zigzags hasn't abated. My design mind is fickle though, so even though I'm loving every zig and zag in sight right now, I realize that in a few months I might be digging something new, so I didn't want to do anything too permanent to this box. So, out came the contact paper again. I printed myself out a zigzag stripe to use as a template, and then used scissors to cut out enough zigzags to cover the lid. Then I just peeled the backing, stuck them on using my template as a spacing guide, and trimmed off the excess after folding each end under the lid. It's so sweet I may even take it home and use it in my kitchen for recipes.

mid-century office items

2011-09-23T09:45:00.000-04:00

Some things I picked up to go in my redesigned office space
- a retro stamp holder with enamel base
- a small adjustable arm lamp with a laminated wood-look base
- matching electric heater - has the faux-wood look.

The stamp holder was in the junk/trash pile at work and I saved it. The lamp and the heater I picked up at Salvation Army, The lamp was $5 and the heater, I snagged $7.50.

inbox update

2011-09-22T14:13:00.001-04:00

I'm getting a new desk in my office. I love my old desk, it's huge and has beautiful drawers and three pull-out (pocketed) work surfaces. Having worked at this desk for five years, I'll be sad to give it up, but really I'm just trading with a neighboring co-worker so I'll still get to see it around the office. The new desk is lower, more ergonomically proportioned for my height and best of all, was made in 1960. This switch is the little extra push that I've been needing to add some style to my work space that reflects my design preferences a little better. So I've been doing little projects, picking up little items at the thrift store that compliment this new desk, and making new things out of old ones to create a space that I'm delighted to walk into every day. I'm the type of girl that works more happily and productively in a neat, clean, well-designed space.

I updated this wooden inbox that was destined for the trash at my office building, (it was only slightly stained on the inside bottom.) Using a gray prismacolor marker, I free-handed a simple line pattern on a sheet of white contact paper that was slightly larger than the interior dimensions of the box. Once it was covered, I let it air dry for a few minutes so it wouldn't be smudgy, then peeled off the contact paper backing and starting in the middle of the box, stuck it down and smoothed it toward the edges. I used my x-acto knife to trim off the excess, then covered the outside in plain white contact paper, using the same method. Some of the nice detailing of the box, like the dovetailed corners, are hidden, but so are the stains and scratches and it looks a little fresher. I pulled this file holder out of the same trash pile, and it doesn't need a thing, it isn't scratched or dented at all. I've seen this file rack in a few offices in scenes from Mad Men too, which makes it feel extra special. Just needs a little dusting off.

dining room

2011-09-20T13:32:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to take a picture of this American of Martinsville credenza that we've had in our dining room for a few months now. I put up that string-line with paper goods pinned to it for a little craft party this past weekend and it looked so sweet, I decided to leave it up for a few days. Anyway, the credenza is one of my favorite pieces that we own, and it has a sweet story that starts with this little side table. I haven't taken many pictures of the side table yet, but you can see it here in this year-old picture of our living room:

We plucked that little end table (on the far left, beside the sofa) off of the curb, it had a free sign covering the entire front, so all I could see as we drove past, were those beautiful tapered legs. We made a U-turn and were delighted when we lifted the sign to find the offset handles. We packed it quickly into the backseat and drove home, feeling like we'd just made away with the treasure. It had some nail polish spilled on the top and down the side, so I sanded it down gently and refinished it with satin polyurethane. I also lined the drawers with the wallpaper i used for our front closet. It has the rounded x-shaped metal inlays on the top that are kind of charming. Later while searching craigslist for a deal on a credenza, we happened upon this matching one and Tim drove straight up to Maryland to pick it up. It's currently in the dining room, but we're planning for it to live in the living room once we finish the floor in there.

faux-polaroids

2011-08-30T06:42:00.011-04:00

I found these pictures of my Moma in a desk drawer the other day, I love them. Mostly because they're my Mom, but more than that too - I also love the vintage softness of the film and the way they feel in your hand. There's something about the look of them that just draws me. I wanted to put them out on my desk, though I was hesitant to, for fear of them getting damaged by a careless spill or from too much sun (my office is quite bright). I realized I could just have them reprinted or I could easily frame them. But there's also something nice about the casual feel of the, just propped up on my desk and so I wondered how I could preserve the originals, but still have a display photo that had some of the wonderful vintage feel to it.

Recently, I came across and old box of Polaroid 600 film, excited I plopped it into my camera and went around trying to get an image. Sadly, and not unexpectedly as the film was decades old, it had lost all of it's polaroid chemical magic, so after a few hours of hopeful shutter-clicking and camera-whirring, I was left with a handful of blank frames. Being a polaroid lover, I was unwilling to toss the blanks and so I just hung on to them for months thinking of project ideas for them. I toyed with several reinvented polaroid crafts, but discarded the ideas declaring them unfit and unworthy of the precious blank frames.

This is the first of two uses that I thought was neat enough to use up the blanks for, I'll share the second another day. Basically all I did was photograph the images. I have more control with my camera to capture the light and quality of an old photo, than I feel like the scanner is capable of, so in order to get a digital version, I often prefer re-photographing to scanning. After getting them in the computer I color-corrected them, just for fun and to make them feel more like polaroids, then reprinted them. After cutting out the slightly bigger than 3" x3" image, I flipped over the polaroid blank and used my craft knife to cut through the black plastic layer. Not through the whole frame - just the back layer. The glossy plastic on the front separated easily from the back and I was able to slide the reprinted image into the blank frame. I'm currently using a miniature slinky, wrapped in a circle, to display them on my desk.

paper and things

2011-08-25T13:25:00.005-04:00

A few things I've been making recently, out of paper:

Cake for J&A

2011-08-22T08:19:00.002-04:00

helpful how-to for icing a cake neatly from whisk kid.

pink macarons

2011-07-17T16:06:00.002-04:00

four years

2011-07-06T18:25:00.005-04:00

Four years ago today I married my sweetheart, so happy to be by his side.

4th of July strawberries

2011-07-04T13:55:00.019-04:00

Idea & recipe found here

To make these fun and festive fourth of July strawberries:
- wash and thoroughly dry strawberries
- prep a sheet pan by lining it with wax paper
- pour blue sanding sugar into a small bowl
- melt white chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between.
- dip 2/3 of the strawberry into white chocolate and then the tip into the blue sugar
- place on the wax paper sheet to cool
- put the dipped-berries into mini cupcake wrappers to serve

fused plastic zipper pouch how-to

2011-06-26T06:15:00.000-04:00

What you need:
8-10 plastic grocery or shopping bags
7-9" zipper
parchment paper
scissors
iron
sewing machine

What to do:
Cut 4-5 rectangles from an unprinted section of the bag to use as a base layer, then cut up portions of the printed area to create a design and lay them on top of the base layer, use a clear or white plastic bag to cut a rectangle that covers your whole design.

I used the cart from the shoppers logo, cut 5 of them out and placed them at different angles to create this design. Place one sheet of parchment underneath your plastic layers and place one on top, making sure all the plastic is covered by parchment.

Fuse the layers together by ironing on top of the parchment sheet with your iron set on rayon. Try to keep the iron moving at all times so that the plastic doesn't melt too much, it will have holes in it if it does. Flip the whole thing over, parchment and all, and iron that side too.

The plastic should be fuse together as one piece, it may curl up a little as it cools don't worry about that too much. Next, trim the uneven edges to make a rectangle.

Repeat the above steps to create a second side for your zipper pouch.

I used this tutorial to sew the zipper onto the plastic and finish the edges to create the pouch.

recycled plastic bag zipper pouches

2011-06-25T20:35:00.000-04:00

almond apricot macarons

2011-06-18T15:15:00.007-04:00

I did it . . . I've been nervous to make these after reading numerous articles about how temperamental they can be. But this morning, I decided "today is a good day to attempt macarons." So I did. I used this as my guide and this basic recipe with apricot filling.

small accomplishment

2011-04-29T10:40:00.001-04:00

This feels like an accomplishment although I did very little, just pinned things I love to my boards . . . and now I have 100 followers! If you aren't on pinterest . . . you should definitely check it out.

feeling like spring

2011-04-28T06:02:00.003-04:00

1. yellow dess
2. leaf pendant necklace
3. metallic sandals

chevron rug

2011-04-27T09:35:00.009-04:00

that comes in several colors. But after seeing several DIY versions on pinterest, I decided I could probably do the same. So here's my painted chevron rug:
Painted chevron rugs? Yes, please! I've been wanting one for awhile, there's currently one at urban outfittersI opted for a more subtle zigzag, hoping it would lend itself to the calm feeling of our bedroom. I picked up this little gray-striped tray at IKEA a few weeks ago, and as soon as I plopped the rug down beside the bed, I noticed they are nearly the exact same shade of gray, sweet!

There are plenty of DIY instructions for this rug, (here, here, here, oh and here!) that have great how-to's so I won't write out detailed instructions, but here are a few during shots.

I used this IKEA rug and plain old masking tape instead of painters tape, just because it was what I already had. I also cut out a template to work from because I was intimidated by all the measuring that others mentioned. I just laid the template down and taped underneath it.

The gray paint was some that I had leftover from when I painted the office, it's Glidden's Woodsmoke. I love the color, though it dried much darker then I thought it would on the
fabric rug. I had planned to remove the tape immediately after painting each row, but it went so quickly that I ended up removing it after I had painted all the rows. It took me about 45 minutes to tape out all the zig-zags, and a little over half-an-hour to paint the stripes.

I let it dry for 1 hour before moving it to the bedroom - the paint did not bleed through the rug like I thought it might so I wasn't worried any smidges of paint getting on the floors and I let it dry overnight before walking on it.
Seeing it underneath my feet when I hop out of bed has been making me smile everytime!

dragonfly.

2011-04-22T10:21:00.000-04:00

I followed this little guy around the yard. Isn't he sweet?

watercolor cards

2011-03-01T12:15:00.002-05:00

watercolor business cards

1. stack watercolor paper cards and rubberband at one end
2. soak in water for 15 min.
3. stand upright on a paper plate by rubberbanding and taping two chopsticks
4. inks (I used Windsor & Newton inks)
5. use an eyedropper to pick up ink
6. drop ink, one color at a time, onto the soaked edge of the stack
7. seperate the cards carefully
8. iron flat once dry

string stamp

2011-03-01T12:07:00.005-05:00

I was inspired to do this by this, found on pinterest.

1. wrap string around wooden block and tape in place.
2. press block onto stamp pad.
3. stamp a pattern on plain paper.

today

2011-02-25T10:36:00.002-05:00

that's all.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T06:51:00.002-05:00

hey, its a house.

2009-10-06T17:20:00.005-04:00

We bought a house. A neat one-story, u-shaped, brick ranch that backs to the ninth hole of a golf course. It's 2200 square feet of . . . well, it's ours anyway! We settled in August and even though I should blog about it, I'm going to take the year off and focus on working on it. Here's what you should know:

1. We love it. (Obviously)
2. It needs a lot of work.
3. Over the next year we're going to be doing as much of that work as we can.

I began tapping away at this blog mainly for myself to track inspiration and write about things that were important to me in the moment. Now that we've got the house, it's what's important to me for this season, so I've decided to focus on it.

Eventually, our hope is to have some great before & after pictures! Mostly because we want to live in the afters.

turning 25

2009-08-03T07:40:00.002-04:00

it's here . . . i've been on this earth for one-quarter of a century.

25 Things I Want to Do Before I'm 30
1. photograph one thing, every single day, for a year
2. plant a vegetable garden, or maybe just a small herb garden
3. learn to menu plan on a weekly basis
4. take a pottery class and brush up on my wheel throwing
5. write, illustrate, & design a children's book, even if it never gets published
6. read The Bible every single day
7. go a whole month without sugar
8. buy a video camera, make home videos
9. organize all of our photos into bound books
10. install a porch swing or hammock
11. spend more quality time with my sweetheart
12. throw themed dinner parties
13. find a friend who likes to exercise
14. go through my artwork from college and pitch at least half of it
15. find a place for everything. put everything in it's place
16. keep a sketchbook
17. go sailing
18. re-establish mexican monday
19. design a stationery line and sell it
20. create art for our house
21. take photos of just the two of us frequently
22. create a book that describes our special Christmas ornaments
23. lose fifteen pounds
24. (I'm not telling)
25. (this one's a secret too)

woody.

2009-07-10T06:28:00.003-04:00

everyone seems to be into the woods lately, I'm diggin' 'em too.
check out these:

1. wood deck
2. palo samko bird
3. laser-cut alphabet

on/off

2009-07-09T10:12:00.002-04:00

I've been on and off, out and about, and not really up to posting in the last few weeks, which explains the gigantic lapse.

but I'm back.

with these neat-o switchplates!

Bucket Bicycle!

2009-05-14T12:30:00.001-04:00

Ever since Tim and I snagged our sweet tandem bike on craigslist last year, I've been searching for an awesome one-seater bike for myself, only thing is I'd really like it to be able to tote stuff so it's useful - I keep seeing sweet vintage bicycles with side bags and baskets, but I just saw this and now I so want one of these:

Because I would so do this:

and I'm not the slightest bit embarrassed to let you know I entered the contest by posting this!

another post about egg chairs!

2009-05-09T06:19:00.001-04:00

Remember this post from awhile back? Now Pottery Barn has a super cute hanging egg chair and it's on sale- too bad the sale price is still about $700 more then I want to spend! from pottery barn

urban outfitter love

2009-05-09T06:11:00.000-04:00

on my shopping list.

1. pleated shirt
2. ruffle suit
3. tap pant
4. ruffle shirt

long dresses

2009-05-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

1. blue skywriter
2. graphite chiffon

3. honey-dripped

4. blue ash convertile skirt/dress

today.

2009-05-07T06:40:00.000-04:00

poster from studio mela

opinions please

2009-04-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

For the past few weeks Tim and I have been using spare moments, brief though they may be, to work on two small sailboats that we recently acquired through the wonderfulness that is craigslist. (Search for "Sunfish" or "small sailboat" if you're looking for your own) Tim's boat is an AMF Aquafinn, the big brother to a sunfish and my sweet little boat is the smaller version called a Minifish (also made by AMF in the 1970's).

Now that we've put in some elbow grease (mostly Tim's) we're almost ready to set sail - one more thing, these boats need names! We've pretty much settled on TimFinn for Tim's blue and yellow striped sailer. Help me pick one for mine! (poll on the right)

i love orla.

2009-04-20T06:58:00.000-04:00

www.orlakiely.com

stop-motion morning

2009-04-08T05:14:00.001-04:00

i just saw this amazing stop-action photography piece here:

stone's throw

2009-04-07T12:16:00.002-04:00

i think these are really soothing to look at.

woodsy picnic

2009-03-28T04:42:00.002-04:00

1. yellow floral napkins
2. bamboo triple-tier pail
3. bamboo plates
4. bamboo flatware

don't go far

2009-03-27T05:34:00.002-04:00

Stay in your own backyard and picnic- but create a bug-free zone by hanging an oversized mosquito net then cozy up your space with a blanket and some throw pillows!

1. Print Plates
2. Oversized Outdoor Net
3. Print Blanket
4. Ice Bucket
5. Ground Pillows

handy helpers

2009-03-26T05:31:00.000-04:00

These might make picnic just a little bit easier, now isn't that handy?

1. Paring Knives
2. Salt / Pepper
3. Salad Keeper
4. Table in a Bag

tin bins

2009-03-25T06:27:00.003-04:00

What could be more fun for a picnic than these ? 1. bucket grill
2. picnic tin
3. plastic pail

fresh picnic

2009-03-24T05:32:00.002-04:00

1. Sweet Grass Pillow
2. Green Plastic Glasses
3. Square Bamboo Plates
4. Neato Wire Basket
5. Sushi Plate
6. Outline Tablecloth

picnic week

2009-03-23T05:14:00.000-04:00

I admit it, I can't stop thinking about summer, that's the reason for the swimsuit post yesterday.

and consequently also why I've decided to dedicate this entire week to Picnic Planning. I'm going to check out all the outdoor eating supplies available at my favorite vendors. Hope you're looking forward to summer as much as I am.

For starters:

Flatware
Basket
Blanket
Umbrella
Square Plates

thinking ahead to summer . . .

2009-03-22T05:52:00.000-04:00

1. Arabian Nights Swimsuit
2. Knit Swing Dress
3. Hideaway Hat

portland

2009-03-20T05:34:00.000-04:00

dear wonderful husband tim,

can we move here and live in these?

k, thanks,

your devoted wife

I WANT this table.

2009-03-19T05:16:00.000-04:00

This is the dining room table my husband wants. he says "Now THAT's a table I'd pay full price for!" For a guy who despises over-priced, pretentious furniture, I'm shocked. THIS is the table you like . . . don't get me wrong, I love this table - it's thick, rough-hewn, reclaimed timbers from a Brittish distillery. I LOVE this table. I'm just surprised that my sweetheart, (we're talking ramen noodle 'because it's soooo cheap' eating TIM, here) would drop over 3K for this.

COOL! Except that's a huge chunk of down-payment money. . . which means - yea, we're not doing that, but I'm still in awe.

And . . . because he wants this table, it makes ME want this table, and NOW my desire is totally justified.

misty morning

2009-03-18T10:05:00.000-04:00

It was so foggy this morning I could barely see the cars in front of me - I grabbed these shots with my iPhone. On the corner where I sit and wait for (the longest light in history) to turn green, I can usually see the 7-11 and Shell station very clearly as they are both less then hundred feet from my window - but this morning it looked like this:
I think this means its getting warmer!

tim's day

2009-03-13T06:45:00.002-04:00

March 12 is Tim's birthday. . . he worked a really long day - I had to say 'Happy Birthday' to him at midnight because otherwise I wouldn't have seen him on his birthday!

Me: Happy Birthday!!!!

Tim: Thanks, what tie should I wear tomorrow? (holds up decrepit tie hanger weighed down with ties and a striped one already in his hand.)

Me: That one! (choosing the one already in his hand) How come you have to work for 22 out of 24 hours that make up your birthday?

Tim: Because we have 5 events today, and the President will be at one of them . . . . and there's a lot of extra things that need to be done when the President is attending something.

Me: President Obama?

Tim: No the other President? Yeah, President Obama is coming to my birthday party.

Me: I always knew you were important.

While he was off doing a little bread winning I thought it would be sweet (in a first grade kind of way) to make him a batch of cupcakes that he could take to work today since he'll actually be in his office for part of today.

The only problem was that I couldn't decide what kind to make - so I made two kinds

Butter Pecan and Lemon. I made regular sized cupcakes and mini ones, by the time I was finished I had enough cupcakes on the kitchen table to fill my cupcake carrier times FOUR!!!

But I only have one cupcake carrier not four, sadly - so I'll be transporting the rest to my office to share with my co-workers via a very uncool baking sheet.

I'm not sure exactly why (probably has something to do with my obsession for all things candy) but I like to try and work in favorite candies when I'm making a batch of cupcakes for someone special - Last year I made a Nerd/Smarties Cake for Tim and it was pretty darn cute though I say it myself:

So this year, I incorporated peeps - Tim really loves peeps - in fact he actually enjoys them in all stages - Stage 1 being the freshly opened soft and sandy deliciousness, Stage 2 is the day old slightly firmed version and then there's Stage 3 - the several day old, been sitting with the plastic open, freely exposed to the air and now completely stale and hard stage. He claims he likes them best in Stage 3 when they've "matured." Gross, I know. but in any event I put peeps ontop of the lemon cupcakes, I think they've now got a better chance of being devoured before we reach stage 3, don't you?

Apple Tart

2009-03-09T07:03:00.002-04:00

Easy Apple Tart:
I made this tart this past weekend for a bunch of friends and it was pretty quick - I generally use shortcuts like puff pastry or pre-made crusts to speed up the process, especially if I'm not making a recipe ahead of time, but I wasn't planning on making this until it was begged of me - and who am I to deny a good friend some apple tart? Actually I couldn't resist the excuse to bake - we talked about a few apple tarts I had made last fall as we were sitting down to eat dinner and I got so excited thinking about baking this that I barely ate any dinner and jumped up to find a crust recipe. I didn't have much flour so it was tricky finding one that I had all the ingredients on hand for but this was it. There was more of this tart to begin with then in the picture above but by the time I got out my camera this was all that was left. The crust is really easy and tastes a lot like shortbread due to the excessive amount of butter.

What You need:
2 sticks of butter, cold, cut into slices
2 1/4 cups of flour
dash of salt
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of ice water (it does have to be cold)

cinnamon
honey
sugar

3 apples
butter for drizzling while its baking

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the butter, flour, sugar, and salt into your mixer (or food processor) and mix until it just begins to form a crumbly clump then add the cold water just a little at a time until it looks more like dough but watch out that it doesn't get too sticky, if this does happen just add a bit more flour. Turn out onto a floured surface and pat it together, then knead it for a quick second roll it out flat. Place the rolled sheet of dough on the parchment lined baking sheet. Form a rectangular slab and cut off any excess. Then form a rim by folding over the edge about a 1/2 inch and pinch it together.

Drizzle honey, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar onto the dough and peirce with a fork in two or three places. Place in the oven for about ten minutes - check it to be sure it isn't rising or getting too brown.

While the crust is in the oven lice the apples thinly - I used a variety (one yellow, one gala, and one pink lady) to give the tart some extra color. Then pull the crust out of the oven and arrange the apple slices in neat rows - or if you could just throw them on there and spread them around until you like the random arrangement - though the apples tend to cook more evenly if you take the extra minute to arrange them. drizzle more honey, sugar and cinnamon on top and place the tray back into the oven - to be honest I don't really remember how long it took to bake because I was making brownies at the same time but I'd guess about 25-30 minutes. Check it now and then and if it looks like it might be getting dried out drizzle some butter over the tops of the apples, I ended up using another 1/4 of a stick!

Pink Shower

2009-03-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

Holly's having a girl so naturally the shower details were all pink (paired with chocolate brown), all the caregroup ladies have been wanting a tea party for so long that this seemed like the perfect excuse to bring out the teacups! We dressed up the dining room with streamers and hung these cute pink lanterns from the chandelier.

Each lady got to take home a white teacup with a few nice teabags and a bit of chocolate wrapped up in brown organza and finished up with ribbon. We used these at the place settings so they doubled as place cards!

We hung these girly Pom Poms along with streamers and ribbon above the buffet. We snacked on

cucumber, chicken, and gluten-free varieties of tea sandwiches. There were all kinds of Tea as well as scones, tea cookies, fruit, and pink lemonade!

Pink candies were festively displayed in small dishes, some tied with ribbon to create a mini candy-bar and floral arrangements placed in teapots graced the table. I so enjoyed doing a little decor for this girl get-together.

streaming

2009-03-02T05:50:00.000-05:00

One of the things Tim and I most enjoy about the area where we live is that there are so many parks and historic properties. One of our favorite things to to is explore these places. About a year ago we found a gorgeous an overgrown area that though completely coverd in vines and weeds, we could tell must have once been a beautifully landscaped garden. There were brick walls and paths and raised beds, even a little bench tucked into an alcove. It reminded us so much of the Secret Garden that we now call it that.

We took one of our exploring driving/walking trips a few days ago to am old brick bridge and as we were leaving we saw these beautiful rays of sun shining through the clouds.

We stopped to take the above picture and admire God's beautiful creation, after a moment we turned to go but just then an enormous flock of birds flew over our heads and I had barely enough time to whip the camera out again. We were so glad we stopped!

singing in the rain

2009-03-01T06:23:00.001-05:00

I would definitely sing in the rain if I had one of these umbrellas, and these will surely cheer up any dreary,drizzly day!

1. spectrum stipes
2. cooper men's umbrella
3. cloud cover

number punching

2009-02-28T09:34:00.000-05:00

i'm doing something really fun today, tell you all about it next week!

sneak peak

2009-02-27T06:32:00.002-05:00

prepping for an event this weekend, so here's a little preview of pictures coming next week!

is it spring yet?

2009-02-23T12:28:00.001-05:00

. . .because I'm ready for some green.

1. stained glass necklace
2. measuring spoons
3. rollerskate doorstop
4. granny smith jar
5. kiddie set

across the map.

2009-02-20T07:17:00.000-05:00

1. stitachable postcard
2. DC plate
3. here mat
4. NY in a bag

make a statement.

2009-02-17T06:37:00.005-05:00

I'd love to throw a a wine & cheese party with these conversation pieces:

1. incense holder
2. chat plates
3. chandelier
4. wine within

chair love.

2009-02-16T07:15:00.000-05:00

i've admired egg chairs (hanging, stationary floor, and outdoor models alike) for years. i want one for my house or a set for my porch when we get a house. but when it comes down to it my wallets looking sadly empty. pottery barn's outdoor version just went on sale - still a bit out of my price range, tempting as it is.

these are inspired by the 1950's originals:

1. hanging wicker chair

2. leather egg chair

perhaps one day I'll have the perfect spot for an egg chair but in the meantime i'll stare dreamily at this image which just completely appeals to all that my heart desires in an egg chair:

valentine of mine

2009-02-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why exactly but Valentine's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. Perhaps it's the ideas I got into my head about it when I was a little girl, thoughts of tiny mailboxes filled with silly notes of kindness and love with their little red mailbox flags waving triumphantly, announcing that they were full to the brim. Victorian valentine's with a few too many floral motifs framing their edges and splashed with nudie babies armed with bows and arrows, little envelopes with perforated cards stuffed into school desks. Red lollipops with white sugar messages that melted away on your tongue. Perhaps these idea got stuck in my brain and never left. I know most people think it's a hallmark holiday created for the purpose of commercialism and maybe it is, alright it probably is. but you'll have a hard time convincing me not to get giddy like a school girl when the date approaches.

My sweetheart and I forget all the hallmark notions and overpriced candy, we forgo the marked-up, cliched roses (not that we object to anyone else's celebrating with these) and just use the day to remind each other why we fell in love.

And I still enjoy thinking up silly valentine notes to send so here's this years:
It's a rebus puzzle, each of the pieces has little sticky dots so they can be stuck onto the card.

brownie bites

2009-02-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

I didn't spend a lot of time making these from scratch because really the fun part, the 'homemade' part comes at the end.

Brownie Bits and Bites

What you'll need:

1. Brownie Mix - (I used store bought)
2. Chocolate Frosting
3. Milk Chocolate Chips or candy melts

What to do:

Mix the Brownie batter adding just a splash (as in maybe a tablespoon) of extra oil to the mix - this makes them a little more fudgy then normal. Then spread the batter thin and bake them in a large sheet pan. I used a 12 x 15 pan that was about an inch high. The batter spread very thin and made thin brownies which makes cutting shapes out of them much easier. I baked mine as directed on the box and just checked often with a toothpick until it came out clean.

After baking, let them cool and then spread with a can of chocolate frosting. Again, I just used a store-bought one. Then refrigerate the whole thing, until firm. Use a heart-shaped cutter to cut out hearts and put them onto a cookie sheet lined with a piece of waxed paper, then take the remaining bits and put them into a bowl (icing and all)I covered this and let it sit out a bit to allow the crumbly bits of brownie to absorb some of the moisture from the frosting.

Now melt the chocolate chips or candy melts in a plastic bag in the microwave - leaving the top unsealed, massaging the bag after every 20 seconds until melted. Then snip a corner from the bag and drizzle the chocolate on top of the brownie hearts - put these back in the fridge - those are done. Cover them after a few minutes.

Now take the bowl of crumbly bits and frosting all mixed together and mix it until it forms a dough that you can roll into 1" balls. Place the balls onto waxed paper and poke a toothpick into each one. place these in the freezer. Take the rest of your melted chocolate and pour it into a bowl. Melt more if it doesn't look like enough to cover the brownie balls. Dip the balls into the chocolate to coat and place back onto waxed paper. removing toothpick before the chocolate hardens. Decorate with sprinkles, nuts or candies to cover the spot where the toothpick was.

make me a cake.

2009-02-10T13:12:00.000-05:00

1. personalized apron
2. heart measuring spoons
3. cupcake jar

strung along.

2009-02-09T09:15:00.001-05:00

I absolutely loved this post from Design*Sponge a while back and was inspired to do a little variation just right for Valentine's Day, so now that I've strung you along for a couple of days: here's what we're making: Cute, i know. They're great because they are inexpensive, look pretty spiffy and on top of the that they are super easy to make. Here's the instructions:

Gather your materials:
- paper or lightweight cardstock
- stapler
- x-acto knife
- metal ruler
- cutting mat
- thread or some fishing line

Here's what to do:
Set out your cutting mat and use your x-acto knife and metal ruler to cut the paper or cardstock into 1" strips. I used a few different colors obviously but I think this would be beautiful even if you just used all white copy paper and strung them up in front of a dark wall!

Lay out your color combinations, I used a few colors per ornament, and sometimes repeated the colors on the inside, but do what you think looks best. Cut 2 strips that are 11"long, 2 that are 9" long, 2 that are 7" long and one that is about 4" long. Once you make one you can vary the sizes so that you have larger and smaller hearts. After I made a few and started to really get into it, I began to vary the width of the strips too. Stack the strips with the longest on the inside followed by the shorter ones on either side. Line up the tops by tapping them on your mat, then place the shortest strip in reverse so that it's end is sticking out of the stack in the opposite direction, staple these together. Next loop the strips around and line up the bottom edges on the opposite side, so that they are flush, and staple that end too. I trimmed mine on the bottoms because I left some uneven tails.

Now make a bunch more hearts- repeat lining up and stapling to turn the rest of your paper strips into hearts too.

I got so excited I made a whole pile, which was good because when I was finished I wanted some to hang in the window in my office as well as a few for the window in my kitchen!

Tie the thread or fishing line at the top of the heart - you can punch holes if you like or just thread it through the spot where the strips are joined. Hang them in your window, door, or anywhere you like, they'll add a touch of Valentine sweetness to any place you put them!

I can see the hearts hanging in my kitchen window from my side of the bed, so when I wake up and the light is streaming through the blinds it looks so beautiful!

Be sure to leave me a comment linking to pics if you make these, cuz' I'd love to see yours!

i'm so happy . . .

2009-02-07T13:45:00.000-05:00

that it is the weekend, it just makes me go to bits.

actually I'm mostly excited because I've been working on this totally cute valentine's decoration project that I can't wait to show you on monday.

sneak peak

2009-02-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

a little preview of a how-to project coming on monday. . . stay tuned.

sweet thoughts

2009-02-05T12:45:00.000-05:00

some sweet little things for your valentine. guess which one of these I want?

1. red mug

2. graphic plates

3. forget me knot

4. pop-up card

ikea style

2009-02-05T12:20:00.000-05:00

I just took the Ikea style quiz thanks to John & Sherry's post about it on the This Young House blog and here's my results:

I'm apparently a modern minimalist, I don't know how I ended up with more country then I did Scandinavian! Take the quiz here.

be mine outfit

2009-02-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

1. j.crew pink sweater

2. glass beaded necklace

3. flirty flats

4. drop earrings

winter wear

2009-02-01T07:23:00.001-05:00

1. ae jeans

2. circle belt
3. navy zip-up
4. warm wellies

fashioned

2009-01-31T06:46:00.000-05:00

I'm no expert in the area of fashion photography . . . I do a little work now and then but it's the most fun when you have a great model to work with who's willing to stand out in the cold with bare legs.

images by caro

it happened.

2009-01-31T06:34:00.000-05:00

I can't remember how old I am. I've been sitting here thinking about it for at least four minutes. If you've ever asked someone and they had to think about it while you stand there wondering if "really? you actually don't know how old you are?" then you'll understand how crappy this is. I'm usually the one who's shocked that people don't remember, I never realized that at a certain point it just becomes unimpotant. welcome to being an adult.

ps - I'm 24 I think. really? hmmm. i only have a half a year until I'm twenty-five

setting up

2009-01-29T07:13:00.001-05:00

Setting the table for dinner guests can add an instant touch of sophistication to the most casual of get-togethers, and since I find it particularly satisfying to arrange (and rearrange) plates, napkins, glasses, and flatware; I'm prone to doing this even when we're just having lasagne.
here's a few ways I've set our table in the past couple of months:

I grabbed these lavender-colored spider mums from the grocery store thinking they'd look cute in a centerpiece but after setting the table I made a last minute switch to individual blooms in some glass votives we had on hand.

Our table and chair set we purchased from IKEA a few years ago and the glass tabletop is actually from their office desktop collection, but I snagged it in the as-is section for about $10. The runners and chargers I picked up at Target while they were having their after-Christmas cleareance so I got those on the cheap too. The flatware was my gift from Timothy for Christmas and we were ecstatic to have friends over so we'd have an excuse to lay the table with them!

silly horsey!

2009-01-28T13:19:00.002-05:00

This is Spirit at the exact moment she realizes that I don't have any food.

grand salon

2009-01-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

When I walk into work I feel glad that I get to work in a place that looks like this:

winter mints

2009-01-27T14:05:00.003-05:00

just stacking these up while I watch the snowflakes fall . . . and the bright white light coming in inspired me to photograph.

sea glass

2009-01-26T09:39:00.000-05:00

1. Evelyn Vase
2. Aqua Drop Earrings
3. Recycled Glass
4. Jellyfish Lamp

last year around this time . . .

2009-01-25T12:00:00.001-05:00

Toward the end of January 2008, Tim and I were asked to help out our friends Paul & Chelsea, who needed a classy rehersal dinner the night before their wedding on a tight budget with a teeny timeline. The mission? To transform this room into an intimate setting for 40. Here's the before:

This space was actually the room where the bride lived as a young woman, so to transform a room that she knew very well was quite a challenge. Here's the after:

We wanted to darken the room to create a cozier mood but painting the walls was out of the question, so we came up with the alternative solution of tacking up metallic wrapping paper which we snagged on sale at IKEA! We created the warm lighting with several strategically placed theatrical uplight fixtures and topped the tables with tealights to add a touch of glow! Here's a close-up of the settings - notice the neat twisted copper handles on the flatware.
The flatware was rented from a local wedding supply vendor and the rest of the pieces from the settings were purchased from IKEA or borrowed from friends. We had a fantastic time putting this together and wish Paul & Chelsea a Happy 1st Anniversary!

squirt

2009-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you're thinking - it's winter, what's with all these summery posts? It's because I'm really looking forward to warmer weather! Not that I don't want it to snow - I do think if it's going to be this cold it should snow, but in the absence of snow I'm going to keep wishing it was warmer. Then I could be using this:

citrus juicer

I loved this as soon as I saw it - really want one, not sure I'd ever use it - but surprisingly that doesn't make me want it any less. Then I saw that I could accessorize it with these great things:

1. citrus wellies
2. juice glass
3. citrus trivets
4. citrus bowls

which of course makes the juicer that much more appealing.

vino storage

2009-01-22T10:20:00.004-05:00

i think we'll likely need a large rack for wine when we buy a house but i'm considering these for my sideboard.

Wine Knot
White ceramic stacker
Etched Vino Glasses

Sunny and Bright

2009-01-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

a few pieces to bring a bit of sunshine into gloomy January!

1. Mind-Wanders Blouse
2. Golden Fan Necklace
3. Yellow Blossom Hairpin
4. Strappy Sandals
5. Embossed Floral Clutch
6. Beaded Bangles

warm & cozy

2009-01-06T07:18:00.000-05:00

hot chocolate by the fire.

shake it

2009-01-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

1. Handcarved Block

2. Glass Salt Well

3. Chemistry Shakers

4. Tall Electric Dispensers

5. Alphabet Block Shakers

6. Diagonal Shakers

7. Bamboo Salt Box

fantastic flutes

2008-12-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

whenever a new year is on the horizon I dream of having a dressy party with little hors d'oeuvres and flutes of bubbly, somehow the New Year always arrives at my doorstep without my having planned a party at all, but if I ever do get on the ball (bad pun, i'm aware) maybe I'll pick up a few of these:

1.tall & slender
2.classis crystal
3.hint of whimsy

deer decor

2008-12-28T09:55:00.001-05:00

i snagged these bronze deer at fabulous tar-jay last year on post-christmas clearance and love the way they look with our holiday decor.

service for eight.

2008-12-26T07:00:00.002-05:00

my christmas present from timothy:
such a delight, we both love the simplicity of handle shape and this is a set we'll love to entertain with. the teeny tiny little espresso spoons are so sweet.

thinking about . . .

2008-12-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

1. mid-cenury modern classic

2. simple ladder back

3. rustic charm

beauty.

2008-12-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

photo by tim walker

gorgeous.

2008-12-22T09:20:00.000-05:00

photo by cig harvey

lovely glitz

2008-12-21T08:40:00.000-05:00

1. dahlia taper holder
2. snowflake ornament
3. tall taper holders
4. leafy hurricane glass

i adore these too.

2008-12-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

1. straw ornaments
2. circle emblem belt
3. earhart bomber jacket
4. solid ring
5. candy-coated yellow flats
6. elm earrings

muse.

2008-12-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

When I look a these, I can't believe how blessed I am to be married to him.

- taken at Gunston Hall, Mason Neck, VA on 12/15/2008

this year's

2008-12-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

We love love love IKEA . . . so much that we themed our christmas cards on it's iconic branding.

In the way of a little backstory, you should know that our favorite date spot as teenagers was the IKEA showroom floor, where we'd stroll around pointing out which pieces we liked and didn't. We sat down for long talks in the set-up rooms like it was our own place and we endured sideways glances from employees and fellow shoppers when we flopped over the couches with our legs over the arms at either end and our heads togther in the middle. When I left for college, he'd call me up and over the phone we'd pour over our catalogs, he in Virginia and me in my dorm room in Philly. "Turn to page 87," he'd say "do you think the EKTORP chair goes with the couch that we liked?" We celebrated Valentine's day with $1.99 breakfast in Philly's IKEA my senior year of college. We know the rules of the AS IS area by heart and we've tasted all of the Market Place's swedish food offerings. In search of a much desired piece we once traveled to five IKEA stores in one day - and that's no easy feat considering there are just 37 stores in the Continental United States!

Here's the big idea for our card: flat-packed real wood tannenbaums for all our friends and family, complete with assembly instructions and a catalog-shot of us in our kitchen. We included a bit of string for hanging the assembled tree.

After moving into our Apartment and reflooring it with none other then IKEA laminate flooring we began choosing pieces for around the house. Generally refering to our furniture pieces by their original IKEA names after assembling them, the names sort of stuck, so now when Tim asks "Where did you leave the car keys?" I reply "They're right on the DIKTAD, where they belong!" and the piece where we store the dishes (you can see it in the catalog photo of us.) In the middle of prepping a tasty dinner Tim will blurt "Sweetie can you grab me two bowls off the FORHOJA*, please?" Needless to say, we're very familiar with the IKEA naming system, so ofcourse choosing the name for the card was a much anticipated task. Karte is actually swedish for card so that was an easy swap and then a tricky spelling phonetic-sounding swap-out for Christmas with obligatory umlauts, completed the name.

We usually include a picture in our card for those who haven't seen us in awhile (and for those who forgot who we are and are scratching their heads looking at the return address) so when it came to an idea for the photograph we knew it had to be inspired by the light flooded rooms gracing the pages of the catalog we so admire. After much discussion and planning we set up the shot. It took three hours and every light in the house. The couple of takes took an underwhelming 15 minutes - and most of that was spent getting paddy to jump up, so he'd be the right amount of blurry. Here's a closer look at the final photo:

so, that's a wrap.

*This is the piece that inspired the five-store trek up the East coast. I should mention that even after visiting five stores we were not able to obtain the FORHOJA that day, but had to wait until it was back in stock (no one would give up their floor model!)

they're off

2008-12-16T15:04:00.000-05:00

after much hub-bub at the united states postal office in lorton.

book wishlist

2008-12-12T06:45:00.001-05:00

1.Printing By Hand

2.Stencils 101
3.The Home Book
4.The Designer's Toolkit: Color
5.Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
6.All Wrapped Up

peanut butter

2008-12-11T06:00:00.009-05:00

i'm a fan of speedy & delicious baking which is why the cupcake part is only semi-homemade. the frosting though- that's all me. after shelling out $3 a cupcake for Hello Cupcake!'s Peanut Butter Blossom several times in the past few months, I decided I needed to try and replicate their delicious peanut buttery frosting for my self.

banana cupcakes:
-white or yellow cake mix
-2 bananas (thawed if frozen)

mash up the bananas and add to the cake mix at the end. use an ice cream scoop* to place even amounts of batter into regular or mini-sized cupcake wrappers.

* i used to roll my eyes when i saw people doing this but it helps so much that i'm completely converted!
it makes all of your cupcakes even-sized

peanut butter frosting:

1 stick of butter, softened

1 1/2 cups of JIF peanut butter

2 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar

1 tsp. almond extract

3 tbsp. half & half or cream

first combine the softened stick of butter and peanut butter and whip them together until the mixture is lighter in color and you can't see any chunks of butter, this takes a few minutes (3-5) but it's the most important step because if it isn't right then the frosting will be very greasy. next, add the almond extract. then begin to slowly add the confectioner's sugar and mix well - add the half & half a little at a time to thin the mixture. you can add more confectioner's sugar or more half & half to achieve a consistency that you like, i kept mine pretty thick.