beautiful fabric they're printed on.
"Why push the envelope when you can shove it the hell through?"
"Make time don't kill time"
"Talent may start it but attitude will finish it"
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| {All images from Daisy Janie} |
June 3, 2011
wise words of the week
Due to my absence for the past little while, I am sort of rolling some artist love into the wise words this week. I found these three prints on Daisy Janie, and I love the quotes as much as I love the colours and the
beautiful fabric they're printed on.
beautiful fabric they're printed on.
seriously cheesy
This is actually making me half reconsider my longtime sentiment of not-so-interested-in-having-a-wedding (not that one is on the horizon, at all, just to be clear). I think you can understand why.
That's right, these are cheese wedding cakes. I'm sorry, did you catch that? One more time, for the people in the cheap seats... CHEESE wedding cakes.
Sophia, maybe you should reconsider Hilton Head and just get married in the UK, with one of these beauties? Just sayin'...
On second thought, who needs a wedding to have a multi-tiered cheese cake?! Maybe I'll just have a wicked wine and cheese party... so much simpler. I'm sure my diy version won't be anywhere near as spectacular, but hey, I'll still have four or five wheels of cheese on my table, won't I.
Cheese wedding cake images from The Cheese Shed. First seen on A Cup of Jo.
June 2, 2011
kids in the hall
Children's shoes, in the hall closet, that is. (Was that unforgivably bad?)
Someone went a little crazy with the shoe shopping last week. (Wait, did I just refer to myself in the third person again? I promise, this isn't becoming a new thing of mine or anything like that.) I made the best discovery of my consumerist life... drumroll please... the girl's section at Aldo. SERIOUSLY.
I don't know what it is with me and Aldo, but try as I might, I just never seem to buy shoes anywhere else. Well, let me clarify that; I never buy dress shoes anywhere else. High heels, flats, sparkly sandals, that sort of thing. It's not that I have any particular reason for exclusively purchasing from them, it's just that their shoes always fit me like a glove. (Random side-bar: Wouldn't "fit like a shoe" be equally as appropriate, if you think about it? I know it doesn't exactly roll of the tongue, but maybe it would if we hadn't been saying "glove" all this time... just a thought. Shoes do fit... like gloves.) So back to the children's section - I spotted a really cute pair of flats and then realized that they were in the girls' display section. Out of curiousity, I asked what size they go up to, and, you'll never believe this, the answer was size eight (my size)! My mind was blown by the discovery of this completely untapped (by me) resource. The floodgates were open and I happily dove in. What was even more mind-blowing was the fact that I took size seven in every pair of flats I bought in the girls' section, and I am 100%, tried and true, no question about it, always a size eight at Aldo. What a day. Well, enough out of me - here's what I bought! (I have never bought this many pairs of shoes at once... nor had I ever imagined I would. How could I say no, these flats are just so perfect for work in the summer! Except the first pair, but they were only $15!)
Okay so that last one doesn't exactly fall into the flats-perfect-for-work category, but they were on promotion for only $40 (still are!) so how could I resist. I have been thoroughly enjoying that moment every morning when I open my closet and and I have all these cute new options to choose from!
Someone went a little crazy with the shoe shopping last week. (Wait, did I just refer to myself in the third person again? I promise, this isn't becoming a new thing of mine or anything like that.) I made the best discovery of my consumerist life... drumroll please... the girl's section at Aldo. SERIOUSLY.
I don't know what it is with me and Aldo, but try as I might, I just never seem to buy shoes anywhere else. Well, let me clarify that; I never buy dress shoes anywhere else. High heels, flats, sparkly sandals, that sort of thing. It's not that I have any particular reason for exclusively purchasing from them, it's just that their shoes always fit me like a glove. (Random side-bar: Wouldn't "fit like a shoe" be equally as appropriate, if you think about it? I know it doesn't exactly roll of the tongue, but maybe it would if we hadn't been saying "glove" all this time... just a thought. Shoes do fit... like gloves.) So back to the children's section - I spotted a really cute pair of flats and then realized that they were in the girls' display section. Out of curiousity, I asked what size they go up to, and, you'll never believe this, the answer was size eight (my size)! My mind was blown by the discovery of this completely untapped (by me) resource. The floodgates were open and I happily dove in. What was even more mind-blowing was the fact that I took size seven in every pair of flats I bought in the girls' section, and I am 100%, tried and true, no question about it, always a size eight at Aldo. What a day. Well, enough out of me - here's what I bought! (I have never bought this many pairs of shoes at once... nor had I ever imagined I would. How could I say no, these flats are just so perfect for work in the summer! Except the first pair, but they were only $15!)
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| MCGAW - $15 |
 |
| GONZALOS (floral print) - $35 |
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| CASALI - $30 |
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| GONZALOS (stripe) - $35 |
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| BRAZINSKI - $40 |
she's baaaack...
... and talking about herself in the third person, apparently!
Hello again my friends, and my apologies for the much-longer-than-planned absence! These last couple of weeks have been crazy. But I am back now, and will be doing my best to keep on top of things again. It always amazes me how quickly the summer fills up with things to do, and then flies by before it has even really sunk in that it's here. With weddings and birthdays and cottages and bachelorette parties and a million other things I can't even think of right now, almost every single weekend is already accounted for. Straight through to September! Crazy or what. I have to remind myself that these are all fun things, with people I love, and I am going to enjoy every minute of my summer. Nevertheless, it can be a little overwhelming to think about it, so much so that one can almost start to feel as though it is already over. But, it is only just beginning and I have to savour it. Even when I am playing soccer in 35 degree humidity (my face has never resembled a tomato more than it did on Tuesday night, it was a tough game!). And even when I am getting eaten alive by blackflies at my cottage because I'm just crazy enough to go up there on the May long weekend. Because we just don't get enough summertime around here to feel anything less than utter gratitude for every last second of it.
Hello again my friends, and my apologies for the much-longer-than-planned absence! These last couple of weeks have been crazy. But I am back now, and will be doing my best to keep on top of things again. It always amazes me how quickly the summer fills up with things to do, and then flies by before it has even really sunk in that it's here. With weddings and birthdays and cottages and bachelorette parties and a million other things I can't even think of right now, almost every single weekend is already accounted for. Straight through to September! Crazy or what. I have to remind myself that these are all fun things, with people I love, and I am going to enjoy every minute of my summer. Nevertheless, it can be a little overwhelming to think about it, so much so that one can almost start to feel as though it is already over. But, it is only just beginning and I have to savour it. Even when I am playing soccer in 35 degree humidity (my face has never resembled a tomato more than it did on Tuesday night, it was a tough game!). And even when I am getting eaten alive by blackflies at my cottage because I'm just crazy enough to go up there on the May long weekend. Because we just don't get enough summertime around here to feel anything less than utter gratitude for every last second of it.
May 19, 2011
I'm off to see the wizard...
... and by wizard, I mean the hordes of blackflies that are most likely waiting for me at my cottage. However, the main point to take away from this is: I am going to my cottage this weekend!!!
We leave tomorrow morning and I cannot wait. Even if I do get eaten alive, or if it does rain the entire time, it's the principle. The symbolism. (Or symbology, if you prefer.) It means that summer is here, and I win. Take that, meteorology.
So, preparations began last night, in our attempt to not leave everything to the last minute, and today I picked up a pound of my favourite Bridgehead coffee for the weekend. Every Friday I buy a fresh bag of Bridgehead coffee beans, but our machine at home is a grind-and-brew, so I always get them in whole bean form. Since it is for the cottage this time, I had to get the beans pre-ground, and oh my goodness... the intoxicating scent of freshly ground coffee has filled my entire floor. Seriously, people are coming down the hall looking for the source of the aroma, and asking me where I got it and what kind it is (Ethiopian Limu - for those who live in Ottawa and have access to the national treasure that is Bridgehead). Pardon the enthusiasm, but coffee is definitely my drug of choice. Here it is all its glorious glory (ridiculousness intended).
I'll be back on Tuesday, hopefully to regale you with tales of first sunburns and delicious ice-cold caesars on the deck. If not that, then definitely tales of bug bites and hours of cribbage and Clue played indoors. Until then, don't forget:
"A penny saved is worth two in the bush."
Happy May Long everyone!
We leave tomorrow morning and I cannot wait. Even if I do get eaten alive, or if it does rain the entire time, it's the principle. The symbolism. (Or symbology, if you prefer.) It means that summer is here, and I win. Take that, meteorology.
So, preparations began last night, in our attempt to not leave everything to the last minute, and today I picked up a pound of my favourite Bridgehead coffee for the weekend. Every Friday I buy a fresh bag of Bridgehead coffee beans, but our machine at home is a grind-and-brew, so I always get them in whole bean form. Since it is for the cottage this time, I had to get the beans pre-ground, and oh my goodness... the intoxicating scent of freshly ground coffee has filled my entire floor. Seriously, people are coming down the hall looking for the source of the aroma, and asking me where I got it and what kind it is (Ethiopian Limu - for those who live in Ottawa and have access to the national treasure that is Bridgehead). Pardon the enthusiasm, but coffee is definitely my drug of choice. Here it is all its glorious glory (ridiculousness intended).
 |
| {The bag is a bit crumpled due to the number of times I have shoved my nose into it, along with a few of my colleagues...} |
"A penny saved is worth two in the bush."
Happy May Long everyone!
artist love
This week's artist is amber alexander.
First of all, I have to take a moment to say, wholeheartedly: Thank you Dooce! I am SO thrilled to have been led to this incredibly talented artist's etsy shop. I saw these two prints on Dooce back in April, and the rest, as they say, is history. At this point I think I've said enough, I will let her amazing work speak for itself.
I. love. her. I want to buy every single one of these prints. And maybe I will do just that.
First of all, I have to take a moment to say, wholeheartedly: Thank you Dooce! I am SO thrilled to have been led to this incredibly talented artist's etsy shop. I saw these two prints on Dooce back in April, and the rest, as they say, is history. At this point I think I've said enough, I will let her amazing work speak for itself.
I. love. her. I want to buy every single one of these prints. And maybe I will do just that.
May 18, 2011
pear pressure
How excited am I to make these?!
I just came across this recipe this morning, and something about it - I don't know if it was the pear, or the buckwheat, or the several days straight of chilly grey weather we've been having, or the Gorgeous (with a capital "G") photographs - anyway, something about it spoke to me and now I must make it, immediately. The funniest thing is, I am not even a real pancake 'fan' to be honest. I would never order them at a restaurant, I almost never make them at home - I much prefer waffles, or even crepes, on the odd occasion that I am craving something sweet for breakfast - but I am a 100% tried and true classic (bacon/sausage-eggs-homefries) breakfast lover. (Is it just me or do I talk about breakfast more than the average person?)
So, here is the recipe and a few of the beautiful photos, all from the lovely Sprouted Kitchen. Normally I would try a recipe out before posting it, but I was just so irrationally excited about this one that I couldn't wait. I will be sure let you know how they turn out, though!
PEAR + BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES // Makes 12
Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce
1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp. Turbinado Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Spice Blend*
3/4 tsp. Sea Salt
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Large Egg
2 Firm Pears (I used Bosc and Comice)
1/2 Cup Honey
2 oz. (1/2 stick) Unsalted Butter
1. Sift all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure everything is evenly distributed.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk/milk, and butter until combined. If you don’t have buttermilk, all milk will be just fine.
3. Peel the pears, and grate them in the large holes of a box grater. Add the pears and their juices to the buttermilk mixture.
4. Gently add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir ’til just combined. It should be fairly thick – Boyce recommends letting it sit for a little while, or overnight in the fridge. If you let it rest, you will need to thin it out with milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Adjust to your pancake thickness preference.
5. Melt the honey and 2oz. of butter together, and keep warm to pour over the pancakes later.
6. Heat a cast iron pan, or griddle over medium heat. Add batter in 1/4 cup mounds to the pan, once the tops start to bubble, check that the bottoms are golden brown and flip to the other side. Cook about 5 minutes total.
7. Wipe the pan between batches, and rub a little butter in between.
Serve the pancakes hot from the skillet, with a splash of honey butter on top.
I just came across this recipe this morning, and something about it - I don't know if it was the pear, or the buckwheat, or the several days straight of chilly grey weather we've been having, or the Gorgeous (with a capital "G") photographs - anyway, something about it spoke to me and now I must make it, immediately. The funniest thing is, I am not even a real pancake 'fan' to be honest. I would never order them at a restaurant, I almost never make them at home - I much prefer waffles, or even crepes, on the odd occasion that I am craving something sweet for breakfast - but I am a 100% tried and true classic (bacon/sausage-eggs-homefries) breakfast lover. (Is it just me or do I talk about breakfast more than the average person?)
So, here is the recipe and a few of the beautiful photos, all from the lovely Sprouted Kitchen. Normally I would try a recipe out before posting it, but I was just so irrationally excited about this one that I couldn't wait. I will be sure let you know how they turn out, though!
PEAR + BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES // Makes 12
Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce
1 Cup Buckwheat Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp. Turbinado Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Spice Blend*
3/4 tsp. Sea Salt
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Large Egg
2 Firm Pears (I used Bosc and Comice)
1/2 Cup Honey
2 oz. (1/2 stick) Unsalted Butter
2. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk/milk, and butter until combined. If you don’t have buttermilk, all milk will be just fine.
3. Peel the pears, and grate them in the large holes of a box grater. Add the pears and their juices to the buttermilk mixture.
4. Gently add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir ’til just combined. It should be fairly thick – Boyce recommends letting it sit for a little while, or overnight in the fridge. If you let it rest, you will need to thin it out with milk, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Adjust to your pancake thickness preference.
5. Melt the honey and 2oz. of butter together, and keep warm to pour over the pancakes later.
6. Heat a cast iron pan, or griddle over medium heat. Add batter in 1/4 cup mounds to the pan, once the tops start to bubble, check that the bottoms are golden brown and flip to the other side. Cook about 5 minutes total.
7. Wipe the pan between batches, and rub a little butter in between.
Serve the pancakes hot from the skillet, with a splash of honey butter on top.
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| {I'm sorry, a splash of honey butter?!?! Yes, please.} |
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