My Kitchen Swap Loot

I'd gotten so caught up in figuring out what to make for the swaps that I'm participating in (Spicing Up the Kitchen and Make Mine Modern) that I almost forgot that I actually get something out of the deal, which is why I was so excited when I came home last night to package full of goodies.

I ended up with 2 little pan holders, 2 dish towels, and the coolest little French press cozy from my partner Sue.  How cool?  I'm loving the colors; and I think Michael even appreciates the practicality of the cozy for keeping our coffee warm (which it lasts).



In other news, I'm thinking that I need not acquire anymore solids for a while...

And I was able to get the cutest custom order out for what may be the most laid back bride ever.

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Try Not to Think Less of Me

Let me just begin by saying that this probably does not warrant a post, but this was a project that was a long time coming.  It's unfortunate too that I put it off for so long, because in the end, it only took me about 5-10 minutes from start to finish.

A couple of years ago, USA Today did an article about showerheads and how they can harbor disease.  I distinctly remember when this article was published, because I seriously thought that if there were ever a showerhead that harbored disease, it was ours. 

I am ashamed, but this is an actual picture of our showerhead...from TODAY!  I had honestly tried everything to get this sucker clean, but I never figured out how to get that plastic guard off, which made it absolutely impossible to sanitize.

After finding an online tutorial and employing the very minimal tools required for changing a showerhead...



It took me no time at all to install this beautiful, clean, disease-free showerhead!

...to which Michael said, "Nicely done, handy Mandy," and I've gotta say...I love that nickname.

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Pinterest: My Newest Obsession

For the Apartment Therapy home tour, they asked what home decor advice I would give to others.  I said something about patience, but now that I've had time to really think about it, I would say that the single best key to creating decor that you really love is internet stalking.

I'm a little remiss to admit it but I follow nearly 300 blogs on my Google reader, and when I have something more specific in mind, I love a good Google image search.  Seriously, the internet is so inspiring, but what this means is that I struggle to keep track of all of the things that inspire me through a mish-mash of Google reader tags, Google spreadsheets, and draft emails to myself.  It's not a perfect, organized, or rational system, but up to this point, it's worked decently well for me.

Enter: Pinterest

I started using this just yesterday, and I am a 100% believer.  

They call themselves a "social catalog service," which honestly means nothing to me. In practice, however, you install a little button on your explorer menu bar.  When you're browsing and/or stalking the internet for ideas for home decor, fashion, or really anything, you use your button to "pin" photos, which then get put on your virtual Pinterest pinboard, cataloging them into useful categories of your choosing.  And maybe the best part (especially for bloggers) is that it takes note of the photos' sources so that you can give credit where credit is due or know where the heck you found that perfect little black, er, throw pillow.

You should head over and check out some of my inspiration boards: http://pinterest.com/fabricpaperglue/.

I had the perfect project to take my Pinterest account out for its maiden voyage.  My friend Jamie is moving into a new place in a week and is taking the opportunity to get a fresh start at her home decor.  So she emailed me for advice on her sofa/throw pillow situation, and of course, I was more than happy to dump my opinions on her. 

Her basic parameters:

• Tan walls that she can't repaint;
• Light hardwood floors;
• A white sofa and love seat with back pillows in need of recovering; and
• This lovely yellow rug from West Elm.

I first collected a few inspiring living rooms for this board:

And then I put together a few options for her:

Option 1 is a combination of a yellow Premier Prints suzani,  light blue velvet, big royal blue houndstooth (designed by me via Spoonflower), and Dwell Studio Bella Porte Twilight.

Option 2 uses a neutral Premier Prints diamond pattern, over-sized yellow chevron, yellow Thomas Paul Aviary, and royal blue velvet.

Option 3 is comprised of big teal houndstooth (designed by me via Spoonflower), yellow Premier Prints coral, yellow Premier Prints zig zag, and azure blue Thomas Paul Aviary.

We've settled on an option, but I'd be interested to hear which option you prefer!

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Catching Up

Since the beginning of the year, I've felt a bit like I've been playing catch up. I've been busy with my actual profit-making day job. I'm more than a little excited about all the projects that my friend Sarah's new baby and her shower affords me. I'm been finishing up a custom clutch purse order. I have several ideas for new stuff for both the blog and the Etsy shop. ...and I have the two swaps that I'm participating in.

I was able to knock some things off my list this weekend. For one, I finished up my items for the Spicing Up the Kitchen swap. I tried out a new technique to make a couple of pot holders and an extra large hot pad. I also made a set of cocktail napkins, and got a bit carried away with bias tape, which means that I ended up with a surplus that I decided to send my partner's way.

I also got a great start on my items for the Make Mine Modern swap. As I highlighted in a previous post, my partner enjoys modern art, so I'm trying my hand at recreating some Mondrian paintings as mini-quilts for display.

I'm sure someone can suggest an easier way to do this, but in order to figure out the proportion of my mini-quilt pieces, I imported into Inkscape images of the paintings that I'm recreating.  Then, I just drew rectangles over the images to mimic the painting.  In doing so, I can see how large each section is in pixels.  I can then divide the pixel dimensions by some factor to reach a reasonably sized mini quilt (i.e. ~25").

Using this technique, I was able to get my pieces all cut out and sewn together to complete the mini-quilt tops, and I've got to be honest, I kind of impressed myself with how they turned out.  No?



I'm looking forward to seeing how these end up.

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Have Fun. Eat Poppers.

I'm watching the Black Eyed Peas / Usher on the Super Bowl halftime show right now completely and utterly satiated.  While we cooked some delicious sliders, our friend Dan offered up jalepeno poppers.  I. Love. Poppers.  No joke.  Apparently, Dan's family loves poppers so much that his uncle actually owns a shirt with sunglass-clad poppers and the phrase "Have Fun.  Eat Poppers."  (I Google-Image-searched several terms to try to find this t-shirt.  I came up with nothing...except Lady Gaga.)  And I could not agree more. 

He threw together a recipe inspired by a simple internet search, and they were so delicious that I thought I'd share it here.

Dan's Poppers

Ingredients

20 - Jalepeno Peppers

Small Log (~8 oz) - (Peppered) Goat Cheese

8 oz - Cream Cheese

Bacon Bits

Bread Crumbs

All-Purpose Flour

2 - Eggs

1 c - Milk

Vegetable Oil



Instructions

1. Half and de-seed each Jalepeno (...and do not touch your eyes during this process).



2.  Mix together Goat Cheese and Cream Cheese (Dan also threw in some Paprika, Garlic Powder, Salt, and Freshly Ground Black Pepper.).



3. Spoon cheese mixture into each jalepeno half.

4. Top some (or all!) with Bacon Bits.



3. In a small bowl, mix together Egg and Milk.  Also prepare two other bowls - one with Flour, one with Bread Crumbs.

4. Dip each jalepeno first in the egg-milk mixture and then in the flour.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

5. In a large fry pan, heat ~3/4 inch of Vegetable Oil on medium high heat.

6. Re-dip each jalepeno in the egg-milk mixture and then in the breadcrumbs.  Immediately drop in oil.

7. Remove each popper from oil when golden brown.

8. Enjoy!  (We used sour cream as a dipping sauce.)

...and yes, ladies, Dan is single.

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