New Kitchen Art + Free Meat-Lovers' Printable

It should come as no surprise that I am no vegetarian.  Of the two recipes I've shared here, one uses two delicious kinds of meat, and the other includes superfluous bacon (...although, is bacon ever superfluous?).

In honor of my love of meat, I took to Inkscape this weekend to create some new, colorful art for our kitchen.  I like the idea of framed fabric, which was what I had been rockin' in my kitchen for years.  Earlier this year, I tried to update it with some new, scrap fabric that I had on hand.  I wasn't really thrilled with what I ended up with.  You can kind of see it lurking there by The Dude in this shot.

See, not exactly impactful.  Anyway, I Googled around a bit for some meat cut charts, created a little something in Inkscape, applied some pretty colors and a fun font, and ended up with these:

I printed them off on some photo paper and threw them in some frames with mats, and I am really loving what I ended up with!

Sure, it's a bold choice, but what can I say...I love a kitchy kitchen.  If you like them too, I'm sharing the love.  I mean, seriously, why let good meat art go to waste?!   Download them and print them for free here:

Click to Download and Print Meat-Lovers' Kitchen Art:

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Jamie's Living Room: Before & After

If you'll recall, about a month back I was working with my friend Jamie to help her with her new apartment.  Jamie recently moved into a new place in Nashville and was looking for something slightly outside her comfort zone...something colorful and fresh and fun.  Project #1 was to update a set of slightly-dated-but-with-potential couches that she found on Craigslist.  She knows me so well, because she was kind enough to provide me with some sweet before and after shots.

Here are a couple of before shots:

Jamie wanted to update these bad boys, along with adding some fun, fresh colors.  I worked with Jamie to pick out fabrics for pillow covers for the existing couch cushions and some new throw pillows.  She gave me some fairly broad parameters, and I narrowed it down to three fun, colorful choices:

In the end, it was a unanimous decision (i.e. Jamie and I agreed): Option 3!  So I whipped up eleven (yes, eleven!) pillow covers at breakneck speed and shipped them off to Nashville in anticipation of some glorious after shots.  

Fabrics: Big Teal Houndstooth (available in my Etsy shop), Yellow Premier Prints Coral, Yellow Premier Prints Zig Zag, and Azure Blue Thomas Paul Aviary.

After a very smart rug purchase (available from West Elm), a little consultation on drape colors, and a ridiculous score on some lamps at Home Goods, here is the glorious after:

She's still working on adding some touches here and there, but I think it looks so bright and fun!  I can't wait to see it in person.

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Japan

I wanted to take a moment to ask you to jump over to Needle and Spatula, my friend Kate's blog.  Right now, she's hosting a donation raffle in support of relief efforts in Japan.

 The gist is that you make a small (or big donation) to either Red Cross or Global Giving, and for every $5, you'll be entered in a raffle to win one of two bundles of homemade baby items donated by talented sewers across the interwebs (including some burp cloths from me (below), which is not to imply that I think I'm uber talented).  

Anyway, please take a moment to check it out HERE.  

Three Cheers for Hoarding Niche Tools!

I've decided that when I become old and truly weird (pronounced: eccentric), I want to have a collection of some sort (shhh...don't tell Michael as he has zero tolerance for hoarding of any kind).  However, I'm having a hard time deciding what I should collect, which is okay since I shouldn't be starting any collections so long as we live in 600 square feet.

Most of my collection ideas revolve around consumables, like maybe...

...teacups?

Pinterest

...bowls?

Pinterest

...or vintage Pyrex?

Pinterest

Every now and then, I toy with the idea of collecting vintage bar ware.  It's funny because I'm not really a big cocktail drinker.  I'm sure you're thinking that I've just fallen victim to the sexiness of Mad Men, and I'm not going to argue with you on that point.  But there's just something so fascinating to me about all of the detail and attention and accouterments that come with cocktail-making.  And for who knows why, I LOVE niche tools.  I mean, seriously, because of cocktail-making, we own an absinthe spoon and like six different kinds of glasses--including a set for sake and whole other set just for limoncello.  How cool is that?!  Ok, well, maybe I'm the only one that thinks this cool.  Some of you may even be thinking we might have a drinking problem.

Anyway, about that bar ware collection...  In nearby Old Town Alexandria, there's the most adorable vintage bar ware store called The Hour, and seriously, it makes me want to quit my job; slip on a swing dress, a petticoat, and my finest pearls; and start whipping up cocktails for the inevitable moment at 6:00pm when Michael comes through the door chiming, "Honey, I'm home!"  (Again, let's not tell Michael about this because he often says--with visages of Betty Draper in his head, I'm sure--"Why don't you learn how to make me some of these cocktails?" And yes, you have free reign to judge him for even suggesting this.)

Check out some of their offerings:

A little pricey, but how beautiful?!  If you're in the neighborhood, you should definitely check this shop out.

If you live nowhere near Alexandria, Etsy has some pretty decent and affordable offerings, too.  Like these:

$48.00 from Etsy seller Hydrangea Row

$28.00 from Etsy seller Wise Apple Vintage

$49.50 from Etsy seller Good Vintage

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Life with a Cat

I know it may be hard to believe and I'm willing to bet that this is not a universal truth, but I sometimes find that my home decor choices are limited by the fact that we have a cat.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my cat Pete (although, sometimes I question his devotion to me).  Maybe it's because we live in such a small place and/or because he's on a perpetual diet (yes, he's obese; it's sad), but Pete can be a real terror.  Eating paper.  Nibbling plants. Swatting anything in sight to its lowest possible point in the room.  Generally shedding.

Don't let his lethargic demeanor fool you...

It is for these reasons that I often see the details in inspiring photos that would only work in a Pete-free home.

Fresh Flowers 
For example, I love fresh flowers, but rarely do I display them.  For whatever reason, Pete shows no interest in some flowers (like mums), but tulips, well, they don't stand a chance.  So, beautiful rooms like these with gorgeous displays of tulips are, unfortunately, not in the cards for me.

my pin via Houzz

my pin via Style at Home

Velvet
Another example is gorgeous royal blue velvet (i.e. a Pete hair magnet).  I have a single royal blue velvet lamp shade, but I'm pretty sure that's about the most I'll ever own.  Never will I ever have a beautiful blue velvet sofa like these...

Emily Henderson

my pin via Houzz

Delicate Side Tables

I can't tell you how many delicate little side tables that I covet.  However, when Pete gets really hungry, he starts erratically darting around the condo.  I can just imagine all 16 pounds of him perched stoically on a cute little side table when he gets a rumble in his more-than-adequate stomach.  Off the table he would dart, leaving only a crash and some cartoon dust clouds in his wake.  

repin via Escapade

my pin via Design Sponge

Tchotchkes and Paper

Aesthetically-pleasing tchotchkes--as cute as they are--and beautifully arranged coffee table books are also no match for Pete. The tchotchkes would be immediately swatted to the floor, and the lovely glossy pages of those books would be nibbled to smithereens in Pete's never-ending attempt to be the center of attention. 

my pin via House Tweaking

my pin via House Tweaking via Emily Henderson

my pin via Effortless Style

...and finally, this one just makes me laugh.  It's got it all: Velvet. Delicate glass bottles. Hanging prisms sure to reflect insanity-inducing specters on the walls.  Furry pillows that will either be mistaken for an enemy or his mother's teat (either way, it's going nowhere desirable).

my pin via Houzz

The practicality of life isn't exactly sexy, but we can't all live in a shelter magazine.  

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A Small Joy

A couple of weeks ago, I came across this picture from Such Pretty Things via Table Tonic:

I mean, seriously, how happy does this picture make you?  It's the kind of thing that's just so simple and inconsequential, but it leaves you with a little warm place in your heart and goofy little smile.  Have I put too much significance on this?  Probably.

Anyway, what a great idea! So, I had to make this happen in my own kitchen.  A trip to Michael's and $5 worth of cupcake liners later, I've got this:

Little joys.



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