another sampling from the archives.

making bean sprouts, cooking veggies and quinoa.

isn't food pretty?

edible art

in my kitchen....
breakfast for dinner.

Summer Planting

My ipod tuned to the Wilco station on Pandora, I got my hands dirty today. I finally got around to planting the impatiens Daniel's mom gave me at our engagement party - which was months ago...these babies were bursting out of the plastic pots after being rained on over and over. Ants moved in and made the roots their home - I am not sure if this is a bad thing or not. One time I had a ficus tree - inside - that was infested with ants. Every so often I'd see a little tiny ant - thought nothing of it until the sad look of the ficus inspired me to replant it - I thought its pot was too small and that was why it was always losing leaves, etc. Luckily this replanting endeavor happened outside - there were thousands of them - little ants, their larvae, etc. That was what I encountered today - but with the ficus, I cleaned off the roots. washed them off with water, etc. and replanted the tree. It is still alive to tell the tale - so I guess I saved it's life. The impatiens seem pretty happy to me, and so did the ants, so I left good enough alone and just planted them - they are staying outside, so what's the harm?

The wedding is in 10 days and I thought it would be nice to make our yard look a little prettier. I have bigger plans for this little backyard space -- but this year, I am a little closer to my goal - the backyard oasis. I don't really know much about gardening, but have decided that - I am not afraid to ask and as long as my plants aren't dying, I must be doing something right! Put that on the list of things I would love to take classes in.

Philly Makes!

I am a part of the Philly Etsy Team which also has a seperate group and blog called Philly Makes! Inspired by the "thing-a-day" posting many of us participated in, we started our own - this is more of a "thing-a-week", and here is my first post!

new labels!

Ode to the Wedding Post

Ok, I think it is time I started making some posts about my wedding planning. I am learning about myself as I plan this event (which I am not planning alone...Daniel is right there with me!) One thing I learned is that I am not much of a girly girl and I like things simple. I will start by saying - to each her (or his) own when it comes to weddings. I will never impose my ideas on other people - but I think we have done a few things right in order to throw one great party without spending a small life savings.

#1 - the engagement ring - bought from Etsy. I am an art teacher, I wash my hands 2000 times a day, get them dirty, soapy, etc...and this ring is perfect. It's like a "lifestyle ring" :)


it looks like the tension setting in this picture, but has a pink sapphire....I highly recommend Robandlean on Etsy!!


Some other "indie" ideas:

Our DJ - NO MACARENA Check them out!

I love the dress I bought (under 300 bucks at Lilly Pulitzer) but wanted a crinoline to wear underneath, to make it special -- the dress itself if lovely, and I LOVE the fabric - which is why I bought it...but this dress is one that can be worn again - I am not into the one time only dress...) So, I put my sewing skills to good use:


this is me sewing the bottom of the crinoline...I had a great time working on it!

here is the dress fabric:


and the slip:

I took this before I added the navy blue ribbon I bought at MOOD in NYC.

FLOWERS - Go Local! Lilies and Lavender - "Lilies and lavender is a small, owner operated, cut flower farm located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania." I met Kate, the owner at the New Hope Farmer's market this summer...where I fell in love with her gorgeous flowers...and I mean gorgeous! Her name says it all -- Lillies! We are having all white lillies and some sunburst lilies - I feel lucky to have found her!

Cake! - we are going for the cup cakes from Jamie Hollander, another local company - for many reasons...they are $2.00 cheaper PER SERVING! Plus, you can have multiple flavors and colors!

One of my favorite parts of the whole day will be our celebrant Lois Heckman - Lois creates a personal celebration for your wedding day -- check her out!

Also, we registered with Little Flower Designs - for custom made pottery - we met Linda, the owner of Little Flower at the Indie Craft Fair in Philadelphia - and immediate knew we loved her work!
Another great suggestion I have for people planning a wedding is the registry WISHPOT - you can register on multiple sites through Wishpot - even local merchants and artists, Etsy, Buy Olympia. ...(Buy Olympia is not "local" to the Philly Area, but excellent!

new embroidery and projects

page 26.

books. I can't seem to have enough of them...some unread, some littered with bookmarks and pageholders for places I have been or want to return. Sometimes I just walk into the room where most of my books live and stare at the shelves in wonder. Topics that span the gamut staring back at me. I have never been one to choose one thing to do and stick with it, and my book collection is a great indicator of how my brain works. One Sunday morning I decided to take a moment with each of my books - even if just to open it and put it back on the shelf. Pay some attention to the neglected paper, ink and information taking up space in my house. I started to scan one page of each book - I chose page 26 - some books don't have a page 26 - so in that case it was 16. This number was completely random. After he woke up and I informed him of my latest determined task, Daniel suggested I do the first or last page, but I was already too far gone. 

As the afternoon approached, and I had finished my morning coffee, I stopped scanning - at 79 to be exact. The second shelf of 5 and more in the other room. I will finish, and when I do these pages will become something. 

a place for everything

new and improved workspace. 

 

showers of inspiration

I know a few people with new babies on the way...inspiring baby related creations.