Amish caramel corn recipe for May Day

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by in Holidays, Home, Recipes, Sustainable living

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The last time I celebrated May Day was probably in grade school, so I had to look up exactly what people did to celebrate the day. I learned that people usually give a mixture of flowers and candy.  I wanted something simple to make for the neighbors and I didn’t have time to buy anything, so I made caramel corn from this Amish recipe.  It’s one of the best corns I’ve ever eaten that I audibly commanded myself a few times to stop sampling it.

I didn’t make enough popcorn to fill 8 paper lunch bags, so I made a food cone out of cardstock (harder than it seems, folks) and stuck that in the paper bag. I also found free May Day printables online and cut those out, and voila! A happy little May Day basket for both friendly and irritating neighbors.  I knocked on doors and walked away, and only got found out by one neighbor who yelled “thank you!” to which I responded, “Happy May Day!”

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The last summer sandal you will ever buy: Salt Water sandals

15 Wednesday May 2013

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I was poring over photographer Jose Villa’s photo blog a couple of weeks ago and wanted the little girl’s leather “little girl sandals.” I searched a few websites and  stores to find the perfect summer sandal that was 1) durable 2) affordable 3) comfortable to walk all around town in 4) the little girl sandal which is trendy yet classic, but to no avail.  Finally, I was at Gateway Church last Sunday, looked down at fashionista blogger Erin’s feet and, lo and behold, I found it.  She told me all about Salt Water sandals, and they check off every point in my aforementioned list! They’re also water resistant so now your friends will have less reason to call you high-maintenance when it rains.

Now, to decide between the red or the gold…

From Nordstrom.com

From Nordstrom.com

From Zappos.com

From Zappos.com

Alexa Chung in Salt Water Sandals from alexloves.com

TV presenter and model Alexa Chung in Salt Water Sandals from alexloves.com

My try at making soft boiled eggs

14 Tuesday May 2013

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Remember the scene in “Julie and Julia” where Julie tries to poach an egg several times, and in the end her favorable assessment was that it tasted like cheese sauce?  I liken that to my experience making my first soft boiled egg.  It’s a little scary at first but in the end it is worth the research and effort.

I am not a fan of eating hard boiled eggs as I feel like they get stuck in my throat, so I thought I might try this route. I’m excited that I’ve learned a new skill. Now all I need is an egg cup and cozy. Here are Real Simple’s picks for top 8 Egg Cups.

My first soft boiled egg

My first soft boiled egg. My second try was less cooked, which is the way I like it.

knitted egg cozy from http://thimbleanna.com

knitted egg cozy from http://thimbleanna.com

My first skinny ties for a wedding

08 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by in fashion, Sewing & crafts, Sustainable living

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I walked into a client’s apartment today and found a compilation of the greatest hipster clichés: on a side table was a french press, a copy of The Great Gatsby, Natural American Spirits cigs, a bottle of nondescript beer, a long board, bike, collection of old records, and he was wearing a Charity:water t-shirt. Oh, and I was bringing him a package of bowties and skinny ties. Hipsterville.

The interesting thing is that I knew it was genuinely who he was. He’s a journalist, and persons of that persuasion usually live in context, appreciating components of a simpler time. A prime example is fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, one of the most fascinating people, in my book. A documentary of him can currently be seen on Netflix streaming. “We all get dressed for Bill.” -Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue magazine

Below are some photos of the ties we dyed, cut, and sewed in the good ol’ U.S. of A.

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Fashion Friday: Wiksten… Jenny Gordy in Iowa

03 Friday May 2013

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One of my favorite designers to follow is Jenny Gordy out of Iowa City by way of New York. I first read about her blog years ago in Lucky Magazine and tore it out to look at later.  A year ago my friend Kate told me to look at her sibling’s friend’s website, Wiksten, and lo and behold, it’s the same person. Jenny studied at F.I.T. in New York, and creates clothing, patterns, and knits out of her home studio in Iowa City.  Her patterns are classic silhouettes that work on many body types, and her products are carefully crafted with quality construction.  She also has beautiful photos on her blog. Some of my favorites:

Gordy in a knit hat

Gordy in a knit hat

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new dresses

Candy bar recipe (gluten free dairy free from Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cookbook)

02 Thursday May 2013

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I have a sweet tooth, but I’ve been a little sad lately in my transition of switching over to healthy dessert recipes.  Desserts that I can eat daily after a meal or for a snack and not feel a gluten coma afterwards. I can’t make my tried-and-true chocolate chip cookies anymore, but thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow, my new hero, I have a new favorite easy recipe! Candy bars… gluten and dairy free. I didn’t have coconut flour so I put extra coconut flakes and ground it up in my processor, used peanut butter instead of almond butter, and vanilla extract instead of almond.  I also substituted peanuts for the cashews since I didn’t have any on hand. It’s one of the easiest dessert recipes I’ve ever made!

I wrapped one up in wax paper and twine as a gift for a friend. She didn’t know I had made it myself! (recipe here)

It was delicious!

It was delicious!

I couldn't resist eating some before I took a photo

I couldn’t resist eating some before I took a photo

Fashion Friday: my handmade striped dress

26 Friday Apr 2013

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Ok so it’s the same Comfortable Dress as the black one I made, but it has raspberry stripes! This is available online now as well as at Vitae Design soon. It’s a quality knit fabric, so it will resist a lot of wearing.

I also included some photos below of some impromptu shots we took before and after the Aveda hair show. Does it inspire you to try a crazy spring hairstyle?

striped tshirt dress spring 2013

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Fashion Friday: my handmade casual LBD dress

19 Friday Apr 2013

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I’m finally posting about my new favorite dress. I wanted to make myself a dress that I know I would wear often, could transfer from season to season, and that would be comfortable. It is made with a ponte knit, so the fabric doesn’t cling to my woman curves.  It has a drawstring waist, so you can loosen it if you ate too much- like I said, the perfect dress!  I can wear this with sandals, wedges, heels, but most of all, it has pockets!  This is currently available online here and will be available soon in black as well as a raspberry-and-black striped fabric at Vitae Design boutique.

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