Vanity Desk - revamped.

I have been looking for a vanity desk for months, and finally found this on Craigslist.  It was $65 but needed a little attention.  I thought a good cleaning would be enough, but I found some imperfections that would benefit from a paint job.

I actually started with the knobs I found at Anthropologie (on sale for $2.95 each!).  I picked out a neutral Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris Grey, and chose a medium blue under coat (Behr Warm Spring).  I also used some leftover yellow paint I had on the inside of the drawers to brighten them up and add a splash of color.

The chalk paint uses a different technique, but I really love how it turned out.  I sanded the edges to expose some of the blue and sealed the whole thing with Annie Sloan Soft Wax in clear.  It took a few coats of paint, chalk paint, and wax, but overall I think it was a successful experiment!

Homemade Giardiniera.

So.  I eat giardiniera like it's a side dish, not a condiment or topping.  I can eat way too much, way too fast, and I get really excited about it.  I decided to give this a whirl and I used a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, shutterbean.

I cut the vegetables large, and I only used cauliflower, carrots, and celery, omitting the red and yellow peppers and onions to keep it super simple.  It was super-easy, and after 24 hours it was already delicious.  I can eat the entire recipe in about 3 days if I don't have to share.  I also threw in some hardboiled eggs, so we'll see how this rogue egg-pickling experiment goes....

Vintage Pyrex Labware.

So I loved chemistry labs in college, partially because all of the cool and oddly shaped glassware.  Over the last few months I've started a small collection of Pyrex lab glass.  So far I have four pieces and the most I've paid is $10 (for the ball flask with the cool stopper).  A graduated cylinder, test tube, and then some crazy small flask with a neat glass cover round out the collection. Sitting next to my dad's senior picture, I think we have successfully reached the nerd quotient on this particular shelf.

Quinoa + Pyrex = TGFB

Check out this concoction that looks so amazing in a Pyrex fridgie.  My friend Brandi introduced me to this idea of mixing quinoa with stuff, and she gifted me this vintage blue Pyrex piece too.  So this post is an ode to Brandi.  Thank Goodness For Brandi!

1 cup of quinoa

1-1 ¼ cups chicken stock (can use vegetable stock)

1 package frozen vegetables (I use Kroger brand Italian Mix)

1 container TJ’s Bruschetta

2 Dr. Praeger's California veggie burgers

Crumbled feta

Cook the quinoa according to the package directions, using stock in place of water.

Brown veggie burgers in a sauté pan until brown and crispy, crumble in pan and continue warming for a minute or two.

Add frozen veggies and bruschetta to quinoa.  Cover, turn to low, and let simmer for 5-7 minutes or until veggies are warmed through.  Toss in crumbled veggie burgers.

Portion out and top with crumbled feta.

This is super simple, can easily be vegetarian, and is really flexible.  I make this every week and this is my favorite version, but I’ve also made this using leftover frozen veggies (broccoli, green beans, peas), fresh veggies that need to get used up, and I’ve also used halved cherry tomatoes instead of the bruschetta, and it always turns out great.

sweet paul soup.

Do you know about Sweet Paul?  It's a food-lifestyle-craft magazine that was born from a popular blog.  How exciting is that?!?  Any-who, I got this recipe link in my most recent Sweet Paul email, and it's decidedly become my Oscar dinner recipe.....  The lead photo is from Sweet Paul (so profesh) and the one below is mine.  I added some shrimp for protein, and used Sambal Oelek instead of Sriracha.  Now it's time for the movie Super Bowl.  Let's go Argo.

Motivation

So my super friend Lori started an amazing food blog, Foxes Love Lemons, and it is delish.  I love it, and she has inspired me to make more of an effort with my own blog.

I went to a few antique shops today, in hopes of finding some cool things to write about.  I came across these vintage accent pillows.  Check them out!  They are baby fine corduroy and each one is a different color and pattern.  They are in perfect condition, and the round ones were $4 each and the roll was $6.  Definitely a super bargain.  They look super in my guest bedroom too.  Boom.

Christmas tree 2012.

So here is my tree, complete with some presents.  This was all finished the end of November but man, there is so much to do it took me this long to post it.  Merry Christmas!

Pillivuyt Bakers.

I found these matching bakers at a local thrift store over a month ago.  I've had my eye on them ever since, but couldn't pull the trigger since they were marked $24.99 and $34.99.  Even with 50% off, I just couldn't do it.  I could tell they were high quality, but did some more research and now I know all about Pillivuyt.  Founded in 1818, Pullivuyt produces culinary porcelain in the heart of France.  Check out more details here.

Last Saturday I went to visit them again and say hello.  I asked the nice cashier when things that have been around a while go on sale at a deeper discount.  I showed him what I was looking at and he offered them to me for 75% off.  Sold.  They are finally mine, and the lesson of the day is: it never hurts to ask.

Sunday popovers.

I saw some popover action on The Food Network, and I've had them on the brain since last week.  I got myself my very own popover pan and am going to do this thing.  I researched a variety of recipes, including sweet and savory, and decided on this version as a starting point.  One of the keys to super-high popovers is heated ingredients- eggs and milk, so the batter is warm, and then that goes into a pre-heated popover pan.  I took some pics and love how big they get in the oven.  Bam.  They are best straight from the oven and since they only make 6 at a time, so they go fast!

Terrarium, what?

My friend Kate started talking about terrariums a few months ago and they've been on my brain ever sense.  I found this glass container at TJ Maxx, and bought a terrarium kit at a local garden center, along with a few mini plants.  Combine those and one of my vintage akro agate cullets, and this is what you get.  I love the pop of color inside from the vintage glass (it's a leftover chuck from the marble-making process!).

Detroit bowl.

 

This is a super cool handmade bowl I found a few months ago at the DIY Fest in Ferndale.  It's awesome and I especially love the"Detroit Made" stamp.  This is the artist's website- http://lauramacintyre.com.  She is really nice, and I love all of her paintings of Hamtramck.

Too many pictures.

So I have too much artwork and not enough wall space.  I saw this idea in a magazine and put it to use and now my stacks of pictures are displayed in my guestroom.  Added bonus- no hammer required!

Yarn Wreath.

This project has been going on for a few weeks, and I finally picked up the glue I needed yesterday to finish it.  I wrapped a straw wreath in mustard-colored yarn, made some felt flowers out of grey and dark brown felt, embellished it with a fun feathery thing, and used a navy blue ribbon to create a hanger.  I think the colors are great against my blue door!

And now my real Christmas tree.

A Douglas fir, retro globe lights from Target like these, ornaments I've collected my entire life, red velveteen ric rac, candy canes, and a Winnie-the-Pooh angel treetopper.  It's crazy but it's personal and lots of fun to look at.  It makes me smile every single year.

Vintage ceramic Christmas tree.

I bought this a few weeks ago at the Livington Antique Outlet in Howell, Michigan .  I have wanted one of these for years- they are retro and it seems every grandma has one.  This one is especially fun- it's got a a silver glitter overspray, and instead of lightbulbs this one has sweet little birds.  My brother told me I deserved it....and I am so glad I snagged it up.

Woven trivets.

I've collected these trivets over the last year, after realizing you can really never have too many trivets.  They are really colorful and interesting to me.  They're a raffia-like material, dyed and woven with neat patterns and color combinations.  They would also look really great hanging on a kitchen wall.

Taza Chocolate.

I visited this amazing chocolate factory in Sommerville, MA and brought some things back to experiment with.  Taza chocolate, www.tazachocolate.com, is stone ground, organic, dairy/gluten/soy free, and the company supports fair trade and is one of the few bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the country.  The tour is interesting and you get some free samples too!

I picked up a Molinillo, a wooden Mexican wisk, that I will use for the below recipe.  I know it is going to be delicious, just like the chocolates I brought back home.

 http://www.tazachocolate.com/LearnMore/Mexican_Hot_Chocolate

Sewing Table.

I got this last fall at my neighbor's garage sale.  It was $5.00.  I plan on re-painting it but for now it's a side table in my office, and it looks pretty good.  I want to paint it a color, maybe navy, and add new colorful hardware, most likely from Anthropologie.  Something like this.
What do you think I should do?

Holyoke.

One of my favorite home blogs is Holyoke Home, http://www.holyokehome.com , and on my roadtrip out to Boston I was geeked to see this:

I so wish I could have exited and made my way to downtown Holyoke.  Driving through Massachusetts was seriously one of the highlights of my trip and it is absolutely beautiful there!

Orchids.

 

Orchids are one of my favorite flowers.  I have 5 of them flowering right now at my house, and another 4 that are dormant.  Check out some of these beauties!  Most are phalaenopsis, but I also have a few lady slippers that haven't bloomed in a few years.