Firework Cookies

When I saw the July cover of Martha Stewart Living I knew I wanted to make those cookies!



We will be (briefly) joining Eric's family this weekend I thought these would be a great addition to our trip. My only hesitation was that I'd never even made cookies from scratch before let alone decorate them so intricately. But I guess you have to start somewhere so I gave them a go.



Putting the dough together was a cinch and I went a head and rolled it out right away, between parchment paper, before chilling it.



This morning I got to baking and decorating.



I think the only real problem I had was getting the consistency of the icing right.



As you can see in the picture some of them bled over.



But all in all, I think not so bad for a first time decorator!

I also have to tell you about NY Cake. Martha Stewart recomends them in the magazine and since Im here in NYC I had the privledge of just popping over to their store. WOW! If you love to bake and you're in NYC, GO TO THERE !!

On my window sill...

are my beautiful Ikea tins filled with yummy home made treats and my gorgeous Birthday Tulips from Katie!




I hope you are all having fun, staying warm and traveling safely over these next few days!

Its beginning to look...

a lot like Christmas! Im gathering my new Holiday decor:



Gold Star
Star Dish
Lantern
All Ornaments

Home is where the heart is...

Bedroom Update

I was so excited to start sprucing up the bedroom with our new quilt and photos that I didn't get a "before" picture. Anyways, welcome to our little bedroom:





I really like how soft and calm it feels in here now!

Nesting again

Well, Im nesting again. Its been a while since I've painted or bought anything new for our apartment. It probably had something to do with that unemployment phase I went through. Now that I have a little bit more cash coming in (thanks Met Opera and Union rates!) I've been surfing the net for some great deals. No splurging mind you, but I did get a little something to spruce up the bedroom.


I know its a tiny photo: view the whole set here: Home Stripe Quilt

Here's why I like it:

1. Its a quilt and not a duvet. We have an awesome down comforter that we'll still use in winter months, but for must of the year we really dont need all that goose-down. Also, I hate how with duvets the comforter slides down to the bottom and gets all clumped up at the foot of the bed.

2. Clean, modern colors. Our walls are a warm tan color so that will bring out the one stripe. Plus our furniture is dark dark brown so it will look nice with that. Also, its not too feminine or masculine - aka: Eric likes it. Always a plus.

3. Practicality. It is cost effective and machine washable. Also I think in the future when we move to a house it will transition well to a guest bedroom.

In addition to the quilt set I ordered some 8x10 prints of these pics I took in Central Park last year.





Now I just need some curtains and I'll feel like the bedroom is more or less done!

From Neon Sushi to Chocolate Froth!

While I was down in NC visiting my Mom and Pop I decided I just had to remove the wallpaper from our hallway bathroom! This is the most used bathroom in the house and it was still adorned with the stripped and neon fish clad paper I picked out in 1990. Buh-bye!





First I removed all the wallpaper by scoring, spraying a mixture of fabric softener and warm water, and scraping. It came off pretty easy. The fact that it was almost 20 years old didnt hurt.



Then we (Dad helped with this part) tore down the cabinets and the molding that held up the horrible plastic cover for the florescent light above the sink.



Then I primed and painted all the trim , shelves, lower cabinets and window with a bright white semi-gloss.



On the walls I used Behr's Chocolate Froth in a satin finish.

VIOLA!!


I love the way it turned out and so do the 'rents!




There are a few more things to be done: hang the mirror, a new counter top and sink are on their way and an electrician is coming by to install new light fixtures. Also we had to order special hinges for the lower cabinets. Still, I think we'll all be a little happier in this slightly more sophisticated commode!

Taniya

I want to be friend with Taniya Nayak from Designed to Sell. Im pretty sure we would get a long great. Plus, Im positive she has a thing with the red headed carpenter Lynn. We all know how I feel about redheads!



K, just admittedly spent about 30 minutes reading her blog and she is happily married, but not to Lynn. Oh well. Still love her.

Wooden Sign

Love these recycled wooden signs by William Dohman.



These words are all $32 and he'll do a custom sign with up to 7 letters for $42. Hmmm... for my sewing room... Create maybe?

Evil Onion on HGTV!

Big news! Looks like I'm not going to be the ONLY TV star in the bunch! My BFF and family are being filmed for HGTV's new show My First Sale!. If you have yet to stop over to Evil Onion, do so right now! You will not believe the stunning makeover Allie and hubby Josh did on their Denver bungalow. Here's a little taste:





Amazing, right? Yeah. Good luck on filming guys, and here's to a quick sale! Love you!

A LIST

10 reasons why I cant wait to move to a 'burb and live in a house...



1.Bathrooms. Two of them. E and I always HAVE to use the bathroom at the same time or when the other person is in the shower.
2. Bath Tub. Our current bathtub is a mini. It is too short and too shallow to take a bath in. Very sad.
3. Laundry. Oh to have my own washer/ dryer! The idea literally makes me giddy inside.
4. Garden. I can't wait to grow my own veggies and fresh flowers.
5. Oven. Again, we currently have a mini. The oven is 15" wide. Please get out a ruler and process that for a minute. There is one rack and no broiler.
6. Central Heat. Radiators are spawn of the devil.
7. Neighbors. Ones whom I dont hear exercising or hacking up a lung.
8. Driveway. With a car. I could go to grocery store once, maybe twice a week!
9. Guestroom. No more "Oh, welcome to my house! Here's a couch to sleep on!"
10. Closets. We have one. ONE! ONE CLOSET!


Dont get me wrong, I LOVE our apartment. It is big (for NYC) and reasonably priced (for NYC) and we have lovely landlords. I do have a dishwasher, which is a big deal (for NYC) and in two years I have yet to see a mouse. Its just, well, Im over it! I've lived in very confined spaces for 8 years now and Im sick of justifying everything with the phrase "for NYC"! Sure, it probably doesnt help that Im unemployed right now and am spending waaay too much time inside these four walls. I should make a point to get out and do more things. Anyone up for a picnic in the park?

Little Things

Excuse me for a minuet while I get all mushy about my favorite red head. One of the best parts about living with your partner is noticing and appreciating the little things they do that really make your heart zing. Here is my latest example.



One of my little oddities that Eric constantly picks at me about is my tendency to save glass jars. I use them as vases and various storage containers, but he thinks they're silly and just take up space. "How many of those jars do you need?" he often asks. Flash to last week when I arrive home from my Florida trip. Eric is at work- and I'm pleasantly surprised that the dishwasher is running. When its done- I open it to put the dishes away and what do I find? Two, TWO mind you, two glass jars sparkling clean on the top rack. Bless his heart, he knew I would want them! That is LOVE people.

Scrappy Happy!

Inspired by this post, I made myself a new necklace from the scraps of my recent dress! I think its super cute!




I tore nine strips at about 1/4" wide and made three small braids with them. Then I braided those braids, hot glued the ends so they wont fray, and added a hook/ eye. Voila! Easy as pie- well easier, actually.

Rainbow Cake!

I can't wait until one of my lezi friends has a birthday party!(Or anyone who just likes rainbows, because honestly, not all lezies like rainbows.) I will soooo bake this awesome cake!






Find the recepie at omnomicon.

Fabric Stash and Storage

I was poking around one of my favorite blogs Sew, Mama, Sew! and I came across their Flickr group Fabric Stash and Storage.







Arent they so creative and beautifuly organized? Mine would stay like that for about a day, then right back to the chaos. Truthfully- I think us crafters and sewers work best amidst chaos.

Happy Birthday Babe!

E's b-day is actually Saturday, but he's going back home for the weekend. So, I baked a cake and he blew out the candles tonight. It was a white cake with apricot preserves and coconut garnish. Mmmmm. The preserves I got from the Amish Market on 50th St. and 9th Ave. Sooo delicious. If you're in NYC stop in there for a gourmet shopping treat. You'll have a hell of a lot better choice of products than at your local C- Town.

Kit- Cat Clock?

I grew up with one of these in the house. Its still there but I dont think it works anymore. My mom loves it.

I think every kitchen needs a flash of vintage in it. E might kill me though. Maybe I should go more this route...

Both clocks found here.

Shower Curtain?

So Ive promised myself that I wont do any more "nesting" for a while. I will admit that painting two rooms in two weeks was exhausting. That being said, I already have our bathroom on the mind. I'm thinking yellow. Nothing neon- a nice muted mustard perhaps. Its funny though, when I starting looking up ideas for yellow bathrooms most of the pages that came up were people complaining that they were stuck with yellow bathrooms they hated. Then I started searching for a cute shower curtain with yellow accents- but I came up so empty handed. It seams most every shower curtain with yellow in it has either rubber duckies, fru-fru flowers or looks like it belongs in a mod Swedish hotel. It also doesnt help that I detest vinyl curtains and will never ever buy one. Ever. The best I could come up with is this curtain from Pottery Barn.


(p.s. coincidence that it has the same colors as my blog?)

I really like it but I worry its to flowery for E.

Then I thought, why dont I just make my own? But most fabric is 45" wide and shower curtains are typically 72". There are a few handmade shower curtains on Etsy, but I wonder if they have a big fat seam down the middle that is cleverly hidden in the photographs. Hmmm... any suggestions?

Christmas Craft!

I found this super cute and easy Christmas Tree craft project on TheSmallObject.com via the awesome blog How About Orange. I decided to try it out and.... I LOVE the result! Here are the steps if you want to make your own!

First I made patterns. 4 semi circles at 10", 8", 6" and 4". The Small Object has a pattern you can print out- http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesmallobject/2065152899/


Then I used iron-on interfacing on the underside to give the fabric some weight and reduce fraying.


Next I used a zig-zag stitch all the way around each semi-circle.


Then with a glue gun- I glued each semi-circle into a cone, overlapping about 1" on the bottom.


Finally, I stacked the cones and secured each one with a dot of glue at the point.


Voila!