New hobby idea?

Talkin' bout picklin', y'all! Nothing better in a spicy bloody mary than an okra pickle..or pickled green beans. They're just soooo good! I used to eat my Gammaw's pickled okra by the pound and.... srsly? They want like.. almost $4 for a small jar at Kroger. That's stupid. It can't be super difficult, right? Plus I like mason jars! What if I got like.. super good at it...and came up with some amazing blend of spices no one has thought of before and I pickle everything under the sun and sell thousands of jars at farmer's markets across the country??!!

PICKLIN'.

We could have a slogan!!

You'll Relish Our Pickles?

Never a Dill Moment?

hmmmm

In other news, we roasted some sweet potatoes last night and made sriracha ketchup. It was fantastico!

If you've never had sweet potato fries (or in this case, not fried!) I highly recommend.

1.Scrub em up real good.

2. Slice em (like in circles) Then slice the circles in half.

3. Throw em in a big Ziploc with one tablespoon of olive oil.

4. Shake em up!

5. Throw on a cookie sheet and bake @ 445 (i know, it's hot!) for like.. 15 mins.

6. Flip em and bake em for 10-15 mins more.

7. Remove from oven and salt/pepper as desired!

ROOOAADD TRIPPPP!

I'm 90% sure we're going to Omaha in two weeks and since plane tickets are 400$ a pop (DUMBBB!) we're gonna fill the tires with air, get the oil changed and hit the great American road...(but we can only stop for bathroom breaks....we're on a time crunch!)

KIND OF EXCITED.

Cooler will be packed full of Red Bull and Starbucks espresso shots. It will definitely be a challenge, but we can do it!!

Paper Hearts and Treasure Hunts!

20 paper hearts cut from this super cute scrapbook paper found @ Hobby Lobby for like.. 30 cents for Ryan's Valentine's day TREASURE HUNT!!! He'll be all over the apartment building...in the lobby, in the parking garage, etc.  I wrote 20 little riddles he's got to figure out in order to find his next clue. There will be little treats hidden here and there and a surprise at the end! YAYYYY!! I probably had more fun planning it than I think he'll have actually doing the treasure hunt

.

In other treasure hunting news, we found a new happy hour place yesterday-  The Community Bar in Midtown.

OHHHHH WOW the food... this was no "bar food".. it was absolutely amazing food. We split 2 appetizers, Bangkok ravioli (dumplings) made of chicken and mushrooms in a green curry cilantro sauce and the goat cheese and pork egg rolls. I mean... I love goat cheese... you could put it on a dog biscuit and I'd call it a delicacy...but they were out of this world. Check out a review and photos here. Apparently Chef Bob does alot off the menu too. You can ask him to whip up a snack for you...whatever he's feeling..and he'll make you something unique and fantastic. The couple next to us were eating ribs which I didn't see on the menu. I was being nosy... telling them they smelled amazing... and the guy actually put a rib with BBQ sauce on a plate and gave it to us. HE GAVE US A RIB. LIKE ADAM GAVE TO EVE. How nice is that??  FOOD SHARING.

The drinks were great, too! We had a Moscow mule which is vodka and ginger beer (something Ryan and I drink often at home with Goya ginger beer, the spiciest we're found aside from Beaver's homemade) and a Moteato, tea vodka with mint, lemonade and soda water.

We'll definitely be back! If you're in the area, it's highly recommended.

"I like my sugar with coffee and cream" - Beastie Boys, Intergalactic

There's actually going to be a shop update this week! Things have been so absolutely nuts the past month but they're finally slowing down and I made a few things! I'll have some new necklaces in the Notes from the Republic shop before this week ends. PROMISEZ.

Here's what's comin':

Go-Go Rocket Fuel necklace

 Tea Service necklace complete with serving tray, teapot and sugar and cream bowls!

for getting back in the game!

[hooray on weheartit}

Is 29 too late to learn a musical instrument?

want. to. learn.



need:

Room Tour: Bedroom

With each passing week we're making progress and making this house a home. We got so much done this weekend and I wanted to share. Welcome to the bedroom!

Hung painted frames and wall art. 

Ryan put our dresser together and I got a clothes rack to hang my vintage dresses (and it's a pretty good spot to let clothes hang-dry).

We sat the TV on top of a vintage olive green American Tourister

Decorated some exposed pipe with green and brown finger knitted "ropes".

...and now the part I think I love the most! Our re-purposed headboard! We found this great louvered door at a junk shop in Montrose for $25. It's the perfect size! We took it home, scrubbed it down (thing was dirrrtttyyyy) and hung it on two nails above the bed.

I love the scratches and imperfections on the door and just the overall effect it gives the room. The little slats are so perfect for tucking in cute note cards or decorative papers.

 

We're still hunting for a cool old bench for the foot of the bed, but I think we're almost done in this room!

 So fun!

Crafty Christmas Bonanzaaaaa

Hello sweet visitors! I know Thanksgiving is in two days, but I'm still thinking a month down the road.

Christmas 2010 = D. I. freaking Y. With Ryan and I moving into a new apartment next week, our moneys will be a bit smaller this Christmas, but there will be no stressing out.  There will only be...busy!

I got a bit of a jump start this year since I anticipated the move...I had about 75% of my gift shopping done and my Christmas cards made at the beginning of November.  But there's still a fair bit to be done, like decorating the apartment after all the boxes unpacked. Decorating my home for Christmas is one of my favorite things about the holidays. I absolutely watching (or maybe directing? "More of the colorful lights! More on the bottom!") Dad string the lights and garland on the tree so we could dive into the boxes of ornaments, carefully unwrap the delicate Kleenex-packed ones are get-to-decoratin'.

This year will be the first time Ryan and I get to spend the Christmas season together. I'm determined to go  (a bit) overboard with the cheer and super determined to use mostly handmade, vintage and re-purposed items to do it

There's no limit to what you can do or make, just google Christmas DIY or look up tutorials and go nuts! Etsy has an endless supply of amazing vintage pieces and supplies, even pre-made kits, like this Winter Wonderland cupcake kit , this Holiday journal kit,  and this needle felted snowman kit  just to name a few, that can be shipped to your doorstep in days! 

If you like to shop local, hit up any antique shop. I guarantee they will have lots of vintage Christmas ornaments, figurines, cards and books. Last weekend Ryan and I snagged this 3 foot Santa

 at August Antiques  in the Heights (If you're in the Houston area, I recommend stopping by;  they have tons of Christmas items from the 50s and 60s!

I also bought a handful of these vintage Santa cut-outs to string up in the apartment.

At the moment, I'm waiting (not so patiently)  for my Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons to come in the mail (via Etsy!) so I can make this awesome garland per Amanda's awesome tutorial found here.

So if you'd like to get your hands dirty this December, here are just a few of the hundreds of ideas and tips to help make your Christmas super DIY and unique:

Reuse broken or old ornaments to make a beautiful wreath! 

Use scrap yarn to wrap foam balls! 

I LOVE the candy cane candle in the upper left had corner!  I think the evergreen pieces on the outside of the glass adds such a classy touch to a table setting.

Great tutorial for making your own antique tin candles

This is what I'm working on now...crocheting Christmas tree garland. I chose fluffy white sparkly yarn to look like snow!

Use blank cards and scrap booking stickers or chipboard pieces to create your own unique cards! 

Chose pretty holiday fabric to make your own cheery bunting. Here is a no-sew tutorial!

Even if your gifts aren't handmade, you can add your own personal accents to the packaging! Use stamps, ribbons, buttons, or stickers to create your own gift tags. Blank tags can be found at Hobby Lobby or any craft store.

This is a great idea if you have kids and even if you don't making paper ornaments or decorative (using pretty holiday scrapbook paper) paper chains is a fun and easy way to add a handmade touch to your decor.



Happy Christmas crafting!

[photos from google images, light up Santa is mine]

Found these today at Goodwill....

But...I didn't buy them... and I find myself thinking about them...posing questions to myself like "If you go back...and they're gone... will you kick yourself?"...

the answer may be yes.

I just feel like I could give them a good home and they could continue to spread their sassy 70s joy to my guests....

I just hope no one that sees them between now and 4 feels the same way



DIY Christmas cards for 2010

YOU GUYS.

Hobby Lobby has ALOT of Christmas things on sale! You could TOTALLY raid the Christmas scrapbooking stuff and make your own one-of-a-kind Christmas cards! I bought a box of 10 blank stamping cards (with envelopes) at an art supply store in town the other day for less than 4$. Today on lunch I found these little 3D-ish guys with their super-cute winter outerwear and was like.. SHAZZAM.

UNIQUE HANDMADE CHRISTMAS CARDS!

Snag a little holiday stamp to embellish the scene a bit (maybe snow flakes? I also bought a little "Merry Christmas" stamp for the inside of the card...)  and you're done! Most of these scrapbooking 3D things already have sort of sticky backs but I super glued them to the card for good measure so they don't pop off in the mail.

I love that they're personal...YOU designed and created a holiday card for someone special.

It's gonna mean that much more!

Inside in red and green (stamped): 



I know it may be a bit early (I mean, I'm not mailing them yet...)...but it's one more thing you can scratch off that holiday to-do list!

0 calorie ravioli!

SOFTIE FOOD!

Holycrapthisissocute!

I came across this tutorial today- I looooooove felted food (even though I don't quite know what to do with it...)

Great tutorial over here!

Inspired!

I sort of am in love with this color combo. It's light and feminine but the grey pulls it down a bit I think, keeping it from being all... "girly-up-in-your-face". I'm going to buy some yarn in these colors today to see what I can come up with...

...just sayin'.

[fabric found here on Etsy]

[dress found here on Etsy]

[glassware found here on Etsy]

[all others google images]

Wassermelone!

It's got tons of vitamin C and A...and it's juicy and pretty. The entire summer has almost gone by and I haven't had one piece of watermelon. not 1. I see them in the grocery lookin' all bulbous and cumbersome...and I always walk right by. I think this week I'll change that. This week...will be watermelon week.

[all photos via weheartit]