So long...farewell....

Tonight I'm attending a very special going-away party, for my very special bestest friend Jenny (one of my oldest college friends, Boston roommate, knower of all secrets, and co-founder(s) of LTD). She's leaving town next Tuesday on a great new adventure - Buenos Aires, Machu Pichu, and everywhere in between. I'm going to miss her a lot, but I know she's going to have a wonderful time there!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Homemade Pizza

Paul bought me the BEST cookbook a few weeks back:


Needless to say, he's been the guinea pig for my new creations. One of my favorite recipes so far was for pizza dough. The dough turned out very tasty (I used 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour). It was nice and crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside. I topped it off with thinly sliced zucchini, garlic, mozzarella & parmesan cheeses, and basil. It was DEEELISH! (and even Paul thought so)...

Valentine finds

A pink KitchenAid mixer from All Things Lovely

Goodie Bag at Twig and Thistle

Wish these were around when I was a kid! (Papersource)

52 Reasons Why I Like you at Craftster.org

Hair clips (for Cadence?) at thelongthread

In Remembrance

Though my 2010 has been off to a great start, my heart has been especially heavy these past few weeks. This is because I've been thinking a lot about my friend Brooke, who suddenly passed away a year ago today.

I'm still sad, and I'm still in shock. As we all try to keep her spirit alive, it's days like these when I get sad; whether it's a dreary winter morning, or if I hear "Smile" on pandora...I see Brooke everywhere.

I hope that the Day of Remembrance for Brooke will get easier as the years pass. I do know that I will always think of her on January 21st, and have a smile on my face (as she always had on hers...)

Productive day

Today I took the day off to enjoy some post-event activities: baking, napping, cooking, laundering, and shopping.

Some of the yummy things I made:

Kalamata Olive Hummus

Butterscotch cookies (Paul's favorite)

My mom and Kevin are in town tonight (leaving for Hawaii tomorrow) and I'm making this yummy dinner from Cooking Light:

Pappardelle with Roasted Winter Squash, Arugula, and Pine Nuts

lookin' good...

These sweet potato gnocchi from The Dinner Files look amazing! Can't wait to try them when I get back home.

A few shots from the road...

Scottsdale, Arizona that is. I've been here since Thursday for NWP's New Site Leadership Institute (an event that I've been planning for about a year or so). The weather has been great, the food good, and the event, smooth! Now if only I could find time to get in the pool...

p.s. I'm actually staying at the McDowell Mountain Marriott

Must make

Found this great coat hanger idea on Prudent Baby via Ish & Chi. Yes, I subscribe to Prudent Baby, and no, I am not pregnant! They just have some great baby craft ideas. And since I have so many friends with babies, the possibilities are endless!!

I'm thinking about making this coat hanger frames for both our hallway and my craft room. I have these cute old knobs that would be perfect. Hrmmm, the wheels in my brain are turning...

Lovin' me some art

In the spirit of "updating" my craft room, I'm looking for some art inspiration for the walls. I have a few things up already, but some just ain't cuttin' it. Here are a few that I found on etsy...

Squirrel block print by anna see


Apple Green and Cherry Chickadees by karingrow


C'est La Vie II by Tessyla

The Find Part I...

These aren't my pics, but ones that I found online that resemble the awesome vintage sewing machine table I bought last weekend. For $5 it was quite a steal. Real pics to come soon, I just like to keep people in suspense :)

I also purchased a few of these organizers from Michaels at 40% off! (thanks Tish and Dad for the giftcard!) They look great right next to my new desk...

Craft room update

Craftzine is doing a great series this month, showcasing fellow craftster's craft rooms. I've been so inspired by all of the featured rooms:

Betz White

West Coast Crafty

Crafty Pod

This weekend I made a may-jaaa score at the Salvation Army - a new sewing desk! Pics of the new (and improved) craft room to follow soon!

I'm in love...

with House Doctor. But I can't seem to find anywhere in CA that sells their stuff. It's like Anthro but quirkier (and maybe even cheaper? I have no idea, since it's all in German). The catalog is online, but I want to order a nice glossy version of it. Anyone seen these wares anywhere local?

Fun bins

I've been looking for some fun bins to put all of our bathroom *crap* in, but I haven't found any that look right (or don't cost an arm and a leg). I love the idea of making my own, like sewingmomma does. Aren't they adorable? I wonder how hard they would be to make. These might just make it to the top of the winter/spring crafting list...





Thanks Craft mag for spotting these!

Lunchtime fun

One of my favorite gifts that I received this year was a Laptop Lunch Bento Box set. I'm pretty sure that these are made for kids, but I think it's just the greatest thing ever! It has all different tupperwares that fit in the box (some with lids, some without) that help eliminate the use of plastic baggies. Yay for saving the environment, and yay for organizing food!

It's been a month...

...and I haven't blogged. That's bad! My New Year's Resolution is to blog more, so without further ado, a few sights from my winter vacation...

skiing at badger pass...

winter view of Hetch Hetchy

stockings hung by the Ikea bookshelf with care...

where'd all the snow come from?

Paul, Cadence, and the birthday ice cream cake

fun Cadence times

Hope yours was just as amazing and relaxing as mine!!