book clutch -- part 2, sort of

A while ago Ashley and I began a three-part craft to make clutches from books.  The first part went pretty smoothly but then we were put on hold by her being in DC for the summer. 

Upon her return we attempted part 2, which was just to cut out the pages to form the cavity.  This seemed pretty straight forward. And I guess it is, but it's pretty time consuming...so after one attempt and a hundred or so pages cut, the books are on hold.  

Thin books make for thin clutches...but they would have been done by now.

xoxo

well, back from the break

i'm not going to even try. it's been a long time. life is busy, but good. so,

here are some pictures from today! look at me being on top of it!

Jonathan, Jen, Evan, and Tom all ran the Merge 25K this morning like crazy/impressive people.  Because what better way to celebrate 25 years of records than by running from Chapel Hill to Durham? I know. This is why I was support crew, along with Chloe of course.  They all rocked it with amazing times, despite all the hills this area brings.  Luckily, the weather was perfect, a beautiful 75 degrees today, giving me hope that spring is actually around the corner...even though we have snow predicted for Tuesday...But anywho, some pics:

Miss Chloe stealing the show, per the usual:

Miss Olive making the best face ever:

 Some of the crowd, soaking up the sun and beverages:

Hope you are enjoying the weekend and lovely weather! 

xoxo

mini, helps

As mentioned, I've been behind on the crafting.  But, I've managed to do some mini projects:

I picked up some mini glass candle holders/planters/i-don't-know-but-they-were-cute/ things at some point and painted them using Martha's all-purpose craft paint in pink and gold.

I made more cards/postcards - these were with stamps and craft chalk.

I screen printed a shirt for the boy with  his home state of Arizona and a little cactus cut out around Phoenix. 

I sewed a utensil pouch to match my sandwich wrapper.  I keep a fork and spoon at the office, and now they have a nicer place to live than just in the drawer. and it's seersucker, so it's extra classy. 

i do love a mini project, finishing something in a couple of hours is so rewarding. 

keep crafting it up!

xoxo

chilly days

Spoon is having none of winter. even the mild form we've had this year. 

So he's been curled up with the heated blankets:

and looking pretty adorable too. 

He has some new joy - Keeri gifted him a fresh catnip plant, and he seems to enjoy rolling around and looking ridiculous:

xoxo

surprise! it's a cake! no, it's a fruit!

jonathan's birthday was in august. so of course, i made a cake. but the boy loves fruit, so i went with something i'd seen on the ever inspiring pinterest and made a surprise fruit cake. no, not the terrible kind you eat at christmas, but rather a cake made from fruit that looks like a cake but is really just a lot of fruit.

it starts with a medium sized watermelon. i cut off the top and bottom and then cut off the sides to form a cylinder

then i cut mine into two 'layers' and put the bottom layer on a platter

next i whipped up some cream with some sugar and vanilla and spread a layer on top of the watermelon and then topped it with kiwi and pineapple 

and then another layer of whipped cream

followed by the second piece of cake, err watermelon 

then i frosted the entire 'cake' in whipped cream 

and decorated it with more fruit

and then a lot more fruit. i also drizzled some caramel sauce on it, because, why not? 

doesn't look like a watermelon from here...

and the big reveal! 

he was happy. obvi.

xoxo

basket weave?

So I recently finished a scarf that i started a while ago..shocker...but anywho, i wanted something a little different but not hard so i made up a pattern that i think looks like a basket weave? maybe.  

Here it is: 

Cast on 24 stitches
Knit row 1 
Knit 4 purl 4, repeat until the end of the row for five rows
Knit 2 purl 2 for five rows
Purl 4 knit 4 for five rows
Purl 2 knit 2 for five rows
Repeat the sequence until you have your desired length, and then knit the last row before casting off. 

In progress: 

and complete, ta-da!

stay warm during this arctic vortex!

xoxo

food lately: you know, from the last six months (part 2)

don't worry, there's more:

arugula salad with tomatoes and cheesy croutons 

pasta salad with cantaloupe, arugula, and prosciutto (awesome!)

pasta with eggplant, grilled onions, and tomatoes in cream sauce

one of my favorite pizzas i've ever made with eggplant, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto

and... the strangest pizza i've ever made with leeks, broccoli, and veggie patties, but not terrible

thyme & parmesan biscuits, fried eggs, and left over dressing 

cheese dip nachos (oh yes!)

a delicious feast of roasted sweet potatoes, greens, caramelized onions, chorizo sausage, goat cheese, and crepes (also one of my favs)

plus some sweet treats: 

brownies

and blue bell! 

xoxo