little banners

easy, no-sew fabric banners. love them. @ penny carnival blog

Can-Can skirt

i stumbled upon this adorable blog: MADE, a creative collection, and saw this adorable, girly skirt that i would love to someday make for adelaide.... and maybe myself?

pumpkin seeds

Inspired by a recipe in this month's issue of Sunset using Quatre épices (four spices),I decided to try it for seasoning our yearly pumpkin seed batch. However, I made it sweet, salty AND spicy. Alter amounts of seasonings as preferred... all measurements are complete estimates, as I just added and spiced by sight alone.

1. spread out raw pumpkin seeds fresh from pumpkin (or saved in the fridge up to a week) evenly in single layer on greased cookie sheet. preheat oven to 375.  

 2. mix the following together in a cup:

1/4c. brown sugar

1/4tsp each of. cinnamon & salt

1/8tsp or a generous "shake shake" each of nutmeg, white pepper, cloves & ginger

3. toss all of the seeds with spice mixture and for an extra little "glaze" or crackle, sprinkle white sugar over the top of all the seeds spread out on the sheet

4. bake for 10 mins or until golden. voila! snack away!

i must say, this is my favorite fall pumpkin seed recipie so far!

and, for festive background music, here is one of my favorite artist's Devendra Banhart singing "Pumpkin Seeds"



tyndall coat

anthropologie

maybe it's because i am cold, maybe it's because i am poor and can't shop, maybe it's just cuz i think it's pretty.....

(link here)



stay focused...

sometimes i tend to start projects, books and tasks simutaneously and not finish them. this is one i am determined to see through. a cozy cowl-like scarf that wraps around your neck. the colors are perfect for this time of year... now if i can just finish it before spring, that'd be great!

a cup of coffee, book & a song

since i can't have coffee with you on this foggy autum Monday morning, i'd love to share something with you. i got up at 5am to read, crochet, and drink coffee under a cashmere throw- all while the rest of the house's occupants were dead asleep. it was heaven. in Christianity Today's "Bits & Pieces" sections, i came across a book that jumped to me just from the title. the whole concept- seasonality is something i have blogged about before.. seasonality within our spiritual lives, homes, and food intake is of great interest in our family. so, without further ado, check out this book: Spiritual Rhythm: Being With Jesus Every Season of Your Soul by Mark Buchanan.

here is a new singer/songwriter that both my iTunes "genius" reccommended along with CT's music section: Doug Burr.

"Burr is the son of a Southern Baptist pastor, and his previous albums have explored the intersection of faith and doubt, sometimes obliquely, as in his original songs, and sometimes more directly, as in the straightforward folk settings of the Psalms on his 2008 album The Shawl. Throughout his career he has been obsessed with mysteries human and divine; the savagery that lies just beneath the surface of civilized men and women, the conundrum of an all-loving God who is simultaneously ever-present and hidden."

more on Doug from Christianity Today here.

ride my bicycle

fall sun streaming in

Cha Cha changes

I know that its just some linens, chairs and curtains, but it's these little changes that I hope will make a big difference in moving my home towards the feel that I am trying to achieve. What is that "feel", you ask? Well, I would say 7 parts Anthropologie, 2 parts 15th St. Coffee & Tea (think of: book pages as wallpaper, chalkboards, rustic wood, etc) and 1 part Ikea (I can't help but like some of the streamlined looks).

My lovely mother-in-law is the best at home decor. (especially if it includes blue, yellow, toille or anything french countryside) Any chance she can grab at helping her decorating impaired daughter-in-law, she graciously jumps at the chance. So, when I told her I was going to re-upholster a chair she gave me (yep, adorable blue & white toille!) she was not only offended, but offered me three more to match. I had some yellow, black & gray silkscreened upholstery fabric laying around that I had bought without a project to go with it. It just so happened that the 2 wonderful yards covered just enough of those 4 chairs that there was not one thread left unused. It took me a whole month to uncover, unstaple, sand, spray paint, measure, cut, recover, re-staple and fasten in these bad boys. We better get good use out of these suckers! I decided to cover them with some upholstery plastic not for the kitchy, modern, vinyl look, but out of pure desire for preservation. With two little ones under 3, they wouldn't last one meal without me scrubbing away at blackberry jam, dried eggs, or someother unknown substance.




before





after

 Who knows how long it will take to sand, stain and paint the table- the next project. (black legs to match the chairs and a cherry stained top)

These were just minor improvements- like the nail polish on a revamped benefactor of an Oprah makeover, not statement making, but enough to contribute to the overall look. It was all I can do to finish these small projects with a baby and a toddler... No wonder people with money hire interior decorators.

me and my little helpers

papery draperies

I had no idea what a difference window treatments made! I also never knew just exactly how to hang the rods. (High above the molding and wide for a dramatic look. I went as high as the ceilings would allow.) These stinkin curtains took a week to hang and get "just right"- as my babies were scared of the drill and that sent the house into quite a tizzy. And in the end, they are just white curtains! No frills, design or elaborate materials... Just a lightweight wispy eggshell (long enough to touch the floor) and a set of heavier, cropped (they look like clamdigger pants, they are so short) Potterybarn panels. The floor length wispys won, hands down. (In the pic, the Potterybarn curtains are on the right.)