drink & eat

Aahhh... The weather is warmer and I need a drink. In an effort to stretch a buck AND be healthy, I've been buying a ton of seltzer water. It is on sale fairly often at one of the grocery stores nearby. It is fabulous with cran-raspberry juice and a splash of lime (and the cutest little ice cubes). Also, trick yourself into drinking less wine by making a spritzer. And feel extra fancy at breakfast with a virgin mimosa!


And it is getting to be that time of year when the produce is SO good and my plates look so delicious. Here are a few recent dishes:

hard-boiled egg and blanched asparagus on field greens with balsamic dressing

italian mashed potatoes (from scratch! my first time!)


assorted tomato salad with bocconcini and fresh basil


tomatillo & avocado salsa (recipe in Readymade)

mason jars

I have used mason jars for a long time. Mostly we use them for their intended purpose... canning foods. I gave salsa away in little mason jars to my clients around the holidays. We made muscadine jelly last fall. If we make a big batch of pasta sauce we store some in the big jars. So apart from pickles, coffee blends, homemade cookie/brownie mix, and special drinks, what else can you use these sweet little jars for? I'll tell you!

At Sabrina's house she has Q-tips and cotton balls on her vanity in them. Simple and chic.

We marinated and stored bocconcini in them.

In Readymade this month, and at Sarah's baby/beer/bbq fest, they were used as tea lights. I made a centerpiece for our kitchen table with tea lights and cute little bud vases:



David uses them as ink wells for the last bit of ink from the cartridges he turns into lamps. Then he paints with that ink.

I store beads in them.

We also make our own salad dressing in the tiny ones. A single serving to get to work spill-free and then shake it up before it goes over those yummy greens.


What do you use mason jars for?

productive plans

Ahhh, Memorial Day Weekend. Summer officially begins! And I officially stay off the road. This will be the second year in a row that I stay at home and be very productive.
In fact, by Friday afternoon I had already done the test run for a new project... jewelry pouches! Inspired by those freakin' cute little cloth holders that anthropologie uses for their gift cards.


The one from anthropologie is on the left. The others were made from leftover fabric scraps and swatches I had lying around, with the thread that was already in the machine. Next, I'll hunt for cute stuff at the Scrap Exchange and do a neater job.



These pouches have a draw-string closure. I think they could be used as a travel jewelry pouch or fill it with potpourri to make a little sachet.

Other projects for this weekend:
*cross-stitching
*experiments with all those leafy greens from the farmers market
*organize: pantry, first aid stuff, craft room


and all along the way I have the best little helper...

the real teal

I think I have unknowingly picked teal as my color of the season. Here are 2 new pairs of earrings I made this weekend: A couple of new things added to etsy. Tell your friends!!

a garden

We made a garden box! Placed in a rarely used section of the back yard that gets a good amount of sunshine. We'll see if the chicken wire keeps the puppy out... fingers crossed! We planted a few different varieties of tomato, jalapeno peppers, and sweet banana peppers. We got a little pot of sweet basil too. Can't wait to make pizza and fajitas with ingredients from our garden!

cake stand

I went to the thrift store and found some more ingredients for another cake stand. I gave the first one to my sis, so I think I will keep this one for me. Under $2 to create!

sea-inspired

I had a surge of productivity and creativity last weekend. I worked on several projects, including the "nook." This area of the house has been a puzzle. What do you put way up high, out of reach, in this little oddly-shaped recess in the wall? Our first answer was a pony. A Christmas penguin riding a cowboy pony to be more specific:


After a visit to homegoods, trying NOT to buy out the store, I came back with a few grown-up decoration things for the nook:



A nice pop of color, and a little sophistication brought to the... "area close to the ceiling." Whatever that's for.

Then being all springy and summery feeling, I made a couple of new jewels also inspired by the sand and surf:


Check 'em out on etsy!

refueling

WHEW!! It has been a very busy year so far, with no signs of slowing. I did leave one of my two personal trainer jobs... I am excited about focusing and growing with the studio close to my home. I am also excited about getting some free time back in order to craft more!

I have not been able to create much except for food (I have to eat!) so I am thankful for the birthday gift from my mother... all new pots and pans! I took some pictures with my phone of some of our recent kitchen adventures:

grilled cheese with garden vegetable soup

grilled eggplant and onion, with tomatoes & peperoncini on crostini

grilled bbq chicken with asparagus fries

greek panzanella

chocolate covered: animal crackers, strawberries, pecans, sugar cookies, and thin mints.

tomato salad with crostini

I have a few sewing projects on my list, as well as experimenting with metal (thanks, Jaime!). I need to finish dressing the bedroom walls and continue to help Mary plan for her wedding. Next up, working on the etsy shop!

adventures in instax

David gave me the cutest ever little Fuji Instax Mini camera for Christmas. Here are some of my favorite instant photos with that camera:

faux fries

I saw a cooking show today where they made portobello mushroom fries... they looked pretty darn good, even though I do not care for mushrooms. I had asparagus in the fridge, so I used that up and baked the fries on a baking rack instead of deep frying. I used panko bread crumbs and italian seasonings with a little bit of grated parmesan cheese. They came out so delicious! Crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside... and with plenty of kick! I used a lot of black pepper. I was sure to season the flour, egg, and bread crumb mixtures. What a delicious and healthy option if you are craving "fries." I would have taken pictures, but David and I ate them all as soon as they came out of the oven!

Next up for this weekend... trying to copy the Chileanos Compleatos hot dog from Neal's deli in Carrboro. We found pretzel rolls at a local grocery store (our attempt at home to make these wasn't so successful) and our favorite taco joint now sells their salsas (yes all 7 of 'em!) by the pint. We are breaking out the Weber and charcoal again on this spring-like weekend!

let them eat cake...

...or cookies or other snacks... from a cute cake stand!

I've seen several etsy shops and crafters with their own mixed-matchy cake stands. Seems easy enough. I went to the thrift store to find some materials... the possibilities are endless with all the candle stick holders and dinner plates!! I limited myself to one of each to see how it would turn out.

What do you think?




I'm going to keep my eyes open whenever I go to the thrift store for things that go better with my home decor. This was a very quick and easy project! And for around $1.50, why not?

new addition

OK, so I didn't create her... but we are going to create a healthy and happy home for her!

Meet Pepper:

introducing....

LOWELL & LOUISE
our new crafting and creative empire. watch out world, here we come!

Our website begins! It is very young, so check back for updates. But it is there, and it is ours.

www.lowellandlouise.com

The etsy shop is up and running! Tell your friends! We have jewelry and lighting for now, and will have artwork and other creations there soon.

www.lowellandlouise.etsy.com

More items to be listed this weekend. Thanks for looking!

say cheeeeese!

My sister gave me a cheese-making kit for Christmas... it worked! We bought a gallon of milk, and made mozzarella cheese! We tried twisting & braiding some of it. You have to work quickly when it is hot. We also made some tiny cheese balls (bocconcini) and I marinated them in olive oil, garlic, and italian spices. YUM.

stirring the milk and checking the temperature

the curds and whey are separating!

you gotta stretch it. and it was HOT. next time we'll use gloves.

attempted braid, and a little taste test.

marinated bocconcini.

The kit came with enough ingredients to make THIRTY batches of cheese. Yes, three zero, 30. We will experiment with adding different spice combinations (instead of just salt) and maybe rolling it up with special things like ham or pesto. And in the summer, I will make my own pizza dough... and have tomatoes and basil from my garden, and make my own cheese and have a completely homemade pizza!

bathroom redo - stage 2

the light is complete! David made this new light for the vanity area over the holidays. Made of maple and a metal right angle. The wood came from scraps from the bed my dad made... so everything flows very nicely in the master suite.

before:



and after!!

bathroom redo - stage 1

The bedroom and vanity/bathroom upstairs got new life recently in the form of paint on the walls. They used to be blah and beige. Now they are a clean crisp light grey.

Before...


After...


Stage 2 is a new light for the vanity area, already in production. And stage 3 will be deciding how to decorate the vanity area wall... a decal? paint chips? artwork?