Baking and Stuff

I've been doing a lot of this lately.



I find it incredibly relaxing to bake and have the house smell yummy. There's a reason I love Julie & Julia so much - Nora Ephron really got it right that it's such a comfort to know mixing eggs and chocolate will thicken. It really is a law of the universe. It's reassuring to know if you follow instructions, have a little patience and a really good mixing bowl that lovely baked goods will emerge. This is not always true for the rest of the outside world. I prefer to stay all hermit like in the house.

Except for last weekend. I went to the Bishop Arts District with a friend to check out what's new. We found this incredible shop (I saw it on Unique Eats on the cooking channel) that I couldn't believe was in Dallas.



I highly recommend a visit. They let you sample everything and really know their stuff. A chocolate and foodie lover's paradise.

A nice view of downtown and the Pegasus way off in the distance.



Love the Belmont Hotel perched high up on the hill. I'm dying to try Smoke right next door.



I've got big plans for some bread baking this weekend.

Valentine's Pretties

As previously mentioned I kind of sucked on the Christmas gifts so here are a few Valentine's make goods.

This one is a necklace I made for a super sweet friend of mine. I couldn't resist the "Queen Bee".



I've had this collage on my desk for a long time and finally finished adding pieces parts.



The collage made its way into this charm and I love the close up. I want to think I was channeling Frida Kahlo without the color and amazing talent but it's my moment of delusion so there you go.

Baking and Soldering

I've become a huge fan of the show "Anna & Kristina's Grocery Bag" on the OWN network so I did a little baking this weekend. Although to be clear, I don't really need much of a push to do any baking!

These were cookies I made over the holidays and froze the dough. This is the absolute best way to insure an easy option for much needed baked goods in an emergency. I thawed them over a few days then rolled them and baked them today. They're the Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies from one of the cookie editions of Martha Stewart Living. Super tasty and the touch of chipotle powder to the mixture you roll the cookies in is awesome. I think they're the perfect "take to the office for Valentine's treat".



Muffins from one of my favorite baking books. I made the blueberry muffins but had to swap out most of the sour cream for yogurt and it's a pretty tasty substitution. After Rolland nicely ran out to get more sour cream, I made another batch for him with cherries instead of blueberries. He declared these tasty as well.



And finally for dinner, homemade pizza. I've been making the crust for years which is super easy. The sauce my dad actually taught me forever ago and it's still a favorite. Rolland, not a fan but that's the beauty of homemade pizza, everybody can make it to order.



During all of the cooking frenzy, I made 5 charms. 3 are for Valentine's gifts (I was a big failure at Christmas so folks are getting Valentine's gifts!) and two others just 'cause I had enough stuff on my desk to work on a few more and more sparkles are always great.

I hope everyone had a terrific Valentine's eve and have plans for a sweet and romantic day tomorrow.

For the love of pink

I'm over at the day job's blog today sharing my love of pink! There are some very pretty pictures over there. :)

A Faux Vintage Assembley

On Sunday I wanted to do a little jewelry making without a major production. I dug through the bead drawer and found these yummy gumball looking stones. I decided to use links from vintage chain that I just can't seem to get enough of it (here and here).




I had a few beads leftover and thought this little guy needed something really pretty to show him off.



Oddly, the hubby didn't hate it and called it "Egyptian Looking". I think he's on to something there.

Most Recent Snowfall

Cirque Came to Town

Last weekend we ventured out to Ikea and saw the cirque folks were all set up. I love Cirque du Soleil and we've checked out all of their Vegas offerings except Elvis - next time - and even the hubby loves it. He drove all around the baseball field in Frisco so I could snap some shots. He's a keeper!







Good thing we ventured out, we ended up iced/snowed in all week! Pics in the next post.

New Foodie Favorite

Extra Virgin on the Cooking Channel has to be one of my new favorite foodie shows. I kind of love Debi Mazar anyway, such amazing style, so watching her cook with her husband at their house in LA is greatness. They're kind of hilarious but serious about food which is also greatness. I mean they built a pizza oven in their backyard (new summer project for hubby?!) incorporating tiles from Italy. Also, the food looked amazing.

Speaking of food, I'm to a lunch date with the hubby.

Blah

(image wikipedia)

This has been the kind of week I've had, also, I love to work in the Greek myths when I can just to make sure all the schooling hasn't gone to waste. Seriously, I can not wait for the weekend and some random fun. Also, I'm beating myself up for not going running tonight even if I have made it to the gym 3 days in a row and want nothing more than to snuggle into bed and sleep for a day but instead came home and worked for a few hours.

The good parts of the week are that I've got 3 pieces almost ready for additions to the etsy shop and all the Christmas stuff should be cleared out of the garage so I can get back to my soldering and torch area. Jewelry fun goodness will ensue! I'm also thinking about redoing some of the garage/workshop space so it's more inspirational and studio like. I think it can take my mind of the 110 heat while holding a soldering iron in July. Well, it will be inspiring at least.

I am showing restraint and not adding whining as a tag and appreciate you guys letting me just wallow for an entire post. Now, I'm definitely heading to bed. The puppies have the right idea.

Snow!

We had all kinds of fun playing in the snow last weekend and it's actually been cold enough all week that it hasn't all melted. Seriously, I was in winter heaven. I don't think we're getting more snow but cold and rain work as a back up for a long weekend of cooking, playing in the studio and a little football in front of a fire.

Sublime Gift from Suzanne

My friend Suzanne and I love the patterns from Sublime Stitching but I had no idea she had spent a large chunk of time becoming an embroidery whiz! I found out when I opened my Christmas gift to see this beauty. She even made the scarf!



I love it and now with the cold temps it's perfect for bundling up and snuggling. Also, the pink and the image are beyond awesome. Seriously, thoughtful homemade gifts rock!

New Friends

One of the reasons I love living out in the suburbs (ignoring the commuting issues for the moment) is because it reminds me of growing up in a small town with lots of naturey goodness everywhere. Even though we're only 20 or so miles from Dallas proper (urban sprawl actually has major shopping in about 5 minutes) we still have lots of small town charm.

These guys are one of my favorites. One of our routes home takes us by a large plot of land with a barn and an older house where these cuties live. The hubby noticed a new addition and took my to see him/her last weekend. They ran right up to the fence and I wished I had snacks for them. Next time I'm thinking of sneaking some apples. They were super sweet and the little guy was ready to play but a slightly camera shy.

Clog Obsession

Yeah, it's not every day that you type out that headline! But, I have in fact been obsessing about clogs lately. I wanted to find some that were comfortable and didn't look like I might start taking up weaving (not that there's anything wrong with that). I also didn't want to spend a large amount of money. Surfing around I found these.



Turns out they are surprisingly comfortable! Super excited about the purchase but the husband informed me that he could hear me coming with the first step. Note to self to remove shoes in case of any super sleuthing that may come up.

Works in Progress

I snapped a few pics of my current works in progress scattered around my desk. They are so clear and crisp because I was too lazy to get the good camera and just used my phone. :)

This one is going to be put under glass as a new shrine. I just decided on a few more finishing touches then it's glass cutting and soldering to finish.



These are a couple of new boxes that I think will need the addition of vintage paper, a few more layers of paint and charcoal as well as a doll head with a rhinestone necklace. Then two new recipe holders will be ready for the etsy shop. I'm hoping to get several pieces done each week and restock the etsy shelves. It's easy to have high hopes on January 4th!

Time for a New Year

Hope your year is filled with love, laughter, and tasty goodness!




Happy New Year!