gratuitous food photos

A good majority of today was spent making an early Thanksgiving dinner for myself and a gentleman friend, along with a couple others once I realized just how much food there was going to be (a lot).



I've been looking forward to this for a while. I love the challenge of cooking a big meal alone. There's a lot of math, logic, and problem solving involved. There is way too much strategerie going on in my head when I'm in the kitchen.



There is also the uncontrollable, unconscious need for me to show off how domestic I am around a new boy. Do you get like that too? It's not our fault we've been programed like this for centuries, right? Look how good I am at holding a baby! Let's see how many side dishes I can fit in the oven at once! Did you see how well I mopped that floor?



Crescent rolls: Pillsbury

Apple galette: lovely miss Sarah

[served with homemade whipped cream: 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 1.5 tbs sugar, drop of vanilla; beat until...whipped-cream-y]



Green bean casserole: 1 pkg frozen cut green beans (boiled quickly & drained to defrost), 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, 1 small can French's fried onions, pepper

Mashed potatoes: 3 medium size Russet potatoes (peeled, cut into apx. 1.5" cubes, boiled until soft), 1/4-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, 1-2 tbs butter, salt, pepper



Turkey: 3lb boneless turkey breast (defrosted in cold water in the plastic, changed out & rotated every 30 mins, for apx. 2 hours before roasting), melted butter, salt, pepper, roasted @ 350F until internal temp was correct (apx. 2-2.5 hrs)

Stuffing: Stovetop

Gravy: (the small turkey breast doesn't yield a lot of drippings, so in the roasting pan..) boil all pan drippings & 1/2 cup dry white wine, cook down about half the way, add 1 small can turkey or chicken stock, whisk in cornstarch solution (apx. 1 tbs cornstarch + 2 tbs cold water) slowly until desired consistency



The rest of the photos were taken just before the sun went down, so this plate photo is artificial light and not too appetizing. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was really, really good.

Going home to see my momma tomorrow, where we'll do it all over again!
Whew, who else is starting a diet Friday?

party all the time

First of all, in regards to my last post:
I have sold three things on Craislist,
and I have donated an entire trunk full of stuff.
There is still a lot more work to do, but the weight is slowly lifting, I just know it!

So, Thursday night we had a house show to kick off Mark's band's first mini-tour (just for the weekend).

This is the kind of security I use when having house shows:



And it totally works.

The downside of my boys being gone is that I get to clean up after the party all by myself.
I haven't exactly started yet.
This is what my kitchen floor looked like just a few hours after I mopped it Thursday afternoon:



Hahaha. Ugh.

Friday was Elsie's birthday (yay!). We went and got drinks at a fancy grown up bar where I was totally out of my element. I kind of felt like a kid. :) But it was still super fun.

This is what I wore:



I am really bad at taking pictures of myself.
This dress is from Red Velvet! I am all kinds of in love with it. I was just in dropping off some work when I saw it from across the room. I knew it had to have just been put out because....I might have the inventory memorized. Maybe. It reminded me of what my favorite dress would have been when I was six years old. The one I would have worn to my piano recitals and to Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle's house. Eeek, I'm getting all sentimental. :')



I like this picture because not only does it show just how bad I am at self-portraits...but you can see my vintage tiger embroidery I recently put up! When I found it, it was in an ugly wood frame and the glass was soo grubby. All it took was a fresh coat of paint and a good wipe down and now it's one of my favorite things.

And because my head (and shoes, which were patent leather red flats) kept getting cut off, I took 50 pictures of my face which were equally bad. Here is the only one I am not too embarrassed of...



A little too intense. I was getting frustrated. :)

Well, guess I better get to cleaning!

a little peek inside

Do you know why I rarely share pictures of my (otherwise lovely) home?
I'm messy. And not cute messy.
Gross messy.
I've kind of been a hoarder-in-the-making my entire life.
Just one completely traumatizing life event from being buried in Wal-Mart bags, empty cereal boxes, and cat fur.
Wherever I live, no matter how big or how small, there are always boxes lining the walls.
I'm never completely unpacked.
But I'm working on it (mentally, physically, emotionally, et al).
And someday I hope to be able to blog pictures of my home. Not fake pictures where I move some stuff from one side of the room to the other in order to get a good shot.
Real, clutter-free, moving-box free, junk-free pictures of a beautiful home.



We moved my doll cabinet out of Mark's room (previously my sewing room) finally, into its new home in the dining room. I was hesitant, but it looks amazing. I even spent a few hours very carefully drilling new holes in order to move the bottom shelf up. Call me crazy, but I think a doll collection looks much more grown-up when they're standing.

[You can see better shots of my collection on my flickr here, here, and here.]

Now for a little much-needed advice:

1) See those packing peanuts where the glass meets? That was my genius solution for keeping the doors from banging whenever someone so much as tiptoes by. Is there a more attractive solution out there that I'm not aware of?

2) What should I put on the middle shelf???

Red Velvet Grand Opening

The sun was setting when I arrived at around 5:30 (hellloooo Winter!) and the light was beautiful.








I worked on this rainbow stripe dress a couple days ago, so in love with it.


Balloons coming out of a dollhouse? Yes, please. I think this should be a regular staple in the store decor.


Obsessed with the wedding section, which is still in its early stages.


This one's my favorite. Not that I have any use for it. ;)






Yes, these are as fun to use as they are to look at. I have a new dress! I will share it as soon as I let out the waist a little bit. Eep.






So sweet. (and salted caramel cupcakes? mmmm)

I am so proud of those girls (and boys!), it's really a dream. I don't usually feel comfortable in vintage stores, but the atmosphere is just incredible. It kind of makes you wish you could grab your sleeping bag and spend the night. Here's to a successful grand opening, and an even more successful future!

lately: loved

mister kitty man (who has been a nuisance lately--he goes through stages--but I love him still)



dreaming about having time to quilt again



working on vintage for the RVA grand opening this Friday. these are a few amazing scraps I've saved from hemming dresses.
L-R: cotton/poly gingham, cotton swiss dot, cotton velvet, cotton plisse (love), striped acetate satin
best part about working for RVA: getting to dig through all the vintage before everyone else
worst part about working for RVA: having to give it all back when I'm done working on it
[hope to see some of you there Friday night!]

lately: made

quilting bee blocks, going on a month late now.



'granny chic' pillow tutorial over at A Beautiful Mess.



after months of putting it off (I started this quilt as soon as I found out a baby was coming...and she is due, like...now!), I finally put the binding on this little quilt. I love it. the miss-matched vintage prints, the off-center double line quilting, the matching front and back. it's on its way across the ocean as we speak. <3

lately: found

gorgeous felted wool throw blanket (considering how tiny it is, I'm guessing it wasn't intended to be felted...but I'm so glad somebody screwed up!) that matches my favorite chair perfectly; retro sewing books...crazy valuable resources!



a couch! that cost $9.97 and perfectly matches both of our arm chairs (we've been looking for a good 6 months)...but unfortunately only leaves room for one of the chairs in the living room.



thrifted Dritz tailor's ham and seam roll, $2.98 each; these have been missing from my supplies for quite some time...so glad to get them second hand...not only did I save some money, but these are way more substantial than the new ones!

quicky sale!

Hey y'all.
Sorry for being a lame-o and posting zero craftiness lately. Miss Tasha explains it best (although she has totally been working more hours at our job than me and I should be ashamed yadda yadda).

Anyhow.
I just noticed that all the gorgeous buttons left in my shop are expiring this week (some the 7th, some the 8th, and some the 9th). I really kind of hate paying double etsy fees, don't you?



So if you will help me out, and keep me from having to re-list them next week, I will pass the savings on to you (and then some).



30% off on all cards of buttons through Saturday. Refund will be given via paypal after your purchase.



Looooove you. I have some pretty pictures to post, soon, I promise.

Red All Over (and Blue)

It was the strangest thing. Friday night, Mark put me on the guest list for a show he was playing at this odd, gothy strip-club called Rok Bar. And this is what I wore. I'm still not sure if it's acceptable to wear red clothing with red glasses. I'm also not sure if a plaid shirt dress is the most appropriate attire for a strip-club. However, I am sure that it was the most fun I've had at a show in a long while. So, that was a very pleasant surprise.

I had always imagined I would be incredibly uncomfortable being at a strip-club with Mark. But, as it turns out, it can be quite fun when you're just friends (and roommates).

It's been a couple months, now. It felt strange not saying anything about it. We truly are friends, and most people can't understand that. We are both as happy as single, working, 20-somethings with a messy roommate can be. We are supportive of each other, and still spend time together regularly. Tonight, Mad Men and wine.

My only twinge of discontent is the change of seasons. This weekend was full of the smells of Autumn to me...an outdoor fire, leather, old books, the heater kicking on for the first time...but in my heart, Autumn feels like love. My fingers are frozen through, and my bed is cold. I know I wont be a 20-something single forever, but I can't help wishing sometimes that we'd made it through the winter. Instead, I'll be taking a couple extra blankets to bed with me at night, and looking wistfully at cute boys who give their jackets to their girlfriends.

going to the chapel

I'm in love.

No, not with a boy.

With a dress.



I accidentally thrifted this gem last night (was looking for books, not clothes...go figure). It's so 60's Jackie O', faux fitted skirt with huge train, and the most stunning golden embroidery. The neck detail kills me.

What kills me more is that it's made for someone around 5' tall (maybe 5'2" if you wore flats) and with a 24" waist. Child bride?

I hope to share more once I do a few repairs and press it.



Oh, and my dream dress? All cotton...slightly off-white delicate swiss dot, and a collection of vintage lace I've been gathering in my life's travels.

Booth Love!

The weather is incredible (knock on wood, there may still be rain in the forecast), I totally just had pork on a stick for lunch, and all these adorable babies and dogs are making my girl hormones run on overdrive.

Thanks to Miss Katie and Elise--both with their adorable daughters in tow--for stopping by!