back to school

its back to school season, and here are some of the best things that i could find for the adults to fill their backpacks with. 

dalton ghetti makes simple lead pencils into amazing artwork. 

collaborative project between children’s librarian and artist mia cabana and her boyfriend, photographer oliver scott snure. mia and oliver collaborated on a recent show at sticks and bricks in northampton, mass that focused on creating art pieces by cutting silhouettes and illustrations to pop out of book pages and interact with three-dimensional objects like dollhouse furniture or flea market treasures. oliver took lovely pictures of the tiny installations which are also on sale for $24.

via designsponge

 backpack for all, whether its for school or work (or if you're like me and unemployed use it for interviews) by Piel.

romance is not dead

everyone says that valentine's day is a hallmark holiday, its overrated, blah, blah, and blah; but i tend to disagree. i dont need roses and chocolates, but i think that there is something to be said for appreciating the special person in your life and putting a smile on their face. And that includes your parents, siblings and anyone else that you are close to! here is a whole bunch of inspirations from different websites for your special someone.

romantic bedroom ideas
handmade card ideas
martha craft and homemade gifts


STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE:

Serves 6

FOR THE SHORTCAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water or milk, for egg wash


FOR THE STRAWBERRIES
2 pints fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur
Sweetened whipped cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sift the flour, two tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Blend in the butter on low speed and mix until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and heavy cream and, with the mixer still on low, add to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended.
3. Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough ½-inch thick. You should see lumps of butter in the dough. Cut 16 biscuits with a two-inch plain round cutter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and the insides are fully baked. Cool.
5. To serve, toss the strawberries with the granulated sugar and Grand Marnier. Place the berries in martini glasses, top with a dollop of whipped cream, and serve with two small shortcakes on the side.


"If you have the time to marinate the strawberries for a half hour, they'll make a sauce that's delicious."
"This dough is quite wet. Use lots of flour when you roll it out so the biscuits don't stick."

halloween pumpkins

better homes and gardens has all sorts of great pumpkin ideas this year, like dog breed stencils, painted pumpkins and folk art pumpkins.
see the links at the bottom for all patterns available. 

via better homes and garden

dog breed pumpkins

folk art pumpkins

painted pumpkins

christmas knit

christmas is coming soon and i like making things for people, rather than buying them. yes, it probably cost about the same if not more buying all the materials, and not to mention the time it takes. but none the less, i have been attempting to make beer kosies for the last 2 years, maybe one day it will actually happen. if you happen to do this project, please send me pics, so i may post them.

here is another one that i like:

http://www.lunaticcafe.com/Patterns.html

doggie bag

i have tons a stuff for the dog and the cat, and i put all the misc. stuff into one giant reusable grocery bag, that's not as pretty as the one you can make below from martha stewart living magazine in her october issue.

 

Step 1:

Photocopy picture, enlarging so that dog is about two-thirds the height of the bag; cut out along dog's outline.

Step 2:

Lay photo cutout, face up, on front of fabric, and trace with fabric pen. Cut out. Flip fabric silhouette.

Step 3:

Cut out. Flip fabric silhouette. Apply glue to dog's head. Position silhouette, glue side down, on bag; press to adhere. Apply glue to the rest of the back of the silhouette in sections, pressing and smoothing out as you work.

talking heads

anyone and everyone knows that's my favorite song, and this esty store has combined it with my favorite city.

the saturday night girls

i love anything needlepoint or hand stitched. the six week boutique has these cross stitch kits for $25. i think i will buy one of these and keep my mind busy for a weekend.

via design sponge

tufted ordeal

i like to have my head against something when i'm lying in bed and reading before i go to sleep. i've been wanting a tufted headboard for a while and they can run from mid 300's to the 1000's, depending upon fabric, size, yada yada. 
Charissa a loyal follower of apartment therapy submitted this project that she accomplished with great results and the best part, it only cost 110 dollars. she gives you step by step instructions to pull this off. don't like tufted headboards? do all these steps, except the 7-9. 
FYI, you could probably make a small under the table gig with this...