Food Friday- Super Bowl Yummies!

I have to confess that I do not really follow sports. However, my husband is a die-hard Steelers fan, and a good wife must support her man! Being that two days from now my hubby's team will be kicking Cardinal arse ( and I will be forced to play waitress) I've found some yummies to serve to accompany the insane amount of Stone Ruination IPA (my hubby's favorite beer- and I must say it is pretty damn good) that will inevitably be consumed.

BELOW: nachos Therecipegirl)

(BELOW: Jerk Beef Plantains Epicurious)

(BELOW: Guacamole 101cookbooks)

(BELOW: Fish Tacos Cook Think)

(BELOW: Chili InfraRed Herring)

(BELOW: Chicken Wings White on Rice)

What will you be serving????

Charity Baby!

Yesterday on the Today Show, one of the guests provided a list of various charity organizations looking for donations. The charities vary on what they accept, which is perfect because we all have at least one item that meets the needs of one charity. I believe firmly in purging yourself of possessions that have no real sense of meaning in your life. I constantly clean out my closets, refrigerator, garage, cupboards, etc. etc. I will admit- I am obsessive. Even if your not obsessive like me, (and thank goodness- who wants to be a crazy clean freak like me) you should try cleaning out your closets, drawers, or any other space accumulating items that are never used or seen. Here is a list of the charities that would love to receive your donations.

• 911cellphonebank.org


• unitedforsight.com


• sharetechnology.org


• booksforAfrica.org


• babybuggy.org


• dressforsuccess.org


• furniturebank.org

Please take the time over the next few months to go through your stuff and donate at least one item to a worthwhile organization.

Ok, so on a lighter note, but DEVASTATING... I just learned through one of my favorite blogs Housemartin that Domino Magazine is closing- How will I go on??? This is now two magazines that I subscribe to that have gone under. First, Cottage Living, now this. What else is there to do but consume unhealthy amounts of cookies, ice cream or pizza! Little dramatic??? ok your right... I am being dramatic or possibly looking for any reason to over indulge, but this is a big bummer. I promise not to lose control (tonight atleast, because it's past 9, and I'm too tired to walk to the kitchen, and I have NONE of the things I mentioned), but I thought it necessary to provide an example of how a person loses total control. I mean a girl can only handle so much bad news!

Farewell Friend!

It's WedETSYday!

I have noticed that several bloggers choose a particular day of the week to blog about etsy finds. Since, as you know, I am an aspiring etsy shop owner I thought I should join in on the hunt. I am dedicating Wednesdays for etsy finds that I will call "WedETSYday!" For today's post I have selected 3 etsy sellers, however, the number of sellers I post will differ from week to week. Enjoy!

SOWN, Raleigh, NC

Hijirik Studio, Brooklyn, NY

Blue Moss, Greenville, SC

Cardigan Desire!

I have a huge affection for cardigans. I just think they make the perfect match for a pair of worn-out blue jeans. I love combining opposites like something worn with something girly and frilly. Today I was checking out Anthropologie, more specifically their sweater collection as it is freezing here today. I came across this cardigan and I just love it. I can imagine wearing it with my faded Levi's, a pair of cowboy boots, and a really chunky bracelet. Now I know it doesn't really look that warm, but I prefer lighter weight sweaters, the thicker knit ones just don't work on my body. It doesn't work for me to add bulk to my bulk!

(BELOW: View-From-Above Cardigan Anthropologie)

Here are some other cardigans I could really use, but my heart is definitely after the one above!

(ABOVE: Anthropologie capacious cardigan, karst edge cardigan, possibilities cardigan)

Food Friday!

There's no denying it- I LOVE food! I use several food blogs for inspiration and recipes (as well as books). If you love photos tastespotting is the best blog for yummy images! I must warn you though- you will feel overwhelmed, everything looks soooo good and tempting- what to make??? what to make?? Well, in our house Friday night is usually reserved for pizza. I have researched pizza dough- using Trader Joe's pre-made dough as well as Whole Foods. I have tried Boboli's pre-made crust and I have to say- nothing taste as good as making your own dough from scratch.

Now, there are several recipes for pizza dough- but there is only one that I RAVE about! I found my pizza dough recipe through 101cookbooks blog- which is another fave of mine. Heidi Swanson is the author of the blog which focuses on healthy, natural cooking. The recipe she references in her blog is for Peter Reinhart's Napoletana Pizza Dough Recipe and it really is as fabulous as Heidi claims. So, for today's food blog I suggest this-Make a PIZZA! There are so many wonderful topping options- but don't stray from Peter Reinhart's dough recipe.

(BELOW: 101 cookbooks pizza)

Some of my favorite combos include the following:

• chicken, pesto, pine nut
• prosciutto, sausage, sun dried tomatoes
• basil, tomato, mozzarella slices
• fig, goat cheese, caramelized onion and prosciutto

Here are some pics for you to drool over!

(BELOW: Images courtesy Tastespotting)

I bet you're hungry now- until next Friday!

New Studio- Needs Color!

So this is my new studio. My old studio was the garage- that's right I get shoved into the garage- not for long though-It was getting way too cold to be working out there, plus I need a cool space to be creative- not a dingy garage! Anyway this is the bare bones of my studio. It needs desperate help with color.

These are the rooms that I like and am using for inspiration.

I really like the color combinations in the photo above. I have such a hard time deciding on color. I get sick of it way too fast, but I want to really have a different vibe in my studio compared to the rest of our home.

This is an Amy Butler room. The image was taken at a textile / quilt trade show. You gotta love Amy Butler- she is so talented and I absolutely love her style. She has got a great book out called Midwest Modern. You can order it through Amazon- actually I need to add it to my Amazon list of books. I checked it out a couple of weeks ago while visiting Borders and it is on my must-have list! I really like this image because it is so calming, but I think I might get bored with that look too. I just love the small hints of brown in the baskets.

The final image is the studio / creative center (probably one of many) for Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic empire. I totally love the casual, slip-covered style she is so famous for. This is one of my many problems I love way too many looks. I finally had to decide on a style for my house, but damn I wished I owned several so they could all be decorated different.

So if you have any suggestions on my studio design or color selections I would love to hear them. If not, I will post my final studio photos within the next few weeks and keep you guessing on what I decided until then!

Caramel and Salt Oh such a yummy combo!

I thought I should start a weekly blog about food I love- and boy do I love it! Friday posts will now be dedicated to blogging about yummies I enjoy or would love to try ! Today I am posting about a new ice cream a girlfriend of mine told me about... "Fleur de Sel Caramel" from Haagen Dazs (one of their reserve flavors). I was so desperate for this ice cream upon hearing about it, that I had to actually visit the Haagen Dazs site and search retail locations- I AM that pathetic! Good news- I only took a couple of bites- but believe me come this Sunday (my cheat day) I will sit down with the remaining portion and pig out (It's that GOOD!) Anywho, sweet and salty is a favorite combination of mine and I drool over any dessert that offers this combo. Which brings me to blogging about Vosges Haut-Chocolate. Have any of you had this chocolate? I have read several blogs, and sites that comment on how delicious this chocolate is and by the looks of it I am convinced. I have made a promise to myself to purchase a box of this chocolate for my birthday, which is far away, but I'm still going to do it- I swear! What's really catching my eye right now are these caramel marshmallows...

and these peanut butter bon bons topped with fleur de sel...

I know you are probably drooling just like me- it's sooo hard not to.

Why I Love My Husband

Today I was going through my stuff preparing my new studio- woo!hoo! We decided to switch guest rooms in order for me to use the room with the tile flooring as my studio. Anyway, I came across cards that I keep (I think cards are one of the most thoughtful gifts when written with genuine feeling / meaning). I decided to put all of the cards I cherish in a tray so I can look at them often. This one is from my husband and every time I read it I smile and feel so happy and lucky to have him. This card accompanied a new Nikon camera I received for Christmas (although we weren't exchanging gifts). I am so happy with this new little digital and plan to use it often to capture the great moments of life and other stuff (like my business photos)! Here is the card I was telling you about. Isn't that great- he is so great- and I just love him!

Happy New Year!

Ok, so I confess I am a little delayed on saying "Happy New Year", but in this case- better late than never! Well I can feel it- I know this is going to be my year for success. I happened to catch Donny Deutsch on the Today Show this morning- and he motivated me to stay positive and continue to pursue... so that is what I plan to do!

Here is a list of the items I must focus on in order to reach success:

1. create new products for my etsy store

2. obtain local accounts

3. obtain major account i.e. Whole Foods - I think that would be a perfect location for my products.

4. write press release for newspaper to promote local handmade artists

5. continue to blog and generate a following.

These are just a few of the items- the list is too long and boring, but you get the idea- right?

Anywho here are a few pics of our snowshoeing adventure over the wonderful holiday- enjoy, and I'll be back soon so you don't go too far ya hear.