Crafty calendars

Skip the mass-produced versions for these unique, designer-made 2010 calendars. Beautiful illustrations, artistic photography and typography make for pretty eye candy when you're trapped in a boring, gray cubicle (or if you happen to be one of the lucky ones, a sunny home studio).



2010 Calendar in 4 X 6 Photo Desktop Display Case, by Grace Hester Designs
Calendar - Eye Poetry (2010), by IS Photography
2010 Franklin Gothic Typography Calendar, by the Rasilisk*
2010 Calendar Pillow, by Le Papier Studio

*PS- I discovered The Rasilisk when the shop owner advertised on my blog via Project Wonderful.

Homespun holiday

When I was a kid, my mom and I hand made all of our Christmas tree decorations. Over the years, our collection grew and our tree was filled with crafty, homespun holiday ornaments.

Capture that homespun spirit in your own home with these festive decorations, hand made by talented artisans. As for me, I still have those handmade Christmas ornaments from my childhood hanging on my tree today.



Happy Snowman Ornament, by Kikibird Crafts
Violet Vixen Yarn Wreath, by Knock Knocking
Meet the Gingers felt ornaments, by Georgetown Cottage Crafts

Recipe { Thanksgiving Pumpkin Lasagna }

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you had a good one. D and I had a quiet Thanksgiving at home this year. Since it was just the two of us, I'd thought I'd be adventurous and try a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal of pumpkin lasagna made in a 6-quart crock pot. It turned out so well, I'm sharing the recipe with you.

Thanksgiving Pumpkin and Sausage Lasagna
Ingredients

• 2 15 oz. cans of pumpkin
  
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  
• 1 cup half and half or light cream
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
  
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
  
• 1 small red onion, chopped
  
• 1/2 pound sliced baby bella mushrooms
  
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
  
• 5-6 turkey sausage, veggie sausage or Italian sausage links
  
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste
  
• Sea salt to taste
  
• 9 no-cook whole wheat lasagna noodles
  
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
  
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  
• 1 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute sausage. Slice and set aside.

In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms, onion and sea salt to taste. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, cranberries, cream, sage, nutmeg, pepper (to taste) and sea salt (to taste)

Cover bottom of crock pot with a layer of pumpkin mix.

Top with a layer of noodles. Cover with a thick layer of pumpkin mixture. Add a layer of cheese mixture. Add a layer of mushrooms. Add a layer of sausage.Repeat until there are three layers. Top with the remaining pumpkin mix and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cook on high in crock pot for 3-4 hours.Serves 6-8.

Serve with a rich, full-bodied white wine, like Nissley Vineyards Topaz Select (for those of you in PA) or Cakebread Chardonnay.

Happy holidays and enjoy!

Home decor heaven // Part 2 ~ { Lonny magazine }

Attention, Domino and Blueprint lovers: Dry your eyes and throw away the box of tissues- Lonny magazine is here to fill the void (finally). Some of the editors from the much-beloved (but now defunct), Domino magazine, got together to create this gorgeous webzine. The best part? The product images are all clickable and take you directly to the product source. Happy reading (and shopping)!

Home decor heaven // Part 1 ~ { Terrain at Styers }

Urban Outfitters' newest brand, Terrain, recently opened in the Philadelphia area. If you're lucky enough to live nearby, stop in and check out their delightful home and garden selection (and enjoy their brilliant visual merchandising). And while you're there, grab a bite to eat at their cafe and take some delicious food home with you from the farm stand.

If you're not in the Philly area, no worries- Terrain just launched ShopTerrain.com so you can buy their amazing items online.

Colored Pencil Wall Art

Join Social Designer's 25 colors in 20 months program and store your pencils in these cool acrylic cases for instant functional wall art.


500 colored pencils with names like "pumpkin pudding" and "mermaid's gown"- why wouldn't you want to collect them all?

Hen house heaven

Got chickens?

I don't. But I want some. And someday, I'll have some. And when I do, they'll live in this:


This hen house (called a Cocorico) was designed by Maxime Evrard and it not only looks cool, but it's environmentally friendly. My hens will be living in stylish sustainability.

I *heart* chandeliers

Someday, I'll have a house by the beach in California and every room (even the bathroom) will have a chandelier. Chandeliera will be my first stop in my room-by-room chandelier quest.






From funky to gothic to classic to glamorous- perfectly sparkly chandeliers for every room!

Eco-friendly tableware find

I love the transparent seafoam color of this recycled glass tableware. So serene and peaceful- like the color of ocean surf.



1. Valencia bowls, $28.00 for set of 4
2. Valencia dinner plates, $28.00 for a set of 4
3. Valencia salad plates, $28.00 for a set of 4
4. Valencia serving bowl $20 each

All tableware from Sundance catalog.

Summer Garden - Week 6

First fruits!


Photography by me.

Summer Garden - Week 5

When will these things start growing some actual edible veggies? I made some yummy mango salsa with the cilantro tonight.