2.14.2010

Super Bowl Sunday

When we visited California in November we went to the Stanford v. Cal game. Before the game we went to the tailgate with Brandon's grandma and all her alumni friends. This isn't just any tailgate- they go all out with food and wine! Not to be outdone, Brandon's mom enlisted my sister-in-law's fiance Gabe to make an edible arrangement. He worked for Edible Arrangements for a while so he is quite the pro! I watched him the morning before the game- mesmerized- and decided I needed to make my own as soon as possible! 
What better occasion for a crazy fruit & chocolate creation than the super bowl? So last weekend I searched the house for a good size basket the headed to the store to find the things necessary for such a creation (okay sidenote- I went to the store the first time then wonderful husband went a second time). It was still cheaper than buying one already made, but strawberries and grapes are crazy expensive right now! Luckily the pineapples were only $1.88 each, kale was on sale and lettuce is cheap.

First I chopped up a couple of heads of lettuce to fit in my basket, then I covered all the lettuce with kale. Then came the madness. We dipped strawberries and pineapple in dark and white chocolate and skewered them up- along with grapes and uncovered fruit. I also took two big pieces of pineapple and covered them with dark chocolate and drew on the laces- footballs!
The end result was a ridiculously heavy basket filled with deliciousness! It wasn't as pretty as if we had bought it, or as Gabe's, but not bad for a first attempt. Brandon says if I had been paying more attention when Gabe made his then mine wouldn't have been so heavy- I tried covering all evidence of the bamboo skewers which he didn't do. Overall I'd call project edible arrangement a delicious success! I'll definitely do one again, but not until fruit prices get a little more reasonable!



2.03.2010

I want!

  
So this morning while I was on  hold with yet another insurance company at work I was reading through my google reader. I stumbled across something truly wonderful on angry chicken. She managed to copy this beautiful dress from Anthropologie (the photo is from her blog and she took it out of the anthro catalog...because anthro won't let you copy/paste images. sad.) First is the dress which I now desperately want. It's green. It's feminine. It's silk. It's GREEN. But it's also $138 which means it will never be mine. If I were at all confident in my sewing abilities I would attempt what she did and copy this beauty. Her's turned out fabulously for only $17! I feel like I would buy some beautiful fabric and then butcher it. Perhaps I'll just save my pennies for the real thing, but by the time I have enough the dress will be long gone from anthro. Oh Anthropologie how you taunt me. 

1.29.2010

can't sleep

so my grandpa is sick. papa. my papa. if i'm honest with myself he's dying- though he certainly won't admit it- and there's nothing i can do about it. my mom called to tell me how bad it was last tuesday and ever since i haven't been able to sleep. he's lived a long and healthy life but he's suffering so much right now that this is hard. when i'm awake i want to be doing something but i realize nothing is going to fix this; so i cook and clean for nana and bake for my mom and make earrings and blankets. brandon says it's that gift of hospitality in me that can't sit still when there's a need to be met. sooo tonight as i sit here trying not to think about the inevitable i decided to experiment with some yarn and crochet a few flowers. i envision these in the shop one day as pins. or on a pillow? or purse? we'll see. forgive the horrible photo. this is what happens after 3 hours of crocheting while watching high school musical 3. ugh. time for bed.

on a happier note there are new earrings in the shop and i just got this book to help me play with my new sewing machine!

1.21.2010

Buy Handmade for Haiti!

Through the amazing women at Craft Hope money is being raised for Haiti. They have set up an etsy shop where all the items for sale are donated and all the proceeds (including shipping costs) go to Doctors Without Borders. I donated a pair of earrings and I'm waiting to see where to ship them because they were sold within a few hours of being posted! It's a fun way to feel like I've done my small part.

The shop itself has done great!! Itopened on January 15th and by yesterday over 1000 items had been sold for over $20,000!!

They are no longer accepting donated items but PLEASE head on over to the shop and buy handmade for Haiti!

Craft Hope for Haiti Shop Spreading seeds of hope one stitch at a time