Polyvore

juicy to the maxi by dandelioncotton featuring an orange tank

really having fun over at Polyvore! find me: dandelioncotton

Overhead Light Re-Do

everyone has at least one of these in their house, right? right? oh, please don't tell me i'm the only one...  actually, i've got TWO. ugh. yeah, i'm not a fan of this brass 'n glass style from the early '90s, plus they were clashing with my rich oiled-black hardware and old-world rustic light fixtures that we installed all over the house when we re-did the place three years ago. something needed to be done, and done cheaply.

i scoured thrift stores and discovered this breath-taking antique pendant that i was able to take apart and use in place of the other globe. a REAL score for $10!! (that black ceiling collar used to be the brass one that went with the ugly globe, see below for it's transformation)

so what happened to the other one? well, i couldn't find another stunning antique globe, so i came up with another solution using stuff i had layin' around. employing a can of matte off-white and a can of satin black spray paints, this globe got the tszuj-ing (pronounced "jooj-ing") it needed. tada!

it has a softer glow now and a 20's vintage train station vibe that fits with the rest of Campbellstown nicely. it blends in with it's beauty, rather than sticking out like a sore thumb... that you hurt in the 90's. and it was so easy to do!

more details? mkay, here's the break-down.

1. turn off the power (at the breaker) to your fixture. (don't come whinin' to me 'cuz you got yourself killed while tszuj-ing.)

2. remove glass globe, carefully, and shake out the bugs. (oh you know they're in there. you've been lookin' at 'em for years... again, i can't be the only one.)

3. clean and dry globe thoroughly.

4. remove light bulb, then detach brass fixture collar from ceiling and disconnect from power. clean collar and sand off any old paint. stuff light bulb hole with tissue to keep paint out.

5. using 3-4 thin coats, spray-paint outside of globe with white paint, allowing time to dry between coats.

6. do the same to the fixture collar using the black paint, but avoid getting paint into light bulb socket. also, spray the screws and hardware if they show.

7. after all has dried, reassemble the fixture collar and (carefully) test the power. if all is well, reattach the newly-frosted globe and enjoy that "vintage" glow!

note: this method would also work for other fixtures like those flush-mount dome type....

from lowes.com

  

happy tszju-ing, y'all!

Curly Cabbage and Sausage Soup

At my house we're on the verge of everyone being sick again. The Huz is ailin', the boy is ailin', the girl is an emotional mess so she'll prolly be sick tomorrow...SO I whipped up some healing soup for supper. Everyone knows chicken broth is good for ya, but did y'all know that cabbage has both antibacterial and antiviral properties? It can also help allergy sufferers and contains other goodies of your body. Aaaaand cabbage is cheap, y'all. Hooray for cheap. So yeah, tonight I fixed this tasty simmer...

It was light, but flavorful and comforting. A definite make-again. Good and, as I said before, good for what ails you. Happy tummy and happy healthiness to ya, friends.

Healing Curly Cabbage and Sausage Soup  

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 45 Minutes

Ready In: 1 hourish

Servings: 8 +

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 links natural chicken sausage, sliced (we like the spicey flavor)

2 quarts beef or chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1/2 head cabbage, cored and chopped into strips

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed

2 tsp lemon juice

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add in onion, garlic, and sliced sausage; cook until onion is transparent and sausage bites are browning, about 5-8 minutes.

2. Stir in broth, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil, then dump in the cabbage. Simmer about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.

4. Add in lemon juice and cheese and serve with crusty bread with honey butter. Yummz. Freezes well.

Alternate method: Cook ground sausage in stockpot until mostly done. Add onion and garlic to meat and cook until onion is soft and sausage is done. Continue with recipe at step 2.

Makin' Your Own Laundry Soap - Why and How

while i wouldn't label myself "crunchy" (i don't care a whole lot about the environment) or a true "naturalist" (i still regularly delight in eating oreos), i would say i "lean green" when it comes to food and cleaning 'round here. it's not a conviction, or something that overrules the budget, but if i can find a deal on a healthier product or make more things from scratch or use what i have so i don't have to buy something else, i'm all about dat.

like this...

making your own laundry soap isn't a new idea, lotsa people do it. i've been making mine for a while now, and it's not complicated, it cleans well, and is really worth it if you are looking for a cheaper version of a "natural" laundry soap. so if you're trying to save money, my recipe is not cheapest MYO recipe out there (if you want one that is, this one claims to be), but it is still pretty cheap. i make my own with natural bar soap because i'd like to have less exposure to toxic/harsh stuff for me and my kiddos. if you're game to try it, the whole process takes me just 20min and it makes about 50 loads worth at about $0.10 per load.

here's whatcha do:

buy one box of each of these... 20 mule borax and a&h washing soda (NOT baking soda)...

...grab a bar of dr. bronner's lavendar castile soap...

...grate that bar into a gallon of water getting hot on the stove...

... stir as it dissolves completely... (yeah, that's my kid's hand not mine, fyi)

  ... carefully pour that hot soap-water into a 5 gallon bucket (with lid) in the tub and add 1.5 cups of borax and 1.5 cups of washing soda. fill bucket to 5gal mark with hot water, and stir it up, baby.

put the lid on and keep it in laundry room. let it sit for 24 hours. it may get lumpy, but just use an old whisk and break up the chunks if they bother you. i still use separate spot-treating gel on my stains, this stuff doesn't work that way.

to use: start your load with hot water (only to activate the soap for the beginning). use a 1 cup measuring cup and scoop a bit less than one cup per laundry load. let it mix with the hot water for a minute, then change the water temp to your desire for your load and add in your clothes. PLEASE NOTE: if you add your clothes first, it will not mix in well... at all. actually this method helps most laundry soaps to work most effectively. so remember: SOAP FIRST into the water, then clothes. mkay?

  

notes:

• i still use spot-treating stuff for stains, this soap won't work like that.
• i don't have a HE washer, but many of the recipes online like this one claim it is completely safe to use with them because it's low-suds. i don't know either way, so use caution there, i guess.
• like soft clothes? add a cup of white vinegar to each load instead of using fabric softener. it gives extra freshness, especially if you’re like me and forget to get those wet clothes into the dryer until the next day... gulp. (helpful household hint: if you do forget your laundry load until the next day (or so) and it does stink, you don't need to rewash them with soap, just loosen up the clothes, add a cup of white vinegar, and wash away. this actually works BETTER than soap for getting rid of that smell.)

Mac N Cheese "Muffins"

today was a family "holiday" of sorts - our "Freaky Feastings" day. check it out on Campbellstown if you're a member! one of the yummiest things we tried were these babies:

it's a recipe adapted from a couple other ones to fit our supplies (what's in the fridge) and our demands (what we like). another emily made a healthier version of these here, but if you're like me, you're not eatin' mac n cheese for your health! my unhealthy recipe, which the crew approved, goes thusly...

Mac n Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:

4 c cooked macaroni

1 T butter

1 T flour

1 c milk

6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

¼ cup bacon bits

½ cup frozen sweet corn or peas

1 egg

1 egg white

Garlic salt & pepper to taste

Extra shredded cheddar for topping (optional)

Diced chives for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400. Grease your 12-cup muffin, set aside.
2. In a sauce pot, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the flour, mixing it into the butter until it thickens. Add the milk and turn up the heat, but don’t let it boil. Add the cheese and mix until melted into sauce.
3. Remove the cheese sauce from heat and whisk in the egg and egg white (which hold everything together).
4. In a big bowl, mix the pasta, cheese sauce, bacon, corn, salt and pepper together.
5. Spoon into muffin cups.
6. Top with extra cheese and diced chives, if desired.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops brown a bit. Let cool 5 minutes before popping them out of the muffin pan, otherwise they’ll fall apart.

Yields 12 muffins

Latest Strokes

over december i've been painting a lot. i'm still not much good at it, but i'm learning and having fun, so yay me. : ) this one i made for my father-in-law for christmas. i'm not in love with this one, but it made him happy, so it was worth it.

this is actually an old one i dug up recently. painted a silhouette on my diaper bag.

my mama loves red, so...

and i made this wash-style for an online art initiative i'm enrolled in that puts up a new project each month to keep us "part-time artists" building our portfolios. check it out and join in with the Racquet here. this past month's posted project idea was to communicate the relationship between opposites. i chose the opposites light and dark, and fear and calm and tried to create those feelings in the water and woods of this piece. 

Silk Flower Craft (and selling them at Beaucoup Vintage)

after reading this kewl tutorial from the simply vintage girl, i've been whippin' out a lotta these lately...

i got so many compliments and people asking if i sell them, that i decided to try just that. so i made this adorbs (if i do say so myself, and i do) display....

 went downtown to an also adorable and girly little store called Beaucoup Vintage.... and Megan (the shop gal) loved 'em!

Here they are selling out fast! I've already had to restock 'em twice since October.

i was so inspired by my happy luck, that i also decided to open up an etsy shop. (see Em sell here)

try the tutorial yourself! it was so easy and fun. hot tip: go to joann fabrics and ask for a sample of the silk fabrics you find (anything with "silky" in the title or satin) for this craft and they will give 'em to you for free! (up to five 4in wide strips) a free, fun, feminine, flower craft? yes, please.

Looking backwards at some old photography of mine...

buttons and keys, some obsessions

 dunes

near those dunes

 burned pan close-up

A Cool Weather Tradition: Steamy Sippers

have ya missed me? these days when the weather gets chilled, i gets thrilled! why? because it means boots, scarves, hoodies, peacoats, and my favorite signature item - knee socks all get to come out to play with me once more. (seriously, i'm so much cuter in the cold months) also, cold outside means more cozy inside with fuzzy throws, smokey wood stove fires, and hot drinks!

the Huz and i adore us some hot drinks. for our nearly-daily talking times, we can be found flopped on the giant brown couch (when the kids go down for their afternoon naps) sippin' somethin' steamy and staring deeply into each other's eyes. (okay, maybe we're staring off into space due to sleep depravity, but we're still totally in love and connecting there exhausted on the couch.)

i thot i'd invite y'all to join us a bit here by sampling some of our fav steamin' sippers. these also would make good giftys for Christmas or for hostess gifts (yep, i still believe in proper party etiquette).

 

Orange Spiced Instant Tea Mix

We were given this for Christmas last year and used it almost twice a day it was so good! Good snacky pairing = snickerdoodle cookies.

1 c. Tang breakfast drink powder

1 c. instant tea powder

1 (3 oz.) envelope sugar sweetened lemonade mix

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tb. sugar

¼ tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Combine all ingredients. Store in a tightly covered container. Stir before using. To use, stir 1 tablespoon of the mix into 1 cup boiling or cold water. Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Update:
I made both of these this week with good success. The orange one needed a bit more flavor, so I added more cinnamon and orange. The chai was spicy and exotic and good, I wouldn't change a thing, it tasted like India, but it's not for the faint of heart. : )

Chai Tea

i haven't tried this exact recipe(UPDATE BELOW), so let me know if it's a disaster, but after having the real thing in India, i've been looking for that milky, spicy, soothing, wonderfulness in a cup, kinda taste. starbucks doesn't get it. they think chai tea is a cinnamon cookie in a cup. true chai is stronger and spicier, like it's native land. this recipe holds promise of delivering and doesn't contain nasty non-dairy chemically creamer. (oh, i'm sorry, are my opinions showing?)

Makes 18 servings (1 cup prepared tea each)

2 cups powdered dry milk

1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea mix

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon allspice

½ tsp white pepper

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1.In large bowl, stir all ingredients until blended.

2.In food processor, blend about 2 cups mixture at a time 30 to 45 seconds or until mixture looks like fine powder.

3.To serve, place 1/4 cup tea mixture in mug. Add 1 cup hot water; stir until dissolved.

Note: To make vanilla chai, add 1tsp vanilla extract to brown sugar and mix well. Allow to air dry completely before adding to recipe.

All A Gal Needs

i can't wait until Dre is old enough to "rescue" me. : )

and here's a little doodle i painted featuring that little man, Dre... ain't he a just squeezable?