Pasta!!!

This Christmas I asked for something completely frivolous, a pasta machine.  I love making things from scratch, and of course I love pasta so I put it on my list to Santa.  This year my Santa just happened to be my nephew who delivered the perfect machine.  He likes to consider himself a foodie, and as he is entering his teen years I thought making pasta would be a fun activity that we could do together.

In searching for my pasta dough recipe and ravioli fillings, I came across something so pretty that I had never seen before. Laminated pasta dough! In essence you place herbs between two thin sheets of rolled out pasta, and run it through the machine again. It has me scheming for different flavor combinations that I could come up with to create the best pasta dish.  I just can’t wait to try this

 

 

 

Luminaires, or Lumieres? Either way spectacular!

Strings of Christmas lights are festive, but there’s something unique special about seeing light through ice, it has a glow and a twinkle that is so lovely.  I had seen a DIY several years back where sheet pan was lined with evergreen boughs, stick and berries to spell out festive words such as Noel, Joy, Snow and Merry.  The sheet pans were then filled with water and set outside to freeze. Once frozen, the blocks were released from the pans, set up against a fence, and luminaries were placed behind the blocks of ice.  Brilliant and festive! Such a great way to decorate with items you already have lying around in the yard.  I hope some of the other ice and votive images show below get you inspired to create your own display of fire and ice.

 

a cooler way to snow globe?

 

a better use for your bundt pan?

Hats!

It’s that time of year again when I start thinking about hats.  Of course I live in a cold climate so hats are not only a necessity, but a stylish accessory.  I think the majority of us know how to wear a knit cap, but do we really know the rules for hats in general?  We know that we can wear them outside, and we know we can wear them at a baseball game, but I thought I should consult the expert, Emily Post, and share what I found.

http://emilypost.com/2013/05/11438/

So now that you know the rules, what’s stopping you from wearing a fabulous hat? It’s the hair issue isn’t it? Worried that the very thing that’s going to make you look stylish is going to be a flop as soon as you take off your hat?  I thought I would research the solution for that too.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/hats-with-hair

Now there should be no excuses to wearing a fabulous hat! J Just in case you’re not sure where to find a hat as unique as you are, here’s the link to an extraordinary Milliner that is relatively local

http://lisahatchmillinery.com/meet-the-milliner/

Time to get inspired!

Knit 1, Purl 1, Laugh, Smile, Enjoy!

I thought I would start off talking about something that has held my passion for the last 13 years; Knitting!  I picked up a set of knitting needles for the first time when I was visiting a sorority sister down in Illinois.  We were looking for something to do so we went to a local knitting store, picked up a pair of needles, and I foolishly picked up two skeins of the craziest novelty yarn (It was a lace weight yarn that had tufts of fleece, cute and fluffy on the knitted sample that was next to it, but nearly impossible to knit as a beginner).  After our purchase we placed a call to our friend who could knit, and decided that a lesson over the phone about how to “cast on” sounded perfectly reasonable.  From the speaker phone came “wrap the yarn around your finger so that it looks like the number 4 and then place it on the right hand needle . . . . . does that make sense?”, followed by our response, “ yes I think we’ve got it”.  Who were we kidding, we didn’t have it. We looked at each other with the wide eyed glare of confusion/embarrassment mixed with some laughter.  Here’s what I did leave the weekend with, a good memory with a dear friend, a pair of knitting needles, and the desire to learn how to knit.  If you want to learn how to knit here’s how I would start:

1. Pick up the book Knitting for Dummies (https://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Dummies-Pam-Allen-2007-01-02/dp/B01LP4ADHO/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QACP1HW6A47TPRT774Y6)
   There are great tips on any number of things you will encounter in knitting patterns, and I look back to it as a reference from time to time.
2. Find a local knitting store that offers a wide array of classes, and take one. There are things that people that have been knitting for a while can teach you, not only about how to knit, but also how to correct mistakes which is priceless
3. Start off with a worsted weight yarn, preferably something not too expensive.  It will be easier to see your stiches, and if you make a mistake and have to scrap your pattern you will not have wasted money on a pricy yarn
4. There are many options for needles out there, but I find that knitting on bamboo lends to far fewer dropped stiches and they’re “green”.
5. Have the shop owner recommend a good basic pattern book.  Not all patterns are written the same, and it’s good to start out with a pattern that you know you can successfully finish without pulling your hair out.  After all it should be fun.
6. YouTube has plenty of posted tutorials, so if you run across something in a pattern that says “ knit a horizontal button hole” , you can search for a tutorial that will show you how to do just that
7. This should have been listed as the first thing on the list, but have a sense of humor about it.  You will make plenty of mistakes in the beginning, but over time you will see your progress with each pattern
   

   

   
   

6 Years?!

It’s been 6 years since my last blog.  I know I started off with the hopes of regularly posting something profound, but in all honesty there are two things that held me back.  First I would love to be a wordsmith, but  sadly I am not.  Second is that I’m quite sure that there will be many times where my sentences will be run on, my punctuation shoddy, and let’s face it who knows if what I find interesting will even be worth a short paragraph.  The other day however while I was reading a blog, during the prep pf my Thanksgiving meal, I thought why not me?!  Everyone else under the sun seems to feel comfortable sharing little snippets of their life. A plus in my favor is that I have nothing but free time on my hands as I am the modern day version of a spinster, a good career, a fairly decent social life, but no husband, no kids and plenty of free time on my hands to talk about hobbies, cooking, and who knows maybe even a random post about exercising or fashion trends.  So bear with me as I trip, tumble, and dance my way through this.

Movie Interiors

I love to watch movies, who doesn't, but I often find myself pausing the screen to view the interior so beautifully crafted by the scene designer.  Which is a job that I would love to have in my next life

Below are my some of my favories:

1. The apartment set from Indiscreet, with Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant

    2.   The kitchen set from The Break-Up with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn



   3.  Meg Ryan's apartment set in the movie You've Got Mail


 4. Nursery set from  Father of the Bride II


  5. Living room set from  the movie Mr & Mrs Smith


6. Beach house set from the movie Something's Gotta Give


7. The apartment set in P.S. I Love You


8.  The Dining Room from Sex in the City II ( photo from Elle Decor)


There are so many more I could add. . . . .keep me posted if you see any that you love

Collections

     Everyone in their life at some point in time has had a collection. When we're young collections are usually easily stored in a shoe or cigar box, to be pulled out at anytime to enjoy.  I remember small collections when I was young (crystal animals, music boxes, etc.) but I don't recall when the penchant for collecting stopped.   I do however recall being struck by a picture in a magazine of magnifying glasses on display. I think it was the blue green reflection off the lens that was just too pretty. 
     In an effort to start my collection I headed to a local antique store in search of my magnifying glass.  The clerk was good enough to tell me that they can be hard to come by, as a single purchase, as often times they are sold as a set with a letter opener, and so useful that they are rarely given up by the owner.  How extremely lucky it was that I found a small magnifying glass with an antler handle with sterling silver trim. Since my first purchase I have received some as gifts, and have added another from my travels.  I hope in time the collection will grow along with the memories of my found treasures.