The weekend, briefly (and slightly late)

I'm off to a slow start today! My beloved (and much abused computer) finally died on me yesterday, taking with it lots of stuff that I hadn't bothered to back up. I am dreading having to go shop for a new computer. Technical information overload + sticker shock = stress. Ugh.

Let's focus on nicer things, shall we?

Like steaming mugs of tea and books.

And pretty messes of scattered beads.

And stacks of paper.

That's better, isn't it?

Um, I realize that this makes it look like I did not leave my dining room table the entire weekend and I assure you this is not the case. I spent some time working on the living room floor as well. The carpet just isn't very photogenic.

Friday flowers

The mums held up so well that I didn't even get myself new flowers this week. I change the water every day, which helps give them a little more life.

{mums, week two}

I also change the tablecloth pretty often, although not quite daily. It's yet another fabulous Ikea fabric. I can't get enough of them.

P.S. Thanks for all the cabinet love yesterday! For those of you who were asking about the colors, we used Behr paints from Home Depot in dark granite and limeaid.

Cabinet re-vamp

I am always in need of more storage space. So why have a side table when you can have a side cabinet that can be stuffed full of fabric?

I found this cabinet on Craigslist, where it was rather optimistically described as "shabby chic." It was certainly shabby. And I'm not even showing you the hideous black stain defacing the top of it.

{cabinet, before}

We (and by we, I mostly mean D, who kindly took over this project for me) washed it up, primed it and then painted it a warm grey.

{cabinet, painted}

To make it a little more fun, we painted the inside of the drawers bright green.

{green, revealed}

It fits in perfectly.

And it's already stuffed full.

Summer pizza

I love pizza of all kinds and I'm almost positive I could eat it for every meal. During the summer I like to keep them pretty simple.

This one is my favorite right now.

{tomato, basil and feta}

Followed closely by this one.

{potato, squash and chevre}

No sauce here, although normally I am a double sauce, half cheese person. Super thin, almost cracker like crust is the perfect complement to summer vegetables.

Basic pizza dough recipe (enough for two super thin crusts or one thick one)
2 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
3/4 cup lukewarm water
Pinch of sugar
2 1/4 cups flour (you can use all white, all whole wheat, or a mix)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

:Proof the yeast - stir it into lukewarm water with a tiny touch of sugar added. It should get foamy after 10 minutes. If not, toss it and start over.

:Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in the proofed yeast mixture and the olive oil. Knead for about 10 minutes.

:Cover with a damp towel or saran wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place at least 45 minutes or until you are ready to use it. If you suddenly realize you aren't going to make the pizza immediately, go ahead and stick it in the fridge. It will keep just fine for a few days, all you have to do is pull it out a few hours before you want to use it so it can warm up again.

:Divide the dough into two balls and roll them out, one at a time, until they are very thin. This doesn't take talent, just patience and a good rolling pin. Place each crust on a baking sheet and top them to your heart's content.

Tomato, basil and feta pizza
4 or 5 small summer tomatoes (tomatoes must be excellent!)
Olive oil, for brushing
Basil, as much as you like, chopped
Feta, or any other sharp cheese

:Brush the crust lightly with olive oil. Scatter the basil around. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Toss a bit of cheese over it. Bake at 500F for about 10 minutes, or until the crust is crispy.

Potato, squash and chevre pizza with rosemary and sage
1/2 cup chevre (soft goat cheese)
Rosemary, chopped (one small sprig)
Sage, chopped (a few leaves)
1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
3 small red potatoes, thinly sliced

:In a small bowl, mix together the chevre and chopped herbs. Add salt and pepper as desired.

:Spread the cheese mixture over the crust. Layer first the squash and then the potatoes on top. Bake at 500F about 15 minutes or until crust is crisp and potatoes are tender.

I love that you can basically do whatever you want with pizza because it's a blank slate.

The lilypad headband

Yet another headband.

This one is for days when I'm feeling more subtle, and less ruffle-y. I'm calling it my lilypad headband, because that is what it reminds me of.

No tutorial, because I'm afraid it would be too self explanatory. I just cut out circle(ish) pieces of china silk (lightly singed the edges to minimize fraying), layered them and stitched them to some grosgrain ribbon and then added a few glass beads. I'm playing with adding more beads, slowly.

More of my headbands here, here, here and here. Yes, I'm obsessed.


*This tutorial is provided for personal use only. Please do not sell this tutorial or create items for re-sale using this tutorial. Tutorial may be re-published only with my permission.

Psst...where I blog from

Jane has been doing a fun new series called where we blog from. I've been loving the chance to peek at other bloggers' spaces and today I'm featured! Head over and check it out.

The weekend, briefly

It was a very domestic weekend.

{native cherries}

{ironing}

{lipton yellow label tea}

{needle + thread}

{stamps}