Cheese love

We've purchased Humboldt Fog twice in the last three days.

At $19.99 a pound, our addiction can't continue at this rate.

But oh, it is lovely. And so perfect for the waning days of summer.

The weekend, briefly

Some crafting,

{thread rainbow}

my favorite snack,

{cornichons}

a drink,

{afternoon beer}

and a winner...

Commenter 92, Smeagher, will be getting a rosebud headband in chocolate. Thanks to everyone for entering!

Surprise holiday giveaway!

I am making the most of the long weekend, but I can't resist spreading the joy with a holiday giveaway. If you're reading this, you probably have a huge advantage because most people are off at the beach or busy with their grills or participating the grand American holiday tradition of watching TV marathons (my pick is the Golden Girls, of course).

Go visit the shop and pick out your favorite headband. Leave a comment letting me know your choice. And be snappy about it. I'm going to pick a winner tonight and the prize will get mailed out as soon as I get your address. I'm guessing the pool will be pretty small this way, so you have a nice chance of winning. I certainly wouldn't want to leave out my international friends (especially because those outside of North America don't even get a holiday today) - all entries are welcome!

Enjoy the rest of your holiday!

Friday flowers

Whole Foods calls this million star, which is much more attractive than baby's breath. Unless they are actually different plants. I don't know these things.

I do know that they look lovely in the late afternoon light. They're sitting in some brown glass bottles that I love. They're chemical bottles from my lab, and when I'm finished with them I soak them and scrub them and bring them home. I never get tired of labware.

We have a long weekend here, so I'll be crafting and lounging and hopefully not melting into a puddle from all the heat. I'll see you all on Tuesday, my dears.

Zen kitchen

The kitchen is a retreat for me. The rest of the world slips away, and my head clears almost instantly. Last night I came home from work and baked a cake for a coworker's birthday. And I started thinking about how easily cooking and baking can become overwhelming and stressful for people.

Hence, my strategy aka the 123 method to a stressfree kitchen (yes, I just made that name up right now - catchy, isn't it?)

1. Read the entire recipe first. I am sometimes guilty of skipping this step, which means I get to the second page of the recipe and realize I needed to have a pot of water boiling 15 minutes ago.

2. Mise en place. This is just a fancy term for good prep work. If you are baking, you should measure all your ingredients and place them in separate bowls. If you are cooking, you should wash and chop your veggies and measure out any ingredients. It makes you feel very Martha Stewart in the kitchen, because you just whisk around tossing your premixed ingredients into pots and pans.

3. Clean as you go. I think the most exhausting thing is when you finish a beautiful meal and then turn around and face a filthy kitchen with piles of dishes. Instant buzzkill. My theory is that you should never be standing still in the kitchen. Wash dishes as you go along. There is always time. When you're baking, wash dishes and wipe counters while you cream the butter and sugar. If you're cooking, do it while your veggies saute or while your water boils. When I pop a finished dish in the oven, I immediately pull out the broom and sweep the floor. By the time I'm done in the kitchen, I have drying rack full of clean dishes, freshly scrubbed counters and a clean floor. It's like magic.

You also need to accept the fact that not every dish works out every time. It happens to absolutely everyone. In these instances, I recommend a large glass of wine and a good laugh. Sometimes that's really all there is to do.

Utterly indulgent

Scents do something to me, trigger memories and emotions in an intense way. I had a full on hissy fit when my sister wanted to buy the same perfume as me. I won't tell you how old I was because it sounds like something a teenager would do and I was not a teenager. Not by a long shot. I just don't feel comfortable when I have a scent twin that's close to me in real life. It creeps me out.

A few weeks ago Anabela posted about CB I Hate Perfume, and I hopped over to his gallery. My jaw dropped. Try it. Go read the descriptions and look at the bottles. Even if you don't want to buy, it's a nice way to spend a half hour. (I did end up buying, so be forewarned.)



Tea/Rose was an obvious choice. Black tea and homegrown flowers definitely top my list of simple pleasures. It smells like an English garden, not like your grandmother's sitting room.

I was sorely tempted by Under the Arbor (crushed grape leaves, wood, moss and earth) and In the Library (novels, leather, cloth and wood polish) but I settled for Memory of Kindness (tomato vines and fresh earth). It smells sharp and fresh.

I've been alternating them according to my mood. I only got the little sample sizes, and I'm pretty sure they will last for a very long time because it's completely undiluted and all you need is a couple dabs.

New furniture

Crafting on a large(r) scale is incredibly messy. Our poor apartment has been covered with stuff for weeks. I was pretty sure the coffee table was still in the middle of the living room, but I had no visual proof, because all you could see was a big mound of ribbons and fabric.

The Salvation Army came to the rescue, yet again. We found a wonderful credenza for just $75. We had to lash it to the roof of our car and then undertake a rather perilous journey home on the 405, where I nervously spent the entire ride staring at it to make sure it wasn't slipping, but it was worth it.

It's scratched and dinged from age, but nice and sturdy. We briefly thought about painting it, because the wood isn't particularly nice and the top is laminate, but once we got it in place we decided to leave it the way it is. At least for now.

{new storage}

Our dining area is a wee bit crowded, but I'd rather be crowded than live amidst a heap of piles. And it has nine large drawers! I love drawers. I've already filled them with wonderful things that were previously jammed in boxes. Sometimes I open them just to peek inside.

{crochet thread drawer}