well folks, it finally happened. thanks to my new most favorite, awesomest recipe source ever, smitten kitchen.

i mastered the chocolate chip cookie.

it’s been a long time coming folks- many many recipes have been tried, and many many batches of scone-like cookies have been made, to no avail. i’ve tried adding more butter, more eggs, more everything… but nothing worked. husband even said last night (as we devoured practically every cookie)… these are the perfect chocolate chip cookie. sigh. i can now die a happy woman.

HOOOORRAAAYYYY

so proud.

here’s the recipe (taken from smitten kitchen):

“Crispy, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

These cookies have a lower chip-to-dough ratio than our earlier favorites and a thicker, softer thing going on than the consummate cookies, to help you differentiate them. But when I’m looking for a classic cookie, kind of like the old school Toll House recipe but better, even, this is what I go for.

As always with cookies, you can scoop, flash freeze and then freeze the cookies until you’re ready to bake them, or to bake a few off at a time. You can bake them straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes to your baking time, of course, or let them thaw out on a tray for a while.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.

3. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time (for giant cookies) or a tablespoon at a time (for smaller cookies) onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

5. Bake larger cookies for 15 to 17 minutes, or 10 to 12 minutes for smaller ones (check your cookies before they’re done; depending on your scoop size, your baking time will vary) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.”

also here.

THANK YOU DEB!!!! your ratatouille is also amazing. we have made it and loved it twice.

so i’ve seen a bunch of jewelry made with treasures from the hardware store lately…

exhibit a, exhibit b

and i was in a hardware store recently, so i picked up a few washers along with the glue i was actually there to purchase. they were shiny! and only $.14! i didn’t know what i wanted to do with them yet, but i liked them. so there.

side note- i’m telling myself this doesn’t count as part of my challenge because they’re hardware. admittedly, i have probably cheated a little, but i’m doing ok! i promise i will tell you what i actually chose for august eventually.

so, after some deliberation, i decided i didn’t want to go down any of the roads that i’d already seen traveled with these washers. maybe they would look cool just on a chain? so i pulled out an old chain and some beads that i dyed awhile ago…

that’s what they looked like all flat. i wasn’t too excited. but, i put it on anyway.

hey, now that’s kinda nifty! i like the shapes that it makes… how it’s a little modern and graphic… and somehow kinda reminds me of vertebrae, but in a way that doesn’t creep me out (sometimes jewelry that looks like bones creeps me out).

oh, hai!

so there ya go, me all smiley with my $.56 new necklace.

also, they have ball chain at the hardware store too! even a tiny brass version! they were all out when i was there, but i’ll for sure be going back to scope it out later.

<3

i have wondered about your nail polishes from afar ever since you started carrying them.

i have even stood in one of your stores, where the air conditioning was broken and it was SO HOT that sweat was literally dripping off of me (help out those poor kids in philadelphia!) and debated long and hard over whether or not to purchase a bottle. or two. even though i REALLY didn’t need any. so. many. colors.

this last weekend husband bought me a few little pressies when we went to visit the in-laws in his hometown…

summer peach

malibu green

l'esprit - wearing this one right now! love!

goes on perfectly smooth and covers completely in one coat. DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde free… and made in the usa! i have found love in a nail polish at last. if you would like to send me more colors to test out for free, i will surely wax poetic over them also.

if not, i’ll probably end up with more anyway.

love,
-shelly

so. many. colors.

seriously though, which color would you choose?

*images via american apparel

well friends, the sewing machine has been humming in our little apartment.

along with a skirt, a tote bag, and lots of little scraps of things sewn together… we (and by we i mean mostly the husband!) have been making…

in the shop now!

cases for your electronic friends! and they will be going up for sale one-a-day in our new etsy shop!

a sneak peak of what’s to come…

with a flap! and elastic! fancy!

for iphone 4 too!

i am so. excited. to be finally doing what i set out on this little blog journey to do. sew!

go check out the shop, we’ll be adding more each day! <3

i have just fallen completely, totally, face on the floor, head over heels in love with a handbag.

gor-ge-mous.

i’m ridiculous, i know. but man is it pretty.

via jakandjil

this last weekend was absolutely wonderful, and kind of momentous. it was husband’s birthday! hooray!

birthday things involved- balloons, presents, homemade cheesecake, delicious dinner and drinks, and a funny movie.

another momentous happening this weekend was that i be-friended my sewing machine. after TWO YEARS of battle, heartbreak, and tears.

husband saw some ipad cases that he liked on etsy, and asked if i would try to make him one. of course! that can’t be hard. so we bought the felt, and after three hours of trial and tribulation at the hands of the sewing-machine-beast on saturday almost gave up.

deciding that my machine was just crap-a trip to wal mart, $135 limited edition project runway sewing machine, and a bottle of oil later- we returned to the project with new gusto. we decided to try oiling up my little machine first, before breaking out the new fancy machine. EUREKA. it worked. the fancy one will be going back to the store.

the fruits of our labor:

not the fanciest seamstress-ing ever… but i made them! and they work! and don’t look awful! i also made a case for husband’s wireless keyboard- and it is LINED. that’s right folks- finished, lined edges.

i am super excited about this revelation and can’t wait to try and make all kinds of things. husband had to talk me out of attempting to make a shirt to wear out of scrap fabric last night. i am a little too ambitious sometimes.

next trick: attempting to chop off and hem a thrift store skirt.

It’s pretty hilarious that i started this blog about two years ago, and intended to become a super crafty lady who made all kinds of things… and re-purposed thrift store clothing into new and fabulous things. i’m finally getting to that… and although i may not be the most consistent blogger, i’ve definitely become the ‘crafter’ that i wanted to be… pushing myself and making things and being creative!

yay for blogging. and be-friending the beast.

man has it been hot outside lately.

if you haven’t noticed, summer isn’t my favorite season as far as fashion goes (notice a lack of outfit posts?). it’s just so not interesting to me… no layering… and i feel so exposed.

that being said, it’s been awhile and i liked my outfit for brunching with the husband over the weekend… so here’s what i wear when it’s hot outside:

husband made me climb on the playground to take pictures. my neighbors probably think i'm nuts.

tank- old navy, skirt-thrifted, shoes-seychelles/tj maxx, necklace- forever21, bracelet-thrifted

breezy tank and skirt… fun jewelry and shoes make it a little bit more interesting. do you still wear jeans when it’s hot? i know i do… can’t give up my denim when i want to feel comfortable and like myself.

what are your go-to staples when the temps get over 100?

*note… for some reason i was nervous about posting this! had it done a few days ago… so the photos are a little old

bonjour friends! it’s been awhile, eh?

i have a confession to make… i’ve been pretty terrible lately as far as spending habits go. if you know me, you know that i don’t spend a whole lot on things… but the volume has gone up over the past few weeks.

spoils of the recent weeks…

husband ordered this one for me... i stalked it online forever. foreverrrr. love!

it's a really pretty light pink in person!

new favorite thing. his name is fletcher.

didn't like it at first... but now i think i love it... is a little bit not so super kermit green in person

$3 shoes, $2 bracelet from local thrift shop

whew!! i know, crazy, right? now granted, all of this stuff totals up to less than $200… but still. i have SO MUCH STUFF that i don’t even use… why am i buying more? i am an impulse shopper.

so now, the challenge.

1 item per month
max dollar amount: $50
duration: august 2010 (clearly i’ve done the damage for this month) through march 2011 (when we go to PARIS)
GOAL: to teach myself to think long and hard about purchases… and hopefully spend the money i WOULD have spent on random things on ONE nice, fully appreciated item.

so, here we go! a new challenge! not pretending like i’m going to be perfect, but we’ll see how it goes. i’ll let you know what i choose (if anything) each month!

also… happy friday <3 it’s almost the weekend!

oh little blog- i miss you! we should hang out more often. i have lots of things to share… fun crafty projects and recipes i’ve tried lately…

most exciting-ly, husband and i have started planning our next just-us vacation! i’m sad to say that it’s a long ways away… but we are going to… drumroll….

PARIS PARIS PARIS PARIS PARIS!!!

PARIS!

i have wanted to go for years and years… can’t wait to eat hundreds of macarons and cheeses and drink wine in little cafes… wander around museums and shops… so excited!

i’ll be hunting for cool places to visit while we’re there (which isn’t until spring of 2011) but i’ll share what i find with you… and let me know if you have tips!

isn’t it nice to have things to look forward to? <3

*image via google image search

hello friends!

feels like it’s been ages since i’ve posted. truth is, work has been SUPER busy lately… so i’ve been spending my early mornings trying to catch up and my evenings passing out around my house (you know, face down on the floor right around 6:30). it was really nice to semi-unplug over this long holiday weekend (i can’t give up my iphone, ok?!?) and not look at a computer screen- or even really a tv screen- for too long. i feel more relaxed and the tension headaches in the back of my head have subsided! hooray!

i’m getting really excited- 1,000 wooden beads are scheduled to arrive in my hot little hands this week. you know what that means- LOTS of creations! i’m planning on dyeing them and coming up with lots of new designs.

all of this excitement has led me to troll for inspiration. where do i go when i’m feeling fresh out of jewelry ideas? anthropologie.com.

here are a few i’m liking… especially loving things with a bit of chain…

natural and beachy

i love these beads. not sure if i can replicate that... but so cute!

so fun. the colors remind me of chilled tasty juices!

unique and asymmetrical

maybe my favorite.

i attempted to make the last one tonight… with some recycled turquoise beads i’ve been saving for just the right project… but realized i am fresh out of chain and ended up doing a repair job instead.

beads- hurry up and get here!

ok… off to make the most of the last few hours of this long weekend with some homemade blueberry pie! (i’ll share my new recipe tomorrow!)