spinach pesto and zucchini olive cheddar bread

mmmm dinner.

frank's frocks

since im a sucker for alliteration, to go along with liz's laundry, i reopened my etsy shop under the name frank's frocks!  click the link or go to the tab above for a preview!  i will be adding more things so stay tuned.  also i will be reloading some of my handmade jewelry items.  which obviously frank has nothing to do with.  but he does seem to like sparkles as much as i do...

goodwilly goodness

i decided to take a self-rewarding trip to goodwill after work one night.  not cos i really did anything in particular to deserve it...  but ive been doing better at staying within my budget, finishing more little sewing projects, and not complaining about work.  so damnit i earned it.  anyway.  [click on any pic to enlarge but since they were taken on my phone, be forewarned they may be blurry]

a gaudy ribbon shirt that may become a pencil skirt, a liz claiborne [sucker for those] dress with awesome paisley print, a polyester skater dress, a silk top that will be cut apart and somehow those epaulet straps will remain.  still thinking about that one.

liz's laundry

• tank and belt: h&m
• skirt: thrifted
• leggings: charlotte russe
• turtle necklace: street fair

sit and stay awhile

i gots me a new chair!  and by new i mean.. i found it by the dumpster and wiped it down with copious amounts of lysol.  obviously its a bit worn and the bottom rungs were actually falling apart.  but my bashing skills came in handy and i forced the crossbrace back in place.  some day i will sand off the rather ugly finish and either leave it bare [varnished] wood or paint it a funky color.

pasta and pie

what could be better.  i mean really.

mixed pasta [veggie flavored] with chipotle chicken sausage, sauteed arugula, local yellow squash, canned artichoke hearts, a can of roasted diced tomatoes, and parm

bluegrass pyrex

i was perusing the aisles of goodwill when my momma called.  after quick coordination/confirmation of times for their overnight stay before flying out of boston she mentioned she was still on the search for 9" plates.  smaller plates allow you to eat less and feel fuller.  eyes brain stomach connection blah blah.  apparently whoever tested this theory never thought of getting up for a second plate.  but i digress.

more assorted things

evening pics from two different nights

basil arugula pesto

basil arugula pesto

• several bunches basil
• most of a 5oz tub of baby arugula
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup parm
• salt to taste

blend stuff.  dump on pasta.  eat.

linking up to 33 shades of green: tasty tuesdays

adventure weekend

 

20's dress in a tragic state of disrepair.  the beading is amazing but the fabric was disintegrating in places.  seen at the flea for all

potpourri

tomatoes and resulting chopped salad with a little balsamic.  unfortunately my lack of garden is forcing me to buy tomatoes... but a combination of farmer's market and whole foods heirloom toms is pretty damn good.

liz's laundry

• striped top: tj maxx
• tank and skinny pants: h&m
• vest: thrifted

tacos!

bulgogi ground beef and chicken with homemade taco seasoning

paper flower garland

i decided to try making some paper peonies based on a pin from rebecca caridad's blog manzanita.  and they were a success... except i didnt have any strong enough wire to make stems.  and a trip to the craft store ends in certain overspending. 

1 sorbetto, 2 sorbetto, 3 sorbetto...

negative on the 4.  and none of them were legit 100% follow-the-directions sorbettos. 

first one - tunic length, buttons down the back, no front pleat, no bias tape.  the fabric was a crazy 80s shirt from the swap.  i kept the bottom hems [lazy] and since they didnt quite line up i added a 2" slit on both sides.  its definitely long enough to wear with leggings but since its 100% polyester ..its not exactly sweltering summer wear. 

cake partay

if youve ever wondered how to bake and decorate a cake in 95 degree heat...

urrm best advice is dont bother.  the cake turned out fine [champagne white cake if you must know] and managed to only heat my apartment by ... 5 degrees maybe?  but frosting.  oh the frosting. liquid butter [aka room temp] does not make for frosting success.  i added extra butter and about 7 cups of powdered sugar, and ended up refrigerating the now doubled batch of frosting for an hour before i even bothered attempting to frost the cake. 

unfortunately there is no photographic evidence of the finished product.  it was a resounding success minus the sickeningly sweet frosting which..melted off while we were eating.  and let me add, a 2 layer cake feeds 15 people quite well.  with only a few second helpings. 

happy belated birthday ashley!

liz's laundry

• top: target
• skirt: h&m
• leggings: uniqlo

liz's laundry

these outfits run the gamut from super neutral to blinding neon to... normal.

• sweater: jcrew via the sister
• dress: thrifted and resewn

reading about kitty freezer pops

not nearly as terrible as it sounds.  i just am drawing a blank on appropriate titles. 

i dropped 3 books off at the library and ..checked out 3 more.  my bedside table is getting a little overwhelmed.  over half of them are from the thrift store.  and ive taken to removing the dust jackets on used books.  i personally think the pressed binding looks quite a bit better and really, after being bashed about at someones house and then in a donation bin, the dust jacket is usually in quite bad condition.  ...also it makes the rather crappy reader's digest books i found for $1 each look all sophisticated and shit. 

baking with berries

first off.  patriotic jam.  better late than never eh?  blueberries, sugar, rhubarb, and a bit of pectin.

uncertain watch death

our lake adventure at sebago left me with a drowned watch.  i noticed after our first swim my watch was looking a bit hazy.  lo and behold, my overpriced skagen [bought in a sample sale for a more reasonable price] ...is not waterproof.  or water resistant.  or ... water anything. 

the second swim i realized i was still wearing my watch.  but it was far too late.  it is still running fine and has not rusted *yet*, but the little hazey droplets have not cleared.  like cellphones that go swimming, it was recommended i seal my watch in a baggie of rice for a few days.  we'll see how that goes.

blueberry picking

blueberry bushes at a friend's parents' house

sebago lake state park

4th of july was spent eating vietnamese food [with a friend's entire extended family] on a beach in the woods surrounding a lake.  that makes little to no sense.  i know.  google maps places it here ..and on the drive in i was responsible for announcing the google maps directions from someone's phone gps.  having never been to sebago before, i followed the exact directions which took us around the west side of the lake.  the scenic way.  which took twice as long but was adorable and we found some potential future camping sites, complete with beach access, toilets, and fried food shacks. 

pb hb bh

code for adventure?

peanut butter chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate frosting

quite contrary

so unlike mary i only have the window box planter.  alas no garden.  but it is thriving nonetheless.  i snip off the basil flowers when i remember [not often] and have used a pretty decent portion of everything.  probably should have bought more basil varieties... but oh well.  next year. 

the ridiculous amounts of rain and blazing sun have been doing their magic.  apparently in portland it is rarely just cloudy.  either brilliant blue sky ...or torrential downpour. 

liz's laundry

• denim blazer and lace dress: thrifted
• leggings: victoria's secret

other random maine pics

sailboat course near fort gorges

narrow gauge railroad [and train putting along]

frank interlude

there once was a naughty boy kitty
he often would act out quite shitty
     he hops in the chiller
     he's quite the bug killer
and often inspires a bad ditty

oh dear god its hot
i wonder if there is a
toy or food nearby

the oob

aka old orchard beach.  some pics i took back in april that never made it online.  really..oob is a crazy drunk tourist spot [the pier is all bars] and a family vacation destination.  both things i like to avoid generally, so i prob wont be going back until after the season.  umm being april though it was about 45 degrees.  i was barefoot...

the amazing technicolor dream...dress

i have had this insane fabric sitting around for probably 2 years now.  i had no idea what to do with it or why i even bought it.  thanks fabric.com for tempting my sometimes overly impulsive purchasing habits.

downton-esque dresses

two floral dresses in the same color scheme.  and similar decades i guess.  kind of an updated downton/gatsby feel.  on the left - basically a hack-and-slash resewing of a dress i grabbed during my latest insane goodwill trip.  on the right - a dress i made from 5 1/2 ridiculous yards of fabric.  thats right.  16.5' feet of fabric strewn about my apartment.  fighting a cat, breezes from the fan, incredible humidity, and impatience. 

[apparently i got a wee bit burned today cos all but the first pic are from 2 days ago..]