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potw: home sweet home

the boy and i bought our first home last april.

it's been so fun getting to know this area of dc, far away from our little studio on 17th and mass (still miss you sometimes!)

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i have a couple of friends who have purchased homes recently.

it's such an exciting life event.

these custom moving announcements from duet letterpress are pretty much the cutest. and they're even on sale at the moment. woo hoo!

but the best part?

they'll customize it for you with a hand-drawn image of your new abode!

now, these illustrations would make any home look extra adorable, but i have to say that the lovely rowhouses that grace our dc neighborhoods would really stand out with this design.



via duet letterpress on etsy

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i love this special way to announce a new home.


what do you think? what's your favorite way to announce a move?

a few things


tried taylor gourmet on h street
late sunday lunch at roscoe's 
tried a new way to scramble (so. much. butter.)
making progress on the table!
good morning, dc
so many bikes out this morning

happy day

via this&that


indeed. 

glitter shoes make this amazingly warm january day (65 degrees?!) even better.

i have lots going on this weekend - can't wait for it to start.

hope your weekend is fantastic!


little ruffles

via couldawouldapica on polyvore


ah, peplum. 

totally ladylike yet fun and a little sassy, too.

i love all theese peplum-enhanced numbers. that striped jacket is just too much. i might need it.

try a peplum top with sky-high heels and skinny jeans. or maybe a calf-length skirt. even wide-leg pants would work with this 40s throwback look.

there's so many ways to have fun with this flirty silhouette!

squashed

is this the dead of winter? 

i'm not even sure when that horribly morbid-sounding time of year is supposed to be, but since there isn't much happening in the way of a harvest right now, i figured this month's seasonal eats post could focus on a cold-weather veggie.

butternut squash is what's known as a winter squash. unlike its warm-weathered friends (e.g., zucchini), a winter squash will have a superthick skin. think acorn squash. or a pumpkin.

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when the arganica crate arrived, we found a sweet little butternut squash inside. i'd never cooked one before myself, but since roasting almost always guarantees a win in the kitchen, i went with that method.

here's how it turned out.



oh boy was it good. i sprinkled a little parsley on top for some freshness.

the picture above is from a couple days ago. but the boy and i liked it so much, we grabbed another one.

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but have you ever tried to cut one of these babies? 

it can get tricky. 

here's my simple and safe method.


carefully (and with a sharp knife) slice off the bottom.

this will give you a nice steady surface for slicing it in half, like this:



next, grab your spoon and get to scooping. you want to get everything outta there.


one side cleaned, one side to go


now, it's time to grab that trusty vegetable peeler and get to work.

just be sure to have a firm grasp; it can be a little slippery once the peel is removed.

(don't mind the canola oil containers in my sink; we were cleaning up after the previous night's fried tofu experiment)

once they're both peeled, it's time to slice!


i cut mine from top-to-bottom, then from side-to-side



this way, i ended up with roughly uniform pieces.

i dumped the cubed squash onto a tray, drizzled it with olive oil, sprinkled on some salt and pepper and popped it in a 425-degree oven for about 12 minutes. 

i also shook them around once to help with the even cooking. 

and since we were out of parsley, i just drizzled it with a little maple syrup and served it up.

see?



i liked it. i have to admit that the arganica squash had a bit more flavor, but this one was still yum.


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if you're not into roasting, try mac and cheese or a hearty pasta dish. butternut squash also makes for a mighty fine meat substitute in tacos

it all sounds good to me!

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what's your favorite veggie to eat in the winter?

down the aisle

i was over the moon for these BHLDN shoes back in october

but i held off.

then, a few weeks ago, they went on sale. 

for half of the original price.

add to cart? absolutely!

they arrive!

i am in love. 

they are super comfortable and the leather has this subtle shimmer to it that i think will photograph nicely. 

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the wedding's only about four months out now...give or take. so i'm really excited that i'll be meeting with dc's own ginger root design on friday to begin working on my dress (!)

they specialize in repurposing clothes, so i think they're just what i need to turn my etsy-purchased vintage dress into something fresh + modern.

i don't want to give *too* much away, but in the end, i'm hoping it looks something similar to this breathtaking katie ermilio number below.


via katie ermilio


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have you ever worked with a tailor to bring new life to old clothes? 

i'd love to hear about it!

got you covered

i live in dresses when it's warm. 

it's a rare occasion to see me in anything but a dress between april and october.

during the winter, i have some dresses that transition wonderfully. others, i'd love to wear, but the weather doesn't allow.

so i've really been feeling these long-sleeved beauts.  

for chilly weather, just pop a camisole underneath and you're good to go.
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three cheers for wearing dresses throughout the year!

one potato, two potato

what are you doing the weekend of february 11?

nothing?

cool. 

if you're anywhere near philadelphia, you should check this out.

via threepotatofour
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i don't remember how i first happened upon three potato four. i think i read about one of their fantastic barn sales or...something. 

but it's a husband + wife-run little brick + mortar store that sells vintage and vintage-inspired pieces.

last year, i kept meaning to trek up to PA to check out a barn sale. but that didn't happen. 

and since it doesn't appear that they hold the barn sales anymore, i was incredibly pumped to learn about this outpost event. 

(read all about the event + the other rad vendors participating here.)

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but in the meantime, three potato four is having a winter sale (!) to make room for fun new inventory. 

i bought this over the weekend

via
i'm excited to incorporate it into our bathroom decor. love that anchor design.

their stuff is one-of-a-kind and sells out quickly so here's a few things i was eyeing but wasn't quite quick enough to grab.

via

via

don't worry though! 

there are plenty of other vintage goodies left.

here are some that i'm into

buy here

buy here
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i know where i'll be in early february!

hope you can join me.

potw: what's cookin

i love to cook. most of the time, when i'm trying out a new recipe, i have my laptop open (with my latest pinterest find) and i rush back and forth between the screen + the stove. 

it can get a bit...frantic. 

so, i'd like to start transferring some of my all-time favorite recipes to a more permanent place.

with that in mind, here's a couple cute letterpress designs that are sure to stand out in a recipe box. 


via paper lovely
via a pear of pears
via pressa russa

cute, no?
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rifle paper co. makes this beautiful, handcrafted, recipe box out of recycled hardwood. 


both via rifle paper co.
this little work of art comes with twelve letterpressed dividers and twenty-four cards. 

nice!

via charles fradin home

charles fradin also makes a lovely one. it comes with letterpressed dividers and letterpressed cards. 

yum.

of course, there's other ways to store recipes. check out this adorable box from brown parcel press.

via brown parcel press

inside, you'll find three unique card designs. 

(fifteen total)

here's one:

via brown parcel press


there's even space for you to personalize it with your favorite things.

love that.
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have fun in the kitchen!

cold two days

one of these guys lives in the bathroom

lucy + the snow

the bush in frozen form

really pumped for another organic ingredients-minded fast food option

tomatoes for lunch

a preview

after seeing these adorable custom stamps on wit & whistle, i decided to incorporate them into our save the date postcards. 

since we're getting married at eastern market, i'm going for a farmer's market/grocery feel with the paper suite. 

and the stamped text on pretty kraft paper (from here for the save the dates) is just right.

i'm traveling to nyc this weekend to visit my sister. she's been through this already, and offered to help me out, so we're gonna knock these out together. a fun little project + time with my sister. 

i'm excited.*

like wit & whistle, i got my stamps here. you can see a pic below. i was impressed with the quality and the detail they're able to achieve. even with raleway. i also went ahead and got a stamp for our thank-you notes.  

stamps for the save the dates + thank you notes


i'll post a picture when the save the dates are complete. 

yay!
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i also ordered this awesome, awesome swatch book from cranky pressman.  they have some pretty bad ass house stocks; you can probably guess that chipboard's my fave. i'm really hoping to to work with them for printing the invites.




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looks like it's all coming together!




*plus i'm gonna suffocate if i don't get these out soon

be mine

pic by me | cute little card by drippy ink designs


i bought this card from drippy ink designs for all of my favorite girls in the world back in may. i was so proud of myself for jumping on a june wedding like that.

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then, i lost two of them somehow (still not sure where they ended up..?) and needed to order more. 

but when the replacements arrived, they were just as pretty as i remembered.

the paper. oh boy. the paper on these cards was so thick + luxuriously soft.

i don't see this bridesmaid design on the site anymore, but the cool thing is that they'll whip these up for you in any color.

the etsy shop also makes other fun manmaid and bridesmaid designs. they have cards for maids + matrons of honor and pretty invitations, too. 

if you're recently engaged and need to pop a question of your own, drippy ink is a good place to know.

found it

remember how i wanted to incorporate more blouses into my outfit rotation?

well, i've purchased some from zara + other places, but i'm so into this one from j crew, it's ridiculous

buy it!

the pintuck detail + slightly poufed sleeves make it so special. i could dress this up or down in a heartbeat, depending on the occasion.

ahhh. it's just so sweet.
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have you found any long-sleeved blouses lately?

the past few days


arganica came | more on that later

prep time

my version!

herb storage
a rainy commute

 

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