How Do Your Organize Your Pantry?

2 Sep

I’m coming to you today with an organizational dilemma. Since Cat and I started redoing the house, we’ve been trying to solve some of our clutter disasters. One room we haven’t yet touched is one of my favorites – the kitchen. I think we find the cabinets of over-stacked dishes a little daunting. One area, in particular, that needs help is our “pantry.” This is the area where we house most of our dry goods and cans.

I think the problem here is too many items and not enough space. We have a serious coffee addiction in this house, so our coffee maker, espresso machine and grinder are key players in our lives. We have a million baskets to hold bread, potatoes and garlic, but I think they often just end up on top on another (see left). I am looking for a way to better utilize this space by making it more user friendly and more aesthetically pleasing.

There is a mega cabinet above this area, so I’m sure some of these items could be moved up (with better rearranging) but what? I’m completely lost when it comes to ideas for this space. Though, I really enjoy the look of jars lined up with rice, couscous, pasta, etc. So here is a list of ideas I’m thinking:

  • Create a coffee station elsewhere, perhaps in the dining room? (though our outlet situation is dire)
  • Move all the grains, rice and dry goods into pretty labeled jars
  • Move items we don’t use regularly (the crockpot in the back) somewhere else
  • Find some sort of better organizer for our to-go coffee cups and water bottles (this is something we desperately need!)

Do you have any tips on how we could reorganize this space?

The Ultimate Egg Sandwich

2 Sep

In my 26 years of living, I’ve noticed that breakfasts hold a special place in my heart. They are usually consistent in nature for months (or even years, in the case of oatmeal) at a time. I swear I eat seasonally, though it’s not that the food is seasonal. I just get on kicks for long periods of time, and the same thing tastes good day after day.

Right now I’m in a serious relationship with egg sandwiches. This is monumental for a number of reasons. For years, I used to avoid cheese. I would tell people I didn’t like it because I thought it was too “fattening” and “bad for me.” There is nothing wrong with cheese. Now, if I ate a whole block of it… maybe. But a slice on my morning sandwich is nothing to fret about, and, in fact, keeps me more satiated throughout the day.

I could eat this sando on grainy, healthier bread. But I choose Italian. Since moving back to Pennsylvania, I have tapped into my roots a little more. Italian bread. Pierogies. These are all things I used to eat and then quit eating because they were “bad for me.” These are things I now enjoy again in moderation.

When I have a breakfast like this, I find that I make better food choices throughout the day. I’m fuller longer, and I feel generally better. I realize the dish doesn’t have fruits and veggies, so I make up for that later. It’s just what’s working for me right now.

What’s your current breakfast of choice?

Dinner Table Enjoyment

1 Sep

My good friend and fellow blogger Ashley posted this great healthy recipe today. Having all the ingredients on hand, I knew I needed to give her kale, carrots and mozzarella stuffed chicken breasts a try. Even though I only had small chicken strips, I thought I could make it work – and I was right! I love when a plan goes according to action – and looks this beautiful:

Based on Ashley’s recipe, I wasn’t sure whether I should cook the kale – so I did. I sauteed a bunch in a pan with some olive oil and two cloves of garlic. While that was simmering, I cut the carrots and cheese, placing all ingredients in a bowl (as instructed). However, I added a few more spices to my mixture. In addition to the egg, I added salt, pepper, oregano, basil and a hint of thyme. I love this flavor combination. It always seem to work. I also added salt, pepper, oregano and cheese to the top of each rolled chicken breast.

Although our house has been renovated for more than a week, we hadn’t enjoyed a meal together at the table. We’ve been using it – don’t get me wrong – for crafts and laptop purposes. But tonight we broke out some placemats, our water bottles and sat down to enjoy a meal with one another. We thought this would be the perfect first meal in our newly painted home.

Notice the flowers that joined us. Yesterday I received these from a not-so-secret admirer for my birthday. Isn’t this arrangement beautiful? I love the way the purple and yellow complement one another. It was perfect for our first meal at the table as roomies.

Over the past several weeks I’ve forgotten how important it is to connect with the people you love around the dinner table. We might have eaten a tad quickly and gotten up a few too many times to get ingredients from the kitchen, but we enjoyed eating, talking and laughing. I enjoy these times most in my life – sharing something I’ve created with others, critiquing and just simply enjoying. Plus knowing you have a healthy meal doesn’t hurt either.

Thanks so much for posting this recipe, Ashley. I’d highly recommend it to others.

How was your last meal around the dinner table? What stories did you tell?

DIY: Repurposing Broken Frames

31 Aug

So, this happened recently:

I kinda find it metaphoric. Nevertheless, as I was moving the china cabinet, this little gem (taken by my great photographer friend James) fell to the ground. I couldn’t part with the frame – I love its dark wood and durability, so I kept it lying around. Then – as if it was meant to be – I saw a great idea on a design blog and decided to put it into practice.

I removed the photo and glass, pushing to the side. Then got out some corkboard and started measuring and cutting.

The end result was a place for my roommate and I to store our keys and leave each other notes. I wanted to tie the colors of our living room together in this piece – dark wood, brushed metal. I’m not quite sure I’m done with this piece yet, but I think it’s going to look great in the room for now – and serve a great function.

Now what to do with those push pins….. I imagine string attached to frequently used messages, maybe?

Rose is:

“Blogging, kinda.”

“Splashing paint throughout the house.”

“Eating an egg sandwich in the kitchen.”

Cat is:

“Changing the lives of children.”

“Playing Mario Galaxy.’”

“Listening to Rose ramble.”

What common phrases could I actually use? Any other ideas for what I can do with the pins?

Lots of Good Things (Happened) or are Happening

31 Aug

It’s funny how life can feel so overwhelming at times with all its uncertainty. But through everything that’s happened over the past few months, I’ve tried to keep a positive attitude and approach. I know good things are going to happen or are happening to me right now, and I am so glad that I chose to throw caution to the wind a little bit and have had opportunities to figure out me again.

Forgive me for the sap. It is my birthday, and I am feeling surrounded by good change, people and memories.

Today is a day just for me. I am going to do the things I love, see people I enjoy and relish in the fact that I am finally okay again.

So what good has happened over the past few days?

1. For starters, there was a My Morning Jacket show on Friday and I was in attendance.

2. Then there was Crafts N’At on Sunday, in which I was a vendor. I didn’t sell many books, but I learned a lot of valuable lessons about what it takes to own your own side business, present yourself at shows and network with people in the business.

My table was pretty minimal, but I think some people enjoyed its “less is more” approach. In the future, however, I will be making lots of changes to my display that I think will enhance viewership.

3. On top of the show and the experience at the show, I also received some very wonderful news yesterday. I will be beginning a new position next Wednesday at a non-profit in Pittsburgh. This means something to me for several reasons. a.) I believe in the cause and the mission of this organization and feel that I can really help get the word out. b.) I know it will be a great group of people to work with – both inside and outside the office. c.) I will get to explore my creative side in the office and there will also be time for me to work on my book arts and start a small business on the side.

Needless to say, I am honored, excited and ready to get working.

4. I began placing items on my Lobster Books Etsy account. There are a few, cheaper handpainted journals on there. I’d love it if you checked out the site, gave me feedback and maybe even purchased something!

Today is a good one. Every year has brought new people, things and ideas to my life. I have never felt so blessed as I do now. And I am finally on track to being completely happy again.

Crafts N’at! Today!

29 Aug

Today is Crafts N’At! If you are in the Pittsburgh area, please stop by Soldiers and Sailors Hall on Pitt’s campus between 12-5 p.m.

Crafts N’At is an indie craft show brought to you by the Pittsburgh Craft Collective.

Crafts N’At is an opportunity for independent crafters to show and sell their wares, establish their business, and to celebrate creativity. It features handmade vendors, craft demonstrations, live performances, and plenty of food.

Check out their main website advertising the event! I’m so honored and excited to be one of the many independent vendors who believe in handmade goods!

Jamba Juice All Natural Smoothies

28 Aug

When I first arrived to Pittsburgh, I was already awaited with a free product to try and review on the blog. I was more than pyched when Jamba Juice contacted me and asked if I wanted to try some of their new smoothie mixes. I’m a huge fan of fresh fruit smoothies, so I thought – let’s try this easier method and see if it works. Plus, I have a VitaMix and you know that makes blending anything better.

Not gonna lie – blending this thing was a little bit of a hassle. It came out as a big chunk of ice, and I had to pulse it for a while before it got to the right consistency. I don’t blame this on Jamba but instead my lack of knowledge when it comes to my super duper blender. After about 5 minutes, I was good to go.

The directions said to use apple juice, but all I had was white, cran, straw juice – and I actually think that enhanced the flavor of the strawberry. All you do is add juice + the mix in the bag and BAM, you have a smoothie awaiting. I enjoyed this while on the porch talking to Cat, and it really hit the spot. I used it as a “dessert” to a light lunch, and it kept me full for several hours afterward.

Although I prefer making my own smoothie concoctions better than a mix, I still really enjoyed the ease of this. I think it would be great for people on the go who want to go the natural way with a packaged product. I’d highly recommend checking these out! Although I don’t know the prices, I bet they are worth what you’d pay.

Thanks, Jamba! I am going to enjoy a few more smoothies in the upcoming weeks :)

Peanut Painting

26 Aug

You could say that I’ve gotten a little obsessed with making tiny, hand-painted journals. I figured taking about 10 to the show and selling them at $5 a piece would be a good thing, so I went a little crazy yesterday. Instead of just using string, however, I decided to experiment with kitchen goods. I made the following books using painted peanuts and then layering on top with some string paint, as needed.

This one is a favorite. It reminds me of alligators.

I also really enjoy this one; it might even be my favorite of the collection. There’s something about white string painting that just makes a book pop.

This one was created using two peanuts with different colors. I actually had to create this orange paint by mixing red and yellow. I felt like a kid again! Wee.

My roommate’s boyfriend was a fan of this one for its bright colors. I think it could lighten up someone’s day, maybe, don’t you?

I’m not sure how I feel about this one, but I feel like there is someone in the world who might like it.

I am really into this painting thing! It’s nice to be involved at every stage in a book’s development – including designing the paper. Not to mention that this is a super cheap craft if you already have the paper and paint.

Thanks for keeping up with my booky progress! Now it’s on to four more hardcover books to make in the next three days. I hope I can get this done in time!

String Painting

25 Aug

This upcoming week is a big one for me. First of all, my birthday is on Tuesday, which really crept up on me. And before that is Crafts N’At on Sunday. It’s the first time I will be a vendor at a handmade craft show. I’m excited, nervous and still underprepared. But this week is productivity week – and I am trying to have a total of 15 handmade books to take to the show.

Last night I was toying around with some softer books. Because my hardcover books tend to be expensive, I wanted to make some cheaper books for those on a budget. Using just some simple paper, I created a basic pamphlet book. I had no idea what I was going to do with the covers, and then Cat gave me a great idea… the string paint method, something often used in classrooms with small children. Here is the first completed book of the series:

Basically you dip a string in paint and then make loops, lines and curves. I found myself a little obsessed with the loops on this one:

Here’s the front and back of the book. It was made using cardstock and printer paper inside. This is a delicate book – something you’d keep my your bed stand. I wouldn’t recommend throwing it inside your bag, as it’s soft and could get bent or folded.

After my first experiment, I went a little crazy and created covers for four soft books. I can’t wait to finish making them – all that’s left now is filling in the other three with paper, which is relatively easy.

This one is one of my favorites. Depending on the length of the string, you’ll receive different results. This one was much more splotchy and straight lined. I liked that very much.

I’m really looking forward to taking these little books to the show. I’ll be selling them for somewhere between $3-5. I still haven’t figured out my pricing system yet, as I need to figure out the cost of materials and my labor.

Ah! What a busy week. Other things are on the horizon that I can’t share on the blog – but will in due time. For now, I am going to be a busy bee, finish making books, do some telecommuting and organize the house here and there. Maybe I’ll even make a fancy dinner! Only time will tell :)

Home Renovations!

23 Aug

Forgive my once again blog distancy, dear friends, but it was certainly for a good cause. For the past four days, my roommate and I have been renovating our home. I will not be going into the details of what this project meant, but just know that it was full of decluttering the entire place, getting rid of old furniture and repainting the walls of our two main living spaces.

I believe this is the first time I’ve shared photos of my new place on the blog, so I hope you enjoy. We have a hodge podge of furniture, and since we are not living on a high budget, we decided to try and repurpose the best we could. We really think this blue color in the living room accents the dark wood of our older style house.

Complete with roses from the garden on the table!

We chose a shade of green for the dining room, and at first – I wasn’t in love with it. However, after seeing it with all the wood furniture, we are really happy with the way it turned out and so happy to not be eating on the couch anymore (which admittedly, we had to do because of all of the boxes and mish mash in this space).

Here’s the other angle. Forgive the art clutter in the corners! We are still trying to figure out a way to hang shelves on the open walls to store crafts and other special keepsakes. However, after our four-day marathon, we certainly need a break from home maintenance!

I hope you enjoyed the mini tour of our space. We are really pleased with the way it turned and really feel like grownups for tackling such a large project. It feels good to live in a clean, bright and open space.

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