tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91301022355804089152024-03-12T22:36:16.951-04:00Lauralicious in DCLauralicious meets delicious with cooking, traveling, and life around the nation's capital.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-51908314642674663112011-08-17T23:11:00.001-04:002012-01-04T04:32:04.792-05:00Goodbye DCSo long DC. We've had a good run during the past four years. For those of you who may not know, I've recently moved to North Carolina to start graduate school. It seems appropriate to me at this point to end the "Lauralicious in DC" blog. To all my readers, thank you for all of your wonderful comments over the past four years.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-51061514060686452152011-08-01T23:37:00.000-04:002011-08-01T23:37:30.767-04:00Follow me on Pinterest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FfGvu4URM9U/TjRcZoW9nbI/AAAAAAAAE7Q/lw6mls_Vy7U/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="103" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FfGvu4URM9U/TjRcZoW9nbI/AAAAAAAAE7Q/lw6mls_Vy7U/s320/Picture+1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Recently joined a visual bookmarking site called <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>. I've found this to be a really fun and useful tool for making notes of images and ideas that I like. I'm quite taken by it! <br />
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If you're interested, follow my pins at <a href="http://pinterest.com/laurakwagner/">http://pinterest.com/laurakwagner/</a><br />
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You can catalog or "like" pictures and webpages, and categorize them into "boards" which are visual bookmarks of those things. So far I've started some boards for crafts, home decor, and recipes. I wish this had been around ages ago when I first started following craft and food blogs.<br />
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This is a much easier alternative to my previous system of starring things in google reader (which was unorganized and hard to search), bookmarking in my browser (which was forgettable, unorganized, and not portable), and saving jpg's on my desktop (not portable, and I'd lose the original links). I don't like to inundate my Facebook and Twitter friends with shared links or links, so this is a great outlet for that! <br />
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Another great aspect of this site is that it's portable. I've already used the iPhone app a couple of times when I'm at the store and want to look up something I've "pinned." They didn't pay me to say this - I've just been super impressed at how useful this tool has been and how seamlessly I've been able to integrate this into my existing projects. <br />
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Do any of you use Pinterest also? Please leave your comments and feedback on this post.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-59533524174834082922011-07-30T14:19:00.001-04:002011-07-30T14:21:13.529-04:00How-to: Mixed-media art using maps<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKhTn-hAqPc/TjQ3RFyJ3gI/AAAAAAAAE7M/5cPUM70hHMU/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MKhTn-hAqPc/TjQ3RFyJ3gI/AAAAAAAAE7M/5cPUM70hHMU/s320/photo.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting - "Traveling nature"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Recently I finished this painting, entitled "Traveling Nature." I painted it on canvas with acrylic paint and made the leaves using maps of places I've been to. For me, it's a combination of a meaningful reminder of my travels as well as a fun artistic accent for my home.<br />
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Places featured: North Carolina (Chapel Hill, Great Smoky Mountains), Maryland (Ocean City, Baltimore), Hawaii (Oahu, the Big Island), Arizona (Phoenix, Sedona, Grand Canyon), Florida (Miami), The Bahamas, Pennsylvania, Washington DC area, Mexico, New York (NYC), California (San Francisco), and Massachusetts (Boston).<br />
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I get inspiration from the various crafts and art blogs that I read, as well as from items I see in stores. <i>(Note: I'm not affiliated with these blogs or stores at all, these are just items I happen to like.) </i>I first got the idea for the color block background from this rug from West Elm:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.westelm.com/weimgs/ab/images/wcm/products/201109/0034/img81m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.westelm.com/weimgs/ab/images/wcm/products/201109/0034/img81m.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.westelm.com/products/tribal-leaf-rug-r890/</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
For awhile the painting was just the orange and brown background. I was going to paint a big leaf on top, like the West Elm rug, but it didn't feel right to me to just copy something I'd seen in a store.<br />
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Then I saw these cute collages with maps. I really liked the idea of repurposing maps into wall art. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets0.notonthehighstreet.com/system/product_images/images/000/443/782/normal_SUM11-012-b_SQUARE.jpg?1306246043" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://assets0.notonthehighstreet.com/system/product_images/images/000/443/782/normal_SUM11-012-b_SQUARE.jpg?1306246043" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/bombus/product/bespoke_map_heart</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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Looking for an interesting way to arrange the maps, I found this arrangement of leaves via Pinterest:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8358081ff69e2014e88711328970d-500wi" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8358081ff69e2014e88711328970d-500wi" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/05/flower-girl-leaves-from-janae-and-kendra.html</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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Here's a how-to for making mixed-media art with maps: <br />
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Materials and cost:<br />
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<ul><li>Canvas: $20</li>
<li>Brushes (small to medium flat and angled brushes for the leaves, larger paint brushes for the background): $5</li>
<li>Acrylic paint or flat wall paint: 75 cents to 8 bucks each, depending on size</li>
<li>Outdoor Mod Podge: $6</li>
<li>Plain scrap paper, pencil, painters tape, ruler for measuring and tracing</li>
<li>Maps : free online </li>
<li>Color ink for printing: $25 for 1 cartridge</li>
</ul>Time: Allow about 1-2 hours for each step, spread out over about 6-7 days<br />
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When buying materials like canvas or paint, my tip is to wait until your local art supply store has a sale or offers a good coupon. I found this canvas for something like 60% off in January. These are items which are perpetually available, so it just makes sense to wait for a good deal. <br />
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1. Paint the background of the canvas. I used painters' tape and a rule to get a straight line. I first painted one side with the brown paint and then the other side with orange paint. To get this orange color, I had the smallest size of paint can (half-pint?) mixed at a paint store. For the color to be consistent, I recommend getting the paint pre-mixed to the color you want, instead of buying tubes of paint and mixing yourself. This step takes about 30 minutes for each color block, spread out over 1-2 days.<br />
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2. Find and print the maps. I searched for maps (e.g., "Grand Canyon map") with google image search and filtered for only Large images which would print best. Most of my maps I printed out to fill 1 entire sheet of paper. Using saved maps from travels is another option too. This took me a few hours on 1 day.<br />
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3. Cut out the designs you want for your collage from plain or scrap paper, sketching them out with a pencil first. I used leaves, but you could design and cut out whatever shape you want (hearts, circles, etc.). I think this step is really important for testing out the shapes before you cut out the maps. <br />
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4. Test out your arrangement of leaves on the canvas until you get something you like. If you want, you can use tape or temporary glue to hold the pieces in place, especially if it is a very exact arrangement. Steps 3-4 take about an hour (depending on how long it takes you to get the result you want)<br />
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5. Then, using the "test" pieces as a template, trace out the leaves on the maps and cut them out. Note: If you wanted an even more precise shape, you could design a template using graphics software like photoshop and edit the maps before printing them out. This you can do in about 15-30 minutes. <br />
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6. For the solid-colored leaves, I painted the plain pieces with acrylic paint (and then making sure they were dry before gluing to the canvas). I chose to do this rather than painting directly on the background, which would not have been as solid. This takes another 15 minutes or so.<br />
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7. Now position the leaves on the collage. Brush the mod podge on the pieces, stick them down, and then brush on a layer of mod podge over the pieces. This step is actually pretty quick if you do it all at once - maybe an hour, but if you spend additional time adjusting anything or repainting, that adds to the time for painting and drying. <br />
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8. When it's dry, brush at least 1 layer of mod podge over the entire canvas to seal it. At this point you could build up the layers using different stroke patterns if you wanted more texture. This is a very quick step and only takes about 10 minutes. <br />
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A word about the mod podge. I used Outdoor mod podge. I had looked at the bottle of "regular" mod podge glue which said I would have to use an additional sealer on top of it, whereas the outdoor mod podge glue did not require that step. It has a glossy finish that isn't tacky. My paper did wrinkle a little bit (which may have happened with regular version too), but the outdoor version does *not* seem to have reacted negatively to the canvas so far. I also hope that this will make the painting more durable than if I had just used the regular kind.<br />
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Cost: Depending on materials you have on hand, this project can be free to about $75 dollars to complete. For example, I had to buy more color ink for my printer, which added $25 to my costs. I mention this because craft projects can often get deceptively expensive, so do them because you want to express yourself and have fun, not because you think it will be cheap. It can be less expensive, but not always. I probably could have bought a manufactured print for $75, which would have looked more professional, but would not have been as unique or meaningful. <br />
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So, there you have it. Feel free to share - what creative purposes do you have for travel mementos? Please leave your comments and questions for me on this post.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-75922771522279581052011-07-15T09:00:00.002-04:002011-07-15T09:00:19.244-04:00Exploring the North Shore of OahuDay 5:<br />
On our last day on the Big Island, we did a little biking before our flight. But we didn't get so far on our bike ride. The beach trail was too rocky and the only other place to ride was on the highway, so we returned the bikes and hit the beach. <br />
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After landing back in Oahu, we went down the Waikiki beach strip to a beach bar overlooking huge crashing waves and surfers. That was awesome. Then we walked out on a bridge going out over the water where we got up close to the big breakers. Nothing like experiencing the big waves (without having to take surf lessons). <br />
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Day 6:<br />
Finally, we ventured out to the North Shore of Oahu, which feels less like a shopping mall like Waikiki did, and more like a laidback beach town. We stopped in the town of Haleiwa for lunch, rented ourselves some snorkel gear, and headed for the beach. First we went to Waimea Bay:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aBXxw6cag_s/Thsh9A44IdI/AAAAAAAAEkM/cQJZ64a_z88/s1600/IMG_0928-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aBXxw6cag_s/Thsh9A44IdI/AAAAAAAAEkM/cQJZ64a_z88/s320/IMG_0928-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then, we went snorkeling in Sharks' Cove, which has no sharks, but PLENTY of colorful schools of tropical fish. Wish I had an underwater camera so that I could share it with you all. It was breathtaking. I was in the water for an hour gawking at the fish, and it felt like only five minutes had gone by.<br />
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Sandy as ever, we dried off and went back to the airport to catch a flight home.<br />
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This will be my last adventure for awhile, but I hope that you enjoyed the pictures!Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-60581309656165951062011-07-14T09:00:00.002-04:002011-07-14T09:00:09.676-04:00Driving around the Big IslandDay 4:<br />
This was one of my favorite days of our trip. We rented a convertible and drove around the entire island, seeing volcanoes, incredible ocean views, and lush green forests:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMzD2mIO3Ho/ThsiST-JGwI/AAAAAAAAElI/RmARBzVET70/s1600/DSC_0238.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TMzD2mIO3Ho/ThsiST-JGwI/AAAAAAAAElI/RmARBzVET70/s320/DSC_0238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hzfkwdur564/ThsidxFoUCI/AAAAAAAAElg/JOm4LlA88UY/s1600/DSC_0253.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hzfkwdur564/ThsidxFoUCI/AAAAAAAAElg/JOm4LlA88UY/s320/DSC_0253.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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We stopped in Hilo, Hawaii's second largest town, to have a picnic at Leleiwa Beach:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sd6Ic65u5v0/ThsjAlrWD5I/AAAAAAAAEm0/rzkPEIb4Kl4/s1600/DSC_0332.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sd6Ic65u5v0/ThsjAlrWD5I/AAAAAAAAEm0/rzkPEIb4Kl4/s320/DSC_0332.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wRehLunbWzU/ThsjQAl1uGI/AAAAAAAAEnU/K-7WdaZldxQ/s1600/DSC_0365.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wRehLunbWzU/ThsjQAl1uGI/AAAAAAAAEnU/K-7WdaZldxQ/s320/DSC_0365.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
On our way out of town, some big truck cut us off. A local noticed and shouted to us, "Welcome to Hilo!"<br />
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All of this led up to arriving at our destination, Volcanoes National Park, where we saw the still-active Kilaeua caldera:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZhK7z47ROI4/ThsjkCutXFI/AAAAAAAAEn8/rKO6V3HZ0Co/s1600/DSC_0398.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZhK7z47ROI4/ThsjkCutXFI/AAAAAAAAEn8/rKO6V3HZ0Co/s320/DSC_0398.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steam rising from the caldera</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Even though it looks like a warm sunny day, it's actually quite windy around the volcanos. And the sulfur steam smells like burning matches. It comes out of the ground in steam vents that are all around the park:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZP-29bXAhp0/Thsj3SYqZuI/AAAAAAAAEow/Yu3zL2kUw0Q/s1600/DSC_0423.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZP-29bXAhp0/Thsj3SYqZuI/AAAAAAAAEow/Yu3zL2kUw0Q/s320/DSC_0423.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sulfur steam rising from vents in the Earth</td></tr>
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We drove around the caldera, then we took a short hike on the Devastation trail. Reportedly this was formed by lava flowing through the forest. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ55KGDkGKo/ThskWrF0sUI/AAAAAAAAEp4/KxvsmMw5uOY/s1600/DSC_0495.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qZ55KGDkGKo/ThskWrF0sUI/AAAAAAAAEp4/KxvsmMw5uOY/s320/DSC_0495.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devastation trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
On our drive back, we drove past the southernmost point of the US, SURPRISE, it is called "south point." It really feels like the edge of the world, with nothing but fog and black rock looking out over the endless ocean:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_mN4k_ozvsM/ThslAu8IKWI/AAAAAAAAErk/d2QkI9u8Vy0/s1600/DSC_0566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_mN4k_ozvsM/ThslAu8IKWI/AAAAAAAAErk/d2QkI9u8Vy0/s320/DSC_0566.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Point</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-59426734938341533672011-07-13T09:00:00.001-04:002011-07-13T09:00:15.619-04:00Landing on the Big IslandDay 3: <br />
We hit the beach in Oahu in the morning to try some stand-up paddleboarding. Wow, that is harder than it looks. I fell over 3 times trying to balance on the board. But it was fun! I got the hang of it towards the end.<br />
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Then we headed to the airport for a quick flight over to the Big Island. Got an awesome view of the other Hawaiian islands. The airport in Kona, HI is now officially my favorite airport. It's all outside. The check-in counters and gates are in a series of open-air hut-type structures. As soon as we landed, we were enjoying the island air.<br />
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On our way from the airport, I noticed graffiti in the black volcanic rock. But it's not painted graffiti. It's messages that people have left with white rocks. Here's one of my favorites:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9NG4D_gGVPk/ThsiXbgwHhI/AAAAAAAAElQ/YdKeTr9aP9k/s1600/DSC_0244.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9NG4D_gGVPk/ThsiXbgwHhI/AAAAAAAAElQ/YdKeTr9aP9k/s320/DSC_0244.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BACON!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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We spent the rest of the day enjoying the lagoon, pool, and ocean around the hotel:<br />
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Return tomorrow for a recap of one of my favorite parts of our trip, a trip around the Big Island and to Volcanoes National Park.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-80723329979139921042011-07-12T09:00:00.002-04:002011-07-12T09:00:10.548-04:00Relaxing on the beach in OahuDay 1 -<br />
10 hour plus layover flight from DC to Honolulu. We arrived mid-afternoon in time to enjoy some drinks by the beach and this sunset:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Loj7tcME0rg/Thsgy-u-cWI/AAAAAAAAEiE/SVKfAAKzsVE/s320/IMG_0899-1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on Waikiki Beach</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Day 2:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jet lag hit me pretty hard. I fell asleep early and woke up at 3am, so I took these pictures of Honolulu at night and at sunrise:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-heLEPw0qUUE/Thsg15xrzMI/AAAAAAAAEiI/tV1e250Lm1M/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-heLEPw0qUUE/Thsg15xrzMI/AAAAAAAAEiI/tV1e250Lm1M/s320/DSC_0031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nighttime in Honolulu</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise in Honolulu</td></tr>
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Most of the day was spent enjoying the beach:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea canoes in Hawaii</td></tr>
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Come back tomorrow to read about our trip to the Big Island.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-24503138992301707162011-07-02T09:50:00.000-04:002011-07-02T09:50:30.094-04:00Moving alongBig changes in my life are occurring this summer. I've titled this post "moving along" instead of "moving on" since "moving along" fits what I'm feeling best: I'm progressing to the next step of life, not forgetting where I've come from, but rather I feel as though I am just further downstream in the natural course of things.<br />
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Saying goodbye to the place where my boyfriend and I first lived together. Moving together to a new but temporary place for the summer. Leaving my job of almost three years in order to attend grad school this fall. All of these things have happened in just the past week. Although we had a feeling the move from our apartment was coming, much of it was last-minute. The move from work, I've been planning and preparing for over a year now, but could hardly believe it was actually happening. I don't think it hit me until people started to come say goodbye, and I could barely say words that would do justice to how I felt.<br />
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I will keep updating to this blog through this month, and then in August I will start a new one when I move to North Carolina to start grad school.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-14454534282692792502011-04-29T14:48:00.000-04:002011-04-29T14:48:20.837-04:00An element of surprisePeople can surprise you. I've found myself wrapped up in notions of what I thought a person would be like, only to find myself pleasantly disproven.<br />
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I've been traveling a little bit recently, to make trips to visit grad school open houses and another trip for work. One of my favorite experiences while traveling is meeting unusual people or overhearing unusual conversations.<br />
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Recently, I was in North Carolina, and a colleague and I were talking to a bus driver, a real southern good ol' boy type who hated the big city. At one point, he saw a Muslim woman crossing the road, and he remarked, "She's wearing one of them things, what do you call 'em, them veils they wear on their heads? I heard those things got banned somewhere!" I began to suspect that this conversation was not going to go anywhere good or to say the least, not anywhere politically correct. But then, you know what he said?<br />
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"Well, I think that's ridiculous! They been wearing them their whole lives! They should wear whatever they want!"<br />
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This just made my day - I'd honestly been expecting this guy to say something offensive, just because I'd assumed he might be "socially conservative" (or whatever the current euphemism is), but I was completely proven wrong.<br />
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This idea of confronting assumptions and first impressions has been on my mind a fair amount lately. I've dealt with more new situations and new people lately, it seems, with traveling and some other things going on in my life. It can be difficult to be open-minded; the idea of coming to a conclusion about someone or something is seductive. What I mean is that I find myself wanting to make sense of things; deciding that something is or isn't a certain way makes it easy to file it away in my brain and focus on the next thing. But, I'm thinking there's no sense in assuming that I've got it all figured out, otherwise I'm never going to learn anything new.<br />
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I'm trying now to push myself out of my comfort zone of things and people I know, and into situations I don't know. This fall, I'm moving out of DC and starting a graduate program in North Carolina. That's the big "comfort zone" change in my life lately, but there have been other smaller ones, like joining a recreational sports team. <br />
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So, anyone else have any good stories about people that have surprised you lately? And what are your thoughts on getting out of your comfort zone and keeping an open mind?Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-88335709755660765682011-03-11T09:00:00.002-05:002011-03-11T09:00:12.059-05:00Low-carb series: The Low-Carb Cookbook Review<div>Today I'm reviewing the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Low-Carb-Cookbook-Carbohydrate-Lifestyle-Everything/dp/0786862734">Low-Carb Cookbook</a> by Fran McCullough. I'm planning to make this part of a series on low-carb cookbooks.<br />
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</div><div>I'm looking at cutting down on sugars as an interesting health and culinary challenge. I love to try new ways of cooking food or planning meals. What is living a life without carbs all about? It's not all burgers all the time. In fact, I feel that low-carb recipes make me think more about eating vegetables and using seasoning and flavor to make up for sugar and starch. <br />
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I would definitely recommend this book as a beginner's guide to low-carb eating. The author clearly walks us through low-carb food groups and how they can be prepared. For example, there's a section on vegetables that gives about 3-4 different ways to cook each vegetable. I like that the book did not rely on weird substitutes for high-carb foods, but instead capitalized on existing, familiar foods like eggs, cheese, vegetables, and seasonings to make satisfying meals. Along with the recipes, this book lists menu ideas, like the South American Menu, the Italian Menu, and the Simple Dinner menu, which saved me time in planning. <br />
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I also appreciate a good index, which this book has. I tell you, I get pretty annoyed with a book with an index that has enough cross-references to make me feel like I'm reading a Choose Your Own Adventure book.<br />
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</div><div>What I've tested: I've made a variety of beef and pork dishes, 3 different ways of cooking zucchini, a cauliflower side dish, some spicy shrimp, a greek salad, and some fun things like chimichurri sauce, spicy mayo, and corn chips. I'll post some of these up eventually. These all turned out incredibly well, with simple, successful flavors, with the exception of the corn chips. I did not have a good baking sheet, so my chips did not brown evenly and got burnt on the edges.</div><div><br />
</div><div>However: I would not recommend this book to those who are focused on 30 minute-or-less meals, or for those who like to make one dish that can be the entire meal. What I found in this book were recipes that required a fair amount of marinating, cutting, boiling, steaming, baking, and pureeing before they were ready to be eaten. <br />
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For example: I made steak with chimichurri sauce with baked zucchini for dinner one evening, and it took me two hours. Cooking is a hobby for me, but even I was frustrated with how long it took. True, I could have done a little bit more on the preparation side, but the book didn't provide any estimates of how long the meals would take to prepare, either. Many of the dishes I made had a long cooking time, taking at least 30 minutes or more to bake. I learned my lesson and ended up making many of the recipes on a weekend when I had some down time. </div><div><br />
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The beginning of the book discusses the health benefits of low-carb. However, it's geared towards dieters and ignores people who might be interested in low-carb for other reasons. So, for a book whose "target" audience is presumably calorie- or carb-conscious, the book surprised me when it didn't list calorie or carb counts for any recipes. The author throws out descriptions like "low on carbs!" but she doesn't give any numbers to back it up. If you crave the numbers, you're not going to find that in this book. </div><div><br />
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Lastly, the author's writing style grated on my nerves. "Nothing's stopping you from serving these potato skins with sour cream." Sure it is. I don't have sour cream in my house! </div><br />
<div>In conclusion, this book gets 3.75 stars out of 5 for me. Great recipes, poor delivery. </div><div><br />
</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-32440347068582140632011-03-09T23:18:00.001-05:002011-03-09T23:21:45.158-05:00geometric paintingsMy apartment is nice, but sometimes it feels a bit blank on the walls. <br />
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So for the past few weeks, I've been working on some painting projects on the weekends. They had this awesome 70% off sale at the art shop around the corner, giving me the impetus I needed to try some ideas on a few canvases. <br />
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One of my projects: I painted some pictures to go in the bedroom. Before, there was empty space above the TV that felt utterly renter-ly:<br />
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Here are the new pictures that I painted. I decided on something that would brighten up the wall in contrast to the neutral paint. The paintings give this part of the room a more lively look, and it adds a punch of pear-green color without being overwhelming. <br />
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I was inspired to do geometric designs by an amazing book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Nature-Designs-Inspired-Patterns/dp/1584794844">Knitting Nature</a>, which has clothing patterns all based on geometric patterns found in nature. I love the designs and photography (so lush and simple!) and will make something from this book one day. For instant gratification in the meantime though, painting will do. <br />
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</a></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-23958148256633622102011-02-06T09:00:00.227-05:002011-02-06T09:00:05.520-05:00Book Review: The Time Traveler's WifeToday I'm reviewing the Time Traveler's Wife. Similar to the <a href="http://lauraliciousindc.blogspot.com/2011/02/book-review-known-world.html">book I reviewed yesterday</a>, this book is told in a non-linear style and jumps from character to character.<br />
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How did I come to read this book? It was not quite as romantic as fate bringing to my hands in a burst of inspiration at a used book store. Actually, I asked for some reading recommendations back in June, and my friend Amber recommended this book as "a terrific love story that made [her] bawl [her] eyes out." Then, the movie version of this book came on, and my boyfriend wanted to watch it, but I protested that we not watch it until I could finish the book. I ordered it from <a href="http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php?n=1&r_by=laurakwagner">PaperBackSwap</a>, and I read it as fast as I could so my boyfriend would not have to wait too long for me :) Hopefully we'll be watching the film soon enough. If you want to read it, I will be posting it back up soon on my <a href="http://laurakwagner.paperbackswap.com/profile/">bookshelf</a>.<br />
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This book is about a man, Henry, who time-travels inadvertently, and his wife, Clare, who has known him her entire life, and their love story. It pays homage to the science fiction concepts of super-evolved humans with special talents, similar to books like <a href="http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/browser.php?k=Beggars+in+Spain">Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kres</a>s. At the same time, it's firmly grounded in chick-lit territory, so it only focuses on science-fiction genetics when absolutely necessary, and instead spends more of its time giving us an understanding of the character's feelings and troubled relationship. One of the things I admired about this book is that it actually had a realistic understanding of genetics; concepts like genome sequencing and gene therapy are treated unpretentiously.<br />
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I would recommend this book to people who want a Romance Plus, the kind of book that won't make you feel like you read 500 pages of pure fluff but soothes you with its mildly philosophical yet not head-splitting trip through time travel mechanics and the power of free will. I think of it as a step up from the Twilight series. <br />
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However, people who are a) sticklers for well-developed or original characters or b) looking for a storyline outside of traditional white Catholic values probably won't enjoy this book as much.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The story builds a lot of suspense from the alternating storyline, but I had a hard time sympathizing with either character. It was just the structure of the story that kept me afloat. Clare epitomizes the life of privilege as a rich, beautiful, smart girl; she's supposed to be the heroine, but she came off to me as too precious. She even has a trust fund which allows her to fritter her time away making annoying paper sculptures of birds, which are described in superbly irritating detail. Henry is slightly less annoying, because he's had to go through a lot (his mother's death, his father's alcoholism, and dealing with his time-travel "condition"). Even then, sometimes his character is brutal--a violent drug addict and womanizer in his early life. It's poorly explained, and instead it seems like he was written conveniently "bad," so that the romance with Clare is even more dramatic. </div><div><br />
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One part of the story involves the characters wanting to have a baby together but encountering many difficulties due to the Time Traveler's genetic makeup. I had a serious problem with this part of the book. The Time Traveler suggests to his wife that they adopt. Her response: adopting a baby would be "pretending." She proceeds to selfishly insist on dragging her husband through seven gory miscarriages and years of marital turmoil. I was really disgusted with the book at this point. I sincerely hope that no one who is adopted feels that their parents were "pretending." I know that some people reading this book will unfortunately look up to the title character, so I feel sad that a topic like adoption was treated so negatively.<br />
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The main characters Henry and Clare barely make it past stereotypes despite 500 pages spent developing them, and the other supporting characters don't stand a chance. There's the Alcoholic Dad, the Bi-Polar Mother, the Jerk Brother, the Mean Ex-Girlfriend, the Rich Yet Absent Lawyer Father, the Best Friend With The Crush On the Girl, the Flighty Female Friends, and the Clueless Coworkers. All of these characters are just props to the main love story. Good thing they are not all that fascinating, otherwise I would have wanted to know more about them. There's also some troublingly one-dimensional stereotypes of household servants and people of other cultures and races, who were written with an exoticism I found unsettling.<br />
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It was an entertaining read in parts, whizzing through creative time-travel trips and even having some funny one-liners, so I wouldn't discourage reading it. Just don't expect to come away enlightened or uplifted.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-65131326347006556352011-02-05T09:00:00.000-05:002011-02-04T12:34:27.858-05:00Book Review: The Known WorldToday I'm reviewing <a href="http://www.paperbackswap.com/Known-World-Edward-P-Jones/book/0060557559/">The Known World, by Edward P. Jones</a>. I find this a perfect choice for my first book review as this feature on my site is somewhat "unknown" to me.<br />
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</div><div>I found this book at the used book section of the library in my hometown. I was home on vacation when my dad suggested that I check out their recent haul of books going for 50 cents apiece. I might have put this one down except that I noticed a little gold badge on the cover that said "Winner of the Pulitzer Prize." OK, I figured, I guess it might not be all that bad. It turned out to be one of the most extraordinary books I have read in years. </div><div><br />
</div><div>In short, this book is about the moral consequences and complexities of slavery. Despite the heavy topic and frequent sense of tragedy, the story was told in a masterful, precise style that actually left me feeling uplifted. </div><div><br />
</div><div>This book is for literature carnivores who love to rip apart the meat of characters and plots. I would not recommend this book to literature vegetarians who want leafy descriptions of places, clothes, and appearances and to only digest one or two main characters at a time. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates stories full of mythology, well-developed characters, and intertwining plots. Each character had a story and motivation for his or her actions, down to minor characters that I only met for one paragraph or one sentence. Events that happened earlier in the book had consequences for later events, but in indirect ways that gave me an appreciative "Aha!" moment instead of a brick over the head. In one case, one character does something dishonest early on. It's set aside until hundreds of pages later, when his moral unreliability limits his ability to vouch for someone else who's in trouble, thus affecting the other character's fate and setting another course of events into action.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The book was told in a non-linear fashion, and what was special about this book was that there was plenty of foreshadowing and suspense, but it was executed precisely enough to give me a sense of longing, but not enough to completely ruin the surprise. The author gave enough information for me to understand what was going on until when he described it more later. For example, in the very beginning, he goes through a few pages of describing a major character before even saying his name or saying what year it is. By that time, I was hooked and I wanted to know more about who the characters were and when the events were taking place. </div><div><br />
</div><div>At times, the book is biblical and allegorical in nature, and at those times, I did feel that I was missing out on some allusion or metaphor. There were also times when I lost track of some of the characters, but a "who's who" guide in the back of the book was a handy reference. On further re-reading, I want to take more notes about each of the characters so I can remember them better. Despite this, for most parts of the book, there is something to meet the reader at her own level. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Have you read this book? What did you think? </div><div><br />
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</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-27870778302398552782011-02-04T10:55:00.000-05:002011-02-04T10:55:08.916-05:00To New BooksI am going to add something new to my blog - book reviews.<br />
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One of my book sources? I recently joined a site called <a href="http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php?n=1&r_by=laurakwagner">PaperBackSwap</a>, a site where I swap books for free with other people. Because I've been ordering some books lately that have been on my reading list for ages, I've been reading more lately and catching up on that list.<br />
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My other book source is fate. Blind luck. Every now and then, I hit up a used book sale, or book swap, or the used books section of a library or thrift store, and I take home a pile of strange books that I've never heard of before or never bothered to think about before that day. To me, these are my most cherished books, because they are book I would have never found under any other circumstances: they are not recommended to me by a friend, they are not sold with glossy covers at Borders. They are just stories that have crossed my path. And after I have read them, it is like my life depended on it.<br />
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In my book reviews, I'll tell how I found a book. It is important to me that my belongings carry a story, and books are no different. Like most book reviewers, I will also tell you a little bit about the book and offer up some praise or criticism. I hope that you will enjoy this new running feature on my blog, and that perhaps I will introduce you, too, to new books.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-83506569256748056512011-01-24T09:00:00.008-05:002011-01-24T09:00:00.677-05:00Brunch in DC: Crab BenedictBarracks Row in DC is one of my favorite places to go for brunch. Historic charm, close to Eastern Market, plenty of walking-around-sights, cozy places to go, great people watching, and so on. I recently went to one of the restaurants down there, <a href="http://dc.cavamezze.com/home">Cava</a>, and had some awesome Eggs and Crab Benedict. <br />
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I think you've probably already guessed what I did the following Sunday. Yup, I tried to replicate this on my own at home. Let me say...I surprise myself sometimes. This was awesome. <br />
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Essentials:<br />
-1 english muffin, halved, toasted<br />
-2 poached eggs<br />
-1/3 to 1/2 cup of warm hollandaise sauce<br />
-1 slice cooked bacon<br />
-1/2 small can crab meat, briefly cooked in some butter<br />
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Try a recipe here for more info (not the exact one I used but close): <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hollandaise-sauce-recipe/index.html">Hollandaise sauce with Eggs Benedict</a><br />
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I tried a couple of things I'd never tried before, poaching an egg and making hollandaise sauce.<br />
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First of all, eggs benedict is apparently supposed to be with canadian bacon. If you ask me, I think canadian bacon is dumb, because not only does it look like ham and taste nothing like bacon, it couldn't even think of an original name for itself, and it is tough and rubbery. Nobody wants to have to saw through a sandwich at 1pm in the brunch-morning. That is why I used real bacon and crab meat, the way nature intended. <br />
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Secondly, big ups to Em, who had a post awhile back on<a href="http://vegetarianmeditation.blogspot.com/2010/09/accomplishment-i-poached-egg.html"> poaching an egg</a>. Stirring is so essential. My cookbook said "make a whirlpool." On the first try, boyfriend and I went whirlpool-overboard, and my egg almost whirled out of control. The egg somehow stayed together though. On the next 3 tries, I slowed my whirl and stirred it constantly to keep it moving and non-sticking. <br />
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Finally, hollandaise sauce was fun. The recipe link glosses over this, so I will mention that my cookbook beat it in to me that the water has to simmer, not boil. The sauce is basically egg yolks, so I had to cook it really slowly so it wouldn't turn into scrambled eggs.<br />
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Now get on with your weekend. <br />
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</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-61123573319814535332011-01-23T09:00:00.002-05:002011-01-23T09:00:10.072-05:00Shrimp with Orange-Avocado Salad<a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/grilled-shrimp-with-moms-avocado-and-orange-salad">Recipe for grilled shrimp with avocado and orange salad</a>: <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTesKszLj1I/AAAAAAAAD6c/J1pXEtJgu8Y/s1600/DSC_0014-1.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTesKszLj1I/AAAAAAAAD6c/J1pXEtJgu8Y/s400/DSC_0014-1.JPG" /></a><br />
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This meal was super fast to make. Even though there were a lot of preparation steps with the oranges and shrimp, once that was all done, the cooking took less than 5 minutes. Those red things are cherry tomatoes in case it's hard to tell.<br />
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Leftover cherry tomatoes in the orange dressing make an awesome topping for mashed potatoes. Frozen potato balls from Trader Joe's, to be specific, because those are surprisingly delightful. <br />
</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-32016916269954081122011-01-22T09:00:00.002-05:002011-01-22T12:37:09.171-05:00Pasta e fagioliIf you woke up today and thought that you wanted nothing more than a bowl of soup with a big ol' stick of cinnamon in it, today is your lucky day:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTesBgLqD7I/AAAAAAAAD6U/hJgQShXQnKk/s1600/DSC_0005-1.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTesBgLqD7I/AAAAAAAAD6U/hJgQShXQnKk/s400/DSC_0005-1.JPG" /></a><br />
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</a><br />
This one's called Pasta e fagioli, or Pasta and Beans. I get the feeling this is like the Italian version of chili, because there are just that many ways to make it.<br />
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This isn't the exact recipe that I used, but I love the picture (it looks way better than how mine turned out): <a href="http://www.food52.com/blog/1599_pasta_e_fagioli?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+food52-TheAandMBlog+%28The+A%2BM+Blog%29">Pasta e fagioli on Food52</a><br />
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The essentials:<br />
-small pasta (like tiny shells)<br />
-beans<br />
-broth<br />
-bacon, ham or pancetta<br />
-vegetables (carrots, onions, celery, tomatoes)<br />
-spices (bay, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and/or cinnamon)<br />
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I found a few different recipes for this soup, and one of them called for cinnamon, so I tried it. It was weird. Not unpleasant, but weird.<br />
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There were a few action moments and a lot of simmering. I heated the vegetables, added the broth and beans, thickened the soup with blended beans, and stirred in the pasta. The cinnamon only went in for a few minutes because that's really all it took to get a big pot of cinnamon and pasta and bean soup. <br />
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This soup was also like an amazing chia pet. After I left it in the fridge for a couple of days, the pasta expanded to ginormous proportions! Abracadabra, I've got soup. <br />
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<a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><br />
</a></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-81243412126252668122011-01-21T09:00:00.012-05:002011-01-21T09:00:18.229-05:00After: My new office/guest room!As promised, here are the "after" pictures of my redecorated office/guest-room! <br />
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The new bookcase and organized desk, with the<a href="http://lauraliciousindc.blogspot.com/2011/01/desk-chair-project.html"> re-upholstered chair</a> and <a href="http://lauraliciousindc.blogspot.com/2011/01/corkboard-project.html">fabric corkboard</a>: <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTeuj83OzvI/AAAAAAAAD7s/LGAS1xuJpco/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTeuj83OzvI/AAAAAAAAD7s/LGAS1xuJpco/s400/DSC_0073.JPG" /></a><br />
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The desk now can be used for both writing and craft projects. Instead of keeping my sewing machine out all the time, I discovered that it actually fit perfectly under my desk (yeah, that was a revelation), and I organized my supplies in little black boxes. It's much easier to find and reach things now. And why yes, there is a box devoted entirely to scissors. <br />
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One of the new items I bought was a teal and silver lamp from Home Goods, and it ended up being one of my favorite things in the room. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTeuNeLzOzI/AAAAAAAAD7c/e2lxKI4i7zE/s1600/DSC_0068.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTeuNeLzOzI/AAAAAAAAD7c/e2lxKI4i7zE/s400/DSC_0068.JPG" /></a><br />
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And here's the guest bed with the new pillows (I described <a href="http://lauraliciousindc.blogspot.com/2011/01/pillows-project.html">how I made the pillows</a> in an earlier post) and new <a href="http://lauraliciousindc.blogspot.com/2011/01/framed-fabric-project.html">framed fabric art</a>. <br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTet8xq0djI/AAAAAAAAD7M/Zt-CnQbY_fE/s1600/DSC_0062-1.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTet8xq0djI/AAAAAAAAD7M/Zt-CnQbY_fE/s400/DSC_0062-1.JPG" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTeuT5-6ndI/AAAAAAAAD7k/rA2G182yisY/s1600/DSC_0069-1.JPG"></a></div><br />
Here are <a href="http://lauraliciousindc.blogspot.com/2011/01/before-officeguest-room.html">pictures of the room before I redecorated</a><span id="goog_546107810"></span><span id="goog_546107811"></span>. <br />
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I'm happy with what I've done so far. I've of course got a few more projects on my mind, at the same time. I'm thinking about making a teal or gray tufted headboard for the guest bed. What do you all think?<br />
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I'm also thinking about doing some kind of nice white with teal trim duvet cover (possibly by re-purposing one that I already own), and hanging up some more artwork to try to get away from that white-walls rental look.<br />
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I'd love to hear any other ideas or suggestions. What do you think makes an office a peaceful place to work?Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-46220451025648258232011-01-20T09:00:00.003-05:002011-01-20T09:00:11.658-05:00Bookshelf organization projectThe most recent project with my office/guest room was organizing everything and getting a bookshelf. <br />
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I picked up an Ikea Expedit bookcase from Craigslist, along with some coordinating boxes from Ikea. While putting random stuff into boxes may not sound like much, it did take some advance planning to figure out how to most usefully divide everything, where it should go, and what kind/size of boxes I would need. <br />
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TTetN5tZm9I/AAAAAAAAD68/_ts3cW76AQA/s400/DSC_0057-1.JPG" /><br />
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After spending more time than I am willing to say looking for the right clock, I found the teal clock, which perfectly matched the accent color I was looking for, on the Crate&Barrel website. Even better, it was on sale and arrived at my house in no time.<br />
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The vase was the finishing touch (only $2 at the local Goodwill). I filled it with some seashells I gathered on my vacation to Florida last year. Sure, I could have easily bought some random trinket decoration vase thingy instead, but that seemed artificial and impersonal to me. <br />
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I like the sleek black look for now. Eventually, I plan to layer it a bit more, whether it's with some art on the wall over the bookshelf, putting some pretty paper on the boxes, or adding a paint trim to the bookcase (possibly teal or dark gray). What do you guys think? <br />
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Here's what it looked like before. See all that stuff in the corner and on the bed? Most of that is now stored neatly in my new bookcase or in my desk.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpT7N_h9uI/AAAAAAAAD5E/M80S696nIZg/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpT7N_h9uI/AAAAAAAAD5E/M80S696nIZg/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="clear: both;"></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-37351897863003905432011-01-16T09:00:00.005-05:002011-01-17T15:17:43.155-05:00Pillows projectToday's project is on making new pillowcases for my office/guest room. How about I just call it the offuest room? No? <br />
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If you've been following my redecorations, you'll know that my last three projects have turned me into the Sheriff of the Staple Gun. Pillowcases, however, as I will reassure anyone who will stay the night in my home, do not involve any staples.<br />
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Before: These are the pillowcases I'd made a few years ago for my old apartment:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStj4-Nx7nI/AAAAAAAAD5o/35nVGfrnybQ/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStj4-Nx7nI/AAAAAAAAD5o/35nVGfrnybQ/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><br />
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After: These are the new pillowcases in black, white, and gray fabric.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStkf19agvI/AAAAAAAAD5s/KJbi_2vh7oc/s1600/DSC_0075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStkf19agvI/AAAAAAAAD5s/KJbi_2vh7oc/s320/DSC_0075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Another thing I did, which actually isn't pictured, is to make the pillows on the end two-sided. That is, I used the ring dot fabric on one side, and the reeds fabric on the other. That way, I can flip the pillows so I have two of one pattern, or one of each pattern, facing out for some variety. <br />
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Materials:<br />
-Fabric to fit pillows, plus a few extra inches to line up the pattern and for seam allowances<br />
-Sewing machine, needle, thread, etc.<br />
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This is one of the most basic sewing projects I can think of (Can you draw a square? Yes? You can make a pillow.). I cut out the squares, lined them up right sides together, and sewed them up on three sides. Then I flipped them right side out, stuffed the pillow in, and stitched them shut. Someday I may put in zippers, but I didn't find it necessary at the moment. <br />
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I was left with one red squishy "moshi" pillow. I think it may have resembled something round back in college, but in the present day, it was literally an amorphous blob. This too, I measured, and I made a cylindrical roll pillow to fit. Here are some pictures during the "in progress" phase:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStniq_Gv2I/AAAAAAAAD5w/Ih2locgVQUQ/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStniq_Gv2I/AAAAAAAAD5w/Ih2locgVQUQ/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStnnPZ2WfI/AAAAAAAAD54/FdOUNR2363Q/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStnnPZ2WfI/AAAAAAAAD54/FdOUNR2363Q/s320/DSC_0025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Making this pillow was the opposite of the square pillows; while the square ones I could have made in my sleep, the roll pillow fought against me with every inch of its shapeless being. It's a rectangle sewn into a cylinder (easy) with circles on the ends (surprisingly tricky). I must have resewn and repositioned the circles on the ends at least 3-4 times. I was just glad I kept it simple and didn't use any fancy trim or different fabrics this time. Then I flipped it inside out and poured in the filling, which is made of impossibly tiny white balls, from the other pillow. I'm expecting I will still find tiny styrofoam balls stuck to my belongings 5 years from now.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-77852072484744356392011-01-15T09:00:00.000-05:002011-01-15T09:00:03.036-05:00Desk chair projectThe next small project I did while redecorating my office/guest room was to reupholster a chair.<br />
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In the "before" phase of this project, I had a standard desk chair on wheels, but it didn't fit neatly under my desk. As the goal was to make things organized and sleek, it had to go, so I sold it on craigslist.<br />
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I needed a chair without arms, and while I did look around on craigslist for a nice parsons chair or something of that nature, I discovered that the best option was right under my nose. Right under my dining table, in fact.<br />
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My desk chair came into my life a couple of years ago as free chairs that someone else was throwing out. I painted and reupholstered them with fabric to match my living/dining room, which I discussed a couple years ago in <a href="http://lauraliciousindc.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-loft-in-sprung.html">this post</a>.<br />
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Here's what they looked like as my dinette chairs:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStdo16M69I/AAAAAAAAD5g/A8ZSBNaw3KU/s1600/diningchairs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TStdo16M69I/AAAAAAAAD5g/A8ZSBNaw3KU/s320/diningchairs.JPG" width="310" /></a></div><br />
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They looked OK, but I admit they were on the old-fashioned side. You can't see the fabric too well, but it was this velvet with a cut-out swirl which I really liked, but the color was boring. I had plans to get rid of the chairs, but I realized that I could keep one for my office. Total cost: $0 instead of $$ to buy a new chair.<br />
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After:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSteCRX7iGI/AAAAAAAAD5k/V0ec411zGSw/s1600/DSC_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSteCRX7iGI/AAAAAAAAD5k/V0ec411zGSw/s320/DSC_0069.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><br />
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Doesn't it look much better with the black and white fabric? I wasn't sure if I would like it, but the black fabric definitely makes the ironwork "pop." Just having one chair with the fancy pattern is much less overwhelming than three of them. <br />
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Materials:<br />
-Fabric<br />
-Staples and staple gun<br />
-Screws and screwdriver<br />
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It was simple: I removed the seat from the chair, lined up the fabric, and stapled it on. The trickiest part is to pleat the fabric around the rounded edges so it sits smoothly on the corners. Then I screwed the newly covered seat back into the chair. <br />
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Because of all the time I have been spending with my staple gun lately, I thought I should come up with some kind of title for myself. The first thing that came to mind was "Queen of the Staple Gun" but that sounded too staid, and "Princess Staple Gun" too precious. Then I thought perhaps "President of the Staple Gun," but no one elected me to that position and the staples were not adequately represented in this matter. So I have come up with "Sheriff of the Staple Gun," a title to connote the rugged nature of stapling, as I brandish my (staple) gun to round up those lawless fugitive staples.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-65671646605852731642011-01-14T09:00:00.000-05:002011-01-14T09:00:17.945-05:00Framed fabric projectHere's another simple project I did as part of re-decorating my office/guest room. These are pieces of fabric stretched over wood frames. You might recognize them from before when I had some different fabric hung up. I changed the fabric to fit my new color scheme.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpdfVw-1OI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/9JHZlXFfOi8/s1600/DSC_0063.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpdfVw-1OI/AAAAAAAAD5Y/9JHZlXFfOi8/s320/DSC_0063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Materials:<br />
-Fabric hanging kit from IKEA for about $5 each<br />
-Fabric<br />
-Staples and staple gun<br />
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The hardest part of this project? Picking out the fabric. I looked at so many different types of fabrics before I found some that were the appropriate scale for a wall hanging. It's easy to find great fabric--not so easy to find great fabric that is a large-scale print. The prints I saw were either too small to make good wall art or very expensive upholstery fabrics. I finally found some upholstery fabric that was about $11 a yard from an online store called Contemporary Cloth. <br />
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Once I had the fabric, all I had to do was rip off the old fabric, line up the new fabric, and staple it on. The IKEA kit came with nails (a thoughtful idea for those who don't have a staple gun), but it is much easier to staple. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Later on, I'll post some pictures of how they looked in the room overall. </div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-82027868107090916462011-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:002011-01-13T09:00:06.048-05:00Corkboard projectLet's start with some of the simple projects. I recovered a plain corkboard to fit my black and white color scheme for the office/guest-room: <br />
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<b>Before: </b>Your standard-issue corkboard:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpbqBmFeGI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/vnWS0ijSzrw/s1600/beforecorkboard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpbqBmFeGI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/vnWS0ijSzrw/s320/beforecorkboard.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b>After: </b>Fancy new fabric corkboard:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpbxg6RReI/AAAAAAAAD5U/3u4qnrGOiHY/s1600/DSC_0061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpbxg6RReI/AAAAAAAAD5U/3u4qnrGOiHY/s320/DSC_0061.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Materials:<br />
-Fabric to fit the board<br />
-Staples<br />
-Staple gun<br />
-Picture hanging kit (or adhesive foam tape)<br />
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It takes a few minutes to make sure it's lined up on all sides. After that, it's just some stapling. To hang it up later, I used a picture hanging kit, although I could have also used some adhesives. The great part is, I can always take the fabric off if I get tired of the look later, or replace it with a different fabric later down the road.Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-73207013894688461152011-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:002011-01-12T09:00:05.261-05:00Before: Office/guest room<div style="text-align: left;">I've recently been working on revamping my office/guest room area. It was the least decorated area of my apartment and definitely needed some sprucing up. <br />
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<b>The challenge:</b> I use the room for not just writing and blogging, but also working on sewing and knitting projects. We also keep our office supplies and keyboard up here. And of course, since it's a guest room, we have a futon up here too. It's a lot of stuff for one tiny space! <br />
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<b>Before: </b>Graveyard of random furniture and craft supplies. I wasn't using the room much because it wasn't as comfy or organized as our living room. <br />
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<b> After: </b><strike>Fortress</strike> Loft of solitude. After putting some thought and work into redecorating and organizing, I now find it calming, and I actually enjoy spending a lot of time up there. It's been a great place to work on school applications and other projects.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's a work in progress, so I'll share some mini-projects in my next few posts and then finally the "after" photos. Without further ado, here are some "before" shots: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<b>Before:</b> Every inch of wall was taken up with furniture: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpTHMZP1uI/AAAAAAAAD40/2_WslXnJU9I/s1600/100_1217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpTHMZP1uI/AAAAAAAAD40/2_WslXnJU9I/s320/100_1217.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<b>Before:</b> The desk got a little crazy:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpTI3y7-6I/AAAAAAAAD44/DpnewkU2XH8/s1600/100_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpTI3y7-6I/AAAAAAAAD44/DpnewkU2XH8/s320/100_1327.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Before/in progress:</b> Even before I got to work on the various small projects that went into organizing and redecorating, I had to reorganize the furniture. I moved the futon and decided to keep it primarily as a bed. The decorations are from my old apartment and weren't part of the new redecorating. Other items, such as the wooden desk, I eventually got rid of, and others, like the white cube shelves, I moved to another place in the apartment. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpT2eDpoYI/AAAAAAAAD48/gV7Ty5OH030/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpT2eDpoYI/AAAAAAAAD48/gV7Ty5OH030/s320/DSC_0014.JPG" width="214" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<b>Before: </b>This is while I was in the progress of taking everything out of storage boxes and off the desk so I could later organize it all:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpT4phBbMI/AAAAAAAAD5A/zQ9zqd_34iI/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpT4phBbMI/AAAAAAAAD5A/zQ9zqd_34iI/s320/DSC_0018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Before</b>: This is once I had sorted everything into different bags and boxes so I knew where it was for later: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpT7N_h9uI/AAAAAAAAD5E/M80S696nIZg/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpT7N_h9uI/AAAAAAAAD5E/M80S696nIZg/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
Before I jump into the projects in my next few posts, I'll also share some restrictions on what I could/was willing to do. We rent our place, so we of course can only do so much.<br />
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1) No major construction (obviously) - so no replacing carpet for fancy hardwood, etc.<br />
2) No shelving or anything screwed into the wall. Other than hanging pictures, our landlord prefers that we not mount anything in the wall.<br />
3) Lastly, I decided not to paint any walls, because we may not be here that much longer. I don't want to spend money on anything that I can't take with me or can't enjoy for a long time.<br />
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With that being said, now I'll move on to some things I did want to do. As I'm into crafts projects and re-purposing things I already have, I definitely wanted to make the most of what I already owned. Instead of buying brand new accessories and art, I decided, when possible, to use fabric and paint to make my existing stuff fit into my new decorating scheme.<br />
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Since my futon and desk were black, I decided on a neutral black, gray, and white color scheme, with teal/blues as an accent color. Here are the fabrics I picked out: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpa4UtNNPI/AAAAAAAAD5I/_0oEX754Lc8/s1600/fabric2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpa4UtNNPI/AAAAAAAAD5I/_0oEX754Lc8/s200/fabric2.JPG" width="195" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpa4jHMsmI/AAAAAAAAD5M/SF_GPU40o38/s1600/fabrics.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TSpa4jHMsmI/AAAAAAAAD5M/SF_GPU40o38/s320/fabrics.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9130102235580408915.post-33508290203002390512011-01-11T09:00:00.004-05:002011-01-11T09:00:11.489-05:00Earl Grey Oven-Fried ChickenAnyone else love Earl Grey tea? Those fragrant leaves have got me hooked.<br />
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I don't have to just drink it-- you can make chicken with tea, and here's <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/oven-fried-chicken-breasts">one recipe </a>that does just that. Instead of sweet tea, I just used Earl Grey. <br />
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This is the last post from the "lost posts" archives of recipe photos I'd taken. But if you like this stuff, don't worry. I've got some wintery dishes from recently that I'll be posting soon. <br />
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<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TL-lDngAI1I/AAAAAAAADxg/mgUtWgC0RM8/s1600/DSC_0274.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qKqPfmjNe4k/TL-lDngAI1I/AAAAAAAADxg/mgUtWgC0RM8/s400/DSC_0274.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17009675047856814030noreply@blogger.com0