This is what Summer tastes like:
Odds and ends
I’m feeling all crafty these days. But rather disorganized about it. I tend to amass things with vague projects in mind but never really go anywhere with them. I love paper ephemera and stamping. I bought cardboard microscope slide holders because I knew I could make something interesting with them. I just haven’t figured out what yet. Or what to do with the 1/2 lb. of German glass glitter I bought off of eBay. I even buy fonts.
I just bought a tag maker for a project that will be revealed in a bit. I figured it would be good for this particular project but also for making gift tags. Ahh ~ so many half formed ideas.
Inspiration
Here is my first attempt at an inspiration collage.
The linens on the left are from Pom Pom Maison – I’ve always loved white embroidery on a flax background. Very Trish Foley. I would love to say that is my bed but unfortunately it isn’t. Yet. I did email the good folks at Pom Pom Maison to inquire on the price of the duvet cover but they never repsonded. They were just featured in the Home Companion magazine so I imagine they are really busy right now.
(Edited to add: I did hear back from Pom Pom Maison ~ I must have emailed their partner at Pom Interiors instead. At any rate, beautiful things are to be had from both Pom Pom Maison and Pom Interiors and they are very gracious to boot. They will be selling the textile line online at http://www.madaspenhome.com/ mid-September. You can go online an enter to win a His/Hers towel set and be notified when they are open for business. I still say that duvet cover will be mine….)
The place setting in the top right is from Pom Interiors. Wouldn’t you love to sit down to a table like that? Especially with a present with a big, fat bow on it.
The rose are from my garden. I was trying to capture how the light was coming through the vase from the window.
The mirrored vanity is from JP Penney of all places. I didn’t get the stool because I thought it was too much. I’m still looking for the perfect chair to go with it.
And, finally, the pillow is from the Shabby Chic line at Target. I love finding interesting decorating elements without having to spend a ton of money.
Hard cooked eggs
I can never remember exactly how to make a hard cooked egg – I’m always having to look it up on the internet. Do you put the eggs in cold water and bring to a boil or do you bring the water to a boil first? Do you cover and take off the burner or do you just turn off the burner and let the pan cool down with the element?
So here we go – for posterity’s sake – how to hard cook an egg (author’s note: You never BOIL an egg, hence we use the term hard cook):
It’s best to either use eggs that are a few days old or if you are using freshly bought eggs to allow them to come to room temperature before cooking. This helps in the peeling of the eggs.
Place eggs in a pan, careful not to crowd them. Cover with cold water (about an inch over the eggs). Bring water to a rolling boil and remove from the burner immediately. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
There you have it. Perfectly cooked eggs.
Coveted
Ingredients
Aren’t these beautiful:
Candied violets from Market Hall Foods. I am going to make bite sized brownies and top them with the violets. They are so delicate and have an interesting flavor – not quite so perfumey as the old violet gum.