more affordable letterpress

Just read this great post on how to make letterpress more affordable - the tips are geared toward letterpress for wedding invitations, but it's great information nonetheless.

image via studio on fire

before and after: seriously smart interior design

Here's a quick post that I had to share because it's pretty brilliant. When you have a small space to deal with and you want to make it look bigger and create drama - this is a great idea.

Please note in the before photo, the small window on the left and how tiny the room feels. In the after photo, see how the room appears larger due to hanging the curtains high, and having them span the length of the wall! This gives the illusion that the window is actually larger. And that huge pendant light and black ceiling doesn't hurt either. The after is bright, light and lovely. And so smart! This is one idea to bookmark for later. Enjoy!

found via design*sponge

wonder foodie: thrown together

You know, that last post was so ... brown! Time to spice it up a bit with some pumpkin soup. I had an Australian Blue (gray, really) pumpkin from my mom and sister's trek to the pumpkin patch that really needed to be cooked - can you believe it lasted so long? I didn't want to waste it, so I roasted it late last week for 8 hours at 200F a la this recipe. It was so easy to take the seeds out and scoop all the pumpkin out - but what to do with it now? I didn't want to make a pie, so soup it was! A hybrid of this recipe and this one, with a lot of spices and improvisation.

Here it is with sour cream, cilantro, and homemade croutons. Forgive the laptop camera photo. A mid-week soup for a rainy day, and inspiration to throw more recipes together.

spuds not duds

Lately I've been into brainstorming food-themed parties -- cake decorating parties, dumpling parties, noodle parties and etc. So since it had been so cold, I wanted to have a baked potato party. Nothing's better than tons of warm and delicious carbs to keep you toasty on a chilly night, right? So what did I do? I kid you not, I googled "perfect baked potato" and came up with this recipe.

A few nights later, we had a lovely Christmas with our families, and I made homemade corn nuts with my sister. I took some home, and began to plan for an upcoming Spuds night. I set out to have lots of toppings - cheddar and pepperjack cheeses, green onions, olives, homemade chili, sour cream, and butter. No time to make the broccoli, but I will save it for next time. The potatoes were delicious, with crispy perfect skins and silky and snowy on the inside - not dry and chalky like some potatoes can be. And the prep was so easy! Serve it with a salad, and you're set. Here are a few photos, courtesy of my lovely guests. Next party? How about a won ton party? Can't wait.

merry christmas and to all a good night

Merry Christmas, everyone!

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'" Luke 2:10-12

holiday card drafting

Due to a love of paper and letterpress, the Egg Press sale in December prompted me to purchase lots of cards for holiday giving. But since I'd like to see more than 10 designs, my best buddy and I have devised a lovely way to choose from the Egg Press collection. We order 20 cards (two sets of 10) and sit down to a meal (lunch, dinner, something scrumptious) and set out all the cards - then we take turns choosing our favorites! The meal for this card draft consisted of rich and creamy scalloped potatoes, roasted pork tenderloin, and salad with homemade croutons. This was followed by freshly baked cookies, brownies, and hot chocolate. Don't mind our cheesiness - I could not stop laughing during the "twisty arms toast."

Note the sweet "Joy to All" card -- it was by far my favorite. Each of the 20 cards we received from the sample sale was different.

Here's to the the now hopefully ANNUAL card draft! Happy Holidays!

four births

In honor of my friends having their little girl today, here's a cute trailer for a documentary that follows the first year of life of four babies in different parts of the world. Watch 'til the end, it's super sweet.