New Cards

Just finished up my halloween cards!
Here is a preview.















These should be on etsy by tomorrow.

I feel like my Mom Mom

very kitchen savvy.

I made pita bread today,
and it was ridiculously easy!!















This is definitely a culinary milestone for me.
(please keep in mind that I could not cook
2 years ago) So things slowly have been
coming together in the kitchen.

this is the recipe I used.
No modifications were necessary.
Just add hummus.

• 1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup lukewarm water

Preparation:

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water.
Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine flour and salt in large bowl.

Make a small depression in the middle of flour
and pour yeast water in depression.

Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with
wooden spoon or rubber spatula until elastic.

PLace dough on floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes.
When the dough is no longer stick and is smooth and elastic,
it has been successfully kneaded.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl.
Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated.

Allow to sit in a warm place for about 2 hours,
or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces.
Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven.
Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles.
Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.















Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up.
Turn over and bake for 2 minutes.

Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet
and add additional pitas for baking.

work in progress.

Currently working on holiday cards.
these are the beginnings.































I am determined to have these cards completed
by the craft show in Chelsea on Oct 17.

Adventures in Queens

I was reluctant to move to Queens last year,
but the bf has shown me that Queens is a diamond
in the rough. In the last year I have been to
many new restaurants, karaoke, a speakeasy,
Spa Castle, 2 beer gardens, a Mets game @ Shea,
and Long Beach (ok ok it's actually
on Long Island-but it's so close!)
our latest adventure was the US Open.




















It was awesome! I have never been a big tennis person,
but it was fun to watch! It definitely took a good 20min
for the bf to explain the scoring to me
(15-30-40?! what is that!?)
































But I did catch on and we enjoyed our day
hopping from match to match, getting some sun
and eating cheesesteaks and chicken fingers.

Definitely want to make this a yearly thing.

It's August 27th.

This date isn't special, I am just merely
shocked that it is actually the end of August.
The older I get, the quicker that summer
(and time in general) fly by.

I've been a busy bunny this last month,
and will continue to be busy through
September! oy.

I've have been doing pretty fun things though,
I had the 2 weddings and then went indoor bouldering
for the first time, in celebration of our friend Pete's bday.




















I was pretty proud of myself for
making it to the top multiple times.

The bf and I actually made it out to Long Beach
for a magical day by the sea. We brought back some
sweet shells, and my face got a few more freckles.

This past weekend I participated in the Crafts for Cause
benefiting the Citizens for No-Kill Philadelphia
It went quite well, though there was no air conditioning
in the building. My wonderful sister Em agreed to sit
and sweat with me for 6 hours. She deserves an award for that.

I do have pictures of this but not on my camera,
so they will be posted at a later date.

I have some new things that I plan to be working on
*thank you cards, narwhals, and the rock of love squid.
and I gotta get my butt in gear with christmas cards.

Yes Christmas cards...sigh. so not ready for that yet.

The Summer of Weddings part 2.

This past weekend our friends Mike and Rissa
got married at her Dad's estate in CT.
It was one of the most beautiful properties
and weddings that I have ever seen.




















































































It was like something out of a wedding show
on the Oxygen network.
We had such a great time eating,
drinking, and dancing the night away.































For dinner there was a 4 course meal with
wine pairings. The food and the wine was
outstanding. Especially the Chablis and the
Champagne. So delicious!











































I don't have a photo of the dessert but they had a
biscuit with a berry compote and whipped cream
and some kind of delicious sweet honey cake.

They were also giving out affogatos and espressos
AND gelato on a cone. mmm

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat..

It's Shark Week!




















I have been a fan of this for years!
Most people are, except for Carly,
because she isn't fond of sharks.
But I can understand, as I would
not be very excited if the discovery channel
started running Spider Week. ew.

Anyway, they have this sweet site up for
the event. And if you love sea creatures as much
as I do, you will totally nerd out on the site.













Check it out here

Short and Sweet

The bf's sister Chelsie informed us of this site-
which is pretty sweet.

Groupon.com has daily deals at a low price.
They just need a certain amount of people
to sign up for the deal to go through.

Right now it's a deal for some art gallery thing-
but they had deals on food/sports/dance classes
kinda the something-for-everyone vibe.

And they have different deals for different cities.
I'm actually really hoping that the dance class deal
comes back. (classes get expensive-it is only now that
I truly appreciate my dad paying for my 16 years of dancing)
Thanks dad : ]

The Funk

I've been in one of my blog funks again
but I am going to try to bring myself out of it.

There has been a lot going on recently.
We had a weekend wedding in the Catskills
and Monday was my 26th birthday.

Both were quite nice, and tons of fun.
The wedding was at a beautiful resort
in the mountains. Though not being a
true friend of nature I was definitely ready
to head home on sunday. The bf however
could have stayed forever.























































































Definitely danced my butt off on Saturday night.
It was awesome.


The birthday was good too. Can't believe that I am 26.
I don't feel old or anything like that- but last time I checked
I was 23. Times flies when you are having fun I suppose,
which must be true because these last few years have been
fantastic.

Gah, it's time for me to go on a dress hunt. We have another
wedding on August 8th. and mama needs a new dress.

Come on-a my house

I feel like Rosemary Clooney should
have been serenading my in my kitchen this week.

Besides my love of cooking, my financial state
has kept me in the kitchen and out of restaurants..

So we've been cookin' a lot.
Sunday was a Strawberry/Orange/Fennel salad
















with a spicy sausage risotto with asparagus and squash.















It is hard to photograph risotto, it looks like
a lump of random stuff, but believe me...it
is delightful. And super easy, I just took the same
recipe that I used for the ramp risotto awhile back
and just substituted ingredients!

Also last week I made Raspberry Muffins.
Which were awesome as well, light fluffy
and very berry-ful..
You can find the recipe here, it says strawberry muffins
but the market didn't have strawberries that day-so they
magically became raspberry. And I suppose you could
really add anything that you so desire.
Next time I'm thinking chocolate peanut butter
and banana mmmmm.
















Last nights dinner was my first try at my mom's
beef stroganoff-which is one of my favorite things
that she makes. It came out pretty well for my first try,
but I did overcook the beef a little...as I often tend to do
(eek) But it was still delicious, definitely one for the recipe box.

I have so much more to write but I am
falling asleep at the keyboard.
I took an amazing ballet class this morning
and am completely exhausted.


So, this calls for a power nap and part 2 of blogging.

Photos and Such

The 4th of July has come and gone,
this means that we are mid summer.
(which blows my mind every year)

This past 4th was quite enjoyable,
we spent it on a rooftop on E 5th St.





























We had an amazing view of the city
and of the fireworks later.
The day was spent eating, drinking
and dancing. To my suprise and
enjoyment "rhythm is a dancer"
came on whilst we watched fireworks..















definitely haven't heard that song since
I danced to it when I was 11.
It was an awesome throwback.


ahh i can still hear my teacher saying
"touch. touch. pas de bourree" oh nostalgia.

ah anyway, on Sunday I participated in the Williamsburg Flea Market.
















I shared a table with Christina (lady seen above)
I sold cards she was there to give advice.

This was loads of fun, but pretty lame on the sales end of things.
But it was also a holiday weekend, so I think that a lot if people
were still out of town.
I'll probably give it another chance in a few weeks.

Another highlight of yesterday was dinner
@ Egg. One of my favorite restaurants!
I got a huge bowl of grits and a fried chicken sammy.
yum!

Shark Alert.

***To my dear friend Carly Valentine:
You may want to skip this blog entry.


With recently having my mind blown
by the goblin shark, I decided to
re-visit an old friend.

The Great White;Carcharodon Carcharius.

I have been a fan since the first time I watched Jaws.
Excessively large sea creatures always peak my interest,
and this shark does not disappoint.

The great white can grow as large as 20 feet-
20 FEET PEOPLE!!! That is huge, and
he eats meat. So this is a 20 foot creature
that could potentially eat you.
amazing.

There was an article that came out recently
that compared great whites to serial killers.
As if people aren't scared enough, this comes
out and scares them even more.
Because now he is not just a killer,
but a premeditated murderer.

(This is a cool article, just worded in the wrong way.
Lets not put the words "shark" and "serial killer" in the same phrase..)

The article doesn't really say anything new,
though it did point out that the motives of
serial killers and sharks was different.
good thing they pointed that out...
because I was beginning to wonder....
-sarcasm-

I've started rambling. ugh
it happens often.
anyway, my point in all this,
is that people need to be raising awareness
about how awesome and possibly endangered
this shark is. and not how it will stalk you like
Ted Bundy.

The great white is also the next subject for a card,
I drew this up yesterday. It's definitely one of my favorites.




















Also, here are some videos/pages that are excellent for
Great White info.

greatwhite.org



Anatomy of a Great White Attack

Coolness

I was up late the other nice,
entranced by a show on the science channel
that was about the lesser known goblin shark.

You can check out a video of him here

I actually remember seeing the goblin shark
for the first time in a small shark book that I used to have.
I always thought he was cool, but I didn't even realize that his jaws
retracted like that. ahhh deep sea awesomeness!!

I am going to refrain from posting photos,
as my very dear friend Carly does not really like them.

So please, if you are a shark lover. click on the links
and watch this dude in awe.

merci beaucoup!

My first try at Artists and Fleas McCarren Park
was a total success!!

to everyone that came out (and purchased cards
or brought me a bagel sandwich)
I am extending a very big thank you!















It was nice to be in Williamsburg, and
luckily today was sunny as could be.
I really could not have asked for a better day.















I want to write more but I am just so exhausted.
More tomorrow..promise.

strawberry shortcake cookies

After weeks of not cooking all that much
I am getting back into the habit.
Last night I made chicken fajitas
and this morning I baked up a lovely
batch of Strawberry Shortcake cookies.

I found the recipe whilst looking through
the past issue of Living. It was on the very
last page, and I could not believe that I had
missed it before!!

Well here it is, they came out semi scone like
which is still pretty awesome.

• 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour,baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

The only changes that I made to this was using half whole wheat flour,
and using cane sugar instead of white.
The bf approved and I like them too.
We'll see what the co-workers think!

This one is a keeper.

ooh it's been awhile.

It's only been 8 days since I last posted,
but it feels longer.
Maybe because I've been a busy bunny.

I spent last weekend in NJ,
seeing family, attending a wedding
reception, and hanging out with friends.

As always, it was an excellent time.

Now I'm back to city living again, and was
completely thrilled to go to the green market
yesterday and find, strawberries, cherries, raspberries,
sugar snap peas, and squash.
All of my favorites are finally coming back!















Now all I need is some decent weather.
This rain really isn't doing much for
any kind of motivation.
le sigh.

I only have about a week left before I sell at
Artist and Fleas in MacCarren!
I need to get a move on.

New in the Shop!

3 new listings!
check 'em out!


We have the yeti crab




















otters















and a set of 3 cards
of your choice for $9

@ LittleBunny

Lovely Day!

Today was the perfect reminder
of why I love being a New Yorker.

I had brunch with Rebecca and Anna,
and then we headed over to the Renegade craft fair!















For those who don't know, Renegade is like
the holy grail of craft fairs.
Awesome artists and crafty folks come
from all over to sell their stuff,
and it is all awesome.

So much good stuff it's hard to decide
what to buy!

Here are my treasures:
These prints are from
Berkley Illustrations.

The bf and I have long been obsessed with these-
I restrained myself from buying half of
their stock and just stuck to these two.




















































and this, this glorious print
is my greatest purchase ever.
Freddie will definitely be framed.
This was made by PrismPop.
















I also managed to find a cheetahbunny necklace!
cheetahbunny is a nickname, and twitter name
haha. I tried to photograph it, but the light
in my living room was just not right
for jewelry photography.

Another awesome thing was meeting a blog buddy!
I had the pleasure of meeting Elise and her husband Justin
from Argyle Whale. I'm a big fan of her stuff, and a regular
reader of her blog so it was really nice to meet in person!


After the craft fair, my guy friends and I went over to
the waterfront park















to say Bon Voyage to our friend/co-worker, Patrick.
It was so nice to be on the waterfront
hanging out in the sun. Then we had dinner at
Roebling Tea Room, which was delicious as always.

It was a wonderful day.

A Yeti Fail

I finally printed the yeti crab today,
and sadly the screen didn't shoot properly.















His right claw and the words are spotty,
so I will have to reprint once my supplies
makes it here from Japan.
















rawr. oh well.
Besides the prints, I have also been
working on notebooks to put my
images on, and they are turning out ok.
All turn out to be different sizes in attempt to
align the side, so I have that glitch to work through
but I am generally happy with how the first few turned out.






























If I can get some to be a consistent size I'll sell them
at the artist and fleas market on the 27th.
But we shall see about that.