Category Archives: Uncategorized

December 9, 2011 · 12:30 pm

Winter Projects: Gingerbread Shop

I had never made a gingerbread house before, so this was a pretty scary project, but I love how it turned out! I modeled it after a Brooklyn store front and used some of my old theater model making skills to put it together. This shape is particularly easy because it’s just a big decorative box, so you could make it any size you want. Continue reading →

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Tagged as Brooklyn, candy, Christmas, DIY, fun, gingerbread, gingerbread shop, Holidays, New York City, project, silly, unique, unusual

December 7, 2011 · 12:02 pm

Winter Projects: Homemade Cheese

Marinated homemade cheese is actually really easy to make and it’s SO festive for holiday parties. Your guests will be incredibly impressed when you whip out the jars and say nonchalantly, “Oops…I totally forgot to put out our homemade cheese…”

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Tagged as cheese in olive oil, DIY cheese, homemade cheese, homemade yogurt cheese, marinated cheese

December 2, 2011 · 12:44 pm

Fierce and Nerdy: Santa’s Coming!

Check out my article about Santa on Fierce and Nerdy today and get into the holiday spirit!

Amazing Santa Print from Yee-Haw Industrial Press

Booze Makeover

When my good pal, Arthur, sent me this project, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it for my own bar! Like him, I also hate looking at ugly food labels on things exposed in my kitchen (which is why I’ve transferred all of my flour and grains into matching glass containers). Aesthetics aside, his bar-bottle-makeover-project is brilliant for another reason too. No one will ever have to know how cheap your alcohol is! Here are his instructions, with my own side bars (hee hee) in red.

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Tagged as Armour Etch, Arthur Chadwick, bar, booze, bottles, DIY, etch, gifts, glass etching, home, how to, liquor, modern, projects, vinyl letters

November 12, 2011 · 11:29 am

Delia’s “Famous” Cinnamon Nut Bread

I’ve been calling it “famous” for years, but no one has called me out on it until recently….NO, it’s not really famous beyond my family and a few friends, but it should be! So here it is, the recipe for my “famous” cinnamon nut bread. Make some this weekend and you’ll understand why it’s the greatest thing since, well, you know.

Delia's "Famous" Cinnamon Nut Bread is best with pumpkin butter and a cup of espresso!

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Adventures In Pickling

I’ve been one lucky gal since my husband decided to take an online pickling course. He’s tried carrots, green beans, cucumbers, brussel sprouts and okra in a couple different brines with all different spices. We’ve tasted and scrutinized, and loved every minute of it! Check out my favorite recipe so far after the jump.

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Tagged as canning, dill, foodie, gifts, gourmet, mason jars, party food, pickled brussel sprouts, pickling, pioneer, vinegar, weekend project, winter foods

October 24, 2011 · 10:27 am

Beef Jerky: A Gruesomely Delicious Project

I knew something was wrong when my brother sent me a terrifying photo of hanging, dripping meat strips in his oven and my mouth watered. Homemade beef jerky completely appeals to my love of the pioneer spirit, practical DIY projects, and a desire to get into the holiday spirit! Click here to see how we our own heaping pile the tasty, peppery snack and Happy Halloween!!

Our Picnic Wedding

Here they are…the official photos of our big day! To read more about our DIY wedding year, click here. We are selling some of our wedding components on Ruffled and links to buy that stuff and all of our vendors are listed at the end of the post. We hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed the day!

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Tagged as bridal, bride, bunting, casual, colorful, DIY, favors, flowers, groom, handmade, ideas, martha stalwart, photos, picnic, picnic lunch, pom poms, recycled wedding, retro, Salt Point, Salvato Mill, upstate NY, vendors, vintage, wedding

October 13, 2011 · 12:00 pm

DIY Wedding: The Week Before (And Lessons Learned)

The "prep crew" enjoying my dad's AMAZING dinner!

As far as weddings go, I’m pretty sure ours was as do-it-yourself as you can get. I’ve had a few weeks now to think about how it all turned out, so before I post the official photos, I thought I’d share with you how we pulled it off (and some lessons learned). Maybe our experience will help you decide to (or not to) take on your own wedding! Continue reading →

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Tagged as advice, bridal, cooking, decorating, DIY Wedding, how to, party, party planning, picnic, wedding

October 7, 2011 · 5:58 pm

Our Brilliant Wedding Photographer

I am very lucky to call Channing Johnson, our amazing Boston-based wedding photographer, a friend for 15 years. I think we all knew he’d do something special with his life (he was that cool, aloof guy that had a car and a license before the rest of us), and he has certainly lived up to that. Because he was trained as a photojournalist, his wedding photography feels raw, real and unplanned. Somehow, even the staged portraits seem like they were captured without us knowing. In fact, Jeff and I couldn’t even remember seeing him anywhere until 7pm, when he asked if it was cool to put the camera down to join the party. Somehow, he had blended effortlessly into the action, all the while snapping the most beautiful photos we have ever seen. Thank you Johnson.