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Fragmentary Blue

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:34:00 +0000

Last Friday night, Matt and I got together with a few dear friends and my mom to visit Lisa Congdon's latest opening, Fragmentary Blue at my very favorite hometown art gallery Artstream Studios . I had so much fun viewing Lisa's beautiful art, and chatting with people, that I did not take out my camera once! Luckily, Susan from Artstream Studios is allowing me to borrow some of her photos from the event so that I can share the fun with you!

I was so excited that Mark was able to come out to the art show with us. I consider him to be one of my very best friends, and we had not seen each other in nearly a year!

Here is a picture of Jess, me with my ridiculously long hippie hair and Betsy Thompson. Betsy is a totally awesome sweetheart, in addition to being an incredibly talented artist. It was great to catch up with her and chat for a bit.

I love this photo of Matt, me, Alan and Jess. Could we be more straight out of the museum scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off? I think not. This picture just cracked me right up!

If I had $900, I would buy this beautiful painting...

Bottom line, Lisa rules, and it was awesome to see her and her work again. If you would like to purchase anything from the show, all of the work is being sold online here.

P.S. It took me about three days to write this post...I miss my blog.

(((All pictures were used by permission of Artstream Studios)))

Spring has sprung

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:24:00 +0000

I've been watching these leaves pop open just outside my bedroom window. I wish I had taken pictures day by day as the little leaf buds appeared and opened. It's been fun to see the branches start to fill out leaf by leaf! Spring has definitely sprung, and yesterday's weather brought record breaking heat to Boston. It was 90 degrees! Unbelievable for this time of year.

I'm still feeling a little quiet here on the blogging front. I've been obsessing over a new hobby that's been keeping me away from the computer. I'm learning to play the guitar! I have tried to pick it up before, but it's never held my interest for this long. I've been playing for a few hours every day for a solid week. Such fun!

The next few days are going to be busy busy...tonight I am going to see Coppelia! YAY!

Coppelia Rehearsal Footage from Genevieve Klim on Vimeo.

And tomorrow, I have an extra Neo rehearsal in the morning, and in the evening I am going to Lisa Congdon's new opening Fragmentary Blue. Saturday I will teach as usual and Sunday I have rehearsal in the morning and a choreography showing in the afternoon. Whew!

I hope all of you are enjoying breathing the fresh spring air and soaking up the sun as much as I am!

She&Him

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:10:00 +0000

I mentioned in my last post that while jaunting around Portsmouth during my BEST WEEKEND EVER, I visited Bullmoose Records. I went in for the very specific purpose of picking up the new She&Him album, the musical duo made up of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward.

When I got home that evening, I settled into the couch with a copy of BUST magazine at hand, the new She&Him playing in the background when into the apartment bounds the hubby!

Him: Hey baby
She: Hi hon!
Him: Guess what! I bought you a preeeeeeesent!
She: Oh yeah? (Inner monologue: Crap! He rarely buys me random presents...it is absolutely going to be the She&Him album)
Him: (Sneaking in with something behind his back) THE NEW SHE&HIM ON VINYL!!!
She: *laughing-laughing-laughing*
Him: Is this what we are listening to right now?
She: Yes!...but on CD!
Him: Crap!

This is a perfect example of what Matt and I refer to as the "freaky E.T. connection."

This is miraculous, because a) I mentioned this record in passing only once and b) he bought it for me on the same day at the same record store! My poor hub...he tried to surprise me! What a sweetie!

Incidentally, this album...both in the CD and vinyl format...is tres fabu!

Best Weekend EVER!

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Last weekend I got to take a lovely respite and spend some quality time with my sister. I did not have my camera with me, so I highly suggest that you check out Renee's post about our girly day.

We started out at my favorite sushi place, Sake. Man I had forgotten how much I love their spicy scallop make. It's out of control delicious! After eating, we stopped off quickly at Bullmoose Records (which I will tell you a story about tomorrow), then we headed to Re-Enhabit, a fabulously curated store filled with vintage and handmade housewares and clothing. They were having a 50% off moving sale, and I walked away with this adorable polka-dotted dress:

and a large, black snowflake Pyrex casserole dish. Ren had to talk me into that one, since I was trying to watch my pennies, but I eventually crumbled. Seriously, who could say no to a black snowflake Pyrex dish?

The next stop was the Portsmouth Fabric Company where I exercised some serious restraint. The fabric collections that they have are amazing! The new Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner and Heather Bailey lines were the most tempting. Renny got some super cute fabric and then we were on our way.

By that time, it was coffee time at Breaking New Grounds, a hang-out spot from my youth, also known as B-N-G, or if you are feeling fancy the Buh-NEEEG. We ordered two white chocolate mochas to pull us out of our sushi induced coma.

Our last stop in Portsmouth was the new to me Old Stove Bake Shoppe. These cupcakes were tasty tasty! The icing was out of control good. Definitely worth the splurge in my opinion!

We then hopped into Renee's car and went across the bridge to the Fair Tide Thrift Store in Kittery, Maine. I always come away with something from Fair Tide, and this time was no different. I bought (yet another) piece of Pyrex, a vintage silk scarf (surprise surprise) and a skirt...that cannot be pulled over my big bum or giant boobs, so therefore will be living a second life as a tube dress.

I just couldn't pass up that fabric, so I had to get inventive. It looks super cute with a wide belt :)

When we got back to Renee's for the evening we played an epic round of Rock Band. Renee got a 100% singing Don't Stop Believin' by Journey which pretty much sums up the awesomeness of my sister in a nutshell.

Like I said...best weekend ever!

Bob Dylan and Ketchup

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:19:00 +0000

Buckets of rain
Buckets of tears
Got all them buckets coming out of my ears
Buckets of moonbeams
You got all the love honey baby I can stand

I have had this Dylan song stuck in my head all week. I love Neko Case's cover of it, have a listen, it's pretty! The song is completely appropos, since it has been pouring buckets of rain here in Massachusetts all week long. I'm seriously considering building an ark and gathering things in two.

I apologize for being a bit MIA. I've been extremely busy with work and Neo and have fallen into a little bit of a slumpy slump. Not just with blogging either, my house management skills have been eluding me as well. This is the kind of slump where I will attempt to make a grocery list, and instead I end up staring at recipes and the blank piece of paper in front of me for over an hour, becoming increasingly more boggled by the second about what to eat/buy. Does this happen to other people too? Or is this a brand of insanity entirely unique to me?!?

Sigh. Here I am! Trying my best to catch up. (Har-har...that's where the ketchup in the post title comes in. I am beyond clever. And clearly mental.)

I do have one tid bit of good news to share, since some of you have asked. YES, my dance company got the opening act slot! If you are a reader within driving distance, I will be putting up performance information soon over on the Neoblog.

Aside from that life has been pretty much work work work, dance dance dance, sleep sleep sleep around these parts. This past weekend I was able to escape and have THE MOST AWESOME GIRLY WEEKEND OF ALL TIME with my seeeester, but I will save that for tomorrow's blog post...Which will be more enthralling...and maybe have pictures. Maybe.

Neo Indoor Picnic

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:31:00 +0000

Well, my goodness, it is just pouring BUCKETS in Boston! Pouring, pouring, pouring rain ever since yesterday. That did not keep me from having a full and busy day though!

This morning the Neo ladies and I visited the artistic directors of another local dance company to audition to be the opening act for their upcoming performance. This company is larger than ours, and their shows are well attended, since they have an established audience here in Boston. My dancers performed their piece well, and now we must wait! We will probably know by the middle of the week whether or not we will be in the performance. Keep your fingers crossed - it would be a great opportunity for my company!

Since we had to meet at a dance studio in the city at noon, this put a wrench in our normal rehearsal schedule. I offered the girls a stop-over lunch at my house on the way to rehearsal in the North Shore. It was such fun!

I absolutely love entertaining, and nothing makes me happier than seeing my dining room table filled with dancers! We had a tasty lunch of Carrot-Ginger Soup, recipe here. This is one of my new favorite go-to recipes. I recommend doubling the batch, otherwise it will be gone in an instant!

I hope that you are staying warm, toasty and DRY wherever you are!

Five Senses Friday

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:13:00 +0000

:: tasting ::

orange scones

:: hearing ::

here's looking at you kid by The Gaslight Anthem

Add to a playlist More from this artist

:: seeing ::

so much sunshine for the month of March

:: smelling ::

lemon essential oil, that i sprinkle on my dust rags to make the rooms in my apartment smell nice

:: touching ::

the beautiful yarn and prezzies sent to me by my buddy cyndle (((more on this later!)))

:::

Well, to sum it up politely, this week sucked! (Aside from all of the mail love lavished upon me by my awesome blog friends of course). Today was the cherry on top of a very big suck cake. It started out with a painful stomach flu, moved on to Matt getting a $150 parking ticket ON OUR STREET, and finished today with me realizing that I bounced our rent check. I have never ever done this before, and what made the whole thing worse was that it was entirely my fault. I made a stupid mathematical error when I was transferring money into my checking account to cover things and came up short. The worst thing is, is that we had the money to cover rent, but because of my dumb, dumb, DUMB mistake we've been slammed with fees and now we're in the hole. This is all happening smack in the middle of one of those stellar weeks where I am not sure where our next meal going to come from. I cried my fool eyes out this morning.

During a brighter moment earlier this week, I sat down and wrote my husband a little love note. Part of it said something to the effect of The bills might stack up and the fridge might be bare, but as long as I have you, I am rich. Ahem, FYI, universe, that wasn't some call for a cosmic test of my love, and sanity. You can step off a bit...Jerk.

I bet Matt feels rich when I snot all over the shoulder of his favorite sweatshirt.

SIGH.

I am rich. I am rich. I am rich.

Tomorrow will be a new day.

Random Kindness from Strangers

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:14:00 +0000

One of the things that I have always found amazing about the blogosphere, is the random utter kindness of total strangers. A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a sweet woman named Wendy. She had been following my blog since the first round of the Vintage Swap. She said incredibly complimentary things about my ramblings here on G+N, and said that she had found "a few things" she thought I might like while shopping for the round two of the Vintage Swap (which I am sadly not participating in). Could she have my address to send me a package, or is that creepy and weird?

Let me think about this for 2.5 seconds...umm it's never creepy and weird if you want to send me vintage stuff! Oh boy, I just got a ~~funny~~ horrible image of me getting kidnapped by a man in a creepy van waving, not candy, but vintage sheets. I have serious issues.

I waited for days, thinking a padded envelope with my name on it would show up at any moment. Wendy was, in fact, just sending "a few things." What really happened is that I opened my screen door one day and a giant package fell out of my door frame, walloped me in the shins, and came crashing onto my cement porch. That's when I noticed FRAGILE written all over it. Thanks United States Post Office! I reached to pick it up, but my hands were full of other stuff, and I dropped it again!!! Doh! At this point I'm thinking to myself, "Great. Now I have to e-mail Wendy and thank her kindly for the giant box full of broken Pyrex. I am an idiot."

I finally got the huge box upstairs and opened it up. Not a single thing inside was broken, and each little gift made me squeel, gasp or otherwise!

s&p shakers (in their original packaging), a tiny Fire King luster ware dish and a maple syrup carafe

an amazing vintage apron with lobsters on it, what any good New England girl needs for summer time!

a piece of patchwork that is destined to become a pillow for my bedroom

a beautiful table runner embroidered with butterflies

A SILK SCARF! now i have 32, YESSS!

a janis joplin-esque hat, which sits ridiculously high on my head, but i intend to wear it anyways.

a tea towel

a crocheted pillowcase

an amazingly sweet tray!

Also included was a note from Wendy written on a BINGO card (*love*) and an issue of Workbasket Home Arts magazine from May, 1969. The hilarious advertisements in that gem are worthy of its own blog post!

Thank you so, so, much Wendy! Your package was such a thrill to receive!

P.S. You really should start blogging. Maybe you can post about where you find all of this amazing stuff!

CRDF Recap

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 01:05:00 +0000

Thank you for the well wishes for my dance company's performances. Everything went swimmingly!

If you want to read a detailed recap of my dancing weekend, you can do so over at the NEOBLOG.

Unfortunately, I think my busy weekend ran me down a bit, I've been suffering with a bit of a stomach bug since last night. I'm off to get some rest for the evening, hopefully I will be back to my good-lookin' cookin' crafty self soon!

xo!

Dancey-Dance-Dancey Time

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:35:00 +0000

Hello Everybody!

Sorry I've been a bit MIA in this space. My dance company, Neoteric Dance Collaborative, is performing this weekend at the Charles River Dance Festival and preparations have been afoot...HAR, HAR! If you live within driving distance of Watertown, Massachusetts you should come check out the show! Two viewings at 3:00pm and 8:00pm.

In other exciting Neo news, after many, many, MANY years I have finally updated the website. There are still a few links to fill in, but my eyeballs feel like they are bleeding from staring at my computer screen for the past two days, so I'm calling it good for now! Please check it out, and let me know your thoughts.

Tomorrow is going to be a full-on dance day, because in addition to my company's two performances, I have a new session of my dance class for children with Down's syndrome tomorrow. WAHOOOOO! I'll meet you back here when I emerge from Saturday night's sleeping coma!

Holiday Handmade Crusade :: March Theme!

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:01:00 +0000

Follow this link to find out more about the Holiday Handmade Crusade...

Your theme for March is: Celebrate your heritage! aka I couldn't think of witty song lyrics to describe this month's theme...

Why should Irish people be the only ones to have all the fun in March? Find a way to celebrate your families' heritage by incorporating it into a craft. How about about a cookbook dedicated to ethnic recipes, or trying your hand at a traditional craft? Celebrate the the history that makes you or your gift recipient, unique!

Leave a comment on this post with a link to a blog entry showing your finished item by March 31, 2010 11:59 PM EST for the chance to win a fabulous prize!

Happy crafting,

Your Craftastic Christmas Crusader

P.S. Je suis canadienne!

What's for dinner?

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:35:00 +0000

Swiss Chard/Carrots
Brown Rice
Balsamic-Glazed Pork Chops

NOM.

P.S. I tried a new to me beer tonight, Harpoon Munich Dark. I give it two thumbs up! Very tasty!

Dear Tif aka Dottie Angel, I have a confession

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:23:00 +0000

First of all, before we get to my thriftiest of thrifty addictions, I must say that my heart leapt with joy at the opportunity to win your most lovely 'ordinary extraordinaries' vignette. I must have been so dumbfounded by the prospect of receiving such a beautiful prize that my brain melted out my ears a bit, and I truly had it in my addled mind that your little contest ended on Sunday.

Imagine my sadness to read that you had chosen a winner yesterday, (Oh drats!) when I had been scheming for my 'dottie-angel-esque' confessional post ALL. WEEK. LONG!

No matter. (((Sniffle))) I'll bite my lip to stop it from trembling, be brave and forge on! For you've inspired me to look within and confess my deepest, darkest thrifting obsession...

Anyone who has been reading my blog for some time would know that I hold in high-esteem what I like to call the HOLY TRIUMVIRATE OF ACCESSORIES. I am very rarely seen in public without at least one, if not all three elements in my ensemble. They are:

Over-sized sunglasses

Big earrings

and the root of my closet disorganization/my addiction...
SCARVES
My name is Sarah, and I am a scarf-a-holic.

There, I said it!

I do not discriminate against wearing scarves in warmer weather though...I'll wear knit, jersey, new vintage, handmade, silk! My particular poison is with the combination of vintage+silk.

It started out innocently enough. .50 cents here, .99 cents there. Vintage silk scarves were to be found everywhere, pretty and cheap...calling to me "TAKE ME HOME!" from their prison cells, mixed into caged bins with single gloves, patchwork leather purses from the 80's and loose belt buckles.

I take moments like these as my cue to gently take a corner, slide the scarf out from it's entrapment, rub it softly against my cheek and say "Don't worry pretty one. You kind of smell like an over abundance of grandma perfume now, but I will take you home, give you a bath, then take you out on the town!"

This is a scenario that has played out in thrift stores all over New England.

I knew my addiction had reached a new level when I saw this lovely on Ebay.

"$9.99!" my angelic conscience gasped, "I could never! I usually pay no more than a dollar for a silk scarf!"
"But look at the pretty colors!" my inner thrifty-devil retorted.
"Plus shipping it would be almost $15!!!"
"But it's Vera."
"..."
"Orange and teal, vintage, beautiful, silky Vera."
"..."
"I'd bet you pay much more than that for a new couture scarf at a department store!"
"Sold."

So, I bid. And I won. Of course I did, what other lunatics would be out there spending $15 on a 23" square of material!

The precious was mine!!! Mine!!!

How many scarves do I have you ask? Just as you, dear Tif, counted your stools for your confession post, I counted my silk scarves as well.

31

31 silk scarves live in my closet, as well as countless knit and jersey scarves and a healthy collection of bandannas and kerchiefs.

I have even started to rub off on my fur-babies.

I have gone too far.

Love, Sarah

this is why i don't get things done...

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:40:00 +0000

first, she settles...

then she does this cute little nose whistling thing

LOOK AT THAT PUNAM!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

then she lets out a huge sigh. how can i resist?

sigh. fur baby loooooove.

No Knead Bread

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:50:00 +0000

A few days ago, I was catching up on my blog reading, when I came across a no-knead bread recipe on one of my new favorite blogs to visit, Hannah's blog, Honey and Jam. In the past I had seen many variations of this recipe circulating around the blogosphere...but I was too scared to try any of them. Even after working in a professional bakery, and learning quite a bit about the subject, bread-baking at home elusively remained on my to-do "someday" list.

Not any more my friends.

I HAVE MADE BREAD!

(Shouted a la Tom Hanks screaming "I have made fire!" in Castaway)

Not only have a made bread, but it's edible. More than edible, it's delicious! Just as Hannah's brother said, it tastes just like Panera bread.

NOTES: I halved the recipe, to save opening a new package of yeast, and honestly I probably did not have enough yeast. My two loaves were more like mini-boules. I raised the temperature from 450F to 475F, because my oven runs notoriously under temperature. However, since my loaves were so small, I ended up baking them for only 20 minutes, instead of the recommended 30-40. I would love to experiment with making larger loaves...I'm also wondering if these would bake up properly in a loaf pan. Hmm.

I have a feeling that I'm going to be tinkering with bread recipes for a long time to come!

Five Senses Friday

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:04:00 +0000

seeing: bright fabrics, vintage things and letters...a veritable alphabet soup of possibility

smelling: a secret first-time baking project...its success remains to be seen.

hearing: a preview of the new Old Edison album.

tasting: too many of those ridiculous brownies that I made earlier this week!

feeling: my cheek pressed up against my hubby's shoulder as we dance around the dining room. feeling content.

Okay Nigella

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:32:00 +0000

I'm picking up what you're putting down.

Tonight I made my first ever batch of brownies from scratch. I used a recipe from Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess, and boy do I feel like one! These little fat-bombs are so rich and delicious!

If you knew the quantity of butter and eggs in this, you would fall over.

Hell, I might fall over, I think my arteries are seizing.

I couldn't think of a happier way to go!

Style File :: HOME :: Sleeping Spaces

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:54:00 +0000

1. Happy New Year!, 2. rinnepeek6, 3. Pink December, 4. Stitch Mag projects, 5. Love, 6. bed & bedside, 7. September Bed, 8. the new happy bed, 9. J Rogers Quilt, 10. Selina Lake, 11. Castle, 12. bed500-13, 13. luce, 14. bedroom, 15. Eeeee! , 16. Living as an interior stylist, detail bedroom, 17. ZzZZZZZZZZZzZzZ, 18. hello saturday..., 19. 11_Bed2, 20. 12_bedroom2, 21. sm_ta_house_16, 22. DSCN4853, 23. BEDROOM, 24. 3581898540_59b1c7f2e4_b, 25. 3580254310_a8a7ec4283_o, 26. Untitled, 27. Bedroom detail 5, 28. A Room With A View, 29. Molly's Sketchbook: Sunny Tied Quilt, 30. Quilted, 31. Untitled, 32. New bed sheets, 33. gocco good times, 34. cheerful, 35. installation, 36. warmer clothes

(((You can view the blank spots in the mosaic by following the corresponding link. I encourage you do to do so - there is some amazing purple wallpaper to be seen in those blank squares!)))

1. 7am, 2. wyatt's new bed, 3. applique detail, 4. morning light, 5. the september bed, 6. pillow, 7. happy bedding, 8. Piper makes the bed, 9. Ninja on the Bed, 10. New pillow shams, 11. My bedroom, 12. you are my sunshine, 13. bluebirds, 14. adding winter layers, 15. Two pillows, 16. AT Week 6 Bedroom, 17. bed, 18. ., 19. ., 20. :), 21. ., 22. the prettiest cabin, 23. Ecclectic Bed, 24. peace to you

All culled from my Flickr favorites.

Trends that I see:

Color, color and more color! Particularly blues, yellows, reds, orange and pinks. A mix of cool and warm.
Colorful Vintage Sheets
Quilts
Crocheted throws and pillows
Embroidery
Mid-century lamps AGAIN
Clusters of framed artwork and photos AGAIN
More funky pillows (obviously I have a thing for pillows) AGAIN
Decorative garlands, and/or clothes-line style hanging of artwork and photos
Layers upon layers of texture and pattern

Style File :: HOME :: Living Spaces

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:27:00 +0000

Living spaces...

1. Mid Century Living Room, 2. living room , 3. Via Rearranged Design, 4. Annie Schlechter, 5. ♥ Matching shoes and gloves, 6. chillin' for a minute, 7. tufted, 8. today I made a pillow..., 9. Sewing Room TV Cover, 10. living - thrifted brasilia dresser, 11. And the doilies ate my sofa.., 12. They Are In Love, 13. sofa, 14. hallway shelving, 15. Untitled, 16. www.flickr.com/photos/71112133@N00/3842435175/, 17. busy with miss ethel..., 18. The yellow cabinet, 19. alyn5, 20. office, 21. granny love... full view, 22. granny love..., 23. IMG_5569, 24. IMG_5508, 25. IMG_5506, 26. IMG_5459, 27. sofa, 28. 5_hall2, 29. 4_living6, 30. 2_living5, 31. 3_living3, 32. DSCN4801, 33. DSC05159 copy, 34. DSC05151, 35. SOFA CROP, 36. Untitled

1. Untitled, 2. IMG_5462.JPG, 3. New chair!, 4. The North wall, 5. living room, 6. moving things around, 7. Playroom Tree 2008, 8. dressed up dresser, 9. Hexagon blanket in progress, 10. rainy, maybe... pillow, 11. My Living Room, 12. Vintage sofa by Martin Visser, 13. Books displayed, 14. lpony.pauls corner, 15. lpony.entryway, 16. Display, 17. Wall wire, 18. White desk, 19. wall of love, 20. inventory, 21. new pillows i made, 22. studio shelf, 23. Color coordinated bookcase, 24. Living room corner, 25. ., 26. where i'll be..., 27. tv cozy, 28. Heaven, 29. Living room, 30. green & gray (painted dresser)

All culled from my Flickr favorites.

Trends that I see:

Avocado green
Gold
A nice dark grey couch
Funky pillows, pillows and more pillows
Mid-century lamps and furniture
Velvet or textured furnishings
Clusters of framed artwork and photos
Grand book/vinyl storage
Pops of turquoise, pink and orange

Le Freak Granny Chic!

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:09:00 +0000

The past few days I have been driving myself insane looking for a craft project to do that didn't involve buying new supplies. I picked out a knitting pattern, only to discover I didn't have the right needles. I went to finish a skirt that I have in progress to realize (like an idiot) that I bought hem tape instead of bias tape.

I had a serious case of itchy fingers with NOTHING to make.

Then I looked at my couch...and saw many sad, sad pillows. Suddenly, I had my A-HA moment!

Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake on meeeeeeeee!
(((Take on me!)))
Take me oooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnn!

Whoa, sorry. Wrong kind of "A-HA" moment. I digress...

I whipped up a new pillow cover with a vintage doily and some material from my stash. It was such a simple, satisfying sewing project.

The bottom pillow illustrates the heinous cover before (inherited from an old roommate...NOT my choice of colors!)

Much more me, don't you think?

I am happy!

What did you do this weekend?

Five Senses Friday

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 03:14:00 +0000

smelling:

ivory soap on my hands

hearing:

This fab Motown mix on Playlist

tasting:

lots of chilled water with lemon slices. the little bit of flavor goes a long way to help my effort to drink more water, less soda.

seeing:

a sparkly clean apartment!

feeling:

happy about sharing dinners with Mr. G+N at the table, and not the television.

That's all. What are your five senses sensin' this week?

And I'm spent!

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 01:20:00 +0000

Last night I decided it would be a good idea to start baking cookies at 9:00PM.

I improvised some rosemary sea salted shortbreads. Not too shabby. Next time I would take more care to chop the rosemary so that it doesn't look like I've wedged a giant pot leaf in the cookie! Presentation-smation...I was in a hurry alright!?

Today I completely ran out of steam. There will be no 9:00PM cookie baking sessions today, I assure you. Instead, I'm cozied up in my yellow chair, dreaming of spring-time gardening. I think that a tower of herbs is in my near future:

And I convinced my husband to build something like this for me:

Fun, no? We have to come up with a few extra dollars to buy the materials, so we'll see if it actually happens. I'm feeling optimistic.

My mom is coming over on Saturday and we're planning on pouring over seed catalogues together. I haven't quite solidified my wishlist. I'll let you know what we come up with!

Phew...I'm way to sleepy to be witty today! Tell me, dear readers, are you planning your gardens yet? What is on your wishlist? Veggies? Flowers? Tell me all about it.

Wintery Spring Cleaning

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:22:00 +0000

I've got the spring cleaning FEVER lately, but the great outdoors seems to be disagreeing with my internal clock.

Hey neighbor, want to clean off my car too?!

Sigh, if only!

Storm brewin' outdoors...comfort cookin' indoors!

sarah@geekxnerd.com (Geek+Nerd) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:02:00 +0000

Whew! Heavy wet snow is coming down with a vengeance here today! My commute home took an hour and fifteen minutes instead of the usual thirty-five. I was one happy cookie when I got to my apartment!

I thought I would share a few of my latest kitchen endeavors with you. Last night for dinner I made root-veggie chocolate chili with honey cornbread on the side.

The chili recipe is from the February/March 2010 issue of BUST Magazine. They started a new cooking column a few months ago called Nickeled and Dimed touting the virtues of cheap and tasty meals. By their calculations, this chili recipe serves six people at $1.87 a serving AND it's vegetarian. I dig it.

The verdict from Mr. G+N?

It got the dreaded "It's okay."

What about the cornbread (which has a zillion fivestar ratings on All Recipes and melts in your mouth!)?

"It's a little...umm, bland."

Cue frowning Sarah. Someone needs to clue my husband in that sometimes honesty is not the best policy!!! I thought it was scrumptious. Oh well, I guess it's chili for lunch for me!

Tonight's dinner fared much better with the Mr.

Those ain't no Hot Pockets!

SIDEBAR: Are you all familiar with Jim Gaffigan's riff on Hot Pockets?

These are spinach feta pocket pies from Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungry, one of my new favorite cookbooks. This was a surprise hit with Matt, since he claims to not like feta. It only called for 1/4 cup of feta to fill ten pocket pies...so I prayed that he didn't notice, and he didn't! These little babies were time consuming, but delicious!

The great thing is that I have leftovers for another day!