Just a little of what's been happening around here...
Baking. I had terrible back pain all weekend, so when it let up a tiny bit on Sunday I decided to celebrate by making some cookies. Looking for a great chocolate chip cookie recipe? I use the Toll House recipe, but always add extra flour until the dough cleans the side of the bowl while you're mixing it. I like cookies to be crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside and find the best way to get that is to pull them out just before they're done and let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack.
Re-styling a few spots around the house. I've been working on a book mock up and needed some more photos so I found some things I hadn't photographed yet and went to work. I'm really enjoying seeing my interior photography skills improve. It's fun learning what works best.
Taking the New Year's decorations down. I was a bit sad to see it go, but the tissue was driving me a bit crazy whenever I walked past it. I realized I never mentioned my inspiration for this little entryway display- check out this beautiful wedding inspiration shoot that Michelle Edgemont styled and made all the decorations for. So many wonderful details.
Crafting. I always start new notebooks at the beginning of the year. This year I thought I'd take some classic black Moleskine notebooks and fancy 'em up. I love how they turned out and it was super simple to do. Want to make some of your own? All you need are the notebooks, this metallic tape, some scissors and an Exacto knife. Plan out your design (I lightly sketched mine on the notebook with a pencil), then apply the tape. For the triangles, just overlap the strips of tape, then use the Exacto knife and a straight edge to trim the overlap. Gently remove the cut pieces. If you plan carefully you can wrap the tape over the spine of the notebook and start a different pattern on the back. Such an easy project and the metallic tape is far more durable than gold leafing or paint.
Posing. For that book I mentioned I figured I should have an updated 'about' photo. I had the mister take a few quick shots out in our yard. These are the outtakes- it was super windy that day and my new haircut was looking a little crazy, plus I can never do serious faces, silly faces are just more 'me'.
Planning outfits for Alt Summit. If you've ever been to Alt, or heard about it (apologies to anyone who follows me on Twitter- there have been a lot of #altsummit tagged tweets), you know that fashion is a big deal there. I'm definitely not as put together as many of the bloggers there, but I try to bring my 'A game'. My goal this year is to include several vintage pieces in every outfit, and though that isn't always easy when you're full figured, I definitely have some fun things and I'm super excited to be somewhere cold enough to justify a warm hat and mittens!
Gussying up my business cards. Speaking of Alt, another talked about aspect are the amazing business cards that are swapped. Last year I debuted the new G&H cards, which I still love, but I figured I'd do something a little bit fancier this year. I'll share the final product a little later, but here's a little peek. If you'll be at Alt, I'd love to meet you and swap cards with you!
So that's what I've been up to- how about you?