…found on Little Emma English Home

Beautifully and professionally staged Italian home. I love this.

…from Two Peas and Their Pod

Lemon sugar cookies. These look so delightfully light and perfect for spring.

…from Young House Love

Although this post is about a new rug, I love how this living room is styled. The framed pantone-style paint colours are so simple and beautiful.

…via CRAFT

My new DIY resource.

..via Swiss Miss

I read this aloud to Luke, as if it were my manifesto. He laughed. Partially at the writing and mostly at me.

…via CRAFT

Speaking of pantone, I want to make these.

…from This is Happiness

"Waxing Frida". Quite the change.

…from Red Flag Deals

Live in the greater Vancouver area? Eat at the Boathouse? How about $10 off...

…via CRAFT

No joke, this is made from plastic bottles and duct tape.

…via say Yes! to Hoboken

I love this! Yay for colours!

…via CRAFT

An awesome way to make those ugly plastic chair mats more attractive.

…for sale at Poketo

Headphones and hairband in one!

…from Web Urbanist

Gorgeous results when a tilt-shift effect is applied to Van Gogh's artwork.

…via Design*Sponge

I love this DIY tutorial for a funky chandelier.

…from Elephantine

…via Yanko Design

Hilarious concept chair for clingy lovers. Because sometimes laps get tired.

…via CRAFT

I love this Moroccan wall stencil... Labour-intensive, but a gorgeous result.

…another one found on Yanko Design

This is brilliant. Birthday or Christmas gift, please?

…pictured on Face Hunter

If anyone knows where I can find this necklace or this charm, please tell me! I adore it!

…from Style Scrapbook

This is by far the most stylish camera bag I've seen. Good for single camera, single lens sessions.

…news from Born Rich

This dog is adorable, but I bet you can't guess how much it is. (Hint: it's the most expensive dog ever.)

This was a perfect 15 minute meal. Next time I’d add some fresh spinach, but that’s my only critique.

Topped with a little bit of feta and served with some toasted sundried tomato artisan bread. And a glass of wine. M'mm.

My Adapation of Simple Italian Beans
(who adapted it from Bella Vita in Liguria)

1/2 of a red onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried rosemary (it’s all I had)
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. concentrated tomato paste
1 – 14oz can of white kidney beans (or lima beans)
1 Tbsp red wine
1 Tbsp balasmic vinegar

1. First, finely chop the onion, garlic and rosemary together. Add the salt and keep mincing until the mixture is almost paste-like.

2. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat and add the onion mixture. Cook gently for 2-4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.

3. Add the tomato paste and the beans and stir well; you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water. Simmer for a few minutes until the beans are hot through and well coated with the sauce. Serve as a side or a main.

…i love bill watterson (found on Go Comics)

This is for Luke, my brilliant, math-loving husband.

…from Once Wed (found on CRAFT)

As wedding season approaches, more blogs are featuring decor, design and general styling. I love this water colour, ombre effect. Very spring!

…from Spoon Sisters (found on Making it Lovely)

If I were a teacher, this is how I would grade things.

…designed by the wickedly creative minds at Flash Trash (found on Not Couture)

Modified brass knuckles two weeks in a row? Um, yeah. But they're diamonds! (Unfortunately, they're also sold out.)

But you can still get this one.

Or this one.

…from Mortimer Snodgrass (found on Swiss Miss)

I don't use a lot of pencils that aren't mechanical, but this may make me change my mind...

…knitted by Jane Ward (found on CRAFT)

I love gnomes. I don't know why. I just wish that the name of this hat was "Rollin' with my Gnomies".

That’s it! Not too shabby of a week: found a new park in which to walk the Griffin, tried out a couple new recipes (posts to follow soon), worked a bunch, and new business cards! Yay!

Annnnnnnd we’re back!

from The Broken Plate Pendant Company (as found on CRAFT)

Hilarious and beautiful fine china knuckles.

recreated by Leah Peterson (found on CRAFT)

These weren't my favourite accessory, but I did love Natalie Portman's dress.

an amazing design by Kuhl Design Build (found on ohdeedoh)

This bedroom is incredible and so full of whimsy. I love it!

from Chronicle Books (found on The Kitchn)

Have an iphone? Love cheese? There's an app for that.

compiled by Design*Sponge

I watched this movie on the train between Paris and Bordeaux. I absolutely adore the style from the leather chair to the striped boatneck.

written by Alice Bradley & Eden M. Kennedy (found on Not Martha)

One of the funniest book titles I've seen in a while. I know what I'm giving as a gift at the next baby shower.

for sale on Hammacher Schlemmer (found on Geekologie)

Although useful in the Pacific Northwest, Luke would be too embarassed to walk Griffin with this.

for sale on MoMa (found on How About Orange)

Coasties! Too cute!

from Design*Sponge

One day, I will have a studio with stenciled floors. So awesome.

found on Little Chief Honeybee (origin unknown)

Simple, but delightful CMYK nails. But what colour for the thumb?

If my job allowed, I would paint my nails like the green and pink flowers.

from The Wild and Wily Ways of a Brunette

I can’t dance but am always in awe of those who can.

Tuna & Sweet Potato Cakes
(adapted from this recipe)

1. Cook the sweet potato in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 7-8 minutes or until tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Use a potato masher or fork to mash the sweet potato until coarsely mashed. Add all ingredients, except the oil, and stir until well combined. Divide the tuna mixture into 8 equal portions. Use wet hands to shape portions into patties.
3. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden brown. Remove from heat.
4. Serve on top of a roll or a salad.

With a little bit of balsamic glaze drizzle on top, perfect.

This week:

via The Kitchn

Love Cadbury eggs, but hate that pricey dollar price tag? Make them at home!

via Curbly via The Daily Art Cocktail

My dream tree house. Heck, I'd have this in my house!

via SwissMiss via many sources listed on Swiss’ website

My new life motto.

via Craftzine.com via many sources

A playable Angry Birds cake and many other Angry Bird things that prove it's an awesome game.

And because I love the Oscars…
…via Perez Hilton from the Ellen show.

Ellen and Neil Patrick Harris reenact some of the Oscar nominees.

Day to Day

We got back from Cuba on the 5th and had a couple days before I had to go back to work. We set out to Mayne (to our dog-sitter’s home) and picked up the Griffin, after a good visit with my family.

Once back on the mainland I had a few more x-rays to check out the shoulder and was put on light duties at work until the end of February. I wore a sling for a bit, but really it was a lot of ice, advil and rest. Being the 26th, I’m doing much better, but still not 100%.

Life is relative boring right now, a lot of work and errands and chores and day-to-day adult life. There was Valentine’s Day in the middle of this month, but we don’t really celebrate the day too much. Normally we’d cook a special meal and maybe watch a movie together, but I was working night shifts on the actual day. Luke was cute enough to buy me a single long-stem red rose and I baked him cookies.

Cheesy, I know.

I had not baked sugar cookies in ages. I had some edible decorations to use that looked really cute.

One batch of dough goes a long way.

Outings

Last week, accompanied by four close friends from White Rock, we set out on an impromptu pub crawl in Gastown. It was very fun and although we couldn’t afford to go out like that weekly, I would do it again.

We began at Nuba, a fantastic Lebanese restaurant. After a few sampler feasts, we set out on our trek.

Cheers!

Our first stop was the Cambie. Sigh, nostalgia. That place rarely changes and we had a great time chatting and watching the end of the hockey game (although, sadly, we lost to the Habs).

Our resident nutritionist checking out some vitamins.

The boys all eager to be healthy.

We stopped at the Black Frog, which was also fun! But no pictures.

Then onto the Pourhouse, which was awesome. Completely set in the 30′s era: music, menu, furnishings all matched perfectly. Even the attire of the bartenders was spot-on. We sat up at the bar and chatted with the bar-keeps who demonstrate excellent skill. Those old drinks were labour-intensive.

The bartender.

Enjoying our night out.

M'mm.

The vintage bar.

Looking dapper.

Chantal & I.

We ended with the Revel Room, but once again, no photos.

Food

During our lunch in Havana, we kept commented on how we would have to make the Cuban shredded beef dish at home. So I tried. I modified this recipe by using a 2.5 lb roast (sliced into steaks in order to sear them properly) but did everything else the same.

Everything in the slow cooker, ready to go.

The first night we ate the beef the way it was served to us: a giant heap of shredded beef with black beans and rice as a side. There was an excessive amount left, so I got a little creative. We made quesadillas, sandwiches with cheese broiled on top and a roasted butternut squash dip, and then a found a recipe for quesadillas that would normally used brisket, and it was delicious.

I baked some chicken breasts in the leftover sauce and paired it with coconut jasmine rice. It was excellent.

So there. That’s our month in a nutshell. Clearly more than this happened, but it’s not as eventful. G’night.