Friday Fancies

This week was the first week of classes, and it flew by. Hopefully the rest of the semester goes as quickly, but I doubt it. Except for a couple, most of my classes are blah.

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The Purl Bee has some of the cutest knitting patterns I've ever seen. I really want to learn how to knit, but it is really difficult for me for some reason. There was a man sitting next to me on the trolley this week who was knitting, and I was trying to sneakily watch how he did it. If anyone has any beginner's tips, let me know.

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I really love vintage stationary, especially Christmas cards. I was looking at them on Etsy (yes, I know it's still August) and these are some of my favorites. My mom got a whole box full at a flea market a little while back, and we spent the day reading all the notes inside. All of the cards were sent to the same person, so it was like a little snapshot of her holidays throughout the years.

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I've really been liking leather jackets lately. These three are so far the ones I like best. Of course, my favorite is the first, most expensive, one. But the third faux leather one is pretty adorable too.

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I love this bowl and plate set so much! I would use it alllll the time. The soup and sandwich look pretty delicious too.

Enjoy your weekend!

Bunting!

I finished making the bunting I was working on this weekend and I love it. I hung it in the bedroom and it's definitely making it a little more cheerful in there.

I'm still working on building my collection of art for the bedroom. I'm not a hundred percent pleased with the arrangement at the moment, but I don't know how I would change it yet. I would like to find a little embroidery for the little square space and another for below the bunny cross stitch.

Isn't this adorable?? I got it at Goodwill for $1.75. It has a stain in the middle, but I'm not sure what to use to get it off. I don't want to ruin it.

Pasta with Eggplant and Roasted Red Peppers

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, but I never really did very many things with it. Our usual way of cooking eggplant in the summer is frying it. We peel and slice the eggplant, salt it and let it sit for a bit, dip it in an egg wash, coat it in bread crumbs, and pan fry it in olive oil. It's so delicious. But we got these little eggplants at the co-op the other day (I think they're Japanese eggplants) and they were too skinny to fry, so I made this pasta instead. It turned out really good.

Ingredients (for two):

• 1/2 lb pasta of choice (I have no idea what this pasta is called. The bag just says "Italian Pasta.")
• 1 large eggplant or 3 small Japanese eggplants
• 1 large tomato
• 2 cloves garlic
• handful of fresh basil, chopped
• olive oil
• 1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 roasted red pepper (optional- I've made it with and without, and they were both good)

Peel and dice eggplant into 1/2 inch cubes. Put in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let sit in the sink or over a bowl for about 10-15 minutes. Heat 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the eggplant. Chop garlic and add to the pan. Season with pepper.

While the eggplant is cooking, dice the tomato. If you are using the pepper, begin roasting it. I just cut mine in half lengthwise and put it under the broiler until the skin was charred. Once roasted, peel off the skin and dice.

When the eggplant is about halfway cooked, add the tomatoes, peppers, and about 2-3 more tablespoons of olive oil. Put on water for pasta and cook until tender. When eggplant mixture is cooked through, add pasta, cheese and basil to the pan. Let cook a few more minutes and add salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve with crusty bread.

Weekend in Instagram

I didn't do very much this weekend, mostly stayed in and worked on some projects, one of which I will share this week. I did, however, find a place to get my pinking shears sharpened, so I'm going to get that done this week. I'm so happy, I have several projects that I wasn't able to finish because of my pinking shear situation.

I rearranged and organized my crochet supplies. Now all of my works in progress are within easy reach, and my yarn stash is stored out of sight. I also found the perfect place to keep my hooks. Before, I had them in the basket, and they kept poking out of the holes and rolling onto the floor. Now they are all cute and I can find the ones I want quickly.

I finally finished the bag! Just in time, too, since classes start tomorrow. It is gigantic. I didn't realize just how big it is until I saw the picture of me carrying it. For the handles, I had wanted to get grommets, but I couldn't find any big enough. So I got these d rings instead and found this beautiful flower... trim? edging? (I'm not sure what to call it) for the handles. I love the way they turned out.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Friday Fancies

This week was my last week of summer before semester starts, and  I was hoping it would be super relaxing butttt no such luck. I did finish a scarf I've been working on and made some progress on another. I'll post pictures next week.

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This blog is so adorable and has some of the cutest crochet I've seen. I love all the different colors she uses. Whenever I try to do that it just looks silly, but her projects always look great.

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Look at this reusable shopping bag. It is precious. I would totally buy it and use it for all of my shopping (shipping it to the US is super expensive though :( ).



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I know I have been all about fall lately, but I really love this dress from Free People. There is a new Free People store downtown, but I haven't gone yet. Everytime I walk by, though, I have to stop to admire their gorgeous window display and doors.



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I keep seeing people make projects from this book and they are beautiful. I'm going to try to pick up a copy soon.
Enjoy your weekend!

Our Apartment

Avery and I moved into this apartment about a year and a half ago, and we have really loved living here. It has undergone quite a transformation since moving in. I don't have any before pictures (because the apartment was left super-gross by the previous tenants), but I thought I would share some now pictures.

I found this record cabinet at a yard sale a few years ago for $10. It is probably my favorite thing I have ever bought. I can't believe anyone would give it up, especially so cheaply. Also, I have quite the collection of glasses. We ran out of room in the kitchen, so they spilled over onto the bookcase. I'm still working on a cute way to display them all.

One of our bookcases/catch-all in the doorway. This bookcase was also $10. It
baffles me that people pass up furniture that is solid-wood and well made (and beautiful) for the much more expensive but cheaply made furniture you find in the stores.

The little hallway that leads to the rest of the apartment and my favorite corner in the apartment. I just love the little bookcase with the candles and Avery's fossil collection. It is also one of the darkest corners in the apartment, so it's super difficult to get a good picture of.

And our living room. Yes, that bookcase is from Target. But we really, really needed one, and for the longest time we could not find a single bookcase at thrift stores or flea markets. Then after we got this, of course we saw them everywhere.

I didn't post any pictures of the bedroom because I really don't like the way the bedroom looks right now. The walls are painted the most depressing grey-green color, and everything I've tried so far to brighten it up has failed. But I am working on a few things that I hope will make it feel a little cozier. Once I get everything arranged in there, I will be sure to post some pictures.

*So, at the moment, I only have a zoom lens for my camera. My other one was stolen a while back (long story) and I haven't been able to get a replacement yet. This is why I sometimes have to use my phone's camera. So I apologize once again for the ugly pictures.

Soba with Carrots and Cucumbers

Soba is one of my favorite things to make when it's hot out. It's served chilled and goes great with fresh vegetables and a light sauce. Plus, the only thing you need to cook are the noodles, which is perfect if your kitchen gets as hot as mine does in the summer. You can get soba noodles (which are just buckwheat noodles) at most Asian supermarkets. It comes with the noodles individually portioned, and for two people I usually use three portions of noodles.

Ingredients (for two)

• Soba noodles (three portions)
• one carrot
• half a cucumber
• scallions
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paste- optional)

Put on a pot of water to boil. While waiting for the water, peel carrot and grate with a box grater or shave with a vegetable peeler. You want thin strips. You could also buy pre-shredded carrot instead. Then, peel your cucumber, cut in half, and cut each half into quarters. Remove seeds and cut into thin strips. Chop scallions, about 1/4 cup worth. When water is boiling, add soba and cook until tender (it only takes a few minutes). Drain pasta and rinse with cold water until noodles have cooled.

Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, and gochujang, if using (you could also use sriracha instead). You may want to adjust your sauce according to your taste. I really like a sweet and sour sauce with this dish, so I use a good amount of vinegar and honey, but if you prefer more soy sauce or a spicier sauce, then add more of those ingredients.

In a large bowl, mix together the soba, cucumber, carrots, scallions, and sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, if desired.