Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentines Day – Kati's Favorite Poem


Daisies in My Hair and Tulips in a Mason Jar
by Shana Hart

I want to be crazy
sick
in love

I want my eyes to smile

I want to build a house that smells like him
and tastes like us

I want wood floors that creak with his existence 

I want a clothesline to air our dirty laundry

Let the weeds grow tall hiding idiosyncrasies

I want a swing in our backyard that reaches
the rooftops and doesn't leave splinters

When night falls I want to live by candlelight
and the luxury of him

Listen to murmuring hearts and 
let our bodies talk then finally
soft 
small 
images of us

to pull at my sides
begging me to teach
helping me to learn

let there be something awesome
immortal and mightier than us

and let us believe in it together

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Polka Dot Green - Mini Notes From Juniper Jeffries



These Mini Notes as we call them are the newest addition to Juniper Jeffries. Don't you just hate it when you need something to write on and you can't find anything. Maybe you missed someone or just needed to leave a note to call. Small, cute, stylish and simple to make, they are easily accessible when in your purse or bag. They even have a small kind greeting printed right on them. 

hi • missed you • call me • just a note • thank you

So make and give. It will put a smile on someone's face.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Goodbloom - Retro & Whimsical Prints & Originals


Goodbloom is the etsy shop of Holly Bartos where she sells these wonderfully whimsical and colorful paintings. She started creating when she needed artwork for her daughters room. Self taught, but as you can see quite a natural with shape and color. I just love the simplicity and her choice of hue is inspiring.


Sunday, February 8, 2009

Bagel Baker - First Attempt

Bagels... Nice round plump tasty bagels. I have been wanting to try and make them for a while and since it is Lizzie's birthday this week and she wants bagels for breakfast, I decided to try.

So I went online and tried to find a good recipe on allrecipes.com. But I didn't find one I liked. I did a Google search and found this recipe by a man named John Lee who has been making bagels for years. The above picture is what came from this adventure and I do say... I think it was a success. Half are sesame seed and the other half plain. Lizzie likes plain. I really enjoyed making them and my whole family loved them. So I guess I have a new job in the family. Bagel Baker... and you know... I think I will take it.

And yeah, yeah it is an old yucky looking cookie sheet but it works well! Maybe it is time to buy some new ones though.

Below is the recipe I followed and how I made them. Thanks John!

Bagels
4 cups flour
1 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 Tbls vegetable oil
2 tsps instant yeast
1-1/4- 1-1/2 cups of warm water.

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. You don't have to worry about soaking the yeast when you use instant yeast. The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if it's really stiff, or you can't get all the dry flour incorporated.

2. Plop the dough down onto the counter, and knead for about ten minutes, or until the dough is uniform and smooth.

3. Cut the dough into 8 equal sized balls, and let rest for 10-20 minutes.

4. Pre heat your oven to 425.

5. Now, take each of the dough balls and using two hands, roll it into a little snake on the counter. When the snake is longer than the width of your two hands, wrap it around your dominant roiling hand. The dough rope should be wrapped so the overlapping ends are together at your palm, near the start of your fingers. Now take the two overlapping ends, and use your palm to squish/roll these two ends together. Once the dough is fused, you should have a perfectly circular bagel-to-be! This is the only part of the process that can take a little practice before your bagels will look really professional. Don't get discouraged if they don't look perfect, it just takes practice!

6. Let your bagels rest on the counter for about 20 minutes, and meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil, and grease a large baking tray lightly. You can just rub a splash of vegetable oil and rub it around.

7. After the 20 minute wait, your bagels will start to look puffy, and it's time to get them boiling. Add them as many at a time as you can to your boiling water without crowding them. Boil for about a minute, turn them over, and boil for another minute. Take them out a let dry for a minute and then place them on your oiled baking tray. Repeat until all the bagels are boiled.

8. Brush the top of the bagels with egg whites and sprinkle with sesame seeds or whatever you like.

9. Add the tray to the oven, and bake for 20 minutes and they're done!

10. Let them cool and feast on what's got to be one of the best weekend brunch treats possible!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

DIY - Fantastic & Easy Windowsill Planter


I saw this on Apartment Therapy and had to blog about it myself. It is made out of a rain gutter. What a great idea. The idea was found on the Flickr site of Kalani Kordus. It only takes a few materials and looks quite easy to put together for a stylish look. Bring a little organic decoration to your windows and home or make some for friends filled with their favorite plant varieties. All the materials & tools needed are at the link below.

Krisblues - Prints & Original Artwork


Krisblue is full of these wonderfully sophisticated and beautiful prints by Kristiana Parn. I love the colors, the style and illustrations. They would take any room in your home and bring it warmth and beauty. You can purchase prints as well as originals from her Etsy or web site.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Mixtapes Revised

Remember those mix tapes you used to make your friends from the radio or dubbed from another cassett? Well now you can make your own again MP3 style. SuckUK has make its own version. With the fun cover where you can write all the music you are giving in your own way. I love this idea. It's fun and brings me back to the good ole days. There is also a video on YouTube illustrating how you use it. Find the links below.



Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Let's Play • Printable Children's Valentines from Juniper Jeffries





These are the printable Children's Valentines I have created for this season. The theme for these cute cards is Let's Play and there are 4 different greetings in this set. Let's Fly a Kite, Let's Pick Flowers, Let's Climb a Tree & Let's Fly Paper airplanes. Each one comes with a strip of paper to wrap around the card to write a friends name on. Attach a piece of candy to make it a special treat! Take a look around our shop to find your printable love.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Vintage Card Catalog Love - Contest: What would you do with it?


So I was looking at the blog Apartment Therapy when I came across this post about old card catalogs and what they could be used for. This one is actually holding bottles of wine. I love vintage card catalogs and have a few smaller ones myself. I use them to hold art supplies. I love that they have these small separate drawers that are perfect for organizing brushes, carving tools, paints and such. You get the picture.

So tell me. What would you do with an old card catalog? Leave your idea in a comment. The most creative idea will receive one of my printable stationery templates of your choice.

If you haven't seen them yet. Click the Juniper Jeffries link on the left side bar and take a look. I will pick the winner next Monday, February 9th at noon (mst)!

Kitchen Stories

Don't these look absolutely delicious! Using the freshest and most natural products, Kitchen Stories cooks up baking and party food mixes for you and your guests to enjoy. I just want to dig my fork into those Mixed Berry Pancakes!

kitchenstories.etsy.com

From top to bottom...
1. Mixed Berry Pancake Mix
2. French Herb Pasta Salad
3. Double Trouble Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix