Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tonight I'll be baking this for my family's annual dessert-off. Wish me luck! Tomorrow is one of the only "off" days of my year where I actually set the alarm clock so that I can watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's been a tradition since I was a kid and I don't plan on stopping any time soon! Then it's off to my mom and stepdad's for loads of grub.

I'll be taking Thursday and Friday off in every way possible, but see you Monday to kick off the holidays!

Lots and Lots of Thankfulness for ...
... the very best friends and family and gal could ask for
... the new(ish) roof over my head
... my awesome job when so many are lacking even a crappy one
... two fuzzy kitten-cats waiting for me at the door
... my relatively decent health
... candy

:: photo via ffffound

On the Rocks: Thanksgiving Edition.

Everyone needs a drink or ten to get through the holidays. Especially when it involves family!

Apple Harvest Collins

Ingredients:
- 1 Macintosh apple, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 1/2 ounces Bulldog gin
- 1/3 ounce simple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 ounces spiced apple cider (preferably Reed's brand)

Muddle 2 slices of the apple in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Combine the gin, simple syrup and lemon juice in the cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into a Collins glass over ice. Add spiced apple cider. Garnish with more apple slices. If you like, rim the glass with cinnamon and sugar before mixing the cocktail. Serves 1.

:: cocktail recipe and photo via NY Daily News


November Chill

Ingredients:
- 3 oz gin
- 1 1/2 oz apple cider syrup (see link)
- 1/4 oz pomegranate syrup (see link)
- 1/4 oz Tuaca

Shake gin and apple cider syrup together with ice and strain into a cinnamon-sugar rimmed cocktail glass. Stir Tuaca and pomegranate syrup together and pour into the center of the glass. Serves 1.

:: cocktail recipe and photo via rejiggered


Pumpkin Margarita

Ingredients:
- 2 oz Partida Reposado Tequila
- 1 oz fresh lime/lemon juice mix
- splash of pumpkin puree
- sesame seeds
- lime wedge

Rim a cocktail glass with lime juice and sesame seeds. Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Serves 1.

:: cocktail recipe and photo via Talk Drinks

The Daily Eat: Italian Turkey, Bean + Tomato Soup.

Italian Turkey, Bean and Tomato Soup that's begging for your leftover turkey. This soup would be great to have ready after Black Friday shopping!

:: recipe and photo via The Kitchen Sink

The Great 2008 Greedy Girl Calendar Swap.

Have you signed up for The Great 2008 Greedy Girl Calendar Swap? Cause I have.

You have until November 30 to e-mail Greedy Girl Caroline (cd@iamagreedygirl.com) your name, blog and home address. By December 3 she'll get back with you and give you your swapmate's info. Then find a calendar between $20 and $25 in value (handmade is also welcome!). Send it to your swapmate by December 20 and thats all she wrote.

Kindred.

YAY.

Kindred (kĭn'drĭd) n. - Having a similar or related origin, nature, or character.


Kindred is the side project of Holly of decor8 and Ez of Creature Comforts. It's here that they plan on sharing some of the small creative projects they've dreamed up together. Their first project is "Wallpapered Together" - complimentary artist-designed desktop wallpapers.

Thanksgiving Hurts.

We had our office Thanksgiving today - all four of us - and it was a day-long event. Pumpkin bagels for breakfast, out for lunch, then pumpkin pie and topping with eggnog in the afternoon. And you know what? I feel like I could explode. Like I need to undo the button on my jeans. I always forget how horrible being really truly FULL feels. And all I can say for it is this: UGH. Oh, and that I'll be having water for dinner. Thank you.

:: photo via ffffound

The Daily Eat: Autumn Turkey + Pumpkin Lasagna.

Autumn Turkey and Pumpkin Lasagna combines all the best flavors of fall: turkey, pumpkin, cranberry and chestnut. And sounds incredible!

:: recipe and photo via bitchincamero

Panettone by Purpose.

Sometimes it's nice to realize I'm not entirely nut-zo. For the past few Christmases whenever I see a box of panettone I always think Pantone in my head. Apparently the designers at Purpose were on the same wavelength when creating at this piece for Greenford Printing!

By building on the familiar language of colour specification, Pantone swatches initiated the main theme for our concept. ‘Panettone’ created a colourful twist on the traditional Italian Christmas cake. The Panettone boxes arrive as a set of 5, featuring special dates from Christmas Eve to New Years Day, each one representing a different pantone colour.

:: via The Dieline

I Love You But...

I love the honesty behind I Love You But... because every single one of us has been there at one point or another. I used to date a guy who said "Uhhh" all the time and it killed me. In fact, it became a deal-breaker.

This is a picture book about the moment in a relationship when you realize you don't love someone completely, because there is one little thing that keeps bothering you. When it bothers you so much it actually makes you physically cringe, you know it's time to say; 'I love you but...'

:: via A Cup of Jo

Andrea Gibson.

... it's still my favorite though.

The Daily Eat: Turkey Piccata.

Come on, admit it. You knew Turkey Week couldn't be neglected. But forget the whole bird, we're focusing on other tasty variations!

Chicken piccata is common enough, but Turkey PIccata? YUM!

:: recipe and photo via Love and Olive Oil

Caffeine Tees.

Jeremiah from Laughing Hyena emailed me over the weekend to share his Series 1: Caffeine tees. Besides the tees I'm digging the coffee bag packaging - a super nice touch!

He really tells it best: Laughing Hyena designs and produces creative tees for the independent thinker by deconstructing pop culture a single subject at a time. Each series highlights key components with an emphasis on typography as wearable art. In addition to the fresh and modern approach of Laughing Hyena comes a moral mission as well. A percentage of the profits from the sale of its shirts will be donated to a cause related to the "single subject" of the series. The reason is simple. Donating to a just cause, "just cause..." is a nice thing to do. All of our designs are screen printed on 100% cotton (some orgainc cotton) high quality, American made, sweatshop free t-shirts. A percentage of the profits from the sale of Series 1 will be donated to "Coffee Lifeline" a Freeplay Foundation project www.freeplayfoundation.org. This innovative project seeks to empower coffee farmers in producing countries by utilizing self-powered radios to provide access to information and education in isolated rural areas. "It's not a hand out, it's a hand up."

Monday Goodness: The Vicious Cycle.

Ain't that the truth?!

:: via ffffound

Happy Weekend.

This is the very first decently cold weekend (39º!) we've had so far this year and I'm thrilled! I have big plans for my fireplace.

This Weekend:
• get holiday decoration boxes out
• Christmas shopping - it's getting to the UGH point
• watching the OU/Texas Tech game tomorrow - BOOMER SOONER!
• finish up a project to gift
• make stew
• brace self for the next month and half of insanity

Happy Weekend!

:: photo via ffffound

The Daily Eat: Apple Cranberry Bourbon Cake.

Apple Cranberry Bourbon (or rum or orange juice!) Cake. An absolute no-fail holiday dessert that tastes even better the next day!

:: recipe and photo via Joy the Baker

Melissa Joy Manning Metal.

I'm loving modern, yet natural style of Melissa Joy Manning's jewelry. By using gold, silver, semi-precious and precious stones and found objects, her line blends traditional and modern beautifully. I'm a strictly silver jewelry sort of girl, but I could definitely make an exception for some of Manning's yellow gold pieces. Just a few of my favorites...

Roundup: 2009 Calendars Part 3.

I had absolutely NO intention of doing three installments of the 2009 Calendar Roundup. There are just so many great calendar designs out there for this coming year, that I couldn't bear to leave any out!

2009 Desk Calendar from Jennifer Squires Productions. This calendar is a combination of 12 black and white and colour photographs. All images are custom printed by a professional photo lab on Fuji Crystal Archive paper and presented in a clear plastic jewel case that folds back to sit atop a desk or shelf.

Whipup.net 2009 Calendar. Calendar of artwork from 13 artists whose work has appeared on the website whipup.net.

Bird wall calendar from The Yvestown Shop. Calendar measures 36.5 x 26 cm. NOTE: This is only my favorite calendar from TYS - check all the other wall and desk calendars available!

Inkless Letterpress tufted calendar. We've taken our 10" x 10" letterpress paper tile, and made it into an elegant little calendar. Each month is perforated, and simply tears off to reveal the one that follows. The paper tile has been mounted to acid-free foam board, so it's sturdy enough to stand on a small easel, or hang on the wall. Each calendar comes with removable adhesive squares for hanging.

2009 printable PDF calendar from Narchi Screenprints. Print a whole year on only 3 pieces of paper! Calendar measures 4 x 4."

Seeing Eye Calendar from Numbered Type. Forget near and far, the time has come to be now-sighted. Sundays are red, the rest are black - a minor detail. Test your vision but keep in mind these days are numbered.

Limited Edition Thyme Calendar from Nora Whynot. Rich in legend and folklore, each month depicts an unusual use of the herb thyme, from Egyptian embalming to ancient Greek honey collecting. The calendar comes with an introduction explaining each month's image, eg January - If you plan on sailing the seven seas, take a tip from ancient mariners and wear a sprig of thyme around your neck for protection against sea monsters. Limited to only 100 calendars, each comes with a signed, numbered and dated Stamp of Authenticity on the back. Measures 7.9 x 5.7.”

The Daily Eat: White Chocolate Mousse with Cranberry Orange Compote.

White Chocolate Mousse with Cranberry Orange Compote sounds - and looks - amazing. And difficult. Let me assure you that it is only the former. A dessert that's sure to make a lasting impression and be asked for again and again!

:: recipe and photo via cannelle et vanille

Flying Wish Paper.

Thanksgiving is still a week away. Christmas further than that. And last of all New Years, which I'm apparently already thinking about! Flying Wish Paper would be so much fun to light and set off at midnight with your resolution or wish written on it! Shape your paper into a tube and place it on the provided platform, then light the top edge of the tube and watch it burn down. At the last moment your wish lifts off the platform and rises into the sky!

PossibiliTree.

Ornaments are the real stars of a Christmas tree, so why not show them off more on the PossibiliTree? Oh, and the simplicity and storage are lovely, too!

Twenty-five years ago, architect Richard Babcock had an idea: Rather than buying, hauling and disposing of a Christmas tree every year, why not create a tree his family could use year after year? The six-foot wooden tree he created back then is still used by his family today. The PossibiliTree shown here is a tabletop version, standing almost three feet tall, with branches that can be fanned out in various ways. The tree is easily assembled and disassembled. The pieces can be stored in the original packaging – a tube, similar to the ones used by architects to hold drawings.

Gingerbread Cookie Boxes.

I think I mentioned a few weeks ago how I'm making a bunch of cookies to take home to Pennsylvania next month for Christmas. While I have to go the practical, non-cookie crushing route, these gingerbread cookie boxes are flippin' adorable. Ideal for cookie swapping or sharing baked goods with friends and co-workers!

Rain Man Decanter.

The Rain Man decanter makes pouring liquid about a hundred times more interesting. And I love the versatility of the vessel - use it to water plans, serve water, or decant wine among other things. Gorgeous.


:: via Liquorious

On the Rocks: Cranberry Mojito.

I love this untraditional twist on a very traditional cocktail. These cranberry mojitos are also really easy to whip up in batches for get togethers.

Ingredients:
- 1 bunch fresh mint, trimmed (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups light rum
- 1¼ cups fresh lime juice
- ¾ cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
- 2 10oz. bottles sparkling water, chilled

Using a wooden spoon, mash mint with sugar in bottom of large pitcher. Add rum and lime juice; stir to dissolve sugar. Mix in thawed cranberry juice concentrate and water. Mix in 6 cups of ice. Serves 6.

:: cocktail recipe and photo via Recipe Girl

The Daily Eat: Cranberry Walnut Swirl Bread.

Cranberry Walnut Swirl Bread. The perfect combination of sweet and tart, crunchy and chewy. And I'm thinking a mighty find option for breakfast during the holiday season!

:: recipe and photo via The Knead for Bread

Holiday Flashcards.

These holiday flashcards from Brambleberry Lane are great. Imagine the possibilities - teaching a little one, framing for the holidays, or using as gift tags (my favorite).

:: via BB-Blog

Mememememe.

The lovely Tara of Nothing Elegant tapped me to talk about myself just a little bit more than I already manage to do on a daily basis. The usual seven random facts about yourself. But instead of tagging seven more people I'm going to leave it wide open instead - join in if you want and if not, well, that's okay, too!

ONE.
I have a coat fetish.
Let's put it this way, it's only me living in my house, yet the coat closet in the entryway is packed. No worries though, there's plenty of room on the closet shelves to accommodate my scarf and hat fetishes, too!

TWO.
My favorite flowers are Chinese poppies.
Closely followed by peonies. Closely followed by all other flowers.

THREE.
I love planning how I'm going to gift wrap Christmas gifts each year.
Which is followed very closely by disappointment when I remember that I have to pack and ship most of my presents to Pennsylvania where I'll be for the holidays. Let's just say from past experiences that most ideas don't hold up that well.

FOUR.
I own at least five cameras.
A regular point and shoot. An Advantix which I don't think they make the film for anymore. A Canon Rebel. A Polaroid. And a Sony touch-screen digital. I think I've got all the bases covered! Still holding out for that Holga though...

FIVE.
I'm a hopeless romantic.
Which causes some problems.

SIX.
I need to constantly be doing something.
Even when watching TV or a movie I'm still moving around or doing something else at the same time. I doubt it's ADD, but think it's something more more closely related to being antsy.

SEVEN.
Roadkill gives me goosebumps
Every single time I drive by one of those unlucky furry creatures I get chills. Even if it's (gasp) the same one for days.

:: image via ffffound