Smooth(ie)

Lately, I've been in a healthy-food rut.  And by rut, I mean, I don't feel like eating anything remotely good for me.  Generally speaking, I stay away from fast food, breads and pastas, and only eat sweets on occasion, however, life gets busy and sometimes you JUST. WANT. THE PASTA.

There.  I said it.  Now, moving on.

I made this delicious berry and banana smoothie for breakfast, and I am happy to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Plus, it falls into the "healthy" category.  Yay me.  So, will it cancel out the handfuls of semi-sweet chocolate morsels I devoured while watching MasterChef last night?  Nay, nay.  But it's a good start!

Dot + Stripe

Hello, for the first time in a while!  I've been busy-busy with work (which is a blessing!), but I had to share my newest find: my china collection!

I never registered for "fine china" during the wedding months–I never found a set that really caught my eye.  Until now.   I found these lovelies at Homegoods this morning, and I scooped up every piece they had, which really wasn't much, BUT, it is a start.  It is Mikasa "Color Studio" bone china in Turquoise, and I was able to mix and match the polka dot pattern and chevron pattern.   Homegoods only had 8 salad plates and 8 teacups, however, after searching online, I found that they were available at the Mikasa site for about $10 more per set of 4 (not bad at all!).

Needless to say, I will be adding to the collection over the next few months, but for now, I'm excited to do fancy date nights and (small) dinner parties with friends on my new, lovely dinnerware.

Until next time!

xoxo,

Mitz

DIY

Happy Friday!  I hope you are enjoying your Christmas season as much as me!  I always get into the crafting mood this time of year, and what better way to spend a Friday than with a trip to Michael's followed by a couple hours of nitty-gritty hands-on crafting? (If you have a husband, tell him to go see a movie...they will NOT want to be present...trust me).  Oh yeah, don't forget to make an obscenely large batch of hot chocolate ;)

Pictured above are some of my top DIY projects that are worthy of gift-giving.  I've sifted through the masses on Pinterest, and these ones came out on top because:

 1.  They don't have to be refrigerated or "used within a week".  Seriously.  Who is going to use body butter or sugar scrub or homemade face mask that needs to be kept in the fridge?  Very impractical.

2.  They don't take 10 hours to make from start to finish.

3.  They are actually useful and cute!

SO...Let's get to it!

• Color Blocked wooden spoons: easy, cheap, and everyone can use them.  Did I mention that they are easy? 
• Leather pouch:  easily customize the size to accommodate an iPad or a stack of business cards.
• Felt trivet :  customize the color, shapes, and stitching, and try something outside the box: think neon, geometric patterns, navajo prints, faux bois, monogramming, etc.
• Herb mug:  everything tastes better with fresh herbs.  Plant some in a personalized mug or hand-painted pot and be sure to pass along the directions explaining how much light and water they will need!
• Mix CD: yes, I know it isn't 1995 anymore, however, who doesn't LOVE getting new music?  Put together a customized list and don't forget to go all-out on customizing the cover!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

xoxo,

Mitz

leather case via martha stewart
herb mug via Laura Parke
color block spoons via A Cozy Kitchen
felt trivets (pictured is via Tereforma) via Design Sponge
CD case via Honey Bee in the City

Thanksgiving

 

Seasons greetings!  I hope your Thanksgiving was stress-free and full of starches!  I had the privilege of hosting my first turkey-day bonanza, and I have to say...it was pretty easy.  I was in charge of the bird (yes, me, the vegetarian...I buttered that thing up Paula Dean-style and added some homemade rosemary salt & sage), and I made a few sides while friends and family brought the rolls, potatoes, mac&cheese, green been casserole, and vino!

A few days prior to Thanksgiving, I made a run to Williams-Sonoma, which is (partly) why the day went so smooth.  I picked up a jar of the cranberry relish, a box of whole wheat harvest stuffing, a jar of gravy base, and their holiday catalog for table-scape inspiration.  Because I had never made any of these items before, I didn't want to mess them up for the big day (the bird was enough of a "first-time" experience for me), so this was all pretty fool-proof.  The day before, I slow-roasted a batch of carrots/parsnips/and onions. The day of, I made sweet potato casserole (my mother-in-law's recipe), and followed the directions on my box of stuffing.  

ALSO, I whipped up a batch of napkins from scrap fabric I had laying around, and I saw these teeny-tiny pears at the grocery store to use as placecards–cute and edible!  I hand-stamped each person's name on a piece of card stock and tied them to the pears with a piece of twine.  

A few things I learned along the way:

1.  A big chip/dip platter works well as a serving platter for turkey and cranberry sauce (see bottom right picture).  I didn't have a "serving platter" per se, BUT, I did have a silvery chip/dip set.  Easy!
2. Don't bother with setting water glasses/wine glasses on the table–it takes up so much space (see pictures...)!  We made a drink station at one end of the kitchen counter, which worked really well.
3. Get enough serving utensils–lucky for us, the spoons in our every-day flatware are HUGE, so we used them for everything.  Next year, I will certainly invest in another set or two of actual serving utensils.
4. Timing ISN'T everything.  We told guests that we would eat within a window (1.5 hours) and set plenty of snacks out for them (artichoke/spinach dip, blue crab dip, crackers, fruit, etc).  This way, we weren't stressing out about getting everything finished on time, and we were able to enjoy socializing without worrying about any timing expectations.
5. Clean as you cook.  If you have limited sink/counter/dishwasher space, you HAVE to do this–really, the turkey is in for a few hours...you have plenty of time to clean up, so no excuses!  Our clean-up afterwards took mere minutes.

All in all, everything turned out great!  And did I mention that we had Wick's Sugar Cream Pie for dessert?!  I was so happy to get the chance to host the holiday, and I am so thankful for each and every person who joined us.  Next up: CHRISTMAS!  

Oh, and happy Cyber Monday!

xoxo,

Mitz

New Card Design

Hello, all!  New business card design hit the Etsy shop today!  This is a single sided business card that would be fabulous printed on a heavy white linen paper stock (my recommendation, anyways!).

In other news, I started designing concert posters for Gasparilla Music Festival here in Tampa and am super excited to see Ra Ra Riot at the show along with 19 other bands!  Now all I need to do is figure out what I'm going to wear...

Also, I must admit–I broke down and got a Pinterest account.  I know, I know, I have been anti-Pinterest for quite some time, but with all my work starting to compile I needed a place where I could collect my other ideas/projects/diy's.  Don't worry, though, I won't go pinning the whole world wide web on my boards...it will be well curated with things I truly enjoy and am inspired by.  Follow me here!

Recipe Card

As my work projects start to build up, I get the urge to create something just for fun!  Today I made a recipe card template showcasing my trusted pink hand mixer.  This is inspired by a recipe exchange I recently was involved in along with 26 other ladies.  With all my new recipes, I needed a cute place to write them all down!

Feel free to print this recipe card template at home and share some recipes with friends and family–they will truly appreciate it (and so will their tummies!).



(via myself)

Farmers Market Finds

Today I FINALLY got to visit our local farmers market for the first time this season.  My excuse of "this is the only day I get to sleep in" wasn't going to work this time seeing as I have taken a few weeks off for some R&R before moving, SO, at the crack of dawn (ok, like 8:00 a.m.), I jumped on my bike and off I went!  Now...I would consider myself an experienced cyclist, however, my phone rang (it was my fiancé), my charm bracelet proceeded to get stuck in the zipper of my bag, and on the ground I ended up; luckily only my pride was hurt, and I eventually arrived at the market.  The market was larger than I remembered it being, and there was live music to listen to while talking with the vendors. I even scored a couple recipes off of a sweet, old man who had about 10 different kinds of hot peppers– he even gave me a bunch of freebies to take home!

All in all, I fared really well – I ended up with my whole bicycle basket full of zucchini, onions, a variety of grape tomatoes, ginormous banana peppers,  fingerling potatoes, and a 1/2 dozen of lemon-doodle cookies for around $8.  Ahhh, the reward for waking up early is a sweet one.

With the tomatoes, I made a couple of toasty sandwiches that tasted as good as they looked!


Ingredients:

• 8-10 grape tomatoes in a variety of colors
• quality mozzarella cheese (it's worth the extra buck or two)
• quarter to half inch sliced hearty baguette (whole wheat)
  
• olive oil
• a handful of basil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Turn on your panini press to medium-high heat and let warm for a few minutes.  Place baguette slices on for a minute or two, just to begin toasting.  Remove bread, brush a little olive oil on one side and place oiled side back down on panini press for another minute or two.  Meanwhile, slice mozzarella and put on top of bread slices to begin melting for 2 minutes (also, I like to add my pepper and salt now so it will stick to the cheese).  Slice tomatoes in half and tear basil leaves by hand.  Place tomatoes and basil on top of mozzarella and toast for 2 more minutes.  Remove when mozzarella is completely melted and tomatoes are heated thoroughly.  Drizzle with balsamic and enjoy! 

Ginger + Mint + Cinnamon Iced Tea

(via aarti party)

Florida part II

It is finalized: my fiance and I have officially signed a lease on a lakefront condo in Florida!  I am so glad the search is over, and now we (I) can get to work filling it with all sorts of ocean and lake inspired goods!  I must admit, in picking these pieces, it was hard not to get sucked into all the sandy white and ocean blue hues, but I tried my best! 



1.  rug by Williams-Sonoma Home
2.  baskets by West Elm
3.  poster from Zazzle 
4.  soy candle by Meyers
5. & 6.  shell and whale tray from Orange & Pear
7.  pillow by CB2
8.  vases by Ikea
9.  bottle opener from Orange & Pear
10.  side table from Crate & Barrel

The Kitschy Kitchen

When it comes to home accessories, I always find my favorites in the kitchen section.  This might be due to the fact that I am a Martha Stewart – Food Network – Williams Sonoma – Crate and Barrel junkie...or it just might be the fact that there are tons of quirky (and kitschy) items to choose from!  Here are a few of my top picks!

1. Apple-shaped cutting board from MarthaStewart
2. Heart-shaped measuring cups from FredFlare
3. Mustache Man corkscrew from ModCloth
4. Labeled jars (from Terrain, which is like a mix between Pottery Barn and Anthropologie!)

(via MarthaStewart, FredFlare, ModCloth, and Terrain)