Monday Inspiration

If you're able to be yourself, then you have no competition. All you have to do is get closer and closer to that essence. 

-- Barbara Cook

Weekend Project: Banana Bread!

(forgive me if I have shared this before! 

So good, it deserves to be on here more than once!)

We are at my folks house for a long weekend and after our epic journey down the east coast with a stop in NYC to pick up my sister, we arrived!  The bananas in our snack bag didn't fare so well, and so this morning we combined them with the bananas at my parent's house to make banana bread.  As always we used the silver palate recipe and it turned out delicious (of course)!

Here's the recipe:

3 ripe bananas (we used 4)
1 stick butter, at room temperature
3/4 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 C. white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a bread pan. We used butter!

2. Whip the butter and sugar together, then one by one add the eggs and mix well between each addition.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Then add them to the butter mix.

4. Then add the bananas and the vanilla.  Pour into the pan and cook for 50-60 mins.  

AND ENJOY!

Over the river and through the slush...

some blurry cellphone pics from our journey from Maine yesterday.

Above: the little miss strapped in and fast asleep

95 was great until outside of NYC in Connecticut. Yes we are driving on the shoulder since the middle lane is not plowed. Awesome.

Burnt out Cab in NYC, how very "I am Legend"

We picked up my sister in NYC and the rest of the drive was pretty uneventful! The trees were beautiful along the highway, making our surroundings a winter wonderland. We are suppose to get more snow in DE this weekend, so expect more snowy pictures to come.

Links and Such

Snowflake, by Cory Janiak.

See snow can be beautiful so quit your moanin

breaking the ice
3rd of May: a new artwork everyday
What's your Design Style? take this quiz!
Rad menswear 
Julian Boots- handmade in CA
"living etc" a digital magazine
10 Design blogs, you should know about
Amy Sedaris gets crafty with her own youtube station!
modern fathering- blog has officially launched
Beat box video: a history of hip hop
Soap Flakes

We are traveling down to Delaware for a nice long weekend where we will introduce our little miss to her cousins and aunts and uncles! Should be fun, can't wait.  I'll share pics, stay tuned!

plow truck disaster

Handmade Shout Out: for the bambina

This week's handmade shout out is inspired by my little 13 week old daughter. 

Enjoy

Above: pink elephant baby shoes, by starlightsound

Pinafore sewing pattern, by heidiandfinn

Pink felt shoes, by sunflowerexpress. 

And her Peacock high back shoes!

Check out her other baby shoes, too cute!

Elmi Elephant, by rabbitsmoon

Earthy Twitters reusable fabric wall decals, by lovemaestore

Green Living: green decor

WhiteOnRiceCouple, recently shared their obsession with West Elm's new line of recycled jars. How lovely and warm!

Also:

upcycled cardboard furniture

Newspaper armchair

handmade napkins a how to

green room in a box, by Green Your Decor

And for outside the house- food not lawns

faster

domestic ninja 

30 Day Challenge: where art thou

My Thoughts: I feel like a lame-o, I had to put my 30 day challenge aside last week after the husband and I made a very hard decision- to leave our beautiful state of Maine and move back to the Philadelphia area so he can go back to school and we can be closer to my family for added support while he is in school.  And- in typical fashion, we made this decision the night before my 30th birthday... ah lovely, nothing like a huge decision right before a birthday!  Birthdays are like a New Year's resolution sort of time in your life- to step back and take stock.  And that we did.

SO we are moving! Which means after lovingly painting and sanding many coats of gesso on these pretty boards- as seen above, they will have to wait until a future time.  Now my life is consumed with job hunting, apartment searching, and of course packing!!!!  eeep

Expect packing and moving related blog posts in the weeks to come. In the meantime- check out my shop for 50% off with code "birthday"

Monday Inspiration

I cannot expect my own art to provide all of the answers- only to hope it keeps asking the right questions.

 -Grace Hartigan

Vivaldi Cover

nice

Weekend Project: Business Cards

I've been thinking about acquiring new business cards lately- with just my name and blog address to hand out to folks. I picture the card to be the color of the linen blog header with my name and "Tiptoe Through" written in a lovely light turquoise.  So I was pleased as punch when I found this DIY tutorial on Design Sponge! So nifty.  I love using luggage tags. I use them for gift tags, labeling storage containers in our house, etc. With all that's going on right now, I don't think I'll be able to get to this project this weekend.... but I'm saving it here for a future time perhaps!

UPDATE:

here are a few more

12 Awesome Photo business card ideas

Creative bits

everyday hero

31 experiment

Happy Day to the husbo

It's my husband's birthday today (bottom right) and I know he doesn't "celebrate" his birthday anymore, which I think only happens after you turn 35(?) not 29... but I couldn't resist putting up this picture of him as a little guy with his brother and sister.  Fancy bow tie.  

Happy Birthday!

12 weeks old

She's 12 weeks old.

I meant to do this yesterday... but the day got away from me.  So here she is 12 weeks old, wearing a hoodie she got from her Aunt Charity for Christmas! The 12 week mark means we have officially completed the "4th trimester" - the idea that the first three months are very sacred and a time when the baby needs to have a womb like environment... not all the time, but yah know what I mean (well maybe...?) Swaddling, carrying the baby, keeping them close, etc. Nothing really new to report, besides the usual- we love her so... type stuff. We have a potluck this Sunday thrown by our midwives where past and current prego families get together and share their home birth stories. Looking forward to meeting all the other fall babies and sharing our experience!!

The Age of Garbage

A garbage hotel opens in Madrid.

Constructed by German artist Ha Schult in reaction to the world's polluted oceans. 40% of the hotel is made from Garbage collected on the shores of Germany, France, Britain, Italy, and Spain. The piece closes January 23rd.

Links and Such

Fortune Cookie coin purse = cute
rides a bike- celebs on bikes
Home decor inspiration: I heart the 2nd picture
desire to inspire
holy crap- a future Netflix addition MUST
To Jeannie
mouse trap
Retro baby blanket pattern
book of art
etsy:  taste test

Noemie Goudal

wow

Love the work of Noemie Goudal.

Handmade Shout Out: Text

I've been really into text jewelry as of late and this "loved" ring, by tinahdee on etsy is fantastic!

I love how rustic it is, and I love the font! Text jewelry is a fun gift to commemorate an anniversary, Valentine's Day, or just because.

And Foundling has a lovely selection of text jewelry like this "darling" necklace.

50% off at Grayday Etsy shop

Celebrate my Birthday with me- with 50% off my etsy shop!

Use Code "Birthday" at checkout!

Green Living: This and That

Some Green Links to check out.

Above:  !!  The fall of Rome recorded in Trees  !!

Livia Firth dons "green" dress to the Golden Globes
Eco Florist in Toronto
Levi's introduces Green Jeans
Gifts to green your life
Make a Resolution to plant more trees
China's Eco city
18 small homes
earth friendly laundry tips
Coffee label decoder
Urban Farming

9 months and 30 years with my Fetal Roommate

Today, January 17th, my twin brother and I turn 30. 

A big shout-out to our mom who gave birth to us at home on our farm 30 years ago, growing her brood from 2 to 4 kiddos. After having our daughter, my husband thinks that birthdays should really celebrate the mom as well. So a Big Thank You to My MOM! I love you and thank you for being fantastic. And a big thank you to our Dad for "catching the package!".

Below are a collection of stellar pictures from our childhood, thanks to our older Sister, Liz!

And then there were four.

My sister has this look in her eye- like she aint never gonna give up her new baby doll. 

At my Uncle's wedding... classic

posing on a bucket, so necessary. yes that's our cousin Hunter!

Evidence of a strong life vest theme through out my childhood

our future's so bright, we gotta wear shades

I frickin LOVED this shirt. 

Only a very stylish 6 yr old can pull off shoulder pads and high tops!

More 80's freshness. My mullet is another theme.

Two fair-skinned kids in Florida during the winter with their grandparents. More awesome 80's fashion.

Note the burn circles under our eyes, classic. And this picture is evidence of why I thought my grandparents were black when I was little.

ah more life vests, sans rope though, so that's an improvement.

matching outfits is another theme of our twin-ness

Matchy Matchy at a 4th of July parade.

yuletide matchy-ness 

Red wind breaker matchy-ness

High school graduation matchy-ness

My wedding in June 2008- that's my twin with his arm on me, not the groom. ; )

crap we're 30. 

Happy Birthday to my Twin Brother, luv yah! Now go check your PO BOX!

Monday Inspiration: MLK

This being Martin Luther King Jr Day- I thought it appropriate for "Monday's Inspiration" to be a quote by MLK.

Everybody can be great.  Because anybody can serve.  You don't have to have a college degree to serve.  You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve.  You only need a heart full of grace.  A soul generated by love.