Are you ready for the easiest impressive gourmet DIY you’ve ever seen? (Ok, maybe not EVER, but it’s pretty easy).  Two words for you: Rosemary Salt. You’ve already probably figured that out from the post title. So away we go!

You will need:

-1 cup of sea salt, your choice (they say there’s a difference in qualities of sea salt but darned if I can tell the difference, so I just use whatever’s on sale)
-1/4 cup packed fresh rosemary
-Jar in which you can put your salt (can’t say this enough: save your old glass jars!!)

Step 1: Measure.

Step 2 Put in food processor.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

I sat at my computer for about 20 minutes this morning trying to figure out the best way to start this post and explain my (2 month!) absence from EADL.

Well, this is all I’ve got:

We’re moving to Colorado!  We are so incredibly lucky to have some wonderful parents, who are offering up one of their rental properties for us to move into.  It’s a great location in downtown Denver, and the house is just so….us.  Of course, it needs a great deal of work (it was built in 1941 and hasn’t seen much remodeling since then…it still has yellow countertops and wood paneling, kids), but we can’t wait to move in and get our hands dirty in 3 months and 3 weeks!

It’s been a crazy hectic couple months of planning, scheduling, arranging job interviews, starting up my own blog (which will hopefully debut next week), and figuring out where we’ll be living.  So, my dear EAD readers, I apologize. I promise to not be delinquent any longer.  In fact, you will likely be getting a whole truckload of posts about remodeling planning, landscaping,and eco-friendly renovations. So get excited.

In the meantime, any suggestions to boost the curb appeal on this baby? We pondered painting and a new door… possibly getting rid of shrubs…any fantastic tips?

XOXO

B

Not going to lie, this next craft is a labor of love.  It’s a bit time consuming, but it’s a great thing to keep your hands busy on a cold night in front of the fireplace!  These hand-embroidered cards make a great gift for friends (I made them for our holiday swap…hope you enjoy them, Cyd!) , not to mention that they are far cheaper than purchasing them in the store…

Materials needed:
-Kraft paper cards and envelopes (Michaels or other craft store), about $8 total for 20
-Embroidery thread (about $0.49 per color, which will be more than enough to make 10-20 cards)
-Crafting needles (found in sewing aisle)–try to find one that is long-ish and thin, with a big enough head to thread embroidery through
-Whatever you’d like to stamp the envelopes with. I used clear embossing powder to emboss them with a subtle evergreen stamp.

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Remember when I blogged about reusing your glass jars? Check out this simple, eco-chic, sparkly centerpiece.  Great for holidays or just dinner at home with the hubs.

{photo by me}

Fill mason jars with some soy candles and you’re done! What’s your go-to centerpiece?

Much love,

-B

Insider trading scandals and snarky commnts aside, I do have a not-so-secret crush on Martha Stewart.  Maybe she doesn’t have the most heartwarming personality, but come on…that woman can craft up a storm!  Even before the Martha empire was born and contributing to the masses of ideas coming from her camp, she had some brilliant stuff going on for herself.  I lead with this paragraph because I must admit, not all of my craftmas ideas are originals.  I stumbled upon this one on MS’s website and simply had to make these little craft paper trees.

They’re adorable, unique, and if I may say so, pretty eco-friendly. These guys usea lot less packaging and materials than decor you buy from your local Target!  However, the instructions on the web site are less than clear, so here’s the step-by-step.  This is SUCH an affordable and cute decoration, I just can’t get over it!  I bought scrapbooking paper at Michael’s for $.25 a sheet (using an average of one sheet per tree), bells for $2, and thread spools for $3.  A $6 craft?  Love.

Materials:
-wooden skewers
-thread spools, either recycled or purchased from craft store
-tiny beads to put on top of trees (or bells as used here)
-different shades of craft paper (you could even use cute patterns for more whimsical trees)
-glue gun and glue sticks

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Welcome to the first installment of Craftmas (or Craftukkah or Craftzaa, whichever you celebrate)!  I don’t know about you gals, but we are super tight on money this year and that is ESPECIALLY true around the holidays.

However, like many, I have some creepy Martha Stewart desire to decorate our house in everything tinsel, and I squeal with glee anytime I see something covered in Santa Clauses.  Hey, I’m not proud of it, but there you go.

So during my daily Anthropologie browse a couple weeks ago (ah, but to dream), I stumbled upon a beautiful tree ornament. I won’t show it here (again, scared of copywright ramifications…thanks, lawyers, for screwing with my craftiness), but you can probably find it on their site.  Anyway, this little item happened to cost a pretty $398.  Um, yeah.  Here’s my interpretation of the same tree topper, with exciting step-by-step instructions!

This project cost me about $20…only 5% of the store-bought cost!

Here’s what you’ll need:

-small grapevine wreath (I think this one is 6 or 7 inches in diameter)
-bundles of sticks and other decorative items of your choice
-glue gun and glue sticks

{Read the rest of this entry…}

I’ve been MIA from the blog recently…but with good reason, I promise!

I’ve been busy creating a whole slew of DIY crafts (oh, 6 or 7!) for decorating your house on the cheap for the upcoming holiday.  I like to call it…Craftmas.  Though I suppose you could always call it Craftukkah or Craftzaa.  Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Get ready for installation #1 of Craftmas in the next day or so.  Little hint: it’s a replica of a pricey little item sold at a store that rhymes with “shmanthropologie.”

Much love,

-B

Excuse the cheesy post title.  They’re the hardest thing to come up with!

One of my favorite autumn fruits is the apple. I know, I know, they’re around the entire year…but they’re the best in the fall.  Ripe, crisp, sweet, and a bit tart.  I remember one of my favorite childhood books saying that you could taste the starlit nights of summer, the bright sunshine of spring, and the crisp, cool days of autumn in a good apple.  Love.

Cooking with apples in the fall is the greatest: that apple smell filling the house is just so homey.  This is one of my favorite apple recipes for fall: not only is it delicious, it turns out beautifully and makes a stunning presentation with the jewel tones of the rhubarb and cranberries, which also happen to give it the perfect amount of tart/sweet combination.

{Photo by Pete McGregor}
(Please excuse my lack of personal photos lately… my camera is still MIA!)

{Read the rest of this entry…}

As you may or may not know, my husband and I are currently living in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment (shared with our two cats, Mike and Butters).  We have no outdoor space, save for our tiny patio and lil’ windowboxes, which don’t provide us with much gardening opportunity.

As someone who grew up in a home with lots of garden space and a little “plot” of my own, it’s heartbreaking for me to not have a bit of dirt.  Thus, it’s become our goal in the next year to have a truly viable spot of land on which we can grow things.  Along these lines, I was reading the WSJ yesterday (no, this is not a habit of mine, though it probably should be) and stumbled upon an article on composting.

{Photo via greenbudget}

{Read the rest of this entry…}

Hope this post finds everyone relaxed, content, and carefree on this beautiful fall day!  It’s been getting a bit cooler around here (FINALLY!) and we decided to make some delicious soup today using seasonal ingredients.

This recipe can be adjusted for any season. The key step is truly the sauteeing of the vegetables, which brings out their flavor and makes the soup’s flavors have more depth.

Seasonal Soup

4 garlic cloves, chopped (or more, depending on taste)
2 shallots, diced
5 or so celery stalks, sliced
1 leek (slice lengthwise and rinse with cold water–use only the white to light green section. Then dice!)
9 medium carrots, sliced
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1 can white beans
1 can black beans
bag of frozen corn
Two 32-oz cans of chicken broth
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp olive oil
Chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish

1) Sautee 1 tsp. salt, celery, leeks, shallots, and garlic in olive oil for about 15 minutes until transluscent and aromatic.

2) Add chicken broth and 4 cups of water (this makes a HUGE pot of soup!).

3) Bring to boil; add carrots, thyme, beans. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.

4) Add frozen corn last, so it remains a bit crunchy.

5) Simmer until carrots are done: not crunchy, but not soggy either!

Serve topped with chopped cilantro or parsley.

And there you go…a delicious, heartwarming, yummy soup for those cool autumn days. It’s also super easy to reheat, so this meal could last 2 people a few days!

Add whatever veggies you like or are in season: we’ve added zucchini, acorn squash, cabbage…whatever suits your fancy!

What’s your go-to meal during the cooler months?

Much love,

-B