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

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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!)

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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}

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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

I stumbled across this lovely little item on Anthropologie this morning.

I love it, I do.  I don’t 698 dollars love it, though.  While this look could certainly be achieved with enough flea market and antique store browsing, it would take much more time and effort than simply clicking “add to bag” on the Anthro site.  Now, if only I had $700 floating around somewhere…

What kind of twist would you add to this project, if you were to DIY?

Much love,

-B

Photo from P.J.McAdie’s Flickr

There are so many uses for a glass jar: storing leftovers, using as vases, or even lining up empty on a windowsill to show off.   Save your pasta sauce jars, jam and jelly jars, and other glass bottles.  It’s like your own home has become its own little recycling center!

It can also be a fun weekend activity to troll the antique and flea markets for old jars to add a bit of personality to your collection–I’ve found cool chemistry beakers, old mason jars, and even old Vapor Rub jars.

Here’s the trick to getting the sticky labels off: Wash in warm water, and peel off as much of the label you can.  Apply your run-of-the-mill hair conditioner to the remainder of the label, let soak for about half an hour, and scrub off with a course sponge.

Enjoy!

Much love,

-B

If you’re anything like me, getting to work on time is a miracle, let alone getting there with healthy snacks that will keep my energy up.  With my hour-long commute, I usually end up even eating breakfast at work…and trust that it’s difficult not to hit the vending machine for the yummy strawberry Pop Tarts!

So lately I’ve been trying to come up with some easy-to-grab snacks that are easy to prepare at the office, such as:

-Old fashioned oatmeal.  I prepack 1/2 a cup of uncooked oatmeal in a baggie the night before, throw it in my bag, and cook it in the microwave at work for breakfast.  I’ll even throw in an extra baggie as an emergency snack: due to the fiber content of oatmeal, it’s super filling and satisfying with a side of yogurt.   If you like sweetened oatmeal, you can even mix it into the baggie, and bam! Instant custom oatmeal!  Get creative and toss in nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, or even dried apples.  Reuse the baggies: if they’ve only had dry oatmeal in them they’re definitely reusable!

-Apples and a small yogurt.  My favorites are the Stonyfield Farms mini packs; I can just snap one off, and it’s purse-sized for easy transport. If I’m at work in need of a pick-me-up, I can slice up a small apple and dip it in the yogurt.  It doesn’t leave you sleepy like a Snickers will, and it tastes great!  Peanut butter is another alternative, but it’s not as portable and can even feel a bit heavy as a snack.  Plus, the calcium in yogurt can help eliminate any post-lunch bloat!

-Edamame: Buy frozen, in bulk. Throw some into a tupperware, keep in the freezer until right before you leave.  Sprinkle with a bit of salt at work and microwave.  Lovely salty snack!

What is your favorite healthy, trusty, on-the-go snack?

Much love,

-B

Sometimes, there’s nothing quite as nice as a clean, fresh house that smells bright and lovely.

{Image via ApartmentTherapy}

However, getting there isn’t always so easy.  And with all the cleaning products available today, it’s almost impossible to choose one that doesn’t smell overly strong, is effective, affordable, and not harmful for the environment.  Well get ready for this…a whole slew of all-natural cleaning possibilities with just a handful of good, old-fashioned products.

I’ve been using these “recipes” for the last few years.  I was motivated to find an alternative all-purpose cleaner after cleaning my bathtub one day, inhaling a few too many fumes, and deciding that it just was NOT healthy to have that floating around the air in my home!  I’ve found that the biggest hurdle to using these types of cleaners was that they didn’t have that Clorox-y clean smell that we’re all used to associating with “clean.”  If you choose to try any of these recipes and encounter the same problem, try adding a drop or two of eucalyptus or tea tree oil to make it smell more fresh and bright!

Without further ado…you will need: (to clean your ENTIRE HOUSE!)
-Baking Soda
-Borax (found in your grocery store’s laundry detergent aisle
-Tea tree oil
-Lemon oil
-Lemons or lemon juice
-Toothpaste (paste, not gel; with no tartar control or whitening properties)
-Table salt
-Distilled white vinegar
-Castile Soap

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Dear, dear readers!  I hope you all are doing splendidly today.  Some of you may know me from over on the EAD Weddings side of things (and if not, do yourself a beautiful favor and check out some of the lovely things that are posted over there–wedding and non-wedding alike!).  If I am new to you, allow myself to do a quick introduction!

My name is Briana and I’m a newlywed–married to the darling of my dreams on June 20, 2009.  We are currently working on settling into our new home in Southern California–hopefully our first and last apartment together!  It is a daily challenge to try to merge our tastes: mine can only be described as crafty, country cottage with a vintage feel; while his is clean, sleek, and modern.   I like white and ruffled; he likes black and steel.

We’re also making an effort to keep our home as organic and sustainable as our budget allows.  We try to cook organically when possible, grow our own herbs, and re-craft old household items to give them new uses.

In my next entry I’ll be giving an overview of how to use household products to clean your home without using chemicals or detergents, and thus avoid putting harmful fumes into the air you breathe daily! In the meantime, please do tell me…what would you like to hear more of on EADL?  What topics do you find most interesting?

Can’t wait to begin this adventure with you! In the meantime, please enjoy this beautiful photo from This is Glamorous…can’t you just imagine sitting in this room, poring over books in such a lively and beautiful setting?

Much love,

-B