Asian Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Each summer, I find myself standing in front of my refrigerator (not with the door open for too long though!) at a loss of what to cook. Not to mention, that I just spent all this money at the grocery store, and feel like I don't have actual meals to make. We don't have an outdoor space, so grilling isn't really an option. (Insert dramatic and pathetic sigh).

Last week, we planned out some meals to make, and shopped for the ingredients. I've decided to find interesting summery recipes so that I don't have to think of anything. After all, I just follow the directions, I'm no expert! It also goes along with my Make, Bake or Buy project. I cannot stop drawing my food. It is way too much fun.



So for Week one, we made Martha Stewart's Asian Rotisserie Chicken Salad. It was so refreshing, that I'm getting a bit more excited to cook this summer. What meals do you guys make when you're uninspired in the kitchen?

100,000 Stitches +/-

My hardcore knitting friends know that I'm not the most dedicated of knitters. So you can imagine my surprise when I finally cast off (well twice technically, since I did it the first time, almost ruined and burned the whole thing) my Pi-Shawl. I did a quick tally, since it's based on Pi (3.1416....) and it comes out to approximately 100,000 stitches.



You heard me. One hundred thousand stitches. Not to mention the three times that I knit the garter edging which may bring my count up another 50,000? I washed it and blocked it last night, but was "glowing" too much from my workout and bike ride home tonight to model this for you guys. We don't want to ruin that cashmere. All shall be revealed soon, I promise.



After all that accomplishment, I thought I deserved a little treat! Don't you think? (Purchased for one Washington at a tag sale down the street).

Illustration Friday: Unfolded

The Northeast has been under a blanket of clouds and rains for much of the past week, and next week as well. I'm not complaining, I'm sure we need the rain... However, it has made me notice other people's colorful umbrellas. The shots of yellow, leopard prints and plaid are making me smile. Whatever happened to those umbrellas with ruffly edges? I think I need to find myself one of those!



I must enjoy the fleeting sunshine now. So I'm off to bike home, scrounge up dessert for dinner with friends, a rudimentary button sewing lesson and holding an adorable little girl!

Here's hoping you get lots of sunshine this weekend.

Note to self: create new header for summer. That one is tired.

Coffee + Tea

I keep typing and deleting sentences that will explain my obsessive inclinations regarding the two following products, but I give up. You know me by now.



I ride my bike to work. I like to bring my coffee in the morning because I'm realizing that I will never be one of those people who gets up early enough to sit at my kitchen table eating breakfast while drinking said coffee and reading the paper (which we don't even get)... Who are these people, and why do I admire you so much? Speak up, now!

I love practicality, common sense and good design, and hate clutter and things that don't work. I've been looking for a few months for that one coffee mug that would not spill in my bike pannier, would keep the contents hot, and have all parts able to remove so that they wouldn't get moldy and gunky. I thought it did not exist. It does. It is called the Timolino Vacuum iBottle with Infuser. I searched online for specs on this mug but couldn't really find a suitable description. Thankfully, I visited Steap, where I was able to examine it in person, and purchase it on the spot. It's for coffee or tea. There is a removable strainer that is exellent for loose tea, if you prefer. Here's how it works.



When I get home, I like to have a little snack and a cup of organic coconut black tea with vanilla soy milk. In this instance, a travel receptacle does not fit the bill, and I was having a hard time with the tea infuser I did have. I went back to Steap and treated myself to the red mug. It's called the FORLIFE Curve Teacup.



I think I'm set for the next 10 years, and am so glad that I don't have to buy any more mugs! On to the next thing to research extensively...

The Final Countdown

It's the finish line that I hope I have enough yarn for. I restrained myself and placed minimal beads (for me) on the garter edging. This is my first time knitting with beads, and now that I know how easy it is, I'm predicting many more in the future. If you ever find yourself knitting with beads, I recommend the crochet hook method.



This edging is garter stitched side to side perpendicularly to the edge of the circular shawl, demonstrated below. This is why I ran out of yarn eighteen times, Mom.



I spent Saturday with the Degenerate Knitters starting the edging, worked through the weekend and am almost done. Fingers crossed!

Louis Sofa

My dream sofa, the one I think of a few times a day, is the Louis Sofa from Elite Leather. Our next big purchase one day will be a sofa. For now, we're working on the emergency fund. This sofa wouldn't be in the running anyway, for one, Mike is vehemently against leather, and it's quite pricey for us. In this little picture though, it is mine.



A girl can dream, can't she? That's what my Make, Bake or Buy project was about, after all. A collection of all the silly things that I would like to have, but realize I don't need.



What ridiculous materialistic items are you guys dreaming about these days?

National Donut Day

This illustration serves three purposes. Illustration Friday's topic this week is "craving". Something I often crave are the fried sweet treats below. Donuts!



Apparently, the first Friday of June is National Doughnut Day. I did not get a free donut, but I treated myself to one Mike purchased for me.

Lastly, this image has been sitting in my head waiting to come out. It's so festive and calorie free! Sounds good to me.

In honor of this day, these are my favorites:
Entennmann's Chocolate Crumb Donuts
Entennmann's Rich Chocolate Frosted Donuts
Glazed Donuts (especially hot from the oven)
Sugar Twisty Donuts from Publix
Chocolate with Glazed
Chocolate Frosted
Anything with sprinkles.

Have I forgotten anything? What are your favorites?

Peruvian Handiwork

When we went to Maryland Sheep and Wool last month, my objective was to only purchase something that really spoke to me. I found it between the funnel cake stand and the ribbon fries.

Turning a corner, I was assaulted by stunning imagery and craft work at the Ayni booth. Peruvian handcrafted textiles of the Ayacucho tradition, which is a tradition that is passed down through families. The families raise the alpaca, process and spin the fleece, dye it with natural plant dyes, and create beautiful art by weaving and crewel type embroidery.



Ayni is a non-profit organization founded by three American woman, a botanist, an anthropologist, and an educator / artist. To quote their mission,"Ayni aims to preserve the cultural patrimony of Peru and promote social welfare in Andean communities through sponsorship of cultural programs, and through sales of Peruvian handicrafts."

The one with the black background reminds me of one of my favorite Josef Frank textiles. It's the black background and the swirls of pattern and color that draw your eye every which way.



I was enamored with this piece, but it was just not in my budget at the time. I took three or five walks around before coming back and seeing it looking at me. The last time I came back, a woman was holding it up in amazement. We started talking and I told her I was so pleased that she was going to have it in her home. She especially loved the bobbles, just so you know.



Although I had my heart set on the one piece, this salmon colored piece also caught my eye. It was in my budget, and was made by the woman in the photograph. Sales of the work help support Los Gorriones Orphanage, ANFASEP, which helps survivors of a violent conflict in the area, and University of Huamanga, which works with a grant to protect irreplaceable artifacts in the region.



I carefully sewed a dowel rod on the back of the top and bottom, with 2 eyehooks screwed into the top rod to mount it.



Isn't it lovely? Even though it doesn't have the chains of bobbles like it's more elaborate sister, it suits my taste just fine.

Silk Kerchief Finito!

Look what I finished last week! My Silk Kerchief. I knit until I reached the purple in the skein, then felt that I was done.



Is it not the cutest kerchief ever? I see you nodding your heads. But you'll have to make your own! This one's mine.



I remember two years ago when I hated triangular shawls. That seems like a lifetime ago.

Pink + Orange

In the last apartment we lived in, we repainted every room. The ceilings were around 16 feet high, so this was no easy task. There was cobalt teal, purple, green, and a bathroom called "Oriental Orange" which was realistically Glow in the Dark Pylon Orange. (It looked slightly better than it sounds...) After repainting it all white when we moved out, I decided that I would not paint until I had my own home. I got burnt out on making it mine, and leaving it.



After almost 3 years in my current apartment, I've been slowly getting over this. I'm not repainting the place or buying a couch or anything, but I'm beginning to care again. Like my favorite style guru's Stacy and Clinton, it's time to invest in myself. That means enjoying my surroundings, and ironing my clothes like a grown up!



Mike was in Indiana this week, so I took some time to do my quarterly cleaning out of the closet to donate and trash. I organized, I repotted the houseplants, and even bought a flat file at Ikea for my studio area. It's a simple start, but is making me really happy.

I bought these magazine holders in plain white, and thought I'd enhance them a bit. I painted with acrylic paints for the first time in nearly 11 years. 11 years. Watercolor and inks are not the same. There's that meditative quality of making these marks with paint. I think I need to raid Mike's oil paints afterall...



I mixed some different pinks and oranges that would go well together, and created a pattern on the one side to make them go together. I love lots of shades of similar colors. When we do get hitched (probably next summer), I'm telling the gals to wear different shades like this. Because isn't one color just boring? (wink)



If it hadn't been for the gorgeous weather, the Art Star craft fair, bike rides and an invitation to my friend's pool, I don't think I would have left my house!