Craft Time

A group of friends and I get together every couple of months to attempt to do something crafty off of Pinterest (or work on our own projects). I've started really looking forward to this event, appropriately labeled Crafternoon. I'm not the most crafty person. I pin a lot of stuff on Pinterest but when it comes to actually doing it, I get overwhelmed. I walk into Michaels or Hobby Lobby and I have no clue where to start. So it's great working on a project together with a group of people. It motivates me to actually buy the components and give it a try.

Today we worked on the DIY Chunky Finger Knit Necklace. It was totally fun and lot easier then expected. I ended up purchasing a cheap neon pink tshirt from Walmart since I recently gave away a lot of my old tshirts to Goodwill. Plus I currently love anything neon and will be more likely to wear it. Finding the brass plumbing couplings was a little harder than expected. Who knew there were so many types of couplings? As you'll see in the pics, we all ended up using different types of couplings but they all looked great. Additionally, I highly recommend getting a good pair of fabric scissors because you will be doing a lot of cutting.

It took a minute to figure out how to actually create the yarn out of the tshirts. The key is the diagonal cut at the end. But now that I know, I want to turn all my tshirts into yarn. The possibilities are endless. I just pinned a pin about creating a rag rug out of tshirt yarn. So cool! Finger knitting was a new concept for me. Apparently I missed this critical childhood activity somehow. Thankfully there are plenty of youtube videos that helped and after a couple of tries, we were well on our way. I even had enough yarn leftover to finger knit a matching bracelet.

This is super easy and pretty quick project. I can see myself doing this many times, playing with the thickness of the yarn, or using chain for part of the necklace, or different accessories instead of the brass plumbing couplings. The options are endless.

My friend took this picture at the start of cutting the tshirts to create into the yarn.

Here's all our yarn lined up. 

 This is my final product with the matching bracelet. Sorry for the awful instagram photo. It looks much nicer on my phone :) I'll try to take better pictures with my real camera. I loved how chunky it came out. And so neon!

This is my friend's necklace. I like the rustic look.

Blue Bonnets!

It is wild flower season in Texas. This is my favorite time of year because the weather is just perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. The bugs haven't fully come out. And the wild flowers along the sides of the road make for a pretty commute. I'm lucky that my neighborhood decided to plant wildflowers along the walk ways and lakes so I didn't have to make the drive into hill country to take some snaps of these pretty flowers. Blue bonnets are the Texas state flower and very popular to photograph. You'll find people stopped on the side of the roads trying to capture these flowers.  I woke up early one Sunday morning to catch these lovely blooms in the morning light.(Especially before they got trampled on by people doing family portraits. I seriously don't understand smashing flowers to sit your child in the middle of the flower patch. Put the child on the side, the front, or behind. Let the flowers be so others can enjoy them. End Rant!) If you plan to photograph wildflowers, just be careful of your surroundings. Snakes apparently like to hide in the undergrowth. And tons of fire ants. Wear proper shoes and long pants. I was lucky that I was able to lay on a cement sidewalk and take some close ups without rolling the grass. I still came away with 2 bug bites though. All these photos were taken with my Nikon D5100 with a 50mm lens.

Seed Stitch Cowl

My first finished knitting project in 2014! Very exciting because I am the slowest knitter in the world. I don't watch much TV and that's the only time I would really knit outside of my weekly knitting group. And I'm not that good at knitting and watching shows I want to pay attention to. So it'll take me months to finish a project. However, this was a super easy project because it was seed stitch in bulky yarn. I decided to knit it when we got a very cold front back in January which is unusual for Texas, but then it warmed up by the time I finished. So maybe I'll use it next winter?

I got the inspiration for the cowl from this pattern on Pinterest: Seed Stitch Cowl (Yay for finally using a pin that I pinned months ago!)

I bought the yarn at the Dallas Fiber Fest in 2013. Brooks Farm Yarn from Lancaster, Texas (brooksfarmyarn.com). The yarn was called Macho, 7.8oz/206 yards, fine wool bulky.

(P.S. It is hard trying to photograph a cowl)

Savannah

Savannah is a wonderfully historic small city to visit. I had the chance to do a girls weekend in

November. The weather was beautiful, sunshine and ranging from 50s to 70s all weekend long. We

stayed in the historic district and spent the whole weekend walking around, enjoying the various

squares, beautiful live oak trees, and gorgeous old houses. 

Ole Pink House

http://www.plantersinnsavannah.com/the-olde-pink-house/

We ended up eating here twice, it was that good. Some of the best food I’ve eaten in a long time. I

tried oysters for the first time – not my favorite thing but interesting. The highlights from the first night

were the biscuits, Sautéed Local Shrimp w/Country Ham Gravy & Cheddar Cheese Grits Cake appetizer,

the Caramelized Vidalia Onion & Sweet Potato Ravioli w/Savory Pecan Cream Sauce, and this desert

made out of pecans, pralines, chocolate, homemade vanilla ice cream and fresh berries. The service was

fantastic too. The second night we got the shrimp and grits again, more biscuits and I tried the porkchop

blackened with this great mushroom sauce on top. So yummy. I suggest eating in the basement tavern

portion for a more relaxed informal setting.

Distillery

This place was more of a pub/bar& grill type of vibe with a great offering of craft beers. I got the burger

and it was basic but nothing spectacular. I really did not like the onion rings – the batter wasn’t great

and too greasy. Also tried the latest popular drink – the Moscow mule. I’ve never had it before so didn’t

have a comparison but my friend said she had better. Overall, it was decent for a quick basic meal

without too many expectations. It was close to the hotel which was nice.

17hundred90

I liked this place. It is located in the lower level of the 17hundred90 Inn. So had a very rustic vibe with

the brick walls and lanterns. There was a piano player playing in the corner which was nice. I also liked

the haunted stories that came with the property – made for nice history and vibe that fit in nicely with

Savannah. The service was good. The biscuits had this honey glaze on them that was to die for. Melt in

your mouth so soft and flaky. For the appetizer, it was this puff pastry with snails that I enjoyed. For the

main course, I got a seafood platter w/ risotto and steamed variety of squash. The seafood consisted of

shrimp, scallops, and two crabcakes and they were all yummy. I liked that the crabcakes did not have

too much filler which I’m always worried about when outside of the Chesapeake Bay area. The risotto

felt underdone and could have used more seasoning. It is on the pricey side but I would go back because

I enjoyed the ambiance (even if it is geared for the more tourist crowd being part of an Inn).

Mellow Mushroom

This is a chain restaurant. But after completely a 1/2 marathon, it made for a perfect lunch (especially

since we were still in our sweaty gear). I love mushrooms and we got the Holy Shiitake Pie. I love that it

didn’t come with a tomato sauce base. However, I was not a fan of the aioli and wiped it off. If you need

an easy place to eat at, this is a good option.

Savannah Bee Company

This store is completed catering to tourists and I completely fell into the trap. The nice thing is that you

can sample different types of honey. I bought a 3oz jar of local Savannah honey. It had a nice flowery

taste. I’m excited to try it in my tea. Good gift options. I really do hope that their honey is truly local – at

least the bottles that are noted as such.

Goose Feathers

We didn’t eat here because the line was ridiculous. But I got bread pudding to go and it was quite tasty.

Huge portion, even with 2 people eating it – there was still enough for the next day. The moon pie was

insanely large and not my thing at all. The frosting was too sweet. Not sure if that’s how all moon pies

are.

Chocolat by Adam Turoni

Adorable little chocolate shop on Broughton Street. I could have bought everything they had. But I

limited myself to one chocolate covered honey comb bar (partnered with the Savannah Bee Company).

It’s still sitting in the box on my table, so I need to try it eventually. My friend really enjoyed the truffles

she purchased. And good to know they have an etsy site for future purchases.

shopScad

Savannah is home to the Savannah College of Art and Design. This shop is dedicated to the current and

former students of the College as well as professors. It displays their artwork of all types for purchase

(shoes, jewelry, paintings, soaps etc). I liked the idea of buying something handmade by a student. The

necklace I purchased happened to be made by a former student. It is important to support budding

artists.

Santa Fe

I fell in love with Santa Fe. My first time there and it blew me away with the charm and artistic nature of the town. I definitely want to go back sometime very soon. 

The Shed
sfshed.com

Charbroiled Steak and Enchilada 10 oz. of Ribeye or NY Strip cooked to your liking & a red chile, blue corn, cheese & onion enchilada. Served with Pinto beans & calabacitas.

This place was fantastic. I liked the vibe of the restaurant, how it was back off the street in an older pueblo style house. The meal was really really good. I can say I enjoyed every little bit of it. I know we tried making reservations elsewhere but so glad we went here. I would definitely go back on my next trip to Santa Fe.

The Teahouse
teahousesantafe.com

Perfect location at the top of Canyon Road. So after climbing up and exploring all the little art galleries along the way, stop here for a break and enjoy some great tea options.

La Posada de Santa Fe
laposadadesantafe.com

My friend scored a great Priceline deal for this hotel. It was all ritzy. We received free margaritas upon check-in. Stayed in this fabulously large room with super nice bathroom. And it was within walking distance of all the sights in Santa Fe. We enjoyed a great night sitting out under the lights and listening to this country musician while drinking tea and eating a yummy desert. Even though it was chilly, they provided outdoor heaters and warm blankets. Wonderfully relaxing evening. Keep in mind that they do charge a per day fee for amenities – so make sure you take some use of it. My friend had one slight issue, apparently the place is haunted by ghosts and hand trouble sleeping due to this fact and creaking noises at night. I, on the other hand, am fine with ghostly presences and was out for the count each night. 

French Pastry Shop
thefrenchpastryshop.com

We ended up getting breakfast from here twice.  It was within walking distance of our hotel and open early.  I tried a little bit of everything – the crepe, croquet monsieur, quiche and a couple of the various pastries that we bought for snacks later in the day. It was all tasty and fast service. I am sucker for yummy French pastries.

Santa Fe Plaza
http://www.yelp.com/biz/santa-fe-plaza-santa-fe#hrid:pnZKshnuUhPxFc5_aJuBEQ

I think stopping by to check out all the goods being sold by local Native Americans was my favorite part of Santa Fe. I love shopping for jewelry and little trinkets, especially if they are locally made and have some ties to the region.  The Native Americans selling their wares line up on one side of the Plaza by the Palace of the Governors and they must hold some sort of certificate showing they are authentic in order to set up here (I believe they are authenticated by the local museum) . So you know you are truly getting locally made products and supporting local people. Personally, I am not a haggler. So I willingly paid the asking price. If I can afford the jewelry, who am I to deny what little money they make. Plus some of the pieces were gorgeous and I enjoy handmade products. I would rather give my money to an individual than to some touristy shop. Plus I had a great time talking to everyone and learning about their crafts. I bought this lovely little vase and the artist explained how the vase shows the different seasons and it was a design he learned from his grandmother. Very cool.

South Padre Island

This summer I had the chance to check out South Padre Island and try out a few of the local spots.
Three things I highly recommend in try in South Padre Island, Texas:

1. Cap’n Roy’s 1313 Padre Blvd South Padre Island, TX 78597 capnroys.com 
Fish Tacos Fried or grilled with charro beans & rice. $9.95; blackening $1.00 extra.
The grilled fish tacos were fantastic. Fresh and tender with great flavoring. And I liked the dressing they used with the cabbage slaw. The beans and rice were average.
Camaronitas Diablitos 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 World Shrimp Cook-Off Champion dish! Marinated bacon wrapped shrimp with pineapple cream cheese & jalapeño, wrapped, rubbed, smoked & glazed with sweet BBQ sauce. $2.25 each a la carte.
I like trying out unique specialty items at different restaurants. While this may be an award winner, I found it just okay. I think it was the BBQ sauce that didn’t do it for me. A little too much which covered all the other flavors. Definitely give it a try.

2. Blackbeard's Restaurant 103 E Saturn South Padre Island, TX 78597 blackbeardsspi.com This place was packed. Definitely catering for the tourist crowd. But the food was plenty at a good price.
 Concha’s Jumbo Stuffed Jalepeno – Blackbeard’s house special for over 90 years. One for $3.75
I liked this specialty item. An order of 1 was large enough to split in two for a little tasting. Definitely packed with flavor. I would order this again.  
Fresh Garden Salad with cheese, mixed greens, tomato, egg, cantaloupe, cucumber, mushrooms, avocado, carrot, celery $8
For a basic garden salad, this salad really did include the whole garden. Plentiful and fresh. And we ended up eating the leftovers the next day.  
Broiled Seafood Supreme – Broiled gulf shrimp, scallops, Mahi Mahi, stuffed crab and stuffed shrimp, French fries, dinner roll $22
This meal was split between 2 people. It was plenty for dinner for 2 and with leftovers for the next day. I enjoyed how the scallops and broiled shrimp were cooked. I am not a huge fan of stuffed crab because I hate digging the meat out of the shell. Just make it into a crabcake and keep it simple. Perfect meal though for beach vacation.

3. Sea Turtle Inc. This was my absolute favorite thing I did at South Padre Island (besides hanging out at the beach). I never realized how many sea turtles there are in the region and how basically all the species are on the endangered list. I loved that this organization was basically a rescue center and hospital for sea turtles that were found or hurt on the Island. It is a completely donation run center and you get to walk around and see all the current sea turtles in rehabilitation. There’s even an adoption program and gift store were all the money goes back into the center.

Gerry says Hi

 We also spent a few afternoons on the beach enjoying the sun and surf. A few morning walks collecting shells. A nice boat ride to see dolphins. It was a lovely relaxing vacation. I love that the island was not overwhelmingly crowded or touristy. While it did have those elements, it was more on the peaceful and nature-loving side. However that may be because we went the last week in May and not during Spring Break. I would go back.

 

Wocka Wocka!

DSC_0552, a photo by keenak on Flickr.

In my continuing lust over nail polish, I present Wocka Wocka! - part of the OPI Muppet Collection.

I decided to be extra ambitious and paint both my fingernails and toenails this color. It turned out to be a dark red with orange undertones. It was really hard to take a good picture that captures the depth of the color. It was perfect as an end of December color with a little festive cheer.

Next up I may try one of the more glittery colors since glitter seems to be the "In" thing right now. I want to be all fashionable and trend worthy too :)