Where have I been??!?

View into the kitchen of Morimoto in Chelsea NYC.

Hi all, I meant to take a bit of a blog break, and that turned into weeks and then months- my apologies!  With the new goal of knocking out a bunch of projects around the house, the honeymoon, then more house projects, getting the garden going (I'm starting from seed this year!), and a few larger sewing project commissions I've been beyond busy off line.  I do intend to catch up with you all (not to mention catch up with your blogs as well) very soon.  The above pic is one of my favorites from our NYC honeymoon- just look at our amazing table view!

But for now, I just wanted to share an auction going on right now to support the Maryland chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis chapter.  I've been wanting to find a way to give back through crafting, and destash a bunch of my older shop items.  A while back the organization held an MS walk in Baltimore and one of the participants (who also happens to have an etsy shop) is now holding an online handmade auction to raise a bit more cash for the cause.  You can check out some great local Baltimore handmades up for grabs (including some of mine) and bid, donate, or just peek here.

As for me, I'll be diving into a few more projects this week, but promise to find the time to update you on our goings ons too.  Stay tuned!

Friday Finds: Neon Edition.

Color Pops.

I made this treasury last week for my Etsy team, The Blogging Business Artisans, and thought it was particularly nice.  I thought I'd share to brighten up this gloomy winter weather we've been having lately and give hope for pops of color as the spring emerges!  Please stop by and comment if you like!

Have a great weekend all!

New York Calling.

By SacredandProfane

Well friends, I briefly mentioned that we FINALLY finalized honeymoon plans!  We'd discussed many destinations from Nappa Valley to a Caribbean Cruise.  While out to dinner one night last month, hubby and I sort of had an epiphany: throughout the whole process the main thing on our minds was planning around amazing food.  That's become a big shared passion for us (both cooking & eating) and we though why not head to NYC, one of the best known restaurant capitals of the world? It just so happens to be a short train ride away which majorly reduces travel costs from our budget, opening up more cash flow to spend on food!  

You may remember our trip to Prague last fall and how much we enjoyed wining and dining ourselves there.  I'm still dreaming about it.  

We've already made reservations at several of our "Must Eat At before We Die" restaurants.  Train tickets are bought, the hotel room is booked, and I've got two tickets to see Book Of Mormon in my possession as we speak.   We could not be more excited!!!!  

By lauramiss

Certainly I'll disclose more photos and details, but I'd like to wait until after the trip of course, which is soon:)

What I've Been Up To Lately:

Printing like mad: Using my new stamps, I printed 100 business cards and product hang tags.  I also preprinted my cotton tape rolls for sew in labels.



Making a mess on my desk: All of this was just in the name of gift wrapping a couple of gifts!

Purging: Before I painted the cabinets, we reorganized the kitchen some and donated a bunch of stuff we no longer need or have duplicates of since the wedding.

Quiet Kitty Moments: Watching a little Birdie-TV with Langley.

I love waking up on those grey mornings.  The light is so soft and there's often seagulls circling above to keep my sleeping buddies around for a bit longer.

Ice Cream: We got an ice cream maker as a wedding gift and I just can't stop trying to perfect vanilla lately.  

Question:  What have you been up to lately?

Project Home Rennovation: Painting the Kitchen Cabinets.

Lately I've been a busy bee trying to push to get some of those pending house projects done.  After I finished painting the kitchen light grey, I had it in my head that the cabinets were ugly and needed a brightening up.  I knew I would paint them white, but I just wasn't sure what to use.

After a bit of online research I found out there were several products on the market that make painting shiny surfaces and laminate easy- no sanding!  I chose Valspar Ultra Kitchen & Bath.  It's a paint & primer in one, requires only cleaning the cabinets for prep, is scrubbable, and was $30 a gallon (sounds pricey, but is MUCH less than the Rust-Oleum kit.  I just used 1/2 a gallon anyway).  You have to be careful for 7 days after you're done- it may chip- but after that is good to go.

It took a week and a half of work as I only did a few doors at a time.  But, in the end, I think it makes the kitchen look so much brighter!  I went ahead and installed hardware too.  We didn't have any before and I was sick of that, so what a perfect time for it.  (Kind of a pain, but I got through it!)

You may wonder why I left most of the upper cabinets untouched.  Our eventual plan is to rip all of the unpainted cabinets down, install to-ceiling tile, a hood range over the stove, and then open shelving on either side.  This is quite a pricey plan, so for now we'll make due with a partial job.

I'm enjoying my progress thus far though, and know that we'll get it all done eventually.  As for now, I think I'm going to put a bookmark in the home projects and get back into sewing!  Have a great weekend friends!