washi tape clock

Recently felt the urge to jazz up this clock from Target...

oh herro reflection.

...using my newly acquired stash of washi tape from Taiwan.

The great thing about washi tape is that it's very easy to manipulate. It has an adhesive flexibility similar to a post-it note, so you can reposition it often without it losing its grip. It's also kind of stretchy, so if it doesn't line up exactly where you want it to, you can kind of push it into place.

Toyed around with several orientations before deciding to go with the alternating tab & triangle pattern (mainly because I didn't want to waste all those little triangle pieces of tape.. this stuff is too expensive to waste like that!). The final result kind of reminds me of this one pair of Toms Classics that I've been eyeing since December.

laptop cases + yay, poppytalk!

Dear Internet - you are too good to me.

I just won another giveaway - this time it's a $50 gift card from Poppytalk Handmade, which is like Etsy, but better because it's a carefully curated marketplace, so you know you're getting the best of the best. They also have a blog that, in my opinion, is the epitome of a great design and lifestyle blog - beautiful craft ideas, delicious recipes, and lots and lots of pretty pictures.

Too excited. Can't think straight. I'm helping a friend with the decor for her Sept 2012 wedding and I already see so many things that I want to get. Thanks again Poppytalk!!

In other news, I got myself a MacBook Air. It's really great.. and really small. So small that a new case was definitely needed. Disappointed with the selection (and prices) of cases online, I decided that I would be better off making my own.

I'm certainly not going to win any awards for elegance or sound construction with these, but that's ok, because they were free. Constructed out of a padded FedEx envelope (+ a large mailing envelope and cardboard from the back of legal pads for additional structure) and a fabric sleeve, I think it provides about the same amount of protection as those padded microfiber sleeves, no?

Both fabrics were dug out from my mom's stash at home. I originally chose the green graphic one because it reminded me of the bright prints of Diane von Furstenberg, but as soon as I was done and in the process of admiring the result of my labor and love, my sister walks in and immediately goes, "What is that? It's ugly."

Oh siblings. At least you can count on them to be honest?

And so I started on a second one, using the remnants of an old skirt. The fabric was hard to manipulate, stretching every which way it pleased as I tried to sew a straight line... hence the rather uneven edges and random puffs of fabric. :(

But it's ok! I just need it to look cute and flawless for the 45 seconds it takes me to remove the laptop from the case and shove it back in my bag.

taiwanese cooking jackpot

I've been complaining a lot about the lack of websites dedicated to Chinese and Taiwanese recipes, especially when compared to the vast number of sites dedicated to Japanese and Korean cooking. No more excuses are allowed however, as I've recently stumbled upon the Taiwanese version of Maangchi, Taiwan Duck. The site is relatively new and only has about 40 recipes, but there are videos for each and nice pictures of the end product. The first thing I'm going to try is the hot and sour soup... except I might be allergic to white pepper - still trying to figure that out.

image via Taiwan Duck

There's also the site Taiwanese Cooking which I'm a little less impressed with (I mean, really... Cranberry Chicken Salad Delight?)

KYAHHHH let's go :D

art for ze bathroom

Because why not? It's a room you look at every day, so it might as well pretty.

via this japanese website

The frame was picked up from a local thrift store in their free bin. Why they would throw away such a thing is beyond me. Though it was missing glass and backing, it had a wire for hanging and was otherwise sturdily constructed, so I swooped it up along with another frame that was slightly more disheveled - more on that one to come!

Because these are on the smaller side and would look weird on my giant walls, the frames sat around for a while. One day as I was hanging out in the bathroom, I noticed that there was a small hole right in-between the two hooks that had been removed by the previous tenant. Eureka moment, commence. I quickly scurried off to construct something that would cover up the unsightly holes and add some oomph to the room.

before & after

Because the frame was so light and thin, I wanted to use materials that wouldn't bog the whole thing down. I ended up going with a plastic sheet protector as my "glass" and a file folder as my backing (cardboard would've been too thick). There were already nails in the frame to hold the contents in place, so once everything was nicely trimmed down to 8x10, it was a cinch to put together.

Not sure how well the whole thing is going to hold up against the moisture in the room, but I'm willing to take my chances.

brunch & friends

I think brunch is one of the greatest things ever. It's a delicious opportunity to simultaneously eat sweet and savory, it occurs on the weekend, and it's cost-efficient because you save yourself a meal.. or two.. depending how late (and how much) you eat.

I also thing potlucks are great. Any social event involving food already ranks high in my book, but an event where you can just make one dish but eat several is perfection.

And so I decided to host a brunch potluck. Partly because one of my New Year's resolutions to be more social and partly because I wanted to make sweet potato and sausage hash. I ended up not having enough time to get the sausage (decided cleaning the bathroom was more important), so I suppose I'll save that for another day.

We went all out with our parfait station, breakfast burritos, roasted potatoes, pumpkin bread and mimosas! I still don't have wine glasses, so we drank them out of mugs. It was still really great. Also fun fact, my couch is the perfect height for my dining table, thus giving me SO. MUCH. SEATING!

Thanks friends :)

Pumpkin Spice Loaf Bread (courtesy of DC)

3 cups flour 2 cups raw sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 egg 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin (puree not pie filling) ½ cup water 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 ½ cups dried cranberries ¼ cup unsalted walnuts 12 muffin cups

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine raw sugar, melted butter, oil, eggs, pumpkin and water. Beat for 90 seconds, or until well mixed. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices, stirring until no streaks remain. Combine flour mixture and pumpkin mixture. Stir in nuts and cranberries; stirring only until all ingredients are mixed. Cover batter and allow to set at room temperature for 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched. If to be frozen, allow to cool for 1 hour, then tightly wrap in plastic wrap; store in freezer zipper bags. To reheat, wrap loosely in foil and bake for 5-10 minutes at 350°F. Or they may be reheated in the microwave wrapped loosely in a damp paper towel.

pillow covers

When I develop a liking for something, it usually becomes an intense obsession that can last for years before it dwindles down to a healthy pastime or general thing of interest. Past examples: making glass beaded bracelets, Jeremy Bloom and Korean dramas. Now that the Korean drama train is kind of losing steam, I've been looking for something new to preoccupy myself with...and then I discovered handmade pillow covers.

So fun. So easy. So (arguably) useful. And you can get great pillow inserts from IKEA for $3 each (I prefer the ones filled with polyester batting vs. their crappy down feathers). I basically destroyed the house last week during my hunt for suitable fabric, even threatening to cut up some of my brother's shirts. I actually did end up using 2 of his old turtlenecks and if he regrets giving them to me, it's far too late now.

I followed this video tutorial to make the envelope pillow covers. I ended up making 7 in all, with 2 of them being failures (note to self: sheer curtain material does not go through a sewing machine well). I was going to make another one of the red/white floral cover because I thought it was a fresh and fun pattern, but then my brother said the pattern reminded him of boxers and my sister said it made her think of pajamas, so I gave up on that. Still crying about it inside though, just a little.

chipotle and rosemary roasted nuts + awesome music

Made a batch of these (+ my own wax paper baggies) as office holiday presents. 

The recipe can be found here - I followed it pretty closely, except I cut the amount of rosemary by half as some of the commenters said the flavor was too strong. Now I'm in love with chipotle and shall put it on everything.

And although the holidays are officially over, I still have a little Christmas spirit in me, so I just wanted to share some songs that have been on repeat for the month of December as a musical gift.