Cork heart.

Just a little post to say hi and see what's been going on in the blog world. I've been trying to establish some sort of routine with my new schedule and have decided that it's time to hit the gym in the mornings again. At least this time I can wake up at 7 instead of the crack of dawn like before. 

I made this super easy craft over the weekend and thought I'd share pictures. Since our very first date, Soner and I have been collecting the wine cork from bottles we've shared during our first year together. Since we're embarking on our second year together (first one as a married couple) I thought it was time we do something with them. 

I took all the corks and placed them on a flat cardboard surface to gauge how big the heart should be. Then, I cut out the cardboard and started to glue the corks from the bottom up with a hot glue gun. I decided to alternate some corks with the wine stain up and some down just to make it fun and not so perfect. I think it turned out quite cute and is now hanging in our kitchen, the room we spend most of our time in! 

Little Knits.

Sometimes you're reminded of why blogging means so much to you. Today I was reminded of the friends I've met through blogging when I saw Paige's post over at Barefoot Vintage. Paige and I met through a mutual blogger friend a few years ago. A little while ago Paige contacted me about making a little knitty thing for her girl, Zoey. I asked her what she had in mind and she had the brilliant idea of combing the knitted creatures I make along with a hat pattern. I was so excited to make this project but even more excited when I saw these pictures of beautiful lil' Zoey sporting her little owl hat! I can't get over the cuteness!





Photos courtesy of Barefoot Vintage


Thanks so much for posting these Paige!

You can checkout some headbands I have in the shop here: Little Knitty Things

Sweater & Jeans.

details:

sweater: Uniqlo via Crossroads Trading

blouse: c/o Modcloth (old)

jeans: Levi's Curve high waist skinnies

boots: Stakeout c/o Seychelles

A short little post for you as I get ready to watch the last episode of the season of Parenthood. So good! I've been hooked on the show ever since I found it on hulu the very first season. Getting ready to take things easy this weekend after quite a hectic week. I don't even care if the weather cooperates as I just want to catch up on some sleep! Ok, going to go cry my brains out now.

Homemade Seitan.

To most vegans out there, the thought of making seitan from scratch always seems a little intimidating. I've been a vegan for almost ten years now and never have I even attempted to make it until now. I finally found a recipe that didn't seem to daunting, thanks to The Urban Vegan. I just happen to pick up this book at the local library (which I've been hitting up a lot these days. does anyone else still go?) Anyhow, I made it the other night and am pretty impressed with the way it turned out.

What you need:

1 cup vital wheat gluten (this is the same stuff you need to make these)
1 1/3 cups vegetable broth, for mixing
6 cups vegetable broth, for simmering
1 tablespoon canola oil ( I used olive oil)

What you do:

1. Mix the wheat gluten and the 1 1/3 cup broth. Knead for 5 minutes. Let rest for 5 more minutes.

 

2. Cut seitan in nuggets or desired shape. Pieces swell when you cook them so make them smaller than you would need them to be.

3. Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Gently drop in seitan, turn down the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.

4. Drain well. Heat a non-stock skillet to medium high. Add oil and then sauté nuggets until browned.

If you are not using the seitan immediately, you can cover it with broth and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If freezing, cover in broth in a plastic container for up to 6 months.

*recipe sourced from The Urban Vegan book.

Nanny style.

details: 

denim shirt: Crossroads trading

pants: AA via Buffalo Exchange

backpack: c/o Blowfish shoes

boots: Jeffrey Campbell

scarf: thrifted

My posting has been a little sporadic lately mostly because I don't really have anything too exciting going on. I've been super busy just babysitting and when I'm home, I'm usually re-organizing/decluttering our apartment. Since I've been spending more of my time at the playground I feel like I no longer have much use for dresses or cute skirts. I'm opting for skinny jeans and sweaters as my go-to. This week, on a recent drop-off at Crossroads Trading, I picked up this denim shirt which I've already worn twice. I love it's versatility! Adding to my new lifestyle, I've decided that sporting a backpack is so much easier than lugging around a purse! I know, how utilitarian I've become. I already had one in my closet but when Blowfish shoes offered to send me a pair of shoes, I ventured into their accessories and found this one. I love it's pattern and it's the perfect size to keep the few things I need: wallet, water bottle, book, gloves...etc. It's actually on sale right now too! 

Hope you all had a great weekend! I'm off to enjoy a little comedy night with some friends. 

Vegan Shop-up.

Today some friends and I spent the day in Bushwick {the next neighborhood over from Williamsburg} in order to attend the Vegan Shop-up (click to see the list of vendors) at Pine Box, a completely vegan bar. The shop-up consisted mostly of vegan treats like truffles, cookies and spreads but also had some fun things like homemade sprinkles. Since we're usually not in the neighborhood, we decided to walk around, despite the icy cold windy weather, and venture in some vintage stores and did a little shopping.

The shop-up was so fun since it's not everyday that, as a vegan, you can freely enjoy samples and tastings at markets. I didn't hear about it before but their website says that it's a bi-monthly event. I think I'll definitely be going back!

Flore etc.

So I haven't exactly been into the blogging mode since coming back from LA. You'd think that I'd have all of this free time now that I'm not working my 9 to 5 right? Well that's what I thought at least. Between running around to appointments with the immigration department, the labor dept. and a few babysitting jobs, I haven't had the chance to really do anything for myself. Oh and did I mention getting sick on Sunday morning and having to cancel any Superbowl plans for the day?
Therefore, I give you this post on this vegan restaurant in LA.

Flore was one of the restaurants we found while doing our rounds of vegan fare. We were told to venture out in the Silver lake area to check it out. Let me just say that I am extremely jealous of you guys in LA that have so many vegan options available to you! We had such a hard time deciding on where to eat cause there was SO MANY OPTIONS! Flore kind of stood out probably because it had the vibe of a place you'd find right here in Williamsburg, except the people working there are actually really nice! (No offense to the brooklynites out there but it's true, you could learn a thing or too from nice Californians.) We ended up eating there twice! Once for dinner and then back for breakfast on the morning we were flying back to NY. I'd definitely suggest you save room for dessert and make your way across the street to Pazzo gelato for some gelato/sorbet. My fave flavor was the Coconut macadamia nut. Oh so delicious. 

Venice Beach.

So here we are with my last update on our trip to Los Angeles. We spent Sunday driving around different neighborhoods and just taking in the sights. We were told that Venice Beach was a MUST SEE, so that was our first stop of the day.

details: vintage top via Tea Kettle Vintage

Dear creatures shorts via Modcloth

vintage belt via Value Village

socks via Hue

Stakeout boot c/o Seychelles

I was pretty excited when I put this outfit together as they're sort of "new" things that I bought this winter thinking I'd have to wait until this Summer to wear. You'll notice that I've worn these boots throughout my whole trip. I can't help it, they're my new favorite shoes. Just a little chunky heel to give me some height but not too much that I can't walk comfortably in! 

For vegans out there, there's a great little restaurant right on Pacific ave called Seed. We had some sandwiches and lemonade before hitting the beach that were delicious!