A busy weekend

For the weekend before the last week of school I sure have done a lot of non-school-related things.

• My friend B and I went to our good friends' A&T's house last night for dinner. We were asked to get there at 6, which I thought was a bit early, but whatever, they're married and go to bed early. Little did I know that we would be making mozzerella! Awesome. I've heard that this is pretty easy to do, well I read about it in Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Mineral (very good read); T got A a kit for her birthday and they've made ricotta and mozzerella a few times now. It was very easy to do - not daunting at all having made yogurt and paneer before anyway. You just use citric acid to separate the curds/whey and then put in a dissolved rennet tablet. There's some specific stirring methods and temperatures, but that's pretty much it. Very cool. Took 20 or so minutes.
• I went to the dollar store yesterday in search of a toothbrush (they have sweet deals there...you know...things for a dollar). I also found some clothespins. Wooden ones. 36 for a dollar! Wow. So, I bought them. I had recently seen some very cute painted clothespins (can't find the link!), so I thought I'd do that. Then I realized that would be a huge pain, so I thought maybe I could modpodge them. One look at etsy told me that that was obviously the new hotness. I took some paper I had saved from a very pretty birthday present, and set out. They turned out great. I'm really pleased with the results, and I'm looking for some different paper to use on the other 22!
• To round out the weekend, A gave me some leftover whey. She said it's good for bread making. We'll find out today!
• Oh. And. I've been doing the no-poo thing for about 2 weeks now, and I couldn't be happier about it. Yay!

These beauties aren't mine. They are from the papered crown's etsy shop. Check it out!

When did this happen?

Great pieces from Land's End Canvas

Land's End got sort of...cool? Looks like J. Crew from 3 years ago, but, well, what's wrong with that. Looks like a solid place for basics.

Buttons make everything better

My blog addiction has led me to two photos in the last week that have made me smile (and made me want to sew shorts again...which is a big deal).

Jen, over at The Fabled Needle (Please check her stuff out, it is really beautiful. I have a print!) posted pictures of some of Stella McCartney for GapKids clothing. Now, I am no petite creature, lithe enough to slip into some GapKids, but I can ogle, right? LOOK at these shorts. Please, seriously. WOW! I want them.

Even more button-sporting clothing popped up in my RSS feed this morning. Look at this cute shirt by Coty Lee via Paper and Stitch! Very cute, and super easy to DIY I'd say. I see a refashion in my future!

On not having anything to say (link love)

It's funny how a blog can make you feel worthless. I've been bogged down with grad school, teaching and studying for my comps (which are more than halfway over now!). I've accomplished a lot in the last two months, but there's this albatros around my neck - I haven't published a blog post; I'm a bad blogger; value judgments from every direction! And by every direction I really mean from myself. I haven't made much in the way of crafting. I've cooked a ton, but I haven't felt the need to blog about it. But boy howdy do I read other peoples' blogs; seriously, I have a blog addiction problem. I've found some really awesome links over the past 2 months, and I'd like to share them with you.

Heart of Light's Homemade Paneer (from today!)

• I've wanted to make cheese for a long time. I love Indian food. All you need is milk, lemon juice, paper towels and cheesecloth. Is there anything bad about this idea?

Free bunting printouts from nonpareil magazine via iDiY

• I'm a sucker for bunting - completely gaga for it. And free things. Again, good idea.
• Speaking of bunting - diy bunting stamp from broccoli rubberbands!!! How ABOUT orange?!

Chevron things

• I dig chevron as well (I'm trendy...god). Design*Sponge posted this awesome chevron wall a few days ago.
• This t-shirt isn't Chevron, but say YES! to hoboken's blog is! It's high time I stop bookmarking these t-shirts and start making them. Seriously.
• Design*Sponge strikes again with this DIY chevron rug by Suzannah over at Adventures in Dressmaking
• Prefer stripes? No problem - there's a tutorial for that. via Apartment Therapy

Refashioned things

• Look at this bag! Don't you want it!? Salt-water kids via Wardrobe refashion
• Sew I thought...this girl NEVER disappoints. Next time you walk into a thrift store you will see haute couture written all over the place!

From the world of actual paper you can touch (but also found online)

• I love Real Simple magazine. I've heard people criticize it, because a lot of the things in it are so expensive and they are often not simple. I. Don't. Care. I love it and I don't care. I bought a 6 month subscription from an office-mate's son. The last issue was their 10th anniversary, and they shared popular tips from over the years.
• My favorite oldie was to use a salad spinner for getting rid of excess water in hand washed sweaters. I had just gotten back from Minnesota and needed to wash some cashmere, but was frustrated by the instructions that say "do not wring or twist"+ "lay flat to dry". Really? What do you want me to do with it then? Obviously, put in in my salad spinner. Amazing.
• This issue also shows you how to dry your hair. I've never known how to really dry my hair. I'm serious. No one taught me...who is supposed to teach you? I don't have sisters. My mom has short hair. Stylists, when I do ask for help, do a terrible job of explaining the process. But there it was. In three steps. For straight hair/for curly hair. Thank you Real Simple. My hair looked GREAT!

Kind of out there

• Anyone do the no-poo thing? As in not using shampoo at all? I've heard of it over the past 5 years or so, maybe longer actually (I used to work at a hippie co-op). I haven't taken the plunge - apparently your hair looks NASTY for 2-6 weeks - and it is supposed to work better with curly hair - I have straight. But I have added some baking soda to my shampoo when I wash. It has made a world of difference. My once greasy-by-4pm locks are now good to go for 2 days. Weird. If you can make it through the transition period - the results are supposed to be AMAZING.
• Finally, a linguistic note. Did you know there's a midline through the states (think Mason-Dixon-ish) that divides how people say "greasy". People in the Midlands and the South tend to go with greazy (/gɹi:zi/) and people in the North and West tend to go greasy (/gɹi:si/). Neat.