shopping

yes, yes i am the worst blogger. though, i'm okay with writing once a month, if you're okay with reading once a month...all you readers out there.

well, i had a lovely day today. i met up with jenna for breakfast at piedmont cafe...mmm french toast! then we went to the depot for creative reuse on telegraph for a little shopping fix...wow, we totally lucked out! today was 50% off all vintage items! who knew there was such a day? 

here are 2 of my finds:

 a doily for 50 cents

the cutest purse EVER: jenna spotted this and then graciously let me buy it...she could tell that i was in love

i also bought a pretty blush colored table cloth, sabrina on vhs (i can't believe i don't own it considering my only tattoo is from this dress), and this 70's butterick pattern! everything for only $10. i love today.

now it's time to buckle down and do some schoolwork. 

braided loaf

i've been wanting to venture into the world of homemade bread for a while now because bread is just so much better when it's fresh from the oven. plus, it's so cheap! this braided loaf i made last night consists of the most basic ingredients (as most breads do)...

flour

salt

honey

yeast

egg

milk

it turned out pretty good! not too flakey, soft in the middle with a crisp crust...not too shabby!

mmm coffee

inspired by my friend, mat's long overdue love affair with coffee, this morning i decided to actually 'try' to brew a good cup. i love coffee and have loved it for a long time, but i am not really the 'measuring type.' i usually just throw some freshly ground (that's one thing i always do!) coffee into my cheap-o filters that are the wrong size and fill my super cute but probably not that clean pink coffee maker with a random amount of unfiltered water and let my machine do it's thaaang. 

it's drinkable, sure. after my first cup of black coffee i'll usually have another with a splash of milk to mask that bitter coffee-sitting-too-long-on-the-hotplate taste. but i deserve better, yes i do!

so today i pulled out my dusty french press (cleaned it out of course) and got to work...

1. filled my brita water filter with tap water, which is actually not bad here in oakland

2. using a teacup for measuring, i filled it with beans (trader joe's wake up blend...it's what i always drink) 

3. ground those beans

4. heated the filtered water in my tea kettle until it came to a boil, then let it sit for about 30 seconds

5. heated my french press with a bit of the hot water

6. ended up using only half of the grinds i measured out...filled water about 3 inches from the top of my press

7. stirred the sludge and wrapped my press in a towel to help keep in the heat

8. waited about 4 min....

9. pressed and voila! a pretty darn good cup of joe!

i am very much a beginner in the world of coffee snobbery and maybe this cup was tasty because i subconsciously willed it to be so, but it's amazing how the same beans can taste so different!

anyway, mat's blog is here

happy saturday!

some more randoms

i am wondering if i can sport this 'houndstooth long johns and moon boot slippers' combo for daytime...it's terribly comfortable

another bad phone photo of a successful screenprint done on silk organza

finally took my baryshipete weaving off the loom...then folded it up for 2 weeks, hence the creases. i can't decide what to do with it...it's a bit too big to hang on the wall. maybe it wants to be a pillow.

(pete is sniffing his woven crotch...i thought it was funny)

i'm hoping to get into the studio with my camera this weekend to take some 'good' photos of my work...i vow to take no more phone photos!!!

randomness...but mostly food...weekend highlights a week late (sorry)

zog's dogs' bacon wrapped 'mexico' hot dog at the 5th annual design dodgeball tournament 

pumpkin and goat cheese pizza at christina's house

chocolate and champagne at CHOCOLATE FEST (yes, it's a real thing)

and my lace screenprint that i finished instead of eating dinner...but it was worth it!