Archive for October 2011

For many years I've had visions, ideas, dreams about some day opening my own shop.  These ideas have evolved from a cafe, coffee shop, vintage boutique... you name it.  I knew that all of these shop ideas would have to wait until I retired, but it wasn't until last year that I came to the realization that I didn't have to wait.  With Etsy, anyone can open there own shop without the fear, huge capital, and big time commitment needed for a retail shop.  It's been a while in the making, but it's finally official...tonight I opened my own Etsy shop - Heart Full!

Filling your heart full with repurposed vintage goods, at Heart Full you'll find a small collection of timepieces recreated from vintage books. Soon to hit the "shelves" are industrial light fixtures and a variety of furniture pieces.  Below are just a few photos of the book clocks that I have in stock. 

This is just a soft opening, with more product and work to be done on the shop in the near future. 

For now, I want to get my feet wet and see if my little shop will go places. :) 

I'm seriously so excited and feel like I'm finally giving my dream a chance!  

So hop on over to Heart Full and take a look. 

Let me know what you think and what repurposed goods you'd love to see in here. 

Have a lovely night! 

I'm off to date night with my hubby. Hurray! 

Stews, warm bread, and hot tea...

All perfect compliments to this dreary, cold autumn weather. 

Your nose smells the warmth first; taking in the spices of the stew simmering, bread rising, and tea a brewin'. 

Your hands gather the bowl and cup, both overflowing with steam. As you break bread to dip into your stew, the smell of goodness floats up and welcomes you. The warmth fills you instantly as you partake this meal; melting the weariness of the day away. With a full belly and happy heart, your night is now complete. 

There is something about a hearty stew that just makes one feel so cozy and content.   

This Sweet Potato & Lentil Stew is probably one of my favorite autumn and winter staples.  Created by Alicia Silverstone and feautured in her book, "The Kind Diet" this stew is seriously amazing. 

1/4 cup oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 small tomatoes, diced

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne

fine sea salt

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes

7 cups vegetable broth

1 cup lentils

Directions

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and cook till translucent and tender. Stir in tomatoes and ginger, cooking for 2-3 more minutes. Add rest of spices. I was pretty generous with the spices...adding about 1 or 2 teaspoons more of each...and then taste testing for flavor.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, broth, and lentils (I added about a 1-2 cups of diced carrots as well). Stir well, and bring to a boil. Once the stew is at a full boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about 40 minutes or until lentils and sweet potatoes are soft. 

Making plenty of leftovers; this stew just doesn't stop. 

It's perfect with a whole wheat baguette, cornbread, or just by itself...it's that good. 

Slowly, I've been finding my style and direction for the house. 

For me, beauty is seen throughout the ages and I want my house to portray this. Blending styles from vintage, industrial, and modern inspiration is my goal. My latest project was to find more storage for my dressing room. I wanted to go industrial and I wanted it to be bright. 

Here is the before. 

And the after...

It's perfect, it's me, and I love it! I'll be doing more industrial pieces for the house...so stay tuned! 

Think a combination of rustic, steel, and illumination.

Any guesses? 

-KateLainey

The leaves are falling like crazy in our neighborhood! 

I'm loving all the vibrant colors of orange, yellow, and red...and have been enjoying wearing clothes that match the lovely outdoors. I've was so pumped when I found these pink shorts at the J Crew Outlet coming back from Chicago a couple months ago, but my favorite find was this burnt orange top from the kid's section. Don't judge...it fits and it was super cheap.  Seriously, if you are a x-small or small, you should always check out the kid's section for the same kind of clothing, but at half the cost. 

Little trick my bestie, Kenz, taught me. :)

-KateLainey

Before the wedding on Saturday, we decided to take a tour to Ruby Falls. 

We weren't a huge fan of the overall guided tour, but the cave itself was pretty dang impressive. Especially the waterfall at the end. All the the lights they had made for some funky photos. I couldn't help thinking about the movie The Descent the whole time I was down here. Creepy! 

We took a double decker bus up the side of Lookout Mountain to get to the wedding...of course Zach and I had to ride on top. The views were breathtaking and it was so nice to be out in the open after being inside of a cave for an hour an a half! 

Of course some wedding planking was bound to happen.