so yes i've been missing but hey look at all the stuff i did

Ok so this feels a bit like a falsehood, to say I've been doing all of this stuff, because in all honesty this is stuff that was done over the course of one afternoon, but, there has been some time from my last post and I have done these things, so I think it's ok to imply at least in a blog title, that they were done over a span of time rather than over the course of six hours.

There was an ominous shadowy painting photo last time I was around. This is a continuation of that project. My roommate unearthed an old weird fake wood bookshelf from a corner of her room and we took it out into the sunshine on the porch to dust it off and revive it's awesomeness, and the only paint I had was these bright colors so I decided to paint it. And then after painting it yellow I decided that it would be cool to paint the outside green over that, and age it with, like sandpaper, or something, like I always see being done on furniture in Country Living type of magazines.

So I did. But I only had steel wool not sandpaper so I had to use that for the 'aging' process. Overall I would say it worked rather well, and we now have another place to put some of our alarming collection of books. Together I think we may be able to start a library....

There was also a fair amount of baking on sunday. A friends tree yields monsterous lemons so I must do something with them. Muffins, I think to myself?

Mini ones with hidden raspberry centers? Sounds like a good plan, especially as the market is still doing it's special prices on near-spoiled fruit, or stuff that's just a little squished but actually tastes best, and why not put them in the middle of a muffin?! Well I for one cannot think of a good reason not to do something like that, and so I did. Put raspberries in the middle of my lemon muffins that is.

Another think I did was make some plum-upside-down cakes. Mini ones again. cause I like to make things small and 'bite sized' so that eating multiples is more, um, justified. They were yummy but needed something more. Some lemons and raspberries cooked down together into a thick jewel-toned sauce? Check!

And this is what that lovely warm-day summery spread of dessert looked like in the end. I love checkered fabric and sunshine with my fruity baked goods. More soon.

bruised fruit and note-cards

A very good weekend it was, full of sun and pancakes. Pancakes with strawberrys.

I also made some greeting cards using ONLY materials that I already had.

All packaged up and ready to go for the holiday sale. In December. You can never start building up a stash of stuff for a craft sale too soon. I feel the need to stockpile crafts. Like a squirrel, a crafty squirrel.

I found the jackpot at Berkeley Bowl, tons of last minute fruit, all raspberries and plums and strawberries, so of course I scooped them all up.

And made some strange sort of mad-scientist crazy concoction of fruit with oaty-cake-batter-with-honey poured on top and then baked. And topped with vanilla bean ice cream. Yum and summer fruity yum.
And lastly an ominous picture of a current furniture painting project. What will it be, what are it's intentions? who are it's people? (hint, they are from the ikea family) stay tuned. Thank goodness it's sunny and nice and I have a porch to paint on as well. Many things to be thankful for.

can i say yum?!

Remember this empty shell I mentioned and said may be filled with something exciting?

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Here it is!

Cheesecake new york style. This was my first time constructing a crust in a spring form pan instead of a traditional pie dish, and I made a shortbread cookie dough and pressed it into the pan and pre-baked it then poured melted bittersweet chocolate over the whole mess and let it cool in the fridge for a spell before filling it with, well, the filling. A sort of simple cheesecake filling, with sour cream and beat egg whites and vanilla and almost no sugar. Very yummy when I taste-tested and fingers crossed, I threw that glorious pie of crazy into my oven and hoped for the best.

Unfortunately it did crack a bit in the middle, but the rest set so well that I just covered the whole thing is sliced strawberries and laughed it off. Plus then I tasted a slice and forgot about any cracked filling (what crack?) cause it was so darn delicious it was difficult to think anything else. I know it's bad form to say yum about your own food but hey this was fantastic so I said yum and I'll say it again.

YUM!

finishing a project and hints of things to come

Remember that lampshade that I started working on or rather spent about five minutes starting and then abandoned for a massively long amount of time? well I finished it! Very exciting to finish something that has been glaringly unfinished in the middle of my living room and now it is complete! check.

I cut out about a million leaf shapes out of tracing paper The same tracing paper I used for the globe lamp which is also in the living room. I thought it would be nice to have them feel similar in materials. And with the lamp on you can see the cut out leaf pattern on the inside of the lamp. Like a surprise.

Also, here is a crust, which will be filled with something. Or rather has been filled with something but is cooling and will be debuted later. Just you wait it's glorious and has chocolate!

what's been going on in my kitchen

Very pretty creamy pesto with honey-grilled carrots,

copious amounts of lemon zest muffins,

roasted mini-multi-color potatoes (with carrots, onions and peppers),

raspberry lemon-scone presents,

lots and lots of massive summer salads, with such fantastic colors and crunch,

and last but not least, a sneak peak at one of if not the most exciting thing to come out of my kitchen, possibly every: behold the glory that is the infamous so-intimidating-a-prospect-i-could-not-bring-myself-to-even-contemplate-making-it-for-almost-a-year bacon apple pie. That's right, this is an apple pie with bacon, in a lattice. And baked into the filling as well (just so you know)and maple syrup and little piggies around the edge (I can't believe how fortunate I was to find that cookie cutter in a drawer right before i undertook this epic project). I will leave you with this glorious image, and promises of things to come (bacon-y things) and more photos and projects. And I am going to go bask in the sunshine now!

long weekend printshop/bakeshop

I decided to be all productive this weekend, since it was so long, and there was so much time to spread around liberally for various pursuits, and start it off with some printing. So I pulled out the ink and rollers and other stuffs.



And proceeded to cover all of my desk, the kitchen table and even onto the floor with prints. Of frames. They will become something, I promise but for now I am just reveling in their mass. I have always appreciated things is large quantities.

I also burned a grilled cheese sandwich. It was actually real tragic cause I had sprung for the classy cheese because I felt the need to pamper myself. With cheese that is. Fear not. I did make another one that turned out just right.

And while there were other 'projects' that went on over the long holiday weekend but in an attempt to not overload this post with too many photos and save some stuff for just-in-case situations, I will finish with one last finger-licking good and very weather inspired er, um, baking project.

But it was super super warm over the weekend, thanks heatwave, and I couldn't stand the idea of the oven being on any more, and I had been wandering around the sun-soaked city for carnival Sunday and was disappointed that its-its in the freezer aisles of every corner liquor stores looked so fantastically delicious and I could not partake (cause of the whole gluten-full cookie thing) and so a plan of action was formed. I though, cookies (check) ice cream (check)

then layer them

and freeze them so they don't dissolve into sad melt-y puddles. And of course, enjoy, very very much.

A perfect sunny-afternoon-on-the-back-porch treat and BONUS stashed away in the freezer is leftovers so they are there whenever you want a cookie and icecream and can't decide which.
Though I a thinking they need to be covered in chocolate. Or at least drizzled or something. Thoughts?