A Dose of the Delightful

Anthology Mag Issue 6!

Here's a sneak peek video as well as some pages from the issue - I can't wait to pick this up at my nearest Anthropologie (side note: Anthropologie is DANGEROUSLY close to my office):

 

Editor-in-chief Anh Minh Le writes that she and co-founder Meg Mateo Ilasco created the magazine "out of a fundamental desire to make things." This issue is right up my crafty alley: it celebrates the beauty & meaning of a handmade lifestyle. 

In keeping with the issue's subject matter, Le and Ilasco enlisted the crazy good skills of artist Chloé Fleury for the cover. She creates whimsical, cozy little universes using fabric, thread, cardboard, paper cutouts and glue. Chloé says: 

Read more about her work on her website.

If you're not a subscriber, check here for stockists.

DIY Peanut Butter Update: Sweetened With Maple Syrup

When I posted my DIY peanut butter recipe, I mentioned that I had plans to try a version sweetened with maple syrup instead of honey. I finally did, and the results are in: I like it even better than the original! It's subtly sweet, and not at all too mapley. I also decided to cut back on the coconut oil this time since you can definitely taste the coconut. Instead, I used a mixture of coconut and safflower oils. If you're not familiar with safflower oil, get familiar! It's an incredibly healthy oil and has no noticeable fragrance or taste - making it a perfect substitute for canola oil.

Here's a modified version of the recipe:

3 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
1 tbsp coconut oil 
1 tbsp safflower oil
Sea salt to taste
Maple syrup to taste

You'll also need a food processor. Process peanuts one cup at a time; add coconut & safflower oil as you go.

This really is incredibly easy to do once you've done it - it takes literally 5 minutes, and the reward is some of the best-tasting peanut butter ever (at least that I've had). It's so good I'm definitely guilty of getting out a spoon and going to town - another reason I'm glad it's so easy to make more!

DIY Peanut Butter:Tastier, Safer, & Just How You Like It

Ever since my colleague Neal brought his own homemade peanut butter to our office, I've been dying to make my own. There are so many great reasons to avoid commercially made peanut butter - chief among them that homemade tastes wayyyy better!  Plus, most of us don't have time to make things from scratch and therefore have to sacrifice knowing exactly how our food is prepared and what's in it. I like that it's so easy to make such a staple food myself - I know exactly what's in it and under what conditions it was made. No salmonella here! Finally, it's insanely cheap to make.

I decided to try my first batch with a few thoughts in mind. I'm not a huge fan of having to stir the oil that usually sits at the top of natural peanut butter, and I know a ton of people who won't eat natural peanut butter because of this, so I wanted to make it as smooth and solid as possible. Coconut oil, in addition to being super good for you, is also solid at room temperature, so would theoretically help me achieve the consistency I was after. Just so you know, it's the partially hydrogenated oil added to commercial PB that keeps it solid but also makes it pretty bad for you (it turns into trans fats). 

I also wanted to avoid using refined sugars, so I chose to sweeten mine with honey! Maple syrup seems like it would be another yummy option. 

You can also avoid using oil altogether and just process the peanuts until they're nice and smooth - but the peanut butter will be a bit more difficult to spread.

You'll just need the ingredients below and a food processor! 

Ingredients:
3 cups unsalted roasted peanuts
2 tbsps coconut oil - Try a different oil if you don't like a hint of coconut - safflower oil is another super healthy alternative that's tasteless. 
Sea salt to taste
Honey to taste

A whopping 4 ingredients, plus my favorite measuring cups 

 Process peanuts one cup at a time; add coconut oil or oil of your choice as you go.

 Once the peanut butter begins to get creamy, add salt and honey (or other sweetener) to taste.

Blend until it's as creamy as you'd like - mine took about 4-5 minutes. How simple is that?

Transfer the peanut butter to an airtight container, and you're done! The PB should last about a month, and up to two months if kept in the fridge.

I really like that this is completely customizable. For example, if you like chunky peanut butter, process one cup of peanuts until they're finely chopped, then set aside while you process the other two cups until creamy. Then mix the chopped peanuts in. You can also sweeten with other ingredients (like maple syrup) - my colleague Lib even suggested mixing in some Nutella!

This really is one of the easiest and most delicious things I've made in a long time - anyone can (and should) try it!

Bedroom Wall Revamp: Just Add Paint!

When I posted the DIY no-sew roller shade upgrade, you got a tiny glimpse into my bedroom. In the same post, I mentioned that I had plans to repaint, and I've finally done it! 

Not only that, but I've also adopted an entirely different palette and I just didn't like the heavy black frames seen below anymore.

With a few coats of paint as the only change, the same corner of the space looks totally different.

I always thought the coral color I chose when I moved in was much too pink and too dark...

...so I primed over it (this required 2 coats of primer - ugh) and then painted it Tropical Pool (Benjamin Moore Natura). I also used One Shot Letterers' Enamel in Ivory to repaint the picture frames and give them a lacquer-like shine. However, once I hung them, I decided that with the fuschia in the shade and the aqua walls, ivory simply looked too saccharine and childlike, so...

 

I painted them yet again, but this time, in Medium Gray - and I love them! You can see a bit of glossiness on the top frame, but in person they're quite shiny. I've been thinking of introducing some gray into the room to subdue all of the other colors a bit, and this shows me that gray is just the ticket.

A word of warning about One Shot: if you choose to use it, you absolutely must paint outside. The fumes are quite strong, as I found out when I just tried to paint near an open window. Also, you've got to use a brush with natural fiber bristles because the paint solvents will eat away at synthetics. This also means that unless you're going to trash your brush each time you do a project, you've got to use turpentine to clean it.

As you might imagine, neither the paint nor the turpentine are great for humans or for the environment; I'm actually on the lookout for a safe alternative that gives the same shine.

Here's to the power of paint!

A Pitch Perfect Picnic

Though I spent most of my teenage years in Tennessee, I have to admit I'm a Florida girl at heart. Once summer's here, I always wish it would never end! It's my absolute favorite season, even during sweltering heat waves.

What better way to enjoy summer than with a picnic that's perfect in every way?

This post originally appeared as part of a guest series on Wild & Precious.

 
1. J. Crew Vintage Schoolboy Shirt: Unfortunately, this shirt was so popular it's no longer available! I love how subtle this gingham is.

2. 40s Style High Waisted Shorts: Bless Etsy. I enjoy supporting independent shops when possible - how often do we have the luxury of handsewn, quality clothing anymore?

3. Daniblack Olsa Platform Sandal: The faux suede is made of recycled plastic bottles, and the raffia sole is renewable. 

4. Tiffin Tin: This traditional carrier for lunches or snacks originated in British India. I love that this stainless steel version can be used over and over again without worrying about wear and tear or leaching plastic.

5. Ikea Tekla Towel: At 79 cents (there are still things that only cost cents!) per towel, I buy these in bulk and use them as napkins and dish towels, then cleaning rags once they're dingy.

6. Reusable Sandwich Wrap: Cheaper, less wasteful, and easier to store than plastic baggies! And I can't resist old-fashioned gingham print.

7. Recycled Canvas Picnic Tarpaulin: Beat it up, spill on it, lay it over sand or dirt - it's made of vintage army canvas, so it's already seen a lot of action.

8. Belvoir Organic Lemonade: It's the perfect sweet, refreshing summer treat. Add a splash of champagne or vodka if you're feeling festive - that gorgeous package design deserves to be celebrated!

9. John Lewis Picnic Hamper: The classic picnic basket. 

10. Tivoli Portable Songbook: I don't know about you, but I consider good music an essential part of doing summer right!

11 & 12. Bambu Veneerware: These are much prettier & more durable than paper plates, plus they're certified organic and biodegradable/compostable.

13. Candle Lantern: When summer sun starts to fade into dusk, you can light these recycled glass lanterns and hang them from nearby branches or place them on the picnic mat.

Guest Post on Wild & Precious: A Pitch Perfect Picnic

My friend since my middle school days in Maryville, Tennessee, Blair, has an adorable blog called Wild and Precious - an award-winning blog, I might add!

She and her talented painter husband David have just welcomed baby girl Magnolia, and to help her make sure she's getting all the precious time she needs with the baby, she's enlisted guest posters to keep her posts coming.

Head over to Wild and Precious and see what I've rounded up to create a perfect picnic!

A Dose of DIY: Roller Shade Upgrade (No Sew!)

Alas, custom window coverings seem to be one of those things which are never very cheap. 

I've had the same tired single panel curtains held up by tension rods for several years now, and with my change in bedroom paint color (photos soon!), it was about time to give the old curtains the heave-ho.

I debated several options for window coverings, most of which are DIY or semi-DIY. There are quite a few very helpful roman shade tutorials out there, including this no-sew one. I also considered using my new sewing machine (one of my favorite birthday gifts in recent memory - thanks, Mom & Dad!) to make a simple panel hung on a rod.

Ultimately, though, I settled on buying roller shades and covering them with fabric. Here's why:

• They're insanely inexpensive. Mine were $17.95 per shade at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
• Most stores will cut them down to the size you need for free. 
• They block light extremely well (unlike the flimsy panels I currently have).
• Though they're plain, they're very easily made pretty by your choice of fabric.
• I bought gorgeous fabric from Purl Soho that I want to preserve for future use, and hot glue is very easy to remove from the roller shade and the fabric itself.
• They're easy to install. 
• They're a very minimal time commitment. I'm a renter still, so investing tons of time in creating window treatments doesn't make sense for me at the moment.

 And now for the how to: 

Before you buy the shade, measure as precisely as possible the distance between each wall it will mount to, as well as the entire length you'll want the shade to cover. Then buy enough fabric for a 1 or 2 inch border around the length and width of the portion of the shade that will show.

1. Lay fabric (already cut to proper length and width) on a flat, clean surface, pattern side down. I didn't iron my fabric first, but if I did this project again, I would.

2. Unroll your shade to the length it will be when fully extended and lay it over the fabric, centering so that the fabric border is even on each side.

3. Fold fabric border over shade in increments of 4 or 5 inches at a time and attach using hot glue gun. Work your way around each side and the top and bottom of the shade. 

4. Roll up the shade, then install it per manufacturer's instructions. 

A few quick tips & tricks:

Purchase your shades at a local store. I nearly purchased mine online and am quite glad I didn't - my measurements ended up being off by just a smidgen, so I was able to quickly run back to Bed, Bath & Beyond and have the shades cut down further. This would've been quite a mess had I not been able to do so.

The direction of the roller itself is a matter of personal preference. I think it creates a much cleaner line to have the shade pull down in front, rather than behind the roller.

When gluing fabric down, it helps to have something like a heavy book weighing down the portion of fabric above the roller and at the bottom of the shade. This will ensure your fabric is pulled taut. 

If the length of your window isn't much shorter than the length of a particular shade size, I'd go with the next length up to ensure you'll have enough weight on the roller to help pull them up. My shades don't roll up quite as easily as they should, probably because they stretch almost to the maximum when pulled completely down.

If your roller shade won't roll down and up properly, pull it down halfway, then take the roller off the brackets and roll up by hand. Then replace the roller, and the tension in the spring should be much better. If not, repeat this process until it is.

The whole thing only takes about an hour and a half - have fun! Next project for me: repainting my bedroom.

DIY: From Jar Candle to Pretty Vase

The other evening, I spent some time at my very close friend Joanna's lovely apartment, and not long after arriving admired a beautiful Jonathan Adler candle she'd been given. We both agreed that the porcelain container was so pretty she should try to save it and put it to some other use. She asked me if I knew how one could go about completely removing wax and wick remnants once the candle had been burned fully, and I wasn't sure. However, it's something I've always wanted to do myself.

I, and I think many others, buy candles not only for how they smell, but for how pretty their containers are. My favorite candle, one I burn for a little while almost every day, is the Volcano scent Capri Blue candle. Every time it burns down, I run to Anthropologie to buy another, all the while wishing I didn't have to throw out the pretty blue glass container with leftover wax caked in the bottom. Plus, Aspen Bay Candles (the manufacturer) does such a good job of being environmentally conscious by using beautiful recycled glass that it seems a shame to trash. Not to mention the fact that $30 is nothing to sneeze at for an item that has an 85-hour shelf life.

After doing a bit of research, I figured out a super easy and quick method for cleaning out old candle jars. It works especially well with soy wax, which is softer than paraffin and much better for the earth (it's made of renewable vegetable oils vs. non-renewable fossil fuels). 

It's the easiest DIY ever! Plus, it helps you make new use out of something you already thought was beautiful and keeps garbage (and your money) from going into a landfill. 

First, I scraped the remaining wax out of the bottom of the jar with an old spoon. It came out surprisingly easily!

Then, I heated up about 2 inches of water in a pot. Some tutorials I found online suggested boiling water, but I think this isn't such a good idea safety-wise - glass can explode if there's a tiny crack in it and it's subjected to drastic temperature changes. So I used very warm water and the wax melted in a few minutes.

Here's the candle containing melted wax - I pulled it out of the pot carefully with a towel.

After pouring the melted wax into the garbage, I carefully wiped out the remaining wax and soot. Then I gave it a quick wash with hot water and dish soap, which also helped remove the label.

Ta-da! I filled my new vase with some water and pretty sweet william (also known as gypsy dianthus). I think colored glass vases look especially pretty by the windowsill with sunlight streaming through them.

How easy is that?!?