tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48125204207490868902024-03-05T06:30:21.089-05:00CRAFT & CONSUMPTIONLilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-51521020634553635722015-01-22T16:05:00.000-05:002015-01-22T16:05:56.130-05:00Transitional Fashion Pieces: Summer >> Fall
I wrote a summer/fall piece for Berks County Living magazine about investing in fashion items that get the most bang for your buck. My ideal way to maximize a fashion investment is through transitional pieces that work from season to season. The recommended investments for summer > fall?
red blazer (a standout, but classic piece)
sheath dress (found a great one in fresh mint from a Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-63333500727040768412014-04-30T09:45:00.001-04:002014-04-30T09:45:21.743-04:00Backyard Gardening How-To
I am so proud and psyched to have my Backyard Gardening How-To article published in the May 2014 issue of Berks County Living magazine. I grew up in my Mom's garden and starting one of my own has been a huge part of my adult life. My garden has served as a place of learning, a source of healthy eating, and a weekend/weeknight escape. Nurturing my flowers and veggies is a constant process, Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-8040773220989181452013-08-19T18:27:00.000-04:002013-08-19T18:27:06.069-04:00Currently Coveting: Summer 2013
Summer '13
I'm currently coveting this great striped dress. It's an Asos find and has a fun natural swing to it. The first day I wore it I got home from a long day at work and listened to my boyfriend practice his DJ set (he had an event the following night). I danced in our living room and the cut of the dress just encouraged more dancing. I felt like one of those 50's chics Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-31409126242505631732013-08-12T05:30:00.000-04:002013-08-12T05:30:05.361-04:00{DIY} Garden Veggie Markers
I was gifted this set of Tekton metal letter stamps and finally found a project for them! My sister brought over some strips of brass and we used a hammer to spell out the various veggies I have planted in my garden. We placed the brass strips on top of a steel jeweler's bench block (you can't hammer metal directly on a table or floor, unless you want hammer marks everywhere).
I'm Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-31187283853347895452013-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:002013-08-08T06:00:14.479-04:00Camping in our Geodesic Dome
My boyfriend has always been fascinated by geodesic domes. After studying them for years and building toothpick models of 2V and 3V constructions, we seized the opportunity this summer and built a real-life geodesic dome (and by that I mean he did. Did I say "we"???). A celebration ensued with friends, beer, and a campfire.
The 2V dome was assembled with EMT conduit that he cut and Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-85719043746368098182013-08-05T05:30:00.000-04:002013-08-05T05:30:02.923-04:00NYC Neighborhood Hunt
Negroni at River Deli
My boyfriend and I recently went apartment hunting in NYC. We are making a big transition this fall! These are snapshots of our favorite haunts during the search. Out of all the neighborhoods in NYC that we looked at, the streets of Brooklyn won with their charming brick buildings, tree-lined streets, and quaint brunch locales.
Oh Brooklyn, you had me at Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-63437327357478509332013-08-02T21:00:00.000-04:002013-08-02T21:00:02.198-04:00Cobalt Blue at Home
I think I've been nesting a little more than usual this summer. Not sure why. Maybe it's turning 27. Getting closer to 30 makes you want to decorate and cozy up in your house? I dunno... but I'm proud of our little home and love editing and modifying my surroundings so they feel like "us".
Graphic Ikea Pillow
I like the mix of bright blue, graphic black & white, and the colorful Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-85997484591330626762013-07-29T06:00:00.000-04:002013-08-06T12:47:26.361-04:00June & July Blooming Summer flowers (zone 6)
Tiger lilies from my mom's house that I scooped up for an indoor bouquet.
Cleome that re-seeded itself in my raised beds. I planted this last year and had no intention of planting it again. I was pleasantly surprised by these fuchsia blooms.
Gladioli in coral and hot pink are my favorites. I also have a ton of baby gladioli bulbs that have come up this year. They make for Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-22569076887828726182013-07-25T10:26:00.000-04:002013-07-25T10:26:00.244-04:00Rabbits in my Garden {Fences and Gates Ed.}
I've been a little upset lately about my garden. I planted lots of cold weather vegetables back in March, including lettuce, spinach, kale, and beets. Unfortunately rabbits have invaded and found my bounty! They have eaten most of the veggies that I planted so far this summer.
We just purchased a garden gate and are working on a fence to keep the varmints out. It's not Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-31966634247487590532013-07-22T23:07:00.000-04:002013-07-22T23:07:00.687-04:00Best (Cheapest, Cutest) Underwear
Ok, I had to share this. This summer I embarked on an underwear overhaul. It was time to grab some fresh new pairs, in bulk. I hate paying $5 or $8 or (gasp!) $12 for a pair of undies. I want to spend $3 or $4 - max. Right? Ok, I'm a cheap-o when it comes to undies. But why pay more when you can find a great pair for $3.50?
In looking for some new, affordable skivvies - my friend recommendedLilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-31177624686940993632013-07-18T22:47:00.000-04:002013-08-06T12:53:29.132-04:00April & May Blooming Spring Flowers (zone 6)
Purple Salvia
Lately I've been having some issues with my vegetable garden (read: rabbits). So I've focused my energies even more than usual on my flowers. Here's what happened this spring at our place that got me excited and happy.
The salvia I planted a few years ago is strong and did well this year. I even had some seeds carry over into a second flower bed. We had little salvia Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-40249013581177543252013-07-15T06:00:00.000-04:002013-07-15T21:46:57.116-04:00GiGi: The Greater Reading Gala
A few months ago one of my favorite local non-profit organizations, the Greater Reading Young Professionals, hosted their annual GiGi gala. The gala is a fundraiser to benefit GRYP and provide financial support for their year-round objectives. The main goals of the organization are to improve the Greater Reading area and provide career support for local young Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-3055846177513178302013-07-12T06:00:00.000-04:002013-07-14T20:46:57.078-04:00Wildflower Garden {year 2}
Last year I planted a wildflower garden with the help of my boyfriend's mom (details here). We started it with a wildflower seed pack. Below is what it looked like last year. There were a mix of bachelor buttons, coreposis, scarlet flax, and catchfly flowers. Everything was a little bit delicate, a little bit timid. The flowers were weak and just getting their footing in the soil last Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-61502844545090797902013-07-08T22:24:00.000-04:002013-07-14T20:47:41.637-04:00Summer Parties: Osapalooza
We throw a summer party every year. This year's fete included:
1. Drinks
Yucca (a tequila + lemon + sugar + ice concoction that is magical)
YUCCA DRINK RECIPE: Ice, 6 lemons, 1 cup Sugar, 1 L Tequila, one gallon pickle jar. Add all ingredients into jar, wrap in towel and pass around to friends, shaking for one hour. This drink is potent! Add club soda for a less intense (but equally Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-8805665035369383342013-07-03T22:16:00.000-04:002013-11-17T13:14:56.268-05:00Glamping vs. Camping
Mark and I collaborated this year on an article for the local Berks County Living magazine. He took the photos, and I wrote the article. The theme was camping in all its forms, from glamorous and comfortable (i.e. driving to a camp site, on which you park your fancy AirStream) to serious back-woods camping (i.e. packing a tent in your backpack and hiking to a remote location). Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-36053991657289324512013-05-13T09:32:00.000-04:002013-07-14T20:48:18.874-04:00Watercress, Tomato, and Feta Pasta Salad
Watercress grows plentifully in the stream by my mother's house (zone 6). She found a calm part where the water flow is very gentle, very minimal, and has propagated a little watercress colony.
She brought over a bag of fresh watercress recently and I obviously turned to Pinterest to find a recipe to use it. This little salad was super simple, easy and quick, and used some interesting Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-89718212749337319922013-05-07T07:30:00.000-04:002013-05-07T07:30:01.777-04:00CRAFT - Blooming White Tulips
Last October I planted 200 tulip bulbs from VanEglen.com. I am beyond excited to report that they have just started to bloom and look gorgeous. Hip, hip, hooray!
Montreaux Tulips - as of April 21, 2013
I purposely wanted to plant the bulbs en masse to create a big tulip presence in late April. I planted two varieties, the peony-like Mt Tacoma and the Montreaux. I Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-35360573755318561872013-05-02T07:00:00.000-04:002013-05-17T07:57:08.996-04:00Blood orange fennel relish on rainbow trout
I love cooking, it's the perfect blend of crafting and consuming.
CRAFT: A couple nights back I worked on a blood orange fennel relish. In progress (below) are the chopped fennel fronds, my amazing citrus zester (a gift from my sister, similar here), and lemon juice. I often craft dinner with some vino in-hand.
CONSUME: The finished product was blood-orange fennel relishLilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-91758186599085668902013-04-29T07:30:00.000-04:002013-05-17T07:57:35.487-04:00CRAFT- Planting Ranunculus Bulbs
Ranunculus are like the Celine bag of gardening right now. They are everywhere, trending like crazy (and understandably so). These gems are vibrant, colorful, and stunning with layers of petals that burst from wild, beautiful stems.
Naturally, I decided to try and plant my own. To be honest, I tried last year, but I got them in the ground too late and no blooms appeared. Seedlings Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-57409924637833592013-04-27T17:01:00.000-04:002013-04-27T17:01:00.090-04:00CONSUME - Etsy Picks: Stackable Gold & Diamonds
I came across this unusual trillion (triangular) cut diamond ring on Etsy and was very intrigued. I love the idea of wearing it stacked with simple gold bands or other interesting shaped, very minimal pieces, like the pear diamond ring above (bottom right). I was impressed with some of the amazing stackable gold rings available on Etsy.
Trillion Ring - from Artemer Studio in Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-62436080310038618082013-04-23T07:00:00.000-04:002013-04-23T07:00:09.398-04:00CRAFT- 2013 Vegetable Garden - early Spring Planting (zone 6)
The weekend of March 30 I prepped one of my four raised beds and got some early spring seeds in the ground. I'm in eastern Pennsylvania, so early spring planting for us is mid-March to late April. Only cold-weather tolerant seedlings can handle being planted before the frost-free date (May 15th). I planted:
Early Spring Vegetables (zone 6):
lettuce
spinach
radishes
kale
beets (so many Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-86511477070934370232013-04-20T16:26:00.003-04:002013-04-20T16:26:54.369-04:00Etsy Picks: Printed Tea Towels / Housewarming
One of my nearest and dearest friends just bought a house! Such a momentous step in life and I am in the midst of compiling a little housewarming gift for her. I have been hunting for lovely (& practical) house accessories. I'm going to combine some of my favorite things into a pretty little lantern as a "gift basket". First thing to fill the "gift basket" are pretty tea towels. Etsy did Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-3526742430658543292013-04-03T08:15:00.000-04:002013-04-20T16:35:57.981-04:00Denver Travels
Denver Skyline Print
My handsome boyfriend and I are heading to Denver later this spring and so... I've been searching the old Interweb to get familiar with this fabulous, laid-back city. I came across the Design*Sponge Denver City Guide, complete with a Google Map of all the hottest Denver destinations.
On my list of (art) places to visit:
Museum of Contemporary Art: I Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-9279994863983769992013-03-26T07:30:00.000-04:002013-04-21T09:34:45.328-04:00Pining for Summer {Retro Swim Edition}
It's March, (almost April) and my crocuses are up! I am beyond excited for spring to kick into full gear. Once spring arrives, that means those long, warm nights of summer are just around the (river) bend.
I'm pining and planning for fabulous summer weekends, with lots of East Coast beaches & deep blue waters! Some places on my hit list:
The islands of Maine
Wine tours in the FingerLilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4812520420749086890.post-89983221657217023692013-03-20T23:50:00.000-04:002013-03-20T23:59:17.422-04:00Egg Decorating!
Last year I got a bunch of friends together to celebrate spring's arrival and get to crafty for Easter. Looking back at photos shows all of the different techniques we used to decorate our fabulous eggs. I'm getting extra excited for this year's Egg Decorating event. The coolest part about an annual egg-decorating tradition? Saving the egg shells year after year and remembering all of the Lilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17637514345262257078noreply@blogger.com0