An Evening Stroll

I like to take strolls around my neighborhood in the evening. It's a lovely time to relax after dinner and stretch my legs and spend some quality time with the hubby. (It's also a great time to peek in people's windows and see how the decorate their homes!)

About once a week my feet just happen to carry me to this heavenly place:

Twistee Treat is about 5 blocks from my house and the lure of soft serve or water ice is just too much for me some days. I won't lie, the proximity of this giant ice cream cone shaped structure to my house was absolutely a selling point when we purchased the house a little over two years ago.

Some nights there is quite the line but when we went the other night it was quite slow. I hope the cooler than normal weather here in Philly isn't hurting their business too much - I would be very very very sad if they closed.

Can you think of a better way to end the evening?

Apologies for the less than stellar photography. It's kind of a tough spot with little to no lighting for snapshots.

For the hubby

Saw this image by Marcus Walters and immediately thought of the hubby and his love of a good Guinness. via Design Crush

Dining Room Light?

For a while now I've been wanting to replace the brass chandelier that's in my dining room. I've seen some blogger do amazing things with spray paint and I think the chandelier could be salvage with a little diy love. However, my spray painting skills are severely lacking. The last time I tried to spray paint was in preparation for our wedding in 2005 and, let's just say, hubby banned me from spray painting after that.

So rather than ruin a chandelier that would look lovely in someone else's house, I've been keeping an eye out for something that would fit the space. The other day I was reading Door Sixteen and saw this amazing light fixture that she put up in her entryway.

Isn't that just all kinds of amazing? I love the shadows that is throws on the wall and think it would add some drama to my dining room. It's the Coral Pendant designed by David Trubridge.

The light is available at Design Within Reach and I would go out and buy it tomorrow if it didn't cost $500!!! I know that might not seem like a lot to some people but I'm very thrifty at heart and just can't bring myself to spend that kind of cold hard cash on something that I STILL have to put together myself (it comes unassembled, you see.) Do you have any idea how many hours I would have to work to but this lovely thing?

So, does anyone know of any knock offs or other light fixtures that could give a little modern drama to a dining room? Or better yet, is there anyone willing to give this gal some spray painting lessons?

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

I know, I know - putting cats in costumes is cruel and unusual punishment. But, oh my, how it makes me smile. Via Now That's Nifty and Neatorama.

Currently Coveting

I've had a lot going on as of late but, quite frankly, I don't have the inclination to write about it at the time being. So, instead I'll share with you some things that I have been lusting over on Etsy. When life gets rough, the tough window shop online!

Vintage Pink Vase from Bright Wall Vintage

If I was getting married again I would be all over this beautiful capelet from toccata

Milk glass, who doesn't love milk glass? I think this little compote dish would be perfect on a desk for paper clips and other officy stuff. Available at Adventures in Vintage.

I love anything with branches or trees and I think these earrings from Made by S.A.M are perfect. Free shipping right now too.

This little sugar and creamer set at Mary and Grace would look so cute in my vintage kitchen.

Hubby and I were just debating the need for a wall clock in our kitchen the other night. I say nay he says yea. But I'd be willing to compromise and take this cute clock in the green from uncommon.

What I've Been Reading: Prodigy

Last night I just finished reading Prodigy by Dave Kalstein. This book was the latest pick by my book group and was completely outside what I'd normally pick to read (that's why you join a book group, right?!)

The story is set in the year 2036 and tells the story of an elite school, Stansbury School, where the students are bred to be the best and the brightest through drug supplements and the finest the educational system has to offer. However, the reader is quickly clued in that the idyllic world of Stansbury is not as it appears and that there is an intricate web of politics, deception, and murder under the surface.

Like I said, this isn't a book that I would have picked up if it wasn't for my book group. While it was a quick and relatively easy ready, I would give the book 2 out of 5 stars. I was able to figure out the mystery half was through and the characters didn't keep me all that interested. Some of the plot was formulaic and at some points I imaged that Kalstein was writing the book while already imagining the action-packed film version. Just not my cup of tea. If anyone want to borrow it though, just let me know!

Home Made Marshmallows

A few years ago I realized that when my parents said that they didn't want gifts for various holidays, that they actually meant it. So instead of going to store after store to find something that they might like, I just started making different food treats for them.

In honor of Father's Day, I made my Pa one of his favorites - chocolate covered marshmallows. I've made these for him before, but have used packaged marshmallows. This year I went a little crazy and after seeing recipes all over the internet, decided to make home made marshmallows. I used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which was great. If you try to make these, be sure to heed her warning not to scrape the bowl. I thought I was clever and could scrape the bowl much neater than Deb, but I was sadly mistaken and ended up having quite the mess on my hands (literally!)

Check out the recipe if you want to make them, but here are a few of my action shots.

Softening of the gelatin.

Corn syrup, sugar, and water getting ready to be heated.

Sugar/corn syrup mixture boiling away. My Le Cruset pot was perfect for this by the way, just the right thickness.

Once the sugar mixture reached 240 degrees, it went into the mixer with the gelatin. It whirled and whirled and whirled away for about 10 minutes.

Then I added two beaten egg whites and some vanilla.

And ended up with this goopy mixture.

Which I then transferred to a disposable pan and refrigerated overnight.

The next morning I flipped the marshmallow block out onto a cutting board and

cut them into little fluffy squares of goodness.

And ta da- here's the final product dipped in semi-sweet chocolate for gift giving. Let me know if you decide to try these!

Darwin D. Martin House Complex

Image via NY State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation

While traveling for work to Buffalo, NY, I had opportunity to visit the Darwin D. Martin House Complex. The Martin House complex is a prime example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie House and was built between 1903 to 1905 for Darwin Martin, an executive with the Larkin Soap Company.

My colleagues and I were give the tour of the complex by the Executive Director, Mary Roberts. She was very generous with her time and we saw just about every inch of the 29,080 square foot complex.

Image via Darwin D. Martin House Complex

Buildings on the grounds include: The Darwin D. Martin House (1904-1905), the George Barton House (1903-1904), The Martin House Pergola (demolished 1962, reconstructed 2004-2007), the Martin House Conservatory (demolished 1962, reconstructed 2004-2007), Martin House Carriage House (demolished 1962, reconstructed 2004-2007) and the Martin House Gardener's Cottage (1909).

Image via Darwin D. Martin House Complex

The Martin House Restoration Corporation, the non-profit organization responsible for restoring the complex, also just recently completed construction on the new visitor's center, the Eleanor & Wilson Greatbatch Pavilion. The pavilion is a great piece of architecture in it's own right; it pays homage to Wright's architectural style without blatantly trying to copy it. The flat roof echoes the shapes of the Martin House and the interior walls are made of acrylic brick the same size and shape of the house. The pavilion is gorgeous and adds to the site rather than distracting from it or trying to disappear into the background.

Image via Library of Congress

As with many of the homes he built, Wright also designed furniture for the Martin House and he tried to strictly dictate the lifestyle of the family that would live inside. The Martins went along with many of Wright's ideas/mandates, but also made their house livable by adding a finished basement, a large kitchen, and eventually bumping out some walls in an attempt to let more light into certain rooms.

Image via Library of Congress

I, unfortunately, forgot to bring my camera with me on this trip (I need to buy a smaller one that I can keep with me at all time) but here are some other great shots of the house from around the internet.

Image via the Wall Street Journal

Image via Darwin D. Martin House Complex

Image via Darwin D. Martin House Complex

All in all, a great place to visit if you're in or around Buffalo. If you're fan of Wright or modern architecture, it should be a must-see on your list.

I haven't floated away

Image via Cute Overload

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth- just been busy and traveling for work. More about that tomorrow though.

Etsy Father's Day Cards

There are so many wonderful father's day cards on etsy. I got one of these for my pa. Luckily, he doesn't even know how to turn on a computer so I have zero chance that he'll see this!

Sweet Perversion

Storey Shop

Puppy Love Creations

Molly Lee

Kojo Designs

Spawn Studio

Elevated Press

1 Card Creator

Noveau Designs