Freshly Shucked

Christmas, Cookies, & Candies

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 23:33:00 +0000

I don't know about anyone else, but Christmas really sneaked up on me this year. Probably because it's been so warm. We did get it together, though. It was just a little bit late. Luckily, too, Jack hasn't tried to attack the Christmas tree. He just curiously bites at the same branch every morning.

I have shortened the 12 Days of Christmas to the 6 Days of Christmas. Today I made Cinnamon Chip Snickerdoodles from this recipe.

I also wanted to try making chocolate bon bons. A couple of months ago I got The Professional Pastry Chef and have been working my way through it. I've never made anything with tempered chocolate before. Let me tell you, it's super messy. Well, other people might have an easier time with it. I'm just get chocolate/mustard/nacho cheese everywhere. I did get some of the chocolate in the actual mold though. Then I filled it with some salted caramel fudge that I made last week.

The bon bon hearts didn't come out perfect, but they taste amazing. Trust. The snickerdoodles are really good too. I mainly made those for Scott. He loves cinnamon. I, on the other hand, have been known to spit out things that are covered in cinnamon. But that was one time, in a tapas bar.

lazy dogs

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:15:00 +0000

It's a gray, overcast day and I wanted to procrastinate with a dog photo shoot. Enjoy!

we call it Bedward

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:29:00 +0000

You'd think living with a professional woodworker means lots of custom pieces of furniture. Well, you'd be wrong. After spending the whole day in his wood shop, the last thing that Scott wanted to do was build something for us, especially something large. He had warned me about this. Apparently all of this teachers houses' were full of IKEA beds, tables, couches, etc. But, he has a normal 9-5 job now and is willing to start making awesome things for us.

This is what our old bed looked like. Uneven slats bordered by unfinished 2 x 4s. It had something like 8 legs made out of 2 x 4s, too. He made it in a hurry about 2 years ago.

"I'm ready for my close-up!"

Last week, we took the bed apart. Taking off all the slats carefully (so we could reuse them). And with the spare wood Scott had in his shop, we built a new bed frame. We cut out notches the size of the slats on the center spine of the frame. Then we glued and nailed the slats in place. In the middle of doing this Scott got a call from work and left. I did have of the slats by myself without supervision!

Scott bent the hairpin legs and welded them on a plate before attaching them to the frame. This is in the middle of putting the headboard on.

*action shot*

All done! Isn't she a beauty?

It's funny how much a headboard can really make the room feel more like a bedroom. By the way, the quilt was a present from my mom. She picked it up in Thailand a few years back. And the only reason why Scott is allowing pink in our bedroom is because it's a super thin quilt.

Can you believe that after all that Scott made this little bird (inspired by the Eames House Bird)? His name is Pete.

longboard project

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:48:00 +0000

I know that I haven't posted anything in a while. This summer has been filled with projects, traveling, and high temps that I think I might have lost my mind for a minute. I have loads of pictures that I need to share, but I've just been exhausted. Here's the thing though. No matter how exhausted I am, Scott is behind me thinking of new things to build.

I told him that I thought I might like to start land paddling. I know it seems weird, but I don't have enough balance to just ride a skateboard. Plus, in the future I'd really like to start paddle boarding. So after about a day of internet search, Scott decided that we could build our own boards.

We glued up two 1/4 pieces of plywood and bent them.

Neither of us could agree on what shape we wanted. So we made two different ones. Scott wanted something a little more modern while I wanted a retro board.

All of Scott's work benches are too tall for me, which means Scott does most of the sanding. Poor me, I know.

The dogs like to show their moral support. They also like to chew on the scraps.

Primed and ready for paint.

I cut different sized circles out of some left over contact paper for the bottom of my board. I wanted it to look like bubbles.

We fiberglassed both sides of the boards. Scott's was done the first day, but mine took a couple of days to dry. I didn't get the ratio correct for the fiberglass resin. LEARNING!

I was reading about this Painter's Tape DIY Contest. One of the contestants cut up the tape to create a zig-zag pattern. So I did the same thing. Taped out the top of my board and sprayed it with truck-bed liner. No grip tape.

We ordered the trucks and wheels from amazon. And voila! Two new, handmade longboards!

I think they both match our personalities. We road them in the ally behind our house and now are a little bruised. I guess practice makes perfect!

Bangkok: jim thompson's house

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 02:47:00 +0000

We spent one afternoon at Jim Thompson's House.

Bangkok: the eugenia

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 09:41:00 +0000

While in Bangkok, we stayed at this beautiful hotel called The Eugenia. There was a wedding on Sunday, hence the flowers.

I took a bath everyday.

We drank wine in the garden.

Ate breakfast in the room, I had eggs Benedict.

And I enjoyed every minute.

Singapore: little india

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 01:46:00 +0000

Saturday morning we went to Little India. This little neighborhood is so fragrant and colorful. I want to live in one of the colorful buildings.

I'll take one of these apartments please.

Fish-head curry!

Our giant feast.

We play with our food sometimes.

pie time

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 15:53:00 +0000

This week I really wanted to bake a pie. The fresh berries just looked so good at the store. So, I made a wonderful strawberry-blueberry maple pie.

I used this recipe from Epicurious. Let me tell you, making pie crust in the food processor was amazing and fast. That's the only way I'll make pie crust ever again. I did alter the recipe a little. I wanted to add strawberries, so I used 2 cups blueberries and 2 cups strawberries. I also substituted corn starch for the tapioca.

It came out amazing! Scott was super happy, he ate two pieces the first night. And now I've been commissioned to make another. It's going to be the summer of PIE!

my new baby

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:58:00 +0000

Scott had off of work on Friday, so we made a trip to our new favorite place. Tigger's Motorcycle Salvage has almost everything you'd ever need, if what you need is dirty, used motor bikes and parts. The first time we went (which was not very long ago) I almost missed it because there is a little taquería that was bbq-ing chicken, and the smell turned me into a food zombie for a quarter of a mile (I digress). This trip had one mission, get me my motor bike. It was successful.

We threw the little 1969 Honda, along with a complete 110cc engine, in the back of the Wagoneer and waved by to Tigger. Once we got home, the real work began.

First, I had to pull out all the weeds/vines from the bike. Scott gave me a wrench, sockets, and WD40 and told me to get to work. Honda CT90s don't fix themselves.

I dressed the part and broke down that bad, little bike. In about 4 hours, I had taken everything off the frame (Scott took off the engine) and sanded it down with the wire-wheel.

Saturday morning, we woke up to this. After breakfast, I got to work on sanding down the frame by hand. Scott worked on the back wheel (it was locked up and wouldn't turn when we pulled the bike out of the yard).

By the end of Sunday, all of the body was primed. Scott bought a spray can of truck bed liner and covered the pegs, skid plate, and underside of the fenders with it.

Last night we went bought 4 spray cans of this great pistachio color. The whole thing has its first coat, and tonight I'll sand it to prep the surface for another coat. I'm not allowed to paint anything. Apparently, I have a heavy hand with spray paint. It's OK, though, because there's lots of other things to do, like listen to the Beach Boys.

spring

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:56:00 +0000

This is the fourth spring I've spent in Galveston. Every year, after the April rain, the large city cemetery that sits between Broadway and Avenue M turns bright yellow. The wildflowers brighten up the deteriorated grounds. And every spring I tell myself that I'm going to take pictures. The last two years the flowers didn't stay very long, due to the droughts. This time, I wasn't going to let myself miss it again.

a list of unfortunate choices

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:24:00 +0000

I've been thinking about all of the things that I've learned the hard way. Some things build character, but others are just poor, poor choices. This list is of those:

1. It is not cute, let me repeat, not cute when you teach your English bulldog to jump in the bathtub. He will turn your shower time into a game of porcelain roller derby. Plus, forget about it ever being clean again, perpetual muddy paw prints.

2. Don't use a sewing machine late at night and/or when you are very tired. You'll end up with a sewing machine needle in your finger or something worse.

3. Riding your bicycle to a bar might seem like a smart way of not requiring a designated driver/cab, but it is not. Even though I've sustained many cuts/bruises/road rash, I still do not heed my own advice.

4. Put oil in your engine. So simple, yet something I ended up learning the hard way at 17. Oh, and as an extra - if your engine is steaming, do not pick up something that just fell out of it with your bare hands.

McKinney Falls

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:25:00 +0000

Scott and I went camping at McKinney Falls State Park over the weekend. It has been a while since we've gone camping. And, let me tell you, I fell in love with McKinney Falls. We hiked all around the park, nearly killing the dogs*, swam in the falls, and just enjoyed being outside.

* - French bulldogs are not designed for hiking.

something new

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:21:00 +0000

For my birthday, Scott treated me to a tattoo.

And this little drawing that I did a few months ago, turned into this:

I was so happy to find Galveston Tattoo Corner. Greg, the artist and owner, did an awesome job. If I get something else, I'm definitely going back there. Plus, it's only like 5 minutes away.

Easter baby

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:41:00 +0000

I can't believe it's almost my birthday! Time has been going by so fast, that I didn't even realize that my birthday is in one week, yep my birthday is on Easter this year. The last time I had an Easter birthday, I was living in Brooklyn, finishing up my thesis. Anyway, I've been so behind. I haven't even figured out what I want for my birthday. So, Scott made me sit down and make a list (I have a hard life).

I've been lusting after a nice, leather satchel for quite sometime. I need a better bag for bike riding, and I think this baby blue one would be prettier than a nylon messenger bag.

I think I pinned this 1939 Heinz Pickle Pin to my Pinterest months ago. I love it.

I guess I'm just into accessories this year. This brass bow necklace is adorable!

OK, I do think I've been dreaming about this stack of Michael Miller polka dot fat quarters. Scott doesn't think I need anymore fabrics, but he's flat out wrong. As long as my fabric stash is smaller than his reclaimed lumber stash, he should keep his nose out of it.

And, I'm pretty sure any girl would love a Mod Cloth gift certificate.

scenes from the road

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:19:00 +0000

Nothing like a quick trip to Austin!

Scott asked me to take pictures to show how pretty central Texas is. I, of course, obliged.

Maybe not the prettiest picture, but I always giggle when I see this sign.

The wildflowers were full and fragrant.

It's the first time I've seen the damage from last summer's fires.

Scott's favorite - fireworks

I don't think you can see it, but there is an oil pump in that field (black gold, Texas T).

We were able to get there and back with the help of our new lady, Latrice. Isn't she a beauty? I wish I had actually taken pictures of our lovely hosts, Diana & Rob. But, no, I forget to snap pictures when I'm having fun. I hope to see them again soon.

bee-hind the times

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:05:00 +0000

OK, I don't know why I'm not on top of things. It probably has something to do with moving, stress, and not being organized but whatever. I finally got around to taking pictures of my Birds and the Bees quilt. You probably remember me working on the blocks here and here, but now the quilt top is finished!

I used my mom's new spring line Hope Cove (the yellow is from Desired Things). When we got her sample fabric, I just fell in love with the taupe-y grey fabrics. It took me a while to finish this quilt top because I couldn't get the pink boarder to be straight. the whole thing just annoyed me, so I put it away. But, now, I'm glad that it's finished.

Initially, I thought I was going to hand quilt this. Now I'm thinking otherwise. I didn't realize how much I would like to make the quilt tops. So, I'll have to find someone around here with a longarm. Then I can curl up on the couch (well, put on the AC first) with it and finish my bee book.

I'm swooning

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:55:00 +0000

OK, so I've been moving for what feels like a year, but we're finally somewhat settled in the new house. So now I can post pictures of my awesome Swoon blocks.

I was a little worried about all the piecing since I'm still pretty new to patchwork. But, it turns out to be pretty easy.

I can't wait to get the whole thing put together.

Oh, and here's a quick picture of my office/sewing room. I was going to paint my desk peach, but I hated it. Instead it turned out orange. I'll post more pictures of the new house soon.

sew much to do

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:33:00 +0000

Hey, look! I got my fabric and already cut it up. I'm still waiting for my Heath fabric, and I can't start sewing the blocks together until I get it. I'm basically going to do the Swoon but with a little modification. Here's the thing, though, I've had time to troll the internetz since finishing up the cutting, and I found some other great fabrics.

Giant red polka dot chiffon

Black and white apparel fabric

OK, now picture the polka dot chiffon over the black/white stripe to make a dress like this. How great would that look? Well, kind of like this:

Wouldn't that be the sweetest dress ever? Or, I could just make the Colette Macaron, but I think the polka dots over the stripe would be perfect.

waiting, waiting, waiting

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:13:00 +0000

For the past two weeks I've been exhausted. We moved almost all (yes, there's still stuff left) of our little house into a much bigger house (pictures will follow once it's fixed up more). But, I feel like I'm in a perpetual state of waiting. Waiting for everything to be settled and put together. After all that, I am literally waiting for new fabrics to arrive in the mail.

The From Afar fat quarter bundle from Fabric Worm

The English Breakfast Bundle from Fabric Worm

Oh, and I'm getting a bunch of yardage of Where's my mustache?

and Heath in metal from Alexander Henry. I can't wait for it all to arrive.

nerd alert

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:12:00 +0000

Guess what the UPS man brought today. The Warby Parker try at home kit. I have this dream of owning at least 5 different pairs of glasses. That way I can change them out all the time.

Here's what my regular glasses look like now. I got them here over a year ago. They're a great pair of cat-eyes, and I always get compliments on them. I just want something different.

These are the Winston. I do like them, but they look better on Scott. And I really don't want to go so nerdy as to having the same pair of glasses as him.

I really like the Sinclair style. They're not something that I would normally go for, but I think they suit me.

Lastly, there are the Huxley (well, there were 2 other pairs that didn't look good at all). These are a little bit smaller and thicker than the Winston, which I really like. I think I'll have to get this pair and the Sinclair. So many pairs of glasses in my future.

oh, galveston

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Now that Scott has started a new job, I get one full day off all to myself. It's strange how having that one day makes me so happy. Don't get me wrong, it sucks that we only have Sundays free, but I like having my own time. Yesterday, I decided to take a bike ride around this little island. I still can't get over how big the cruise ships are. When you're so used to looking at downtown and not seeing anything in the harbor, it's pretty jarring to have the giant ship in the background.

We're moving this month. And this is our new little (well, it's actually quite large) house. It's more centrally located, closer to a nice beach, and very close to some great restaurants. I can't wait to be all settled it.

There weren't a lot of people on the beach yesterday, but I did notice that they actually raked the sand.

And now the exciting news. The rides are coming, the rides are coming! I don't know if I'll ever get used to calling it the Pleasure Pier (it will always be the Flagship to me), but I cannot wait for it to open at the end of May!

I always wanted to live at Coney Island. The carnival rides, junk food on sticks, the sand, and the salty air. Now, I'm one step closer, except still in Texas.

The new house is only about 10 blocks away. This is where I'll be all summer; eating turkey legs and playing skeeball.

Oh, and it wouldn't be the end of January without some Mardi Gras decorations.

pretty, pretty, please

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:05:00 +0000

The first time I went to Paris, my mom and I stayed at a b & b at the Places des Voges (pictured above). Look how amazing this place is.

I want to have a picnic under those trees.

Oh, why did I look at 1st Dibs today? If I hadn't than I wouldn't know that this amazing flat is for sale. Herringbone wood floors? Check.

Floor to ceiling windows that lead out to a balcony? Check.

Fireplace in the bedroom? Check. Now all I need is a cool $5.5 mil and I'd be set. Le sigh. Why do dream homes have to be so expensive?

beehive

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:15:00 +0000

I've decided to grow out my hair. Right now it's pretty short, and I'm bored. All I want to do is grow it out and rock a big ol' beehive. Look how awesome The Ronettes look in that photo. So effing cool.

Right when I'm coveting a big pile of hair, Jean Paul Gaultier puts on an Amy Winehouse inspired couture show. What the what?!?!?!

Look at that blond and purple hair--super cool wigs. By the time I actually grow my hair this long, I'll probably freak out and cut it super short. I'll just have to rock a really cool wig, like this one or this one.

1, 2, 3

next project

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:35:00 +0000

I finally finished the bee quilt top that I was working on (the pictures I took are awful, so I need to take new ones). And now, I'm working on painting an old desk. I've thought about painting our desk for some time now. But, Scott has been super annoyed at the idea of me painting the desk; he likes the natural look of the wood desk. I didn't care and just bought a color I liked.

It's called "Glamorous Glow" and it's a Disney Paint color (a paint section I don't normally choose from). I wanted something feminine but not over the top. That's a hard thing to find. Initially, I was thinking pink, then lavender, but I ended up with this peachy color. So far so good.

No matter how it turns out, I have my little helper in the shop.

a week in pictures

noreply@blogger.com (HannahP) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:29:00 +0000

It's Galveston Restaurant Week! The first ever restaurant week here, so Scott and I went to The Spot for Green burgers and fried pickles.

This is our booty from our Farmbox. The Lunchbox Cafe (in downtown Galveston) goes to the local farmer's market on Saturdays and picks out great locally grown fruits and veggies. I love it because I just pick it up on Sunday, plus they pick out things I'd never think of getting. I'm going to saute the mustard greens tonight.

I bought myself some fresh flowers for finally finishing my hexagon table runner. Don't they look so pretty next to the carrots and green onions?

Another view of our great new table. We went a little crazy getting stuff to put on our table, so as you can see, we got a new fruit bowl and salt & pepper shakers.

Look at this beautiful Great Dane! His name is Nigel and he lives with my brother Eli and his wife Shawnna. But I won't mind if he needed to come visit me for a few days.