Tasty Chili

Whipped up some homemade chili last night, along with some corbread:

I also had some shredded cheddar sprinkled on top of my serving of chili. Totally good eatin', especially for cold weather. You can check out the recipe for the cornbread here.

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And yet another holiday sale

For those of you who missed my Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, fear not - I'm holding another special:

US Buyers: Free First Class domestic shipping! Enter USFREESHIP at checkout.

International Buyers: Get 10% off your entire order! Enter INTLTAKE10 at checkout.

Good until 12.31.11. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Sorry, holiday special does not apply to wholesale orders. Please use the appropriate coupon code as accordingly.

(Click the images to head over to my shops)

Kanzashi Shop

Yay for Fidget Art!

Photography Shop

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Hardwood Flooring Update

Sorry it's been a while since I've last posted, guys. Life's been hectic as of late, which included shop-related things. Since Etsy's relevancy switch, I've been seeing a LOT more sales (yay!) which has been keeping me busy. I've also spent practically the entirety of August working on the third outfit for my friend, Cortana for PAX 2011 (pics for that coming later).

And now onto the hardwood flooring!


As you can obviously see, it's still a work-in-progress and it's almost finished (yay again!).

I used Roberts Black Jack underlayment for laminate and engineered wood flooring (purchased from Home Depot). It was easy to cut and lay out, and was even more pleased to find no hollow noise when I did a test walk on the installed flooring portion. For the plank adhesive, I used Lumber Liquidator's Tongue and Groove adhesive. Application was a cinch, leaving very little mess, although I may need to pick up a third bottle to finish the job.

After I took these pics, I've installed a couple more rows and laid out the last row of underlayment. Yes, I'm uber-slow at installation...don't judge me. What little spare time I had to devote to this project, I was lucky to get in two rows at most each time. But overall, the floating method was much, much easier than I thought it would be. The Bosch jigsaw has been serving me well *strokes it like a Bond villain stroking his cat.*

After putting in the last few rows, I still need to stain the quarter round trim, purchase the threshold and stain those and rent a miter saw to cut the corners. I think that's all that's left to do, and I can finally move all my crap back in the family room and not have to stay cooped up in the bedroom!

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Goodbye, carpet!

When I first bought my house, one of my first home renovation projects was to replace the manky 20+ year-old carpeting in the family room. Initially, I wanted to replace it with new carpeting, but then I remembered, oh yeah, I hate carpeting. So after much contemplation and research, I finally settled on engineered hardwood flooring.

The benefits of engineered wood flooring is that they can be installed above or below grade and have a higher tolerance to moisture compared to solid hardwood flooring. My family room has a screen door that leads out to the deck (pictured below), it snows and rains a lot where I live so you can figure out the rest yourself.

After several months of shopping around, I fell in love with some lovely handscraped acacia finished in a luscious cocoa brown with a satin sheen. With a janka rating of 2400, I'm hoping it can take the punishment of a 75lbs. lab and a clumsy housemate. All nine crates arrived without any problems (with the exception of hauling each 60lbs. crate up a flight of stairs!) and are currently sitting in the tiled portion of the family room. In the interim of the shipment, I hauled out all of my furniture into the now-cluttered living room. Below is the "before" picture:


Gross carpet, huh?

My friend, C. helped me move the uber-heavy TV and stand onto the tiled portion, which may the heaviest objects in the room combined. I then spent about a week ripping out the carpet and foam padding into 2-to-4-feet sections, prying out the many nails and staples and lastly, the tack strips (my most hated part). This was followed by much vacuuming, patching nail holes, sanding, more vacuuming, leveling and finally hauling the carpet rolls down to the basement. Got a great workout in all this, at least. Below is the work-in-progress:


As of late, construction came to a halt until I can get an electrician to remove the two old electric baseboard heaters (not pictured). :/ Since this is the "summer slump" for sales, I was hoping to take advantage of this free time to finish up this project by the end of the month, but it's likely not going to happen. Fingers crossed, I'll be able to begin installation soon!

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Supermoon Tonight!

Tonight will showcase a rare and extraordinary event - the full moon will be at its perigee (closest orbit point to earth), with brightness at an extra 30% and largeness at an extra 14%. Fingers crossed, hope it won't be too cloudy tonight.

To celebrate this event, here is a collection of lovely items made by talented Etsians:

By the Light of the Moon by mingtaphotography


Rice Moon Art Quilt by Uncommon Cloth


Full Moon Organic Lampwork Cabochon by Truewealth


Full Moon Artisan Soap by Relic Soap Company


Full Moon Crochet Upcycled Area Rug by ekra

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Sectionals

Currently, my living room is bare, with the exception of a couple of folding bookcases. More friends and relatives are wanting to pay a visit later this year so I probably need to get the ball rolling in furnishing my house to accommodate them.

For said room, I've been eyeing a few cushy-looking modular sectionals that will suit my love for all things contemporary while at the same time not break the bank.


The Baxter Sectional from West Elm
I love almost everything that West Elm offers and if there was one place where I can max out my credit card, this is the place! I've been drooling over this particular sectional for the past month, with the clean lines, the low/deep profile and its supposed comfiness (from what I've heard). Unfortunately $1,597 for the faux suede (plus shipping) reaches the very end of my budget. Plus, there are no showrooms located near me, so I can't exactly test the product personally.













Home Reserve's custom armless sectional in Altima Sand (photo pictured in Delmar Spice)
I personally own a Monroe-style sofa and loveseat set from Home Reserve, and I can personally vouch for how awesome they are. Practical and aesthetically pleasing, you can customize your sofa, sectional and more in a wide variety of styles and fabrics. They're also renewable in that you can always order replacement parts should your furniture be ruined by act of dog, cat or drunken room mates.

I've been fawning over the particular layout pictured above, but in their Altima sand fabric. Said fabric is great for those who have pets since it's been treated to resist stains and liquids. I have a 75lbs. lab/coonhound mix, so this may be the wisest choice for me (and at a more fair price of $737 + shipping). The downside is that their seating isn't very deep. For reference, I'm about 5'7" and I can't lie down on the sofa without scrunching up my shoulders some. Home Reserve does offer a new piece called the Lounger, but the backing is a bit too short and I can't really piece several of those into a sectional without them looking awkward. I suppose that for the aforementioned pictured layout, I can maybe spring for the corner ottoman to add more depth.













Bobkona 5-Piece Sectional in Pebble
At $744.63, this sectional looks like a reasonable deal. While the seating looks deep enough and comfy, I'm not too crazy about the leather bonded base, but for the price I'm willing to put up with it. Again, I wish I can see and test the product in person.

Lastly, I've also been checking out Ikea's sectionals online. The downside is that I would have to rent a truck and make a day trip out the Pittsburgh location. Decisions, decisions...

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Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale!

Hey hey, hope that all who celebrate Thanksgiving had a wonderful time. I had a small get-together with a few friends, we cooked and we nommed. Had roast leg of lamb, mashed potatoes with gravy, buttered rolls, baked butternut squash and had low-fat carrot cake. Yup, I'll definitely be struggling into my jeans this season. -_-;;;

Before I go into another food coma, I just wanna post my epic Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale.

Take 25% off your entire order during this weekend! Simply enter coupon code HOLIDAY2010 at checkout. Sorry, sale does not apply to custom orders or previous orders.

My Kanzashi Shop
Yay For Fidget Art!
My Photography Shop


Also, new t-shirt dresses! And now's the perfect time to snatch these up. ;)

Japanese Pine Tree T-Shirt Dress - Sizes S/M/L/XL


Coffee Owl Crewneck T-Shirt Dress - Sizes S/M/L


Oiran Crewneck T-Shirt Dress - Sizes S/M/L/XL

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Game day

So yup, it's Penn State's first home game. :) So here are some wonderful items made by crafty Etsians to match the occasion!


Penn State Hand Painted Wine Glass by Jan Jackson


Penn State blocks collar bandana for pets SIZE MEDIUM Love a Paw


PSU Nittany Lions Reversible Coffee Cozy Sleeve by Lydibug Designs


Penn State Argyle Fleece Armwarmers by Bombshell Sports


Penn State Wedding Garter by Garter Gallery

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Team HiP Fave

Fabric Art Magnet - "Git Aht" by The Point

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Team HiP Fave

Dr. Ed's Mandala by Nutmeg Designs

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Paper Flowers

Found this fun-looking and very simple tutorial on how to make paper flowers. It's especially great for upcycling scraps of paper. :) I'll definitely be adding this on my to-craft list!

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Team HiP Fave

Cleaver Hook - Recycled Farm Machinery by The Steel Fork

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I've Been Featured!

My "Pretty in Pink" kanzashi hairpin set (which was in a great treasury) has been featured on S and O Productions' blog. Thanks, ladies!

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Team HiP Fave

Blue Handmade Quilt with Mustard Yellow Back by brandeye

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Team HiP Fave

10" Spalted Cherry Serving Bowl Brad Sears Woodturning

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Hibiscus!

Since moving to PA over two years ago, I still can't help the fact that I miss SoCal just a little. When I recently made a trip to Lowes to check out their garden section, I found this:

Which is kinda funny because I used to HATE hibiscus plants. Back in SoCal, I'd see a bunch of people walking around with the tropical flower emblazoned all over their clothing (and I'm not talkin' about Hawaiian shirts either), bags, other accessories, tramp stamps and so forth. I've also seen many a hibiscus tree and bush growing in other people's backyards. So to sum up, I got sick and tired of seeing them. But now it's been a while since I've come across any...it made me appreciate some of the beautiful things from my home state. Don't get me wrong, I still have a love-hate relationship with California for personal reasons, but it's still home to me. And now I have a little piece of SoCal sitting in the corner of my deck. Plus, Ant really loves hibiscus, which gave me another reason to buy the little tree.


And yes, I'm aware of some of the yellow spots on the leaves, I'm already taking care of the issue. =P

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I definitely must try this soon!

Found this great recipe via Stumble, at The Kitchen. It's essentially ice cream made from only one ingredient: Bananas, and only bananas. How the frick I never heard of this is beyond me. I'm even more amazed that bananas can take on such a creamy consistency by themselves. It's fantastic for those who are allergic to dairy products, or are on a gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free diet. You can also whip some extra ingredients in there. Mmmm, some walnuts, chocolate chips and peanut butter on that would make my perfect ice cream! :)

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Friday Favorites

Gah, sorry about not posting last week's favorites! It's been a hectic week, mostly involving projects around the house and the surrounding property. I've raked up about ten big bags of leaves left over from last fall, and I still need to weed and prune the garden.

Anywho! This week celebrates the arrival of the cherry blossoms (my all time favorite!). And of course, items are in no particular order.

1. Cherry Blossoms Women's Pink by Whitefish Style

2. beloved - a washi pendant box by maoiliosa

3. Cherry Blossom Embellishments by Petals and Paws

4. ACEO - limited edition fine art print 1 of 8 by .Regan Daniels

5. Cherry Blossom Table Decoration x 10 by A Bespoke Touch

6. Light Switch Cover / Switch Plate - Sakura by funky chicken design

7. Cherry Blossom Two Step End Table by Designs by Derilyn

8. Spring Cherry Blossom Martini Glasses--Set of 2 by Marywibis

9. Japanese Cherry Blossom - 5oz Bath Bomb by Bloomfield Candle Co.

10. 96 Edible Sugar Cherry Blossoms with 32 Green Leaves by Sweet Deja vu

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Friday Favorites

Each Friday, I feature ten of my favorite items found off of good ol' Etsy. And of course, items are listed in no particular order.

1. Hand knit hat by namolio

2.
Birds of Prey - Up Close and Personal 8x10" Print by NemesisProductions

3. Red and Silver Music Themed Box by Expired Love

4. It's Light Up Time - Mid Century - New Original Painting on Canvas by Kerry Beary

5. Ten Paper Lanters Pink Floral and Peach Patio Lights by coughcoughchoke

6.
Earth Tone Spectrum Necklace by Angie May

7.Lady Clutch by Astrid Handbags

8. In The Parlor With Mrs. S - Signed Original 8x10 Fine Art Photograph by Heather Evans Smith Photography

9.
Large Antique Bicycle Modern Art Vinyl wall Decal Panels by Wall Decor

10. Wonderland Pencil Set by Bouncing Ball Creation

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