the red carpet

first of all

i am being featured today over on
thrifty decorating


if you get a chance
stop by to visit nikki's craftilicious blog


totally loved the style
that was pimped on the daddy of all ruddy carpets last night

here's whose looks i adored

my absolute favorite
gwyneth paltrow in calvin klein
now
if only she wouldn't have sung
i'd be a happy girl


anne hatheway in valentino
just the exact right color of red
perfect


amy adams in l'wren scott
love the dress
hate the jewelry


mandy moore in monique lhuillier

was anyone else wondering why she was there at all?
but i figured it out halfway through the duet


camila alves in kaufman franco (and her date)
this might just be my favorite neckline
of

all

time


michele williams in chanel
this dress clung and flowed in all the right places
and hello
it's chanel
chanel
her hair is gamine
it just all works


helena bonham carter in a gown by caroline atwood
who was the costume designer for 'alice in wonderland'

on the red carpet bonham said that she didn't dress to
represent fashion
but to represent costume designers
love that
adore the sunglasses too

do you realize she was in 3 different nominated films last night?


and then there were those whose duds disappointed

florence welch in valentino
which i would have liked if the bottom weren't so yellowed



cate blanchett in givenchy
ok
love givenchy
adore cate blanchett
but i truly loathe this gown
the color (lilac might just be my least of all time)
the circle cut-out bib
the structured arms
bleh



marisa tomei in vintage charles james couture

again
love tomei
and i admire the fact that she went vintage glam
but this dress doesn't fit her
and it's just

too

poufy


melissa leo (the fighter) in marc bowen
two words
gold doily


scarlett johansson in dolce & gabbana
this dress is all kinds of boring
the color is aging
the lace looks like a christmas tablecloth
she usually does so much better than this



nicole kidman in christian dior
too structured and stiff
heavy looking
hate the star burst on the bustier


that's my list folks

there were some others who looked pretty
but these were my high and lows of the night

agree?

disagree?

which one did you love or loathe?

homemade potato chips

last night
out of sheer 'low on groceries' desperation
i sliced some sweet potatoes
threw them in the deep fryer
and called it a vegetable side dish

don't judge

and since the fryer was still out this morning
i thought

lets make up a batch of chips

here's what i did

peel spuds
or not
depending on taste

slice as thinly as you like
(i used the slicing attachment on my food processor)


rest sliced spuds in ice water for a few minutes
while vegetable oil is heating in the fryer

this is the old behemoth that i use

she may not be the prettiest fryer on the block
but she gets the job done

drain and dry spuds well
before gently dropping them in fryer in batches

fry for 6-10 minutes
depending on thickness

lift and drain on paper towels
(chips will be soft and a bit soggy at this stage)

when all the spuds have been through the fryer
and have drained

fry 'em again
in batches

just a few minutes this time
watching carefully
until they are a golden brown

lift and drain on paper towels
season as desired

we use sea salt
sometimes garlic salt
chili powder
italian seasoning

whatever

eat 'em hot
or cold

though
come to think of it

they don't seem to last long enough around here
to get cold

fridays unfolded #7

have i mentioned lately
that you all inspire me?

to be
more joyful
more thoughtful
more thankful
more creative
more crafty
more organized
more thrifty


more

ingenious

and last week
was certainly no exception

vintage on the farm showed us her gussied up
trash can sconces


how' that for a dumpster diving discovery?

julie from less than perfect life of bliss
showed off her gorgeous new
giant pantry chalkboard


can you spell e-n-v-i-o-u-s?
cuz i am

fo rills

food floozie gave us her original recipe for
a healthy cookie


yum

gail from can't stop making things
made a creative valentine's card for her sweetie
out of an old candy box


adore

if your post was featured
feel free to grab a button


to prove it

linking up this week?


the rules are simple:


follow stuff and nonsense

link up your recipe, sewing project, craft, poem, essay, tutorial, etc...whatever 'unfolded' for you this week

be sure to link back to your post and not just your url

visit a few of the other links and leave a comment
(it's just polite)

please post my button
on your blog so others can join

guest post by april!

i am thrilled to have my friend
(and newest sponsor) april
guest posting for me today

her lovely blog the view from 5'5"

inspires me in so many ways

she is on the very cusp
of this whole homeschooling thing

and i asked if she would be willing to share some or her
thoughts about it


in her own words:

Homely. Unsocialized. Culturally and socially awkward. Inferior. Homebound.

What do you think of when you hear these words?

Up until a year ago I would have said “homeschooling.”

But that’s not the case anymore.

In fact, this year my husband and I will begin homeschooling our 5-year old.

Confused?

I specifically remember the day I told God that I would never, under any circumstances, homeschool my children should I have any. But isn’t it just like God to have bigger plans that my narrow-minded ones. It is also like him to gently lead me toward His perfect plan for me.

Up until about a year ago I still had my heels dug in the sand with homeschooling because I had not come in contact with a homeschooling family that I found real and relatable. My sister- in-law had been homeschooling for about a year and was always speaking of how much she loved it. She lives 500 miles away from me, so I wasn’t able to see it in action. My opinions on homeschooling remained unchanged.

Then I discovered that several of my friends “just so happened” to be homeschooling their children. I was surprised to discover this because they seemed so “normal.” This piqued my curiosity. One of those friends made herself available for me to ask questions and basically “pick her brain” over homeschooling. I felt total freedom to voice my concerns and questions without being judged or dismissed. She was honest and spoke from her heart. Each conversation with her was God’s way of chiseling one more piece of resistance from around me.

After reading Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto and Mary Pride’s Complete Book of Getting Started Homeschooling I felt that the plusses of homeschooling far outweighed the cons. I felt that if I chose to put my children in a traditional classroom setting that I would be doing them a great disservice.

Ten years ago my nose was turned up toward homeschooling. Over time my heart became receptive to considering it. Homeschooling has turned out to be the best fit for our children and our family. Now I am genuinely excited at the thought of homeschooling my little ones. Only God can orchestrate this kind of change. There are days where I fight nervousness and question my ability to effectively teach my children. Then I am reminded

•I am already homeschooling my children. I have taught them to walk, speak words, learn colors and alphabet letters, and even read! I have taught them how to hold a cup, brush their teeth and use the toilet! I am homeschooling my children!

•God never asks you to do a task without equipping you to do what He wants you to do. It is obvious that God wants us to homeschool our children, which means He has (and will continue) to equip me and my husband with all we need to effectively educate our children.

•My children will not miss out on anything just because they are educated at home. There are ample avenues for our children to involve themselves. They will only be as socially/culturally awkward as our lifestyle allows them to be.

If you are like I once was, resistant at even considering homeschooling as an option I encourage you to open your heart and mind and just investigate what homeschooling really is (and isn’t). You might be surprised to find that it’s the doorway to what you have always wanted for your children. I know I did.

salvage chic

the

industrial cottage look

or

salvage chic

or

whatevertheheckstyleitscalled

is everywhere

and i am a huge fan

apartment therapy

it's characterized by elements like

industrial salvage materials

institution clocks

airplane parts

restoration hardware

wait

airplane parts?

yup

and

subway art

metal lockers

restoration hardware

schoolhouse tables and chairs

capitalstyle

advertising letters and signs

homelife.com

utility shelving

unknown

schoolhouse lights

chalkboards

(i've been searching for a big old blackboard for awhile now

preferably

one that doesn't cost an arm and leg)

mikkel vang

i love all of it

even the airplane parts

especially the airplane parts

twine balls

leapard balls
oreo balls

and now

twine balls

it would seem
i can't get away from

balls

a couple of weeks ago
on fridays unfolded
a great idea was submitted by
crysta from homemaker in heels
for making

twine balls


it looked easy

it looked fun

it looked pretty when all done

so i thought

why not?

(can you tell
we've been reading a fair amount of
dr. seuss around here lately?)

disclaimer:
since i was too lazy to look up the directions
i did this project a little differently than crysta's directions

i wrapped the balloons in twine and then covered them with
decoupage material
her way is better, so don't be lazy like me

got my materials together

started wrapping

got some help from little miss

and now i have my very own

twine balls

if you visit homemaker in heels
to get directions for making your own twine balls
be sure to tell her i sent you

fridays unfolded #6

i can't believe
how quickly
each friday rolls around

last week's


was the largest gathering yet
with many new participants

i am so thrilled
that you choose to join the fun each week
with your creative posts

tamara from etcetorize 
showed us how to create this
gorgeous obi belt



do you think it would make my hips look smaller?

amy from a nest for all seasons
gave an excellent and detailed tute
for concocting homemade laundry soap



i used to make my own detergent
but then i got...well...lazy
perhaps i should rummage around for my old meat grinder again

alicia from la famille
sewed her first slipcover



well done...it's beautiful
wanna come make one for me?

anna from ask anna
showed us a simple method
for fresh squeezed lemonade
all winter long



can you feel the pucker?

erika...with a k
took an average dresser from shabby to chic



or
as i like to say
she

'whitified' it

cas from an oasis in the desert
showed us a cute idea for valentine goody bags


to give to our little sweeties
yum


if you were featured this week
feel free to grab a button





now

let the party commence

the rules are simple:


follow stuff and nonsense

link up your recipe, sewing project, craft, poem, essay, tutorial, etc...whatever 'unfolded' for you this week

be sure to link back to your post and not just your url

visit a few of the other links and leave a comment
(it's just polite)

please post my button
on your blog so others can join







enjoy!