i think these ceramic night lights from wendy jug are just dreamy. for those of us without a fireplace, these would be a great alternative as they create such warmth and coziness. i can see them set back in an old fireplace well or huddled together on a mantle. placed on your nightstand for a romantic touch or an added soft light to a comfortable reading nook. no matter where, i love their glow.

wrap up: {ceramic} {glow} {handmade} {light} {night light} {warmth} {wendy jug}

another friday, another weekend! what do you have planned? we have a friend coming to visit, so i’m sure we’ll be out and about all weekend showing him the sights there are to see. :)

i love this diy pom pom project from dujour. similar to the winter pom poms i made for celebrate magazine, these use circles of fabrics rather than coffee filters. aren’t they pretty? jump on over here for the full how-to.

did you have a good week? i’ve enjoyed so much sharing with you and the discussions we’ve had. just in case you missed anything, here’s a quick recap:

- 20 reasons to go vegan

- the dos & don’ts of newsletter sign-ups

- my recipes for hummus and home fries

- and below, your take on digital readers: to nook or not?

hope to see you monday! love, bonnie

wrap up: {decor} {diy} {pom poms} {re-cap} {weekend}

clear forest bookmarks

today i’m looking for your insight. do you like using digital readers or prefer old fashioned hard copy books?

i’ve been tempted to explore new readers like the nook, kindle or ibook, but something about them just doesn’t settle with me. see, i like to flip through the pages of a book with my fingers, doggie ear the corners and make notes in the side columns. and to me, there’s just something about placing a well loved book on a shelf to refer back to again and again. i like to have a library, i think books are beautiful. it is for this same reason that i prefer to purchase my books rather then get them from the library, i want to call them my own and keep them forever (though, i do try to purchase used books). plus, i found this article on our health and wireless waves a bit concerning. also, if i used a digital reader, i wouldn’t be able to use cute bookmarks like these!

so what’s your opinion? do you use a digital reader? do you like it, or not? i can definitely see where there would be certain advantages. for instance, i’m sure airplane and vacation reading would be much easier (and much lighter). and it might be easier to find passages, if you can search for a specific word or phrase. i would like to hear which you prefer, and if you’ve tried a digital reader- what do you think of it?

wrap up: {books} {digital reader} {hard copy} {ibook} {insight} {kindle} {library} {nook} {read}

i have to admit- french fries are a guilty pleasure of mine. however, it’s been years since i’ve allowed myself to eat them out, especially from a fast food joint. in fact, i think the last time i had french fries from a drive through was right after my junior prom in high school (i’m sure my date loved that). SO, i tend to make them often at home! baked, not fried. though i usually use a simpler method (nothing but olive oil, rosemary and salt), i tried something new this week and they turned out really yummy. here’s the recipe!

ingredients:

• 5-6 potatoes, halved, quartered then sliced into wedges
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika

directions:

preheat oven to 425°f. place potato wedges in a large bowl and toss with olive oil. combine flour and spices then toss with the potatoes until well covered. place in a single layer on a lightly greased pan and bake until golden brown; about 30 mins. enjoy!

wrap up: {bake} {french fries} {home fries} {oven} {potatoes} {recipes} {roasted}

 

 

 

 

 

 
getting married this year? have yet to pick out your dress? claire la faye has described her work as ‘red carpet, feminine frocks’, and to that i certainly agree. with the debut of her latest wedding line, her work resembles old hollywood glamour with a modern day flair of whimsy, sweetness and frill. with each piece handmade, made to order and affordable for the modern-day bride, i can’t help but be in love her entire line. visit her shop to browse, her website to learn more and her flickr to see many-a-more photos.

wrap up: {claire la faye} {dresses} {handmade} {red carpet} {wedding} {whimsy}

untitled by une**

hello lovelies! today i want to touch on a subject, and request your feedback. it seems like lately, i’ve been having to unsubscribe from several newsletters every day, none of which i actually signed up for. some are from large corporations, but many are from small independent businesses and blogs. are you being signed up for e-mails without your consent?

it doesn’t make me mad, get me upset or make me have ill feelings towards the businesses that do it, i just find it annoying. bloggers (and most peeps) spend so much time in our e-mail boxes already, that i find dealing with unnecessary e-mails is just an added time waster- and i’m trying to be efficient over here! so, is it out of ignorance that we get signed up for these letters? out of sneaky marketing schemes? or something else?

today i want to put out my dos and don’ts for newsletter sign-ups, and i would love to hear your feedback:

do:

- have a newsletter

- make it easy to sign up for

- have a sign up visible on your website

- have a link to it in your e-mail signature

- promote it occasionally via social networking (twitter, facebook, etc) especially when you’re about to send out a new one

don’t:

- take it upon yourself to sign someone up without their consent

end of story!

if you think someone would benefit from your newsletters, why don’t you let them know? send them a nice and personalized e-mail with what you are offering and why you think they might enjoy receiving your periodic updates. then let them decide if they would like to receive them or not. it’s not a question of whether businesses or bloggers (like myself) do or don’t like you/your biz, it’s just that with the volume of e-mails we get already, most of us need to be very selective in what we decide to receive in our inboxes. i would assume anyone does, right?

so share with me- am i missing something? what is your opinion? love, bonnie

p.s. if you’ve ever signed me up for something without my consent, no hard feelings! smooches :)

wrap up: {consent} {dos and don'ts} {indie biz} {newsletter} {sign ups} {unsubscribe}

a sampler of bacterial anatomy

plush mollusk anatomy

mushroom crochet patterns

crochet patterns

ecosystems of the lower balearic

prawn, seahorse & coral

crocheted protein structures? octopus, algae and bacterial anatomy? oh, yes! this handmade cabinet of curiosity goes there. i love so much that jessica polka crochets the unknown, the fascinating and the scientific. she offers a number of patterns and pendants in her shop, wunderkammer and lots of help, advice and info on her blog as well. what do you think? interesting, beautiful and incredibly talented, to say the least?

wrap up: {creatures} {crochet} {handmade} {jessical polka} {ocean} {science} {sea} {wunderkammer}

 
you all know i’m a coffee drinker, but our latest addition has taken it up one giant notch. i gave david an espresso machine for christmas (gotta love gifts that give dual pleasure) and have been sippin’ on coffees, lattes, cappuccinos and little espressos ever since. though i have to admit that i feel badly for our since-put-away french press (i think i’ve watched toy story too many times), i’m receiving this caffeinated goodness with open arms. dave used to work at a coffee shop during college, so he knows all the tricks to making up super frothy and delicious drinks. my favorite so far? i think his specialty chocolate soy latte.

are you enjoying a gift so much, that you’re not sure how you lived without it?

wrap up: {coffee} {espresso} {gift} {latte} {machine}