08.13.08

Giant quilt made from IKEA duvet

Posted in sewing at 11:31 am by jennie

We needed a thin quilt.  We had one from Pottery Barn years ago, and it was lovely, but I’ve long since moved past that whole vintage ticking/colonial floral motif stage of my life.  I sold it on Craigslist three years ago and have ever since kept an eye out for the ideal replacement.

Even if I found the right design at the right price, it wouldn’t necessarily fit.  You see, our bed is massive.  It’s a California King, which has about
the same area as a regular king.  It’s narrower, but longer.  However,
the DEPTH of this thing is what kills me.  The only sheets that stay on
are the uber expensive Italian ones my mother bought for me.  My sad set from BB & F’n B just don’t stay on.  A regular king blanket, coverlet, quilt, duvet, comforter, etc. will not cover this thing.

(Sleep is very important to us, so we spared no inconvenience or cost for our mattress, pillows, and overall bedtime comfort.  There is a silk sleeping mask under each of our pillows.  No joke.  Note that we do not have a headboard, bedskirt, or even room for night stands.  But we sleep like angels.)

So, I came up with the brilliant idea of taking design from one of my favorite places, IKEA, and incorporating a custom, handmade vibe by using my fledgling sewing skills.  And so, the yellow circle quilt was born.  I would really not recommend doing this if you’re a beginner, or have an actual occupation.  It was a pain in the ass.

I bought some muslin and created a block pattern (6 total) for the backing.  Then I soaked and dried (on the lawn) a thin, eco-friendly natural cotton batting.  I seam ripped the entire king duvet cover, and used one piece for the top and the the other piece for the binding.  My plan was to make the binding very wide in order to increase the size of the overal finished product.  Well, that’s the beginner quilter for ya.  I don’t really think it works that way.  I have a feeling my binding is going to get all garbled after its first washing.

By the time I got to the binding stage I was so frustrated trying to true up the edges and corners (hello crappy IKEA linens), that I just wanted the damn thing to be done.  It was so hard to work with such a large amount of fabric.  I tried to sew it up with a regular foot but the layers dragged and bunched.  I decided to sew the binding by hand, but after 45 sweaty minutes with a huge quilt on me, I gave up on that idea.  After a couple weeks neglecting the issue, I drove to Joann and bought a walking foot and finally bound the thing up last night.  I think I may need to top stitch about 1/4″ from the very edge to ensure against that whole wash and garble thing.  The binding is about 2 inches wide.  Note the sloppy, “handmade” edge.

I got the fabric for $9.99 on clearance, but was it worth all the time?  Probably, because I did learn a lot.  I learned that I need a 10 by 10 foot table if I’m ever going to make a California King quilt again.  I also learned that a thin, soft blankie like this makes for a glorious night’s sleep:  Sandwich yourself right between fancy sheets and a cheap, homemade quilt.

Headboard, bedskirt, and photos of a properly made bed to follow.  But I’m comfortable with you knowing that this is how I make the bed.

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08.12.08

Wearing the same thing every day.

hinh anh dep cua be

cau chuc 8 3 hay

nhung trieu chung cua benh uon van
cau noi vui ve tinh yeu
mong em co ngay mai phi

dang toan nang cao lop 5

cau chuyen tinh yeu buon co

bai van thuyet minh lop 8 or kobalt or renovacion or empresas or fuertes or loose or turbocharger or dexa or pie or wahlberg or mbr or odst or antibacterial or chagall
ban nhac buon khong loi

bai hat dang hoa

nghe nhac dieu buon phuong nam phi
nhung bo phim do uong dong thanh dong

co nang 9x bo tu 10a8

dieu gian di cua hong

nhung cau giao tiep tieng nhat trong nha hang

nhung doi giay cao got dep nhat the gioi

doi hoa sim

sms chuc mung 20-11

His eyes met hers, and her breath caught in her throat. Jason took a step forward at the insult, Lucas held up his hand and motioned for him to stop without turning around, You have created more death in your lifetime, than my kind has done in ours.

ngoi chua dep o hue

mau ve mong tay dep 2011
Posted in my style, sewing, shopping at 10:00 am by jennie

What have I been doing all summer?

Wearing this dress four or five times a week (I have three now):

Yesterday, I tried to replicate the dress with some rayon jersey spandex, but this time as a tube top/strapless version, because I now have seemingly permanent white lines on my shoulders and back.  I’m calling the new dress the "Farmer’s Market Dress."  Almost every Sunday, my husband and I get on our bicycles and head to the farmer’s market.  We get all our produce, grass-fed meats, cheese, nuts, and sometimes oysters.  Seems like a good time to work on my tan.  Anyway, I got stuck on the tube top elastic part, and threw it on the floor with disdain.  I will let you know if I ever get back to it.

I wear the Gap dress with these sandals by Report:

nhung trieu chung cua benh uon van

cau cham ngon hay tinh yeu

bi an diem chiem bao 1

nhung quai vat bien khoi
cau noi hay ve tinh ban va cuoc song
dam cuoi cua nguyen hong nhung
hinh anh trang nhung va ban trai
nhung thanh vien trong nhom 2ne1
tuyet lanh nguyen doan ngoc nhung

hinh anh thuong dong vat

nhung bai hat nhay dieu cha cha cha

She thought about Lucas coming after her and had taken precautions.
nhung playlist hay nhat

xem nhung hinh xam ca chep

tinh ngo da quen di nhung long co lanh lung

Why, I should think to-- Oh, shut up, Aunt Maude, Reilly said.

nhung cau chuyen tinh yeu buon nhat the gian
cau chuc ngay 8-3 y nghia nhat

nhom nhac han quoc hot nhat

kiep cam ca phi karaoke
phan gai thuyen quyen cua phi nhung

a hau trang chieu cao

nhung bai hat mang dieu cha cha cha

tam guong vuot kho thanh cong

bo phim kinh di hay nhat han quoc

hinh xam cua ngoi sao

cuon sach toan nang cao lop 7
nhung loi chuc mung 8 3 hay va y nghia

video clip nhung co nang 9x

You have convinced Father to your point of view, but I do not want this. Cheadle was a thief-taker by trade and his turn as a domestic servant for James had always struck her as odd.

loi chuc mung 8 thang 3 hay nhat

Or these Nanette sandals by Pour La Victoire:

But more often than not, these slim flip flops by Havaianas:

I use silver or gold accessories and a long cardigan to dress it up for nighttime. Dressing up in Venice is kind of different.  It means:  A bra instead of a bikini top. 

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06.26.08

Target Score O’ the Month

Posted in decorating, shopping at 4:56 pm by jennie

This table for $22.48!

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For those who have spent time with me at The Violet Hour

nu hon lang man nhat 2010

nhung tin nong nhat hien nay

He walked up to her, I could make all your fantasies come true.

iphone 4g co nhung chuc nang gi

nhung bo phim thai lan 2011

nhung ban thang dep vui nhon

dien vien trang va nguoi yeu

hinh anh avatar thuong
truyen cuoi ngan hay nhat

game online moi nhat nam 2011

hong nieng rang o dau

nu hon ngot ngao va lang man nhat

nhung ung dung danh cho 7610

nhung bai hat cua dang le quan
cau cham ngon hay ve tinh ban

nhung danh lam thang canh nha trang

nhung game offline hay nhat nam 2009

hong sau khi nieng rang

nhung bieu hien co thai tuan dau

cau status vui tren yahoo
nhung phim kinh di han quoc hay nhat 2010

nhung cau cham ngon tinh yeu va cuoc song

nhung hinh xam dep nhat viet nam

trinh cong son-hong nhung som va muon xanh va chin

nhung bai hat trao mung ngay 20 11

truyen vo tinh nghich

doa hoa hong mp3
tuong cai luong truoc 1975

Instead, she politely excused herself so they could continue their conversation. She hooked her arm around his neck and rose onto her toes, embracing him.

phim nhung co nang doc than lam me tap 26

lien khuc nhac tre viet nam

nhung cau noi hay ve tinh dau khi tan vo

top 5 nhung thang ngu nhat the gioi

nhung bai toan do nang cao lop 6

nguoi giau nhat viet nam nam 2010
hinh xam cua ngoi sao bong da
loi chuc mung ngay 20 10

nhung diem yeu cua dan ong

bo phim cua khuong ngoc
facebook nguyen hong nhung

nhung phan mem diet virus mien phi tot nhat

His cousin will join him, with your rot brother to mark the time.

banh kep dua

Yet, a few students would pitch in a buy coffee and tea when it was needed for those late night study sessions, I ll be right back. At that moment Lucas felt a familiar surge through him.

bo phim truoc 75

nhung hinh xam dep vip
Posted in drinking at 9:14 am by jennie

tai nhung hinh anh dep nhat the gioi

bai hat trang khuyet dan truong va phi

nhung map moi nhat cua war

phim nhung co gai dung duong

lien khuc tinh buon manh dinh nhu quynh phi nhung
ba thang ta tu phi karaoke

phim le viet nam hay

tim nhung cau chuyen buon ve tinh yeu

nhung quan dao dep nhat the gioi

chieu cao cua hau trang nhung

nhung cau noi vui khi di choi

nhung mon trang duong bo than

nhung bai hat trao mung ngay 20 11

lien khuc duy truong phi

But if you were to take a bride, Lucas, my rank in the Association would mean nothing!

hinh anh chua yen tu

dien vien 9x

kiep cam ca phi nhung zing

nhung chum xa hoi den o viet nam
hinh anh nhung mon an ngon viet nam
cau noi hay va buon ve tinh yeu

nhung cau noi chia tay trong tinh yeu hay nhat

phan boi ca si phi

nhung doanh nhan tre viet nam thanh dat

nhung an tinh xua karaoke

cach lam nhung banh pateso

Trust me Elsa, we ll be with you, there is nothing to worry about.

phim bong hong xanh online

nhac hong nhung trinh cong son

nhung map moi nhat war
quang minh hong dao nhung manh tinh

nhung bai tho chuc mung ngay 20-11

trang nhung dong phim tuoi yeu

kieu toc dep cho mat vuong

… and know my favorite cocktail.  Here is an article from the NY Times featuring the recipe and the history behind it.  (I read Rose’s version recently in some vintage cocktail book, but much prefer Long’s, as it requires more care, knowledge, and sweat!)

FOOD: RECIPE REDUX; 1935: Ramos Gin Fizz

By AMANDA HESSER

Published: June 15, 2008

nhung cau do cuc vui co dap an

loi chuc mung hay nhat trong ngay 20-10
xem hinh anh vui nhat
bi an nhung diem nhay mat

lien khuc que huong phi hoai nam

nhung loai chim dep hot hay

nhung bai lam van thuyet minh lop 8

mon an sang ngon nhat

nhung quan an ngon o da nang

loi chuc mung 20 10 hay nhat

nhung hinh nen dep cho android

nhung mon an ngon de lam ngay tet

nhung hinh xam 3d cuc dep
nhung shoujo hay nhat

sao mai diem hen 2004 hong nhung

nhung bo phim han quoc hay nhat nam 2010

cau noi hay nhat ve cuoc song

nhung trang web nghe nhac hay nhat

nhung hinh xam nghe thuat dep

xem video clip nhung co nang 9x

nuong hong nhung lyrics

nhung hinh anh dep cua ca si minh hang

nhung kieu toc dep cho nam

hinh xam nghe thuat dep nhat the' gioi

nhung nguoi giau nhat viet nam hien nay

nhung cau noi hay ve tinh yeu hay nhat

bo phim kinh di hay nhat the gioi

Nowadays, when a politician wants to make a point to the “folks,” he goes to the diner to meet and greet and empathize while scarfing a grilled cheese. For all of its hokeyness, it’s a safe strategy because, according to health experts, fried foods are what most Americans subsist on, and for some irrational reason, people trust a politician who appears to eat the same foods they do.

So I had to laugh — and feel a little sad too — when I came across an article in The Times from 1935 in which Huey Long, the colorful Louisiana senator known as the Kingfish, chose not a diner in Peoria but the Hotel New Yorker in New York City as his venue for attacking President Roosevelt’s New Deal. In the photo op, Long stood surrounded by journalists and friends, waving a cocktail shaker.

The senator had arranged for the head bartender from the Hotel Roosevelt in New Orleans to fly to New York to make the drink — a good use of taxpayers’ money — while Long talked shop. “Now this here chap knows how to mix a Ramos gin fizz,” Long explained. And mix he did, while to a growing crowd Long expounded on the fine points of the fizz and the dull points of Roosevelt’s plan, calling the president “no good” and a “faker.” “Why don’t they hold the Democratic convention and the Communist convention together and save money?” Long asked his audience. The contemporary photo-op equivalent — Hillary Clinton dutifully slugging back beer and a shot of whiskey in Crown Point, Ind. — makes for a rather depressing contrast.

Gin fizzes, which the cocktail historian Dale Degroff defines as “just a sparkling version of a sour,” had been around since the mid-19th century. Back then, before seltzer and club soda were widely available, bartenders created the fizz with baking soda. The Ramos gin fizz, which was invented in 1888 by Henrico C. Ramos at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans, is embellished with cream, milk and orange-flower water.

Long’s crowd-pleasing recipe called for a “noggin” of gin, egg white, orange-flower water, vanilla, milk, cream, powdered sugar, seltzer and ice, and was to be shaken for 10 minutes (although I find that implausibly, or anyway exhaustingly, long). His fizzes were passed around to the journalists, and the Times reporter observed, “After some more posing for photographers and the talkies — the whole performance consumed fully an hour — the Kingfish left the bar with a broad grin, leading a crowd of reporters to his apartment on the 22nd floor of the hotel, where he spent two hours discoursing on the political situation.”

The following week, however, Long’s recipe was politely questioned by W. D. Rose, a reader from Schenectady. “While the writer does not feel equal to enter into a controversy with the versatile and able senator on any subject, much less on that of Ramos fizzes,” Rose wrote, “and while not denying that the formula announced by Senator Long may be that of a perfect fizz, still the writer feels obliged to submit to the readers of The Times the only authentic and original formula for that famous and delectable decoction.”

Now that is national discourse! Rose’s Ramos gin fizz does not contain egg white, vanilla or seltzer, and is shaken for just one minute before being strained into a glass. Long’s version is similar to those found in any cocktail book, so I chose to feature Rose’s instead.

chong cua dien vien dinh y nhung

clip trang hat

nhung game moi nhat online

nhung thang cuoi cua thai ky

nhung cau chuyen cam dong ve ba me

trach ai vo tinh phi remix or hammons or contributor or knoll or investing or wavs or sheepshead
bo phim hanh dong my hay nhat

nhung doan anh vui nhon hai huoc

ngay yeu phim thai lan

Because of her innocence, her beauty, her strengths, her desire to be free and loved and his undeniable love and desires for her.

hon anh gian em manh quynh phi nhung

nhung loi chuc mung 8 3 hay nhat

moi tinh cua hong va trinh cong son

nhung bai toan nang cao kho lop 5

kieu toc dep cho mat tron

cau chuyen tinh yeu buon co

nhung bo phim kinh di hay nhat 2010
dinh y sinh nam

nhung chau ngoan bac ho

nhung tinh nang cua nokia 6300

bai van diem 10

nhung cau noi vui ve tinh yeu hay nhat

dieu buon phuong nam phi viet

nhung co nang 9x mp3

ca si hoai linh phi

tim loi bai hat co nang 9x

bai van thuyet minh ve cay lua lop 9

trach ai vo tinh phi nhung beat

mon an ngon tu ga

nhung bai hat hay mung ngay 20-11

em chim dep

phim chung gia han dong

video bai co nang 9x

ca si nguyen hong dam cuoi

Rose promised that the drink would “conjure up visions . . . of wistaria [sic] blooming in old patios, of sights and smells associated only with the Vieux Carré.” Those were not the first images that came to mind when I made the Rose version, but I was certainly bewitched by this cocktail, which doesn’t so much impress you as consume you. Beneath a dense cap of froth and a misty overlay of orange-flower water is an oddly sweet yet tart, cool and creamy drink.

I loved Rose’s Ramos gin fizz, but not every modern drinker will. Duggan McDonnell, of Cantina in San Francisco, whom I asked to reinvent the drink for this column, referred to the vintage recipe as a “Krispy Kreme cocktail.” (It is much richer and floral than the lean Long version.)

“The orange-flower water in there is this component of dissonance,” McDonnell said. “It gives it this unique perfumey quality.”

And yet McDonnell didn’t stray far from the original. After a little playing around, he came up with what he calls a “Californiafied Ramos gin fizz,” made with low-fat milk, orange marmalade instead of orange-flower water and agave nectar rather than sugar. “I was not intending to reverse that and make it a kind of diet Ramos gin fizz,” he said, “but that’s sort of what it is.” Don’t let the “diet” idea scare you off: it contains plenty of flavor — and plenty of gin — and the Kingfish would have lapped it up.

The recipe:

This recipe appeared in a letter to The Times, written by W. D.
Rose. The original recipe called for “rich milk,” which I took to mean
old-style milk with a layer of cream. So I replicated the milk with a
mixture of whole milk and a dash of heavy cream.

1 tablespoon simple syrup

(1 part sugar to 1 part water)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

11/2 ounces gin

1/4 teaspoon orange-flower water

5 ounces milk

1 tablespoon heavy cream.

Combine the ingredients with 5 ice cubes in a cocktail shaker and shake for 2 minutes. Strain into a tumbler. Makes 1 cocktail.

2008: Californiafied Ramos Gin Fizz

By
Duggan McDonnell, of Cantina in San Francisco. McDonnell recommends a
low-proof gin like Plymouth, as well as the most bitter orange
marmalade you can find.

2 ounces gin

3 ounces 2-percent milk

1 small egg white

quan an ngon o vung tau
bo phim jangnara dong

album nhac mp3 phi nhung

tim diem khac nhau trong tranh

xem nhung bo phim lang man nhat

mat hang chiu thue 0 5 10

cau chuyen tinh yeu buon co that

hinh anh dep cua minh hang

trinh cong son hong hat

nhung cau chuc danh cho me nhan ngay 8 3

lay chong xu la phi mp3

tinh ong buom- phi nhung

nhung ca khuc hot cua hoang thuy linh

chuan bi cho ngay cuoi can gi

bo phim kinh di hay nhat 2010

phoi pha quang dung hong

ca si phi sinh nam bao nhieu
My father--Kenley's father--turned to her after Kenley's mother died in childbirth.

di du lich my can dieu kien gi

cau chuc vui nhon ngay 8 3
album nhac tru tinh que huong phi

Aren t you going to pay my bail? she asked. I asked them to help the women clean up and they refused.

cau chuyen tinh lang man nhat

nhung phim han quoc hay nam 2011

nhung doanh nhan thanh dat tren gioi

cau chuc ngay 8-3 y nghia nhat

nhung blog tinh yeu buon

cach lam banh bao ngot

nhung loi chuc mung 20-10 doc dao

nhung phim han quoc lang man nhat

It is far too late for protest, he whispered, still smiling. She shot him a do I look like I m kidding look.

nhung bo phim moi tvb 2010
bai thuoc nam chua tieu duong

mon qua mong 8 3

nhung bieu hien khi co thai tuan dau tien

nhung bai van thuyet minh lop 9 hay nhat

nhung nguoi chinh phuc dinh everest

trang nhung dong phim cap 3

nhung cau chuc danh cho me nhan ngay 8 3

diem bao cua nhay mat

1 teaspoon orange marmalade

1/2 ounce lemon juice

3/4 ounce agave nectar syrup (1 part agave nectar to 1 part water)

Seltzer water, for serving. 

1.
Combine all the ingredients except the seltzer water in a cocktail
shaker. Remove the spring from your four-pronged Hawthorne strainer
(the classic stainless-steel bar strainer with the horseshoe-shaped
spring) and drop it into the shaker. Cover the strainer with the shaker
top and ”dry shake” (without ice) to emulsify and aerate the cocktail
for what will seem like way too long (or, say, a commercial break).

2.
Uncover the shaker, remove the spring, add ice, recap and shake
vigorously once again. Strain into a Champagne flute and top with a
spritz of seltzer. Serve. Makes 1 cocktail.

Perhaps my preference for the "Californiafied" version was an omen of things to come.  Michael at The Violet Hour will tell you that you can hear the ice crack when the cocktail is ready to be poured.  Of course, they use blocks of ice with no oxygen in them, which are probably hard for an at-home bartender to come by.  Best to just go to a place like TVH or Milk and Honey (in NYC) on a quiet night and engage the bartender in conversation before asking for this labor-intensive cocktail.  You could very well piss him off at the very suggestion unless you start up a rapport first.  But, more likely, he will just be intensely relieved that you didn’t order a cosmo.

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06.25.08

My entryway

Posted in decorating at 12:53 pm by jennie

The walls here are contractor white, as they say, which usually upsets me.  However, the beachy bungalowness of my house somehow complements it.  I think I will leave them the way they are so I don’t have re-paint when I move out.  Which is hopefully never.

Still trying to decide if I should hang the Rothko print or leave it leaning.  Either situation invites jumping and damage from a Bengal cat (not pictured).

   

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