homecoming

This weekend was full of delightful deja vu. D and I made a trip down to Norman for our third Dustbowl Art Market. The little vacation was a much needed respit from my hectic schedule and it was great to see some dearly missed friends.

invitation sneak peek

My husband and I agreed to ignore Valentines Day this year in order to save money for an upcoming trip. After blatant denials of secret Valentine surprises, we both sneakily planned and ended up celebrating in spite of ourselves.

While I perpetuate my Valentine's Day sugar high, I am working on my cousin's wedding invitation and I wanted to give you a little peak. I designed my own wedding invitation, but this is the first one I have done outside of that. Luckily the "client" is family and required to love me no matter what. I'm still working, but what do you think so far?

bring it on blizzard

Sixteen inches of snow and sub zero temperatures will go a long way when it comes to keeping a native Texan locked up indoors. However, I can't hardly be jealous of friends and family further south because this crazy weather has hit almost everywhere. I suppose I should just be thankful that I live in a city with a fleet of snow plows and have a snow shoveling super hero of a husband. The day after the blizzard, we did brave the frigid air long enough to do some sledding with a couple of friends, but mostly we're enjoying chili, late night card games, and peppermint schnapps. What are you doing to keep warm?

etsy update

Dear readers, I hope you'll take a second to check out all of the new additions to my etsy page. Necklaces, tea towels, embroidery oh my!

save the date: amanda & seth

Amanda and Seth were the very first people D and I met in Kansas City. We looked at their house when we were searching for a rental and Amanda was nice enough to invite us to happy hour. It's kind of tough to be new kids in town and I'll never forget the kind gesture these two made to a couple of strangers.
Last month Amanda and Seth got engaged while in Columbia and when they returned Amanda asked if I'd like to shoot some engagement pictures and images for their "save the date" card. Luckily my photography skills only had to go so far, since Amanda and Seth happen to be amazingly photogenic.
Just as I pulled up to their house, fat fluffy flakes of snow began to fall, making for a sweet scene and impromptu snowball fight. It was so fun to shoot pictures of two people so obviously crazy about each other and I know they're in store for a lifetime of happiness.

snow doe

There's been quite a bit of snow dumped on our fair city, more than I'm used to anyway. D and I spent a week in our home state of Texas and when we returned shoveled a driveway for the first time in our lives. I can't say that shoveling snow is my new favorite hobby, but I can say I'm less bothered by the blustery weather than I anticipated. My love for handiwork is only increased when under a blanket in front of a fire. This little doe embroidery is now available on my Etsy shop.

the eggnog that isn't

Traditional eggnog, with it's raw egg, doesn't exactly appeal to me. I'm a fan of more friendly variations of this contentious holiday drink and a particular family recipe, which is unequivocally not eggnog, is my favorite.

This recipe was invented, or at least claimed by, my beloved granddad, Jack, who sadly passed away last year. My grandfather was one of those fabulous fibbers who's stretching of truths and hilarious inventions simply made life more amusing and therefore went unattested. So, for all intents and purposes this is my grandfather's original recipe, AKA "Jack's Eggnog".

You'll need...

2 cups cooled brewed coffee

1 box of vanilla ice cream (yes a box! A tub will simply not do- this made explicitly clear by the recipe's proprietor)

1 cup of bourbon

My granddad insisted on the box of ice cream because he claimed that the recipe was best if the if the ice cream was cut (not scooped!) into 1 inch squares prior to mixing. You will probably use your discretion as to this instruction. If you don't want to make the whole batch, you can just mix each individual glass to taste, which is what I usually do. After you're done, top with cinnamon and/or nutmeg.

For my family, and many of our family friends, this is a favorite treat. I hope you might enjoy Jack's Eggnog that isn't, with your family this holiday season.

new website

Hey, I wanted to let you guys know that I recently finished my website. Next on the to do list, getting my etsy site back up and running.

christmas on paper

The time had come for our first Christmas tree and in this new city, with few familiar faces, it's a sweet and welcome sight. Last Christmas, my mom and I went through our family's ornament collection and I got to pick out some of my favorites. With the addition of a few homemade ones, we have a surprisingly full tree. I first created these book page ornaments for my friend Kelly's winter wedding shower last year. They are so easy to make, here is a quick tutorial.

You'll need...

-brads

-string

-old book pages or whatever paper you'd like to use

-something to cut your strips; scissors, a paper cutter, an exacto knife or maybe your office paper shredder.

Cut 25 strips of paper per ornament. You can make them big or small depending on the length of your paper, but you'll want more than 25 strips if you go longer than about 10 inches. I made my strips for this demo around 7 inches long. After your pieces are cut, stack them and punch a hole at each end of the bundle. Then, loosely insert brads at both ends and swing the strips around to create a sphere. Lastly, tie a string around one of the brads for hanging.

breakfast cookies

Seconds away from pouring myself a bowl of quaker oats this morning I spied a familiar recipe on the box. I then thought that there was perhaps no better way to continue my pattern of holiday overindulgence than cookies for breakfast. I'm not under the delusion that there is an acceptable "breakfast cookie," (I'm sure today's act of nutritional defiance would make my mother squirm) I simply think that if there were a moderately appropriate a.m. cookie it would be the oatmeal raisin. Am I on to something here?

Let me share with you my twist on this very simple recipe.

1 stick of butter

3/4 cup of sugar- brown,white, or a mix

1 egg

1/2 t. vanilla

3/4 cup flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt (I like to taste the salt in a cookie, I put a bit more and use Kosher)

1 1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 pecan halves

Combine and stir wet and dry ingredients in two separate bowls (save the oats, nuts and raisins aside). Slowly stir the contents of the dry bowl into the wet one, then fold in your oats, pecans and raisins. I've made these cookies with walnuts too, but since I had some left over pecans I used them. I think given the choice I'd go for the pecans again.

After refrigerating for about an hour, place spoonfuls of dough on greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 mins. at 350.

These treats are definitely some of my favorites, and I'm only mildly ashamed to admit that this batch might not see tomorrow.

one year of marriage

I think it's pretty funny that so near D's and my one year anniversary I found myself turning wedding table runners into curtains for our new house. My mom made a ton of these for my fall wedding last year using Ikea fabric and cotton backing. I simply cropped them and picked up some curtain clips. It's interesting the way things evolve around you as your life changes. I love being surrounded by things that have memories, even if they might also have a little fajita stain or two.

new city necessities : farmers market

There is no better excuse to tour your own city than having an out of town guest. This weekend, my sweet friend, Katheryne, came to visit and it gave us a reason to explore a couple of new places. Saturday morning, we made our way to the City Market in downtown KC. I was amazed at the selection and immediately recognized the limits of my produce knowledge. There were so many fruits, vegetables, and spices I'd never even seen, much less cooked or consumed. With this great resource I hope to become a more adventurous eater. Does anyone have a recipe or resource that might assist me in my new pursuit?

meet frankenstein

This little monster has been with me a long time. Formerly a small chest of drawers, it's served as a nightstand, a side table and as a general crap collector. When D and I were searching for a solution to our electronic jumble D decided to raise it from the dead one last time. He removed the top drawer and inserted a shelf for our cable box, then defaced the bottom drawer and turned it into a cabinet with a magnet closure. After a new paint job... it's alllllllliiiive!

When you're on a tight budget, there's nothing better than making something old new again.

new city necessities : public park

When D and I moved, we left more than our house and friends behind. We left all our most frequented spots, including our favorite park.

On Monday, we celebrated D's birthday (and great new bike) with a ride to Jacob L. Loose Park in KC. It was such a beautiful place, and it reminded me that I've been missing out on fall for pretty much my entire life. Leaves don't really change colors in Texas or Oklahoma. One night in about mid November, they simply fall off their trees or turn a crispy brown. We had so much fun exploring this enormous place and I got my fill of watching teetering toddlers and spying on high school love birds.

During our excursion we ate a little picnic, and even though I don't usually talk food on this blog, I can't resist giving you the recipe for my friend Whitney's perfect picnic pasta.

All you need is...

pasta

a small tub crumpled goat cheese

cherry tomatoes

arugula

olives (optional)

olive oil

salt

pepper

Simply cook your pasta, chop your veggies and throw everything together while the pasta is drained and still hot, then season to taste. This is my kind of cooking- no measuring/15 minutes. It's perfect for a picnic because it's great warm or cold and of course super tasty.

I hope you enjoy your last few weeks of warmth (if you have any left)!

ch ch ch changes*

A little less than one year ago, I started this blog. A lot has changed since last November and I thought Hide the Good Scissors deserved a bit of a revamp in both style and substance. Just last week, D and I moved from Norman, Oklahoma to Kansas City and it feels like I'm writing a new chapter in my life.

I love our new place and I've been unpacking and painting while guiltily reveling in this hopefully brief period of unemployment. One thing I particularly love about this house is that it is two stories (three if you count the basement). It's kind of novel to me, because I've never lived in a two story and I don't think I'll ever tire of watching our dog Maybe patiently wait to pounce on Dingus as he climbs down. I'm also a big fan of our fireplace and can't wait to cozy up to it as winter approaches.

Our bedroom upstairs might be my favorite room in the house. It's huge and loft like, with big windows overlooking our neighbor's amazing garden.

It's amazing how fast a place can start to feel like home with people, pups, and things you love filling it up. I'll have more pictures and updates soon!

a sorry state of things *

After two separate trips, D and I finally found a place in KC that lives up to my random and demanding standards. On our way back down to Oklahoma after trip number one, we had to make a stop.

D is (or soon will be) an environmental engineer, and for the past three years, he has worked for a restoration center responsible for implementation and monitoring of a passage treatment system along Tar Creek in Northeastern Oklahoma. In addition to this work, D is also doing research for his own thesis on the fate and transport of sediment here.

The acid mine waste that gives this creek it's bright red color poisoned the once booming now abandoned lead and zinc mining town of Picher, OK. I was shocked to see this sad mess in person after hearing so much about it for the past few year.

The top picture shows water flowing directly out of a mine, and the picture below it shows a mountain of mine waste called chat. In the lower set, you can see D collecting some samples and images of the passive treatment system.

An Oklahoma film maker by the name of Brad Beesly (Feerless Freaks, Okie Noodling) made a documentary called The Creek Runs Red about Tar Creek and the town of Pichard. Check out the Trailer, and you can get the full film on Netflix.

Dustbowl round two*

Saturday was great, the kind of day that makes me never want to leave Norman. My booth did really well. We were even blessed with relatively mild weather (we're lucky to keep below triple digits this time of year).
I'm constantly amazed at the support of my friends and my community, and at the number of talented local artists, musicians and creatives that call this place home. I think there's something to be said for the kind of nurturing that a small town can give young artists and entrepreneurs. I'm trying to fill my heart with optimism as I prepare to leave this little pond, and I hope the success and happiness I've felt in Oklahoma follows me north and grows.

tee party *

Dustbowl round two is right around the corner and I've been working my fingers to the bone (please note the band-aid on the thumb holding a beer- and no, this injury was not related to sewing under the influence.) This time around, I feel like I know what I'm doing, to some extent, and I have a good idea of what people liked from my booth in April. It happens to be the start of a new fall semester at the university and I'm thinking that I might have some kindred spirits out there who would consider a new tee shirt to be a necessary school supply. . I'm really looking forward to this weekend, If you're local I hope you'll stop by.

40 venders! 12 bands! check out the poster below for more details.

alive and kicking *

Well hello friends, just thought I'd take a sec to let you all know that I am indeed alive, well, and maintaining my residence here on planet earth. Talk about an unintended blog break. I've got no one good excuse, just a lot of little crappy ones that I promise not to bore you with.

To be honest, I seem be emerging from a brief phase of slackerdom. Maybe we'll call it a sabbatical (yeah, that sounds academic and grand), a sabbatical doing research on junk requisition, patio happy hours, and media exposure, specifically the never ending time-suck that is Lost on Netflix.

Oh and guess what? We're moving. The real reason for that little get away to Kansas City a few weeks ago was that D had a job interview. My vague and decidedly lame post on our trip was of course to avoid a dreaded jinx. Anyway, he got the job and we're and super excited. I, on the other hand, have no job or prospects for that matter. So, if you or anyone you know in the Kansas City area are in need of a contract house plant murderer or a professional

de-organizer, hit me up.

I'm also getting ready for my second Dustbowl and I'll have more to show you soon. These hoops were a recent commission, that hopefully made a nice birthday gift.

weekend wanderlust *

This weekend, we spent a couple of days with D's aunt and uncle in Kansas City. The town is full of history, culture, and character- I loved it. I'm only sorry I didn't take more pictures. Here's D checking out a beautiful piece by Judith Shea at the enormous and fabulous Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. If you ever find yourself in that part of the county, the Nelson-Atkins is a must see. Just make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to explore.