mood board: enchanted deserts

mood board: enchanted deserts by saltandseams featuring necklaces

dressed: black and white and gingham

i've always been addicted to gingham, though this is my only black and white piece. i think i might like it even more than red and white.

gingham shorts, thrifted. leotard, american apparel. vintage loafers, thrifted.

sewn: the boos brothers

if there's one thing that almost all thrift shops runneth over with, it's weird, giant t-shirts. while i'm super into the weird part, the giant aspect isn't very appealing. solution: PUT A PEPLUM ON IT. i used this tutorial from boat people vintage to makeover a big, ghostly t, and ta-da! this particular t-shirt was only slightly huge, and so my peplum turned out to be sort of a mini peplum since the amount of leftover fabric from the bottom wasn't too great. if you want a longer peplum, make sure your shirt is xxxtra large, or even use a different fabric for the peplum portion!

mr. big stuff

and then!

dressed: blues and bikers

it's been a good week for my closet. i thrifted this slightly slouchy, perfectly sheer, kinda frou frou dress, and josh got me the biker boot from madewell! 

dress, thrifted. biker boot, madewell.

cooked up: turkey bone soup

in an unusual twist of meterological events, us floridians have been experiencing a pretty decent amount of cold weather as of late. i've been savoring it, mostly because: soup making! i love cooking of almost any sort, but cooking up a soup has got to be my favorite. generally speaking, you throw a bunch of things into a big pot with some sort of liquid, let them simmer and fill your home with amazing smells while you do whatever you please, serve with big hunks of sourdough bread, eat slowly and experience the warming of your entire body and soul by something simple and delicious! ok, enough general soup praise and on to the specifics - my turkey bone soup! this requires a tiny bit of pre-planning because you need a turkey carcass. i got the idea to make this particular soup when we had a smoked turkey feast last week. afterward i glanced over at the turkey bones, with all their meat having been carved off, and realized a big pot of soup was in order. come sunday, after many hours of slow cooking, it didn't dissappoint. this soup is basically one big pot of coziness, and you need it in your life this winter. next time you cook a turkey, think before you throw away that carcass!

 

 

 

turkey bone soup

 

you'll need:

 

a turkey carcass

3 quarts turkey or chicken stock

1 lb bag of great northern beans

2 carrots diced

1 cup diced celery

1 yellow onion diced

3 diced garlic cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram

1 1/2 teaspoons thyme

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

additional leftover turkey (not mandatory, but a great way to use any extra leftovers from your bird)

 

the night before, soak beans overnight in a pot as directed on the bag (there is an option to quick soak the beans, but i've never had much luck with doing it that way. soaking overnight is effortless and surefire). the next day when you're ready to begin your soup making, put the carcass in a large pot and add 8 cups of stock. add the marjoram, thyme and smoked paprika. cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for an hour, turning the carcass occasionally. add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, beans and 3 more cups of stock. uncover and simmer for another 90 minutes, adding the last cup of stock as needed. most of the meat should have fallen off of the bones at this point. pick through the soup with tongs and discard bones. have a cutting board handy so you can place any bones with meat still attached on the board and pick off the meat, addding it back into the soup. add additional leftover turkey and season with salt and pepper to taste. serve with a big, crusty loaf of bread!



 










 

babes of yesterday: jake ryan

a few nights ago i had a big and lovely dinner at my mom's. afterward i had gathered my chihuahua, my boots and the mountain of leftovers that my mom loves to send home with me, and was about to say my goodbyes when i heard the first chords of "i know this much is true" drifting out of the living room. i knew it could only mean one thing, and sure enough, when i turned to the television, there was jake ryan's heavenly face and bod slow dancing with caroline mulford. just like that, regardless of the fact that i've seen "sixteen candles" approximately 72 trillion times, i sank down onto the couch and stayed there for the next 90 minutes. i had things waiting for me at home! i was going to begin a new sewing project, take a bubble bath, make tea... but here's the thing: once you catch a glimpse of jake ryan you can't look away. you just can't. jake was the third crush of my life (preceded by jordan knight and then devon sawa), and he, in all his ripened good looks made the first two seem a bit purile. i mean, he's the most popular guy in school... devastatingly handsome, athletic, with a smile that could make you die instantly. every girl at school wanted him, every last one. when you add this stuff together the result should be a total cad, but no. jake ryan was disinterested in all that surface bullshit.. he was bored and brooding at parties while everyone else was sloppy and wasted, he wanted something deep. how is that even possible? you're a miracle, jake ryan.

THE LIP BITE.

of course you do jake! i'll be your serious girlfriend. real serious. SO SO SERIOUS.

and that personal style! a preppy sweater with those rough and tumble boots and cuffed jeans?!? total insouciance.

and let's not forget those legs.

dressed: big cozy sweater

at the thrift store i'm constantly searching for amazing sweaters. in order to fall into the "amazing" category, one must be soft, well made so that it hasn't shrunken or stretched into an awkward shape, and slightly slouchy. i often find that the men's section has the best offerings!

sweater, thrifted. plaid undershirt, thrifted. jeans, urban outfitters. doily socks, little girl's section of target. shoes, new balance.