Nick, upon hearing my concept for this year's Halloween costume:

"See, I know you're describing a costume, but I really feel like you're just describing yourself."

Oy, you guys.... shiz has been cray-zay around here! I'm so sorry for the absence! We had a big family visit, where my mom, dad, aunt, sister, and brother-in-law all came for a long weekend. It was super great... and super exhausting. We did the State Fair, ate TONS of amazing food, and had a wonderful time. It was just what I needed. 

1. A genetic predisposition for ridiculousness (the pictured auntie shall remain nameless).
2. On our way to the Fried Food Fiesta (aka, Texas State Fair).
3. Fried cookie dough. Otherwise known as the best damn cookie I've ever eaten. SO GOOEY. 
4. Boyfriend, Tex, and me.  

5. Sister (!!), Tex, and me. Tex gets around. Also: sister visits are the best. Seriously.
6. Emo Alpaca in the petting zoo. 
7. The Texas Star. It was too freakishly cold and the line was ridonk, so we didn't ride it. But they released birds from it, which was pretty cool. 
8. Jazz hands photo bomb on the train, courtesy of above auntie. 

Highlights: 
1. Hibiscus. Holy yum, you guys. We shared a bunch of appetizers (grilled figs + burrata, anyone?), had amazing drinks, and were probably the most obnoxious table in the entire restaurant. 
2. Thrifting with my sister and close friend. Some great deals were had. 
3. Village Burger Bar. There were 9 of us, so we sat outside in 40 degree weather, pulling the heaters closer to the table. The restaurant people yelled at us. It was still cold, but delicious. We then peaced out to a bar and had a great time with lots of family and lots of friends (ain't it great when they blend so well?). 
4. The State Fair. It was all of our first times out there, and it was crazy cold, but a lot of fun. However, it was A LOT bigger than any of us planned, so about halfway through, we felt like we were pretty much done. 
Whew. 

In addition, I've been working on the shop. I've hit a couple of road blocks, but other than that, things are chugging along steadily. I've added some amazing new vintage items (including my favorite item so far: a vintage woven leather Cole Haan bag... it has a strap that's the perfect length for both cross-body and shoulder wearing, and is the perfect size. sigh). I'm also working on some new baby items! They should be up later this week. Get excited!

So anywho, that's what's up. I'll try to keep posting more regularly, particularly with stuff other than the shop. I know it can get a bit wearing to hear about that kind of stuff all the time! 

xo

Oh Target Boyfriend V-Neck Tee, how I love thee. 

I only just discovered you, and yet, I feel we are soul mates. 

You are so soft. Oh, so soft. And you are loose and roomy, but not as to make me look like a manatee. 

Your V is so deep, my neck claustrophobia is kept far at bay.

And you are so cheap! A mere $8 is all that stands between us (a price gladly paid). 

I must have you all. 

P.S. have you entered my GIVEAWAY yet??

the world's best v-neck tee

EHRMAGERD!!!!!!

I'm doing a GIVEAWAY over at Liz's super swell blog, Happy Sighs! It's crazy exciting! 

She's doing a week of posts about artists who create as a hobby or as a job, and I'm jibber-jabbering about all this business nonsense.

Check it out and enter to win!

source unknown - anyone?

Nick's Most Favoritest Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lately, I've been getting back into cooking and baking from scratch. Don't get me wrong, we've been eating at home a lot, but I've been cooking more food that amounts to meals, instead of sandwiches or more assembled dinners. 

Last night I made this from Joy the Baker and it was DELICIOUS. There was biscuit dough leftover, so while the whole shebang was baking, I cut the rest of the dough into itty bitty biscuits and baked them in the toaster oven. They were gone by the end of the night, and I was in a butter coma. (If you make the recipe, I suggest only using 2 cups stock and 8 oz more mushrooms. It was a bit runny for my liking, and the mushrooms cooked down a little too much.)

But I digress. This post is about cookies. 

Growing up, my mom only baked for other people (funerals, church functions, new babies, bridal showers, etc). The cookies we got were the somewhat burned and super crunchy cookies. Super crunchy because my mom already made her cookies crispy (GROSS). Any cookie afficionado would agree that the best cookie has a bit of chew - not super soft, not super crispy. A nice in-between texture that will hold up to dunking or being stashed in a baggie in your purse. 

These cookies have that. And they are awesome. 

I honestly don't know where I found the recipe. I think it's a hybrid of several across the interwebs. But I've made them so many times that the bookmarked page in my handwritten cookbook is ragged and stained with butter and other kitchen debris. 

They're super simple and don't require fancy ingredients or weird techniques. 

Make them now!

You'll need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.5 cups chocolate chips, semisweet or dark

Salt of preference (I prefer a flaky salt, but Kosher will do. If you're using fancy salts, I wouldn't go any darker than pink or light grey, as the flavor of the salt may interfere and clash with the cookie's awesomeness.)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 330 degrees (a weird temperature, but run with it).

Sieve together the flour and baking soda into a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. 

In your mixer's bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Then add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined. 

Start the mixer on low to medium speed and add the flour/baking soda mixture somewhat slowly (I use a large serving spoon and just add spoonfuls one at a time). Add chocolate chips until just combined. 

(At this point, I like to cover the dough and put it in the fridge while I prep the baking sheets and clear my workspace a little. It keeps the dough firm and malleable. If your kitchen is cool, you probably don't need to do this.)

Prep your baking sheets by lining with parchment paper. 

Take a spoonful of dough and roll into a golf ball-sized ball.  Space the balls a couple of inches apart on the paper, as they will spread while baking. 

After your dough balls are on the sheets, take your salt of preference and sprinkle each ball, making sure to really get some salt on them. If you're using table salt, err on the side of caution, as a little goes a long way. (Since the dough is unsalted and the butter isn't either, this will be the only salt this recipe gets. Don't add a ton, but definitely make sure they're sprinkled well.)

Bake on the center rack for 20-23 minutes. IMPORTANT: these cookies do not brown like conventional cookies. If you're unsure whether they're done, test with a toothpick. 

When done baking, let cool a bit on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling racks. Keep on the counter in a loosely-lidded container. 

Yield: about 24 cookies. 

Hey everyone. Just checking in on this fine Monday. 

We just got back from celebrating my mother-in-law's birthday in Houston this past weekend and I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit out of sorts. Feeling kinda anxious, kinda edgy. So I'm going to ease off for this week and get back to sketching and designing new things for the shop. I have a big stack of books from the library for inspiration and I'm going to hunker down in my cluttered little corner of the apartment and re-adjust. 

See you in a few days!

I've added some prints and new vintage items. 

Pop on by Scout & Lilly to see what's new! 

Oh yeah - and now I haz Facebook! (Well, the shop does. I do, too, so if you wanna be pals on either we can go there.) Anywho, I would be most obliged if you would go and "Like" it (wow.... that IS as desperate as it sounds).