Yum or Yuck?

Okay, so there is a fad going around that I have yet to try... CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON. I'm not sure who wouldn't like it, since it combines two amazing things into one, but it might not be for some people. I am going to make this soon and found a great recipe.

Chocolate Covered Bacon:


Ingredients

6-8 slices thick cut, best-quality bacon
12 ounces semisweet chips
4 ounces white chocolate, melted, optional for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Place the bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven, until bacon is cooked to your liking. 15 minutes for soft bacon, 20 minutes for crispy bacon.
3. Let bacon cool on the parchment paper for 5 minutes then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
4. Meanwhile set up a double boiler. Heat a large saucepan filled with water over high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Set a heat-proof bowl over the simmering water. Add the chocolate chips and stir with a fork until smooth and completely melted.
6. Cover another baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Using tongs, carefully dip the bacon into the melted chocolate turning to coat all sides in chocolate. Transfer to the clean sheet of waiting parchment paper. Repeat with remaining slices of bacon.
8. Drizzle with the white chocolate, if desired.
9. Refrigerate until chocolate is hard.
10. Once cool, enjoy!

Makes 6-8 slices of chocolate-covered bacon.

recipe source

photos source

Orla, Orla, Orla

My oh my. I wish everyone understood how much I love Orla Kiely fabric. I can't stop looking at her stuff. It's like, when you see something and everything around you just stops and all you can focus on is the thing right in front of you. Well, maybe that was a bit over-exaggerating, but it's true... I am in love with Orla's designs.

The hardest part for me was to find out where I could purchase the fabric to make my own pillows and linens. I ran across one Etsy shop here that sells a limited selection of Orla's fabric. If you prefer to not make your own pillows, you can purchase pillows created from Orla's fabrics at this Etsy shop. 

Shabby Chic Home

It was a long, but exciting weekend. We had a tux fitting in Michigan and got to hang out with family! On our way home, we started discussing houses. I couldn't get this house out of my head, so I had to share with everyone. Find all of the images in this album.

I just can't get enough. Can I move in, now? Please?

BLOGSHOP for bloggers

I had the awesome opportunity this past weekend to work with bri from designlovefest and angela from angela+ithyle. i had a lot of fun helping the students learn photoshop and was quite surprised with myself. if anyone is interested in learning photoshop to help with their blog, i highly recommend blogshop. here's my opinion: do it! do it! do it! you won't regret it and you'll learn so much. they are headed to new york at the end of september, berlin and paris in october, and back to LA by november. book a spot by emailing blogshopla{at}gmail{dot}com.

to see the video/pics of the chicago blogshop, go here. 

here are a few of their videos from past classes:


BLOGSHOP SF from arian soheili on Vimeo.


B L O G S H O P from Bri Emery on Vimeo.


B L O G S H O P 2 - Los Angeles from Son of Shark Pig on Vimeo.
 

LEMON PEACOCK & LILAC

 

lemon photo via here

DIY Roundup

I have so many projects building up that I just felt like I needed to share them with everyone. Then, maybe I will start one of them. I rounded up 5 of my favorites that I am dying to try. If you try them, let me know how it goes, or if you've already done them, let me know how they went!

decoupaged lace vases: tutorial here
mapped out lampshade: tutorial here

 

rosette pillow cover: tutorial here

decorative vases: tutorial here

needle felt pillow covers: tutorial here

enjoy =)

Stripes & Turbans

top photo
bottom photo: source unknown

BREAKING NEWS...

Okay, not really. But this is important. The brand new video from Blogshop Chicago, where I got to work with Bri from designlovefest and Angela from Angela+Ithyle. It was amazing working with these two girls and I would definitely help out again in the future (even though Bri tackles me around the 1:00 minute mark)...


B L O G S H O P - Chicago from Geoff Boothby / Landshark on Vimeo.

Here is a group shot, too:

to view more images from the day, go here.

Bye, Bye Beach

one, two, three, four, five, six

Oh, won't you write on me?

these are the most awesome bikes in the world. can you get any more personalized than this?

image sources

House Tour: Restored Style

i am IN love with Kirsten's home. here are a few of my favorite pictures. 

photo source

YOU ARE THE BRILLIANT TYPE

work by Hampus Jageland. EB stands for exceptionally brilliant.










images here

sing me a song

make some fun song lyric wall art.



image here

running out of room

after the weekend packed with wedding showers, we have found that our just over 600 square foot apartment is running out of room. i debated unpacking everything or sticking it in storage, but i get so giddy about new dishes and cookware. now, i just need to find a better solution to save space.


image here


image here


image here


image here

a little chaotic

it makes me sad when I can't blog. life has been so hectic lately, but hopefully i'll get it together soon. do you feel depressed when you can't blog?


image here

happy friday

have a great weekend everyone. i'll be heading back to michigan for our two wedding showers. can't wait to see family and eat amazing food.



image source

Chicago/Planck Studios

 

image source

find more of his Chicago prints here. 

Winter Session/Lookbook

ran across this shop based out of Chicago... Winter Session.













all images: source

Designer/Eleanor

WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD.

i found an amazing illustrator... Eleanor from Push Me Pull You Design. here are my favorites from her shop:

source

source

source

source

source

source

source

source

everything is so quirky and fun. i love it all.

Design Technology: Wacom

Need it or don't need it. That is the question. In order to grow as a graphic designer, I feel that I need the necessary tools to do that. Or, I am just making an excuse because I love playing with new technology! Either way... I have heard a lot of good things about this technology, but I'm not sure how much to invest. There are two Wacom products that I have my eyes on: the Cintiq and the Intuos. There are advantages to both, but there is definitely a price difference between the two.

The Cintiq provides a pen-on-screen technology, where you can actually draw directly on the image rather than guess.

image credit

image credit

I love that it's so easy to use, but it comes with a hefty pricetag. For the smaller one, it will set you back $999.

For a full description of the product, visit this page. 

The other one that I am drooling over is the Intuos4 Medium. Though it's not as realistic as the Cintiq, it definitely has it's advantages. The price being one, and it is more portable. If you want an easy way to edit your images, scribble on photos and have fun, then the Intuos4 is looking like the way to go.

image credit

image credit

This medium tablet is $349, so a much more doable price than the Cintiq, especially for those that are looking for a more efficient way of simple photo editing. 

What does everyone think? Any recommendations?

a little movement

So, as some of you know from Facebook, I bought 2 rugs at World Market. I intended on posting pictures of both of the rugs set up in the living room, but after placing one of them I immediately knew it wasn't going to work off. I folded it and put it back in it's back with the receipt. I absolutely love the other one that I bought!

(ps: these pictures make me realize how much I need to invest in a real camera... grrr)

The original rug that was in the living room has migrated to the bedroom.

Adore Home: Aug/Sep Issue Review

There have been so many new magazine releases in the past week, it was hard to keep up with them all. But finally, I have rounded up my favorites from the Adore Home Magazine. There were 3 features that blew me away: the Fenton & Fenton store profile, Condo Couture (a look at one of Peter Wild's projects) and Sister Act.

The following are from Sister Act:

You can read the rest of the magazine here.