June Flowers Bring July Showers?

 

A couple weeks ago when I got this beautiful hanging flower basket to put up by my front door it was sunny and gorgeous outside.

What happened to that weather? I wish it would come back and replace the fog and rain we had this week. At least we have custom orders to keep us busy inside.

Pay No Attention to the Woman Behind the Drapes

The new sewing room isn't organized and pretty enough for me to share pictures with you yet but I do have some other exciting news. For a while now Cami and I have been waffling back and forth over whether we should start another Etsy shop to dip into the vintage market, and I am proud to announce that we decided to go for it!

To be honest I started off with a pretty safe bet by selling a dress that I had bought for myself quite a few years ago, when I was quite a bit slimmer. I had long since given up on it ever fitting again, and given that I never got a chance to wear it anyways it wasn't hard to let go.

Normally this would be where I link that pretty photo of the dress to the listing in the new shop, if the thing hadn't sold within an hour of posting. Seriously, less than an hour! Obviously I underestimated the goldmine of opportunities here. So yes, sadly that dress is already going to be sent off to a new home. We do however have a few listings for some pretty cool old fabrics.

Cute Set of Car Print Stretch Knits

We also have some neat sets of vintage seam bindings, hem tape, bias tape and the like. My favorite part about the notions is that there's a color called "Atom Red."

Set of 4 Boiltex Seam Bindings

The shop is a little bare at the moment, but I am still in the process of photographing a lot of fabric. Hopefully the listings there should trickle in as the days go by if I can stay on top of it. I will keep you guys posted on the giveaway, since it's our first, and the sellers first, it may be a bumpy ride!

Mandy's Bytes: Bitchin' Cookies

To preface the following sweet tooth inducing post I probably owe you all a little explanation for the wavelength here going dead the last few weeks. We just moved and have been enjoying all the fun things that go along with that experience. Now that we're somewhat settled I intend to get back in the saddle and not be such a slacker. To kick off our revival, here's the recipe I used to break in my new kitchen.

I know that "Bitchin' Cookies" isn't really a very specific title, and could apply to many different cookies, but "White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Heath Cookies" was a little too long. This recipe is adapted from the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookie recipe included in the AllRecipes.com Top 100 Cookies book I won in a  Christmas Cookie Photography contest a few years ago. It is a home concoction that simply reflects the fact and Cami and I go big or go home with our cookies. Without any further ado, here is the recipe:

Bitchin' Cookies: 

- 1 cup butter, softened

- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

- 1 cup white chocolate chips

- 4 Heath Bars, coarsely chopped

First of all you want to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugars until the mixture is nice and smooth. Beat the eggs in one at a time and add the vanilla. In a separate bowl sift all the dry ingredients together and then slowly add them to the butter mixture.

Next add in all the chips and things. Much like we did, you can pretty much choose to include whatever chocolate, candy or nuts you like the best.

Spoon the dough onto cookie sheets in roughly tablespoon sized balls, placed about 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart. Much closer and you end up with a cookie sheet sized slab of gooey mess. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to crisp and turn golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer to cooling racks until they are no longer so hot that they will burn your mouth when you eat half the first batch while the second batch is in the oven. Not saying that's what happened to mine or anything... but just a word of advice..

I'm just thankful that, while I was passed out in a cookie-coma dreaming of licking a mixing spoon that never runs out of dough, my boyfriend had the presence of mind to take pictures of the finished product before I woke up the next day and devoured the rest.

As soon as I get everything organized I'll be posting all about our new sewing room and we're also going to be hosting a giveaway soon so keep your eyes peeled! Until then go make these cookies, seriously, you won't be disappointed.