papernstitch

Mint&honey has been accepted to be apart of Papernstitch's newest exhibition that will run until July 25th. The items available on papernstitch will link buyers directly back to my Etsy shop where they can purchase my paper goods or services. This will hopefully bring more traffic to my Etsy shop and bring more awareness to mint&honey. I'm really excited about it! I will be adding more items to the shop throughout the exhibition. I will also be offering free shipping with any order if you mention papernstitch!

Recipe: The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

It has been important to me since I got married to make as many things from scratch that was possible or that time would allow. We grew up having desserts that were make from mixes: cake mixes, cookie mixes, Jello, or pudding mix. I'm not complaining that they weren't good, but as a child I assumed there was just no other way. My grandmother used to read Panda Cake to me all the time when I was little. It's about a mother panda who sends her two panda sons out to gather all the ingredients for a panda cake and how the boys obtain all the ingredients for this very special cake. I daydreamed about many homemade desserts because of this book.

I know I came across this recipe on tastespotting, but I don't remember the blog. I had tried about 20 different chocolate chip cookies recipes before I stumbled across this one. I was very determined to find the perfect recipe for me. The reason I love these cookies so much is because they are crunchy and gooey at the same time. So to me they are the perfect chocolate chip cookies. Another great thing about the recipe is that you can make as few cookies as you'd like at a time and stick the dough back in the fridge and it will keep a day or two.

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 stick of unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

1. Whisk flour, salt and baking soda together. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, beat the butter for about a minute. Then add the sugars and beat for another two minutes until well-blended and creamy. Beat in the vanilla.

3. Add in the egg.

4. At the mixer's lowest setting, add flour mixture a little at a time until all incorporated.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips. Reserve a handful for later. Refrigerate dough for about 30 minutes.

6. On a lined baking sheet with parchment paper, spoon rounded tablespoons of cookie dough on sheet.

7. Bake them in preheated oven 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

8. Turn half way and let cool.

Merci, Grazie and Thank You

I'm finally taking advantage of my summer and getting some more items in my Etsy shop. These thank you cards were all illustrated by myself. Each design says thank you in either english, french or italian. All three cards are sold together in a set of 6 and come with a pastel gray A2 envelope.

I've also added some recipe cards that have a painted design on them and I will be adding a grocery list notepad very soon!

My Kitchen Revealed

Yay! I feel like my kitchen is the first completed room in our house. Kelly installed some track lighting from Ikea this past weekend and it totally changes the vibe. This just confirms how important lighting is to a room. My kitchen is completely inspired from a kitchen I saw in a 2008 issue of Blueprint magazine. In fact, most of my house is inspired from just that one issue. The colors I used were spring mint, antiguan sky, and hazy blue from Benjamin Moore.

Light Fixtures Out of Reach

My mind is wandering to the idea of electrical work. Most older homes do not have light fixtures in necessary places. For example in our living room and den there is not a light from the ceiling. I know that light can transform the way a room looks and feels, so I'm beginning to give this more thought so when the time comes for lighting on our list of things to do for the house, it won't take a me months to decide on something. Here are a few that I'm in love with at the moment.

For the entry way

Above the kitchen sink

For the bedroom

For the dining room - This is even more beautiful in person!

Trying my hand at Watercolors....

This was my first attempt at joining mint&honey with watercolors. I can say I'm definitely liking where this is going. I haven't played around with watercolors since college and have forgotten how much I love them.

My friend Jill, who is having a girl and due in 3 weeks, is doing an owl theme in her nursery. This is no surprise to me because this girl has loved owls since I don't know when. My friend Mel is making her bedding from this super cute Alexander Henry fabric, long with an owl mobile inspired from the owls on the fabric! I can't wait to see the finished product.

Since summer has begun I've been having somewhat of an artist block. So once this cloud that is killing my creativity lifts I will begin on my 2010 calendar.

Summer Has Began

Unfortunately I will not be spending my summer days relaxing on a beach enjoying the books on my summer reading list. I will be getting hardcore about finishing the projects on my house. I spent yesterday prepping the den and today I will priming and hopefully painting the trim. I'm thinking I will be finished with this project on Monday ::finger crossed:: Along with the den there is our poor little bathroom that needs paint, wallpaper and a new floor.

Because school was insaneville from the last of April until the end, there was not a lot of mint&honey action going on. Just a couple of mother's day gifts and baby shower invitations. But I'm in hopes of finishing my 2011 calendar this summer along with some other items I can load in my etsy shop.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summers and wearing plenty of sunscreen for all occasions.