moving out

dearest readers...

i am moving out from my little blogger abode, as well as from my website...hopefully things will be straight soon, and everything will redirect to my new website + blog.

until then, check out my handywork, and my new space here:

www.erintaylordesigns.wordpress.com

i do have to give credit to young house love, who has a lovely site, and inspired this technically deficient gal to make the switch to wordpress. still trying to navigate the site & switch everything over, so just bear with me.

i thought it was a time to change things -

with my focusing on school [18 credits - cheesy petes]
and less on fashion...
and more on life and me...

i figured i should find a space i can easily update as needed.

thanks loves,

xoxe

mmmcomfort food

homemade mac+cheese - loosely followed by alton brown's baked mac-n-cheese recipe.

sometimes we become hot messes. and that is when comfort food is the best...i have to admit i have been a hot mess recently. it happens. i have made some decisions to shake things up in my life- going back to school [which is a new deal on own. more on that later]. new job. changes in the family tree [both happy & sad]. perhaps new surroundings.

anywho - back to that yummy mac& cheese. I was in the mood for some homemade mac, and found a recipe online that i tweaked for the college student...most everything i already had or improvised, i added a bit here and there...and this is what i got:

1/2 pound mac pasta [or bowtie or whatever your heart desires. mine, bowties!]
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups of milk [i like VitaD, bc it's the most wholesome and fattening.]
1/2 cup diced onion
12 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese [or more if you looove cheese - i like to sprinkle generously later on in recipe]
1 egg
1 teaspoon kosher [or not] salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
topping:
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Cup panka crumbs [or, crumbled ritz crackers - yay familiarity!]

so, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
boil the water, cook the pasta.
in separate pot melt 3T butter, whisk in flour, mustard - mix 5 min.
stir in milk, onion, paprika.
simmer for 10 minutes.
temper in the egg**
stir in 3/4 cup of cheese
fold the pasta into the mix & pour in a casserole dish.
top with remaining cheese [+ extra if you wish!]
toss crumbs on top, and throw a few thick squares of butter on top.

bake for thirty. let it cool. put on your favorite comfort sweats, and dig in!

**um, yeah i had no idea what this meant at first - i threw the whole egg in, and it came out fine. however, it may have been a bit better had i "tempered in the egg" - which is just fancy for: put the egg in a bowl, add a little bit of the hot liquid to the egg to bring the egg closer to the liquid's temp. nothing like throwing a poor egg in to boil it's little arse off, when i could have tempered it in. oh well, at least you know now...

pete rocks.

a few months ago, before I went back to Paris, I was getting all nostalgic about my semester abroad [it's not always about my sister, ok?]...and I ended up at Parson's website...

after some lurking on the alumni page, and reading about where everyone is now...i continued on to become a pete fan on facebook...

We were in a figure drawing class together, and while I was dabbling with the theme of art nouveau dancer Loïe Fuller, he was pumping out awesome paintings/figures of various students. his work hasn't changed much since then - i really enjoy his collaging of people within a frame, and also the vibrant, dripping colors...without further ado, checkout his latest work here

and check out his website here.

cheers!

angie's wedding clutch

last weekend we had the pleasure of going to a bed+breakfast in middleburg for my cousin's wedding. it was ridiculously hot, so i'm glad there were little wooden fans so i could fan myself until it started pouring. luckily, the ceremony was over before the sky fell, and so we just moseyed inside for drinks, dinner, and dancing.

angie had asked me a few months ago if i had any clutches she could borrow for the wedding... yeah, none of them were a wedding color, and i'm sure a faux leather or madras would look really great with the dress...

so i got really excited about making something for someone, which has been a rarity these days...she was so excited i was making something for her, and sent me this moodboard:
and i sent her this clutch:
and she loved it - yay! the fabric i chose was a sample of upholstery fabric with a subtle damask weave. the tulle was from a craft swap, and the vintage buttons came from an old friend...I tried to mimic the ruching in the bodice of the dress, and then add the buttons as accents...

thoughts gems: first day of school

so, today was the first day of classes back at vcu, and it has been a hot second since I've been a student there...my thoughts for the day:

remember when you were younger and picking out the first days outfit was so important? and you would lay it out the night before? luckily in college - you get about 2 or 3 first days. This is very important for any fashion major or enthusiast. I thought about it for a minute...then, I just grabbed some jeans and a top. and my glasses so I could see the board.

um, everyone has those rayban glasses -my 4 euro market special. boo. I don't really feel inclined to wear them on campus anymore.

I thought street parking was crazy last time I was a student - well, parking the bike is going to be a bitch. I was unlocking my bike today, and no joke, some kid broke right behind me, and waited for me to leave. "um...hi! [awkward silence]...dootoodo..."

I have to have 3 subject 5x7 notebooks. I like the size and they fit in any purse i am using on a given day. Unfortunately all the professors hand out 8.5x10 syllabi and such. logistical challenge. oh well.

some freshman in our french class gave me a[n unusual] compliment today - "You're a fluent speaker aren't you?!" No, but thank you so much sweetie. I've always wanted to be French!

I thought I lost a lot of French - I was pleasantly surprised to be able to follow conversations, and contribute today. I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm not in Paris anymore...

um, I looked for Snead hall for about 5 minutes before asking someone at the info desk. then I biked across Belvidere, and had a squirrel classic "double back moment". I won't be crossing Belvidere on bike again. plus the ride back up the hill, on my one speed Fiesta really works my legs - no, not in a good way...

I had most of my classes today, and am exhausted. I will be writing a bunch of papers, have only a few tests, and will be keeping my fingers crossed all semester in my econ class.

So, I enrolled in a behavioral economics class, since as a crafter I am intrigued to know why people make the buying decisions they do...like this is going to help me market my fashion better, maybe? I swear there had to have been a prerequisite...I got a little lost in the slides today.

thanks for reading my little thought gems, I'm off to do some homework now...

recent productivities

oh la, it's been quite a past month...I've been keeping busy, busy, busy!

first, I made this dress out of some leftover spring '08 jersey fabric. the pattern is a take from the fall 08 line of high-waisted skirts & dresses I made...

I received a special request to make a clutch for my cousins wedding, and was so delighted with that project! I sent it out in the mail today and she should get it soon. I'll blog about it after the wedding, can't spoil and surprises for the husband-to-be - you know how they can be sneaky trying to see the dress and what not before the big day...

I've been showing our French exchange student around Richmond - we visited Hollywood, went out the Beauregard's for Thai, checked out the 48 Hour Film Festival at the Byrd, and went shopping before she left. check out my buy below - I thought it was a rocking deal and a nice happybirthdaytome dress.

I've been cleaning up around the apartment, trying to wrap up one phase of my life, and begin another. I know I'm solving "the crisis" by following my original passion - I'm just worried now, it's at a sacrifice for the second. I think the two will just have to figure out how to coexist.

I am working on some nifty scarves for the fall - check 'em out! to be perfectly honest, they may or may not be posted to etsy later. I'd love to know your thoughts on them!

just think about it - 3/50

Since I am no longer the *rich* gal I used to be, I am not spending very much of the green these days. In fact I'm trying to make some by hawking my wares on etsy. And the green I'm making is going into the going-back-to-college fund.

When I do spend money though, I'm rooting for the local guy. Someone very clever once equated buying with voting. And if you think about it it's true. Check out 3/50, and vote for the local businesses you love. Because every dollar you spend is a vote to keep them open.

How are you spending your dollars? Have you always shopped local, is it because of the recent economy or because of "the new local trend"? Who are your favorite local shops?

and a thank you to John, whose post I read which introduced me to the 3/50 project.