Dreaming of the Perfect Road Trip...

Now we just have to find the time to go.

Musical Inspiration

July was "Music Month" in the Chancey household. With a surprising month-long break from weddings, Caleb's been dedicating a lot of his time on a special project. That's right, his album is officially under way.

Before this month, I felt as though I was in a musical drought. But with this new venture, we've become really excited about music again!

So here's a small dose of what we've been listening to...

Arcade Fire- "The Suburbs"


Local Natives- "Gorilla Manor"


Keegan Dewitt- "Nothing Shows"

I love free music, and Keegan Dewitt loves to give free music. So go. Partake in his music.

Jon Black- "The Wrecking Ball"

Jon is just the coolest. Go to his website and you'll see he's just giving away music for people to enjoy! Also, he's having free concerts at the Bottletree on Tuesdays for two more weeks. We'll be there, so you should join us!

and finally, my personal favorite, Hauschka- "Ferndorf"

Funny name for an album, but absolutely exquisite cello and piano ensemble.

The Newest Hobby

I've been dying to try out Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts, that I mentioned long ago. And yesterday, I finally had my chance!

I have officially taken up origami. That's right. I have yet to make a bird, but started off with mini lanterns.







It should be a known fact that I adore string lights- or as I so lovingly call them- "twinkle lights." You know this if you've ever been to our apartment. The only room that we don't have twinkle lights in is the bathroom (because there is only one measly outlet). Anyway, our new set of twinkle lights are up. I painted the origami paper red and orange to give it a Chez LuLu cafe feel.



I'm expecting a lot of good quality time with my Brother now that my sewing desk is beautifully framed with chinese lanterns!

Granola

While my nephew, James, was here visiting, we did a lot of cooking to pass the time. I finally got the chance to try a granola recipe from a wonderful cookbook (thank you Lauren Brooks) Food for Thought. It was maybe some of the best granola I've had in a while! Our family loved it.



Granola

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup instant dry milk powder
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts (we used 3/4 c.)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup honey (I only had a 1/8 cup so we put in an 1/8 cup maple syrup... a little bit more sugar, I'm sure, but really yummy)
1/2 cup raisins (I LOVE raisins so I put in a lot more, plus some dried cranberries... mmmmmm.)

Combine first 8 ingredients. Place in a large jellyroll pan, and bake at 300 for 40- 50 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Stir in fruit. Cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

So easy!

Why haven't you heard from me in a while?

Because I've been crocheting my fanny off...



Take a look at my new circle scarf!





I'm also halfway through my blanket... it's looking different from the blanket I originally started, but I'm hoping to be inventive enough to make it into something special!

Hoping to make more scarfs soon- maybe to put up on Etsy? I think I'll see how this one holds up first.

The Power of a Mustard Seed

I've been working on our keyboard. Caleb's been wanting me to paint it, and here are the results:



The paint is "Mustard Seed" by Glidden. The little quart went such a long way! I might even start painting other things around the apartment. For instance, this box...



Yes. I think that's a great idea.

a Recipe for Michelle

When I was in New Jersey this weekend at a marvelous wedding, I got a request from the Michelle Slatton to post more recipes. I will share one with you now...

What to do with all of this:



Pesto, of course! The perfect way to use the multitudes of basil growing this summer.



Simple Pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
food processor

Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. So super easy!

*Note: Thank you to Erin Francisco for unknowingly letting me borrow your food processor. It was a huge help and will soon rest cleanly in your pantry.

Its been a while...

Welp, we're back in town for the long haul. I've been getting back into the groove of things... babysitting, baking at Urban Standard, and assisting.

While we've been gone, the Lowers have been tending to our herbs and vegetables that we planted in their garden. Our basil and rosemary are just blooming away.



I've been trying to put our fresh herbs to good use this week! I'll share some of my favorite recipes...

Olive Oil Bread



2 3/4 c. warm water
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
6.5 c. unbleached flour

Mix water, yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil. Let them dissolve together until there's a foam on the top. Knead the flour into the mixture for a few minutes. The dough should come off the sides of the bowl. Knead with your hands for a bit. Coat a bowl with EVOO and let the bread rest for 1.5 to 2 hours. Then enjoy!

I use this bread as pizza dough, and use plenty of basil. Or cook as a loaf with rosemary, or garlic, or whatever else you want to add! Whether it's a pie or a loaf, you can bake it for about 30 minutes @ 350 degrees. It's truely the easiest, and most scrumptious bread I've ever made.


Rosemary and Cranberry Scones



I love the rosemary and cherry scones at Centrale. So I created my own version for home...

1/3 c. butter
1 3/4 c. flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
6 tbsp. milk
1/2 c. dried cranberries
couple tbsp. of rosemary

Cut the flour into the butter. Mix in sugar and salt. Then beat in the egg and milk. The dough should come off the sides of the bowl. Knead in (with your hands) cranberries and rosemary. Roll out the dough and cut into triangles (I fold over the triangles because I like them puffier). Bake for 10-12 minutes @ 400 degrees.

The Dreamiest Hotel

With Caleb traveling a lot, and now my availability to come with him, we've stayed in our fair share of hotels. But the Ace Hotel takes the cake. When we were in New York, we took one night for ourselves and splurged to stay at the quintessential indie-hipster hotel.

Our stay started out right with a room upgrade! Each room is so different, but here's a glimpse anyways:





We enjoyed coffee at the Stumptown coffee shop attached to the hotel.

At night the lounge turns into a bar/hang out, with a photo booth, and apparently the occasional concert. We had a couple of drinks and went upstairs and ordered room service. We had a chicken sandwich with sage stuffing. I never want to eat another kind of sandwich again. The sandwich changed my life, and I'm not scared to admit it. If you can't pinch a penny to stay in the hotel, then I insist you at least eat at the Breslin.

Everything about it was absolutely dreamy- even the hotel soap and bath robes! My personal goal is to stay at least once in each Ace Hotel location. The fact that they're located in my own vacation destinations is just a bonus!

NYC

Last week I went to visit Caleb in New York City. I'll just share some highlights:

We stayed at our friends apartment in Williamsburg (my new favorite part of Brooklyn) where we had this view in the morning...



We ate at the Rabbit Hole, went record shopping, and to the Moma to see Cartier-Bresson's work (I love this shot, and bought it as a postcard that I will send to no one but instead keep for myself)...



We ate midnight sushi and saw this guy in concert and it made us cry. (P.S. I am now aware of the fact that his name is pronounced Yonsi). This clip won't do it justice, but I'll show you anyways...



While Caleb was working, I went shopping at Free People, spent time reading in the park, and went to Fishs Eddy (most magical place) and bought these...



Now these are just some of the highlights. We also went to visit friends in Jersey (our first time in New Jersey, I"ll have you know), ate Korean BBQ, and drank cocktails on the rooftop with a perfect view of the Empire State Building. I can say without a doubt, I heart NY.

I love Warby Parker

I've been looking for new glasses for a while, but couldn't bear spending our years ration for food on prescription lenses. Then, a dear friend told me about this little gem- Warby Parker.

I just purchased these sweet frames:



Not only can you get frames AND prescriptions for a mere $95, BUT they are completely awesome to work with. It's all online shopping, but they have a no-questions-asked return policy and a great attitude. After sending them my prescription, Brian sent me this email:

"Hey Laura,

Perfect - we just went ahead and approved your order! You are going to
be the talk of the town in Birmingham with your fancy, brand new
Whiskey Tortoise Coltons!

If you have any questions, please let us know - we would love to hear from you!

Best,
Brian"

You're so right Brian. Thank you.

Happy Thoughts

Last week was difficult. We attended a funeral, friends moved away, and Caleb left Birmingham for (basically) the entire month of May. There were lots of good-byes. So, to cope, I've been trying to keep busy by indulging in a few joyful distractions, like:


Baking



Relearning some notes



Listening to restoring words from Sandra




Enjoying some CuteTape


Needless to say, things are looking up.

The Beginnings of Crochet

Crocheting is hard. I don't understand the abbrev's and am juggling between yarn, books, and an online guide. I'm only on Row 4, and I'm stumped.

Example:
Row 4: Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in ch-1 sp, [dc in next dc, dc in ch-1 sp] 10 times, *[dc in next dc, sk 1 ch, ch 1] twice, [dc in next dc, dc in next ch-1 sp] 11 times; repeat from * 5 times, dc, in 3rd ch, turn.

I find myself sounding out the words. Of course, I did start with an afghan which was probably too ambitious. What I need is an 80-year-old Irish woman over my shoulder telling me what to do as I start each row. The internet will just have to do for now.

Weekend Work

I've officially started to assist Caleb- and I have to say, I'm pretty awesome at it. Here is proof:




Although my face doesn't show it, it was a lot of fun. Working with your main squeeze is the greatest! The best part is, instead of missing Caleb every weekend, we get to travel together. This weekend we're off to one of my favorite places- Charleston, South Carolina...

Oh, Brother.

I suck at blogging. But, I'm hoping it will slowly become part of my routine. The past few weeks have been very busy, so I'm going to try to spend the next few posts catching you up...

We went to Baton Rouge and spent some much need time with my family. My parents fed us, my brother made drinks, my paw paw played violin, and my wonderful sister gave me this little guy:



I'm hoping for some real bonding time with my new Brother in the next couple of months. This weekend the Great Search for Fabric will begin, so that I can get crackin' on my quilt. Although, the hunt will begin online- here.

Unexpected Projects

I am officially out of work, and I have already had art projects knocking on my door! Thanks to the Crestwood Spring Festival, I had the motivation to finish work and finish art in the same week. Here's one of my favorites...



Oh, the magic of iron-on transfers, paint, and a few donations from Caleb Chancey Photography. Stay tuned, the rest will be on our Etsy shop (hopefully) sometime next week!

Now, off to Baton Rouge to spend time with my Paw-Paw.

So, what's first?

There's not much time left. Now that I'm getting down to the wire, people are starting to ask "What are you going to do first?" OH geez. I have a list of things that I'm dying to do, and time is available. So I'm starting to construct a schedule for my projects. Caleb would have you believe that this idea comes from Seth Godin's "Linchpin". But, dear husband of mine, I think you are confused with "Julie and Julia".

Julie made herself a "deadline". ONE year to cook all 684 pages of Julia's life-changing cookbook. That is an exciting accomplishment. So I'm striving to be like Julie. I'm making lists, and setting dates (for the most part.)

An Introduction to My New Life's Purpose...

I now have a blog. This blog is to help keep me accountable in my creative ambitions. Thats right- I looked for a job for a year, found one, and realized after a year of hard work that I don't belong in that job. Sort of a round-about way to this realization... but now, I'm calling it quits with the corporate world to pursue what, I believe, God's called of me- to be creative. Aside doing administrative work and assisting a certain freelance photographer, my profession- if someone should ask- is being a student of food/drawing/quilting/crocheting/knitting/sewing/block printing/glass painting/music/pottery/gardening/other languages/photography/anything else that has wet my pallet for art. These are the things I had only wished to have time to do, and now I have ample time and no room for excuses.

My wonderful husband is optimistic and supportive (which is such a relief in my moments of panic-stricken anxiety that I'm making a huge mistake in quitting my job). He's help me become prepared by purchasing these books:

So, in the two weeks I have left of employment, I will spend what little free time I have dabbling in each of them. I'll let you know if I have any high recommendations. (So far, Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia has been unexpectedly inspiring.)

Welcome to my blog!