rainier

I finally peaked inside the infamous building next door to the georgetown studios engine room. beauty! pure beauty. gorgeous celing, winding staircase, little ornate details.

something about the beautiful decay reminds me of miss havishams place in great expectations ..

succulent wall

here's a mini preview of what is to come! this is a miniature version of what will be the beautiful "urban greenscape" backdrop for the wedding. visualize this version with bricks that will be stacked 23 high and 7 wide (about the size of a doorway for french doors) against a stark white backdrop in the lovely georgetown studios...

this will be a SERIOUS labor of love. I have approximately 25 planted .. and another 136 to go. thank you to everyone who is offering to store some of these lovelies at your home until next june!

thank you to ferg for induging my whimsies .. I promise this is not the makings of a future cat lady ..

staub la cocotte

my beautiful new olive green staub cast-iron pot! I am absolutely in love with it and am so excited about all of the delicious things to come! thank you jason for the BEST gift ever.

staub

champagne champagne

The beginnings of my first non-succulent wedding project! My shipment of champagne wires finally arrived over the weekend. I successfully dis-assembled the little contraptions and separated the "seats", chair legs, and chair backings and am soaking the metal parts in a saline solution ... to hopefully rust the VERY shiny current exterior. The seats will get spray painted a deep emerald once I make my way over to utrecht.

Looking forward to a crafty sunday around laura's new table!

leg base

seats

It's a miracle I got these all separated. Nearly ripped my fingers up and passed several good hours watchin some saturday football and wiggling the wire bottoms out of the "chair legs".

"veuve prototype" - a lil preview of what is to come ... except, imagine a nice emerald green seat rather than the classic veuve widow .. and a "heart shaped loopy seat".

pulled pork

I tried my hand at pulled pork today for the first time. I melded 3 different recipes and created what I think is a deliciously satisfying, weekenders slow cooking saturday football meal. DELICIOUS. porky. bbq-sauc-ey.

make sure you can dedicate 8 hours of slow-cooking (only about an hour and a half of active cooking) and an overnight marination.

SLOW BRAISED PULLED PORK + HOMEMADE COFFEE AND BROWN SUGAR BBQ SAUCE

FOR THE PORK:

7 lb pork shoulder (bone-in)

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon dried oregano

4 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons table salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground white pepper

PREPARATION

1. mix all of the spices together

2. massage the dry rub into the pork shoulder. continue adding the rub to the pork in sections, until the pork can no longer absorb any additional spices

3. tightly wrap the marinated pork shoulder in plastic wrap

4. refrigerate the pork shoulder overnight for at least 8 hours

5. preheat over to 300 degrees

6. carefully unwrap the pork and add it to a large, heavy bottomed pot. add 1/2 cup of water, cover with a lid and place in the oven

7. slow braise the pork shoulder for between 7- 8 hours. every hour or so, turn the pork shoulder over. once the pork is too soft and delicate to handle, use a ladel to spoon the pan juices onto the top of the pork for the last few hours.

8. once the pork is tender enough to pull apart with a fork, remove the pork from the oven. drain pork of almost all of the pan juices (leaving a few remaining tablespoons full if you'd like to forgo the BBQ sauce). transfer the pork to a large bowl and begin pulling the meet apart with two forks.

9. once completed, place the pork back int othe braising pot with the BBQ sauce* and place back into the oven at 300 degrees for another 30 minutes. then serve with slaw on a kaiser roll.

FOR THE SAUCE .... COFFEE & BROWN SUGAR BBQ SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 3/4 cups chopped white onions

6 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chile

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne *(optional ... if you'd like it to be spicy .. add more)

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree

1 cup low-salt chicken broth

1 cup freshly brewed strong coffee or 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder dissolved in 1 cup hot water

PREPARATION

1. heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. add onions, garlic, and jalapeño; sauté until tender(7 minutes)

2. add brown sugar, chili powder, molasses, cilantro, and cumin; stir until sugar dissolves.

3. stir in crushed tomatoes with puree, broth, and coffee; bring to boil.

4. reduce heat and simmer uncovered until sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to 4 cups, stirring often.(35 minutes)

5. blend the sauce with an emersion blender until it reaches the desired consistency

5. season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

enjoy :)

screaming tree

can somebody tell me WHY we don't have trees like this in seattle?

                           gorgeous photo from 100 layercake

underwood

my latest typewriter purchase! .. don't you wish it was "remington steele" instead of "underwood"?

per fergatron's suggestions .. I will now be signing out as ... QUEEN LaBeefa :)

florets

WE NEED A PEONY PROTOTYPE! But for now ... these have been adding a nice lil pop of color to the standard black + cheap monday uniform.

bainbridge

saturday morning we packed monster's day bag and popped on the ferry to bainbridge island to visit the beautiful home of shayn-di. It was an absolutely delightful little craftsman bungalow that felt like we were hours away from seattle and in the midst of the countryside.

monster fell in love at first sight ... I think he's trying to defect and get adpoted ...

awesome craigslist diy paint and upholster project by the lovely jendi

monster was ZONKED on the ferry ride home ..

he's unamused and slightly embarressed of the ferry photo session .. can't you tell?

thank you shayn and jendi for a beautiful day!

sunday succculent project

some photos of my most recent succulent/brick project. my latest engineering bricks from earthwise + stolen succulents from boobie's house. thanks boob!

interesting engineering bricks with 8 holes instead of 3. these were a bit tricky, but might be a good way to incorporate many plants in a small space

the goodies. engineering bricks + 1/2 potting soil + 1/2 cactus soil + succulents. add water.

thick hearty roots. I hope these will survive the winter!

on the landing outside our front gate. I think the neighbors are impressed :)

earthwise

I recently discovered the wonderful world of salvage. I thought I had a pulse on all things old, vintage, re-used, re-purposed and re-vitalized ... UNTIL I discovered this haven that is part ocd junkyard, part pack-rat and part fremont market underground treasure trove.

My purchases ...

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old windows of all shapes and sizes

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You have to love a store that has succulents strewn all over the place .. growing in random pots, nooks and crannies

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How lucky! To buy a claw-foot tub that includes old rubber ducky decals.

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Earthwise is pretty key to happy crafting in Seattle. There are a few other stores including Re-Store and Second Use that are worth checking out.