Thursday, December 16, 2010

Out of Print Clothing


Classic books + great cover art = potential for an excellent t-shirt

That's what Out of Print specializes in: Iconic book covers that double as works of art, turned into something wearable. And, in their words, "each shirt is treated to feel soft and worn like well-read book." Can I order one right now?



Besides the wearable art, each time someone orders a shirt, Out of Print donates one book to kids in Africa who have little to no access to books, via Books for Africa. Especially as a teacher who loves teaching kids how to read good novels, I like that. 


Here are some of their items:


The Great Gatsby, the book that Adam and I are currently reading




Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand




Lord of the Flies, by William Golding




On the Road, by Jack Kerouac




Moby Dick, by Herman Melville






And some women's styles. I love love love this first one:


Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen




To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee




Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger




Nancy Drew & the Sign of the Twisted Candles, by Carolyn Keene






Check out Out of Print's website for more shirts, even kids' sizes! 


Which do you like best? Do you like it because of the art, or because you've read and enjoyed the book, or both? 




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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Favorite Finds

There are many pretty things on Etsy, and my list of bookmarks is getting quite long.

I thought I'd share with you some of the items I've "favorited" lately.


Nuit 1, by aliette

Raven Earrings

Rose, Garnet, Pearl Sterling Silver Ring

Faceted Czech Glass Necklace

White Porcelain Vases

Organic Peppermint Sugar Cube Soaps

Evelyn Dress

I like white, gold, and silver as a color scheme for decorating for Christmas. These items feel very wintery to me. I would love to wear that white dress with the Czech glass necklace along with a pair of sparkly silver shoes to a holiday party!

Which Christmas color combos do you like best?

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Friday, December 10, 2010

Cooking: Thai Street Vendors

I love Thai food, and so does Adam. There are nights when I have to stay late at work for some kind of special evening event (like this week's Christmas program), and there's not enough time to go home, cook dinner, and return to school, so those are the nights we order out. Those are the nights we enjoy being "forced" to order from the Thai restaurant down the street.

We usually get the same things: Chicken Pad See Ew and Tom Kha Gai soup. That soup is so good. Spicy, sour, sweet, rich, hot, and tangy-- all in one delicious bowl. It's a mixture of coconut milk, lemongrass, Thai ginger, chicken, mushrooms, chilies, chicken broth, and lime juice. And you may remember that I tried cooking Pad See Ew awhile ago, and that it didn't turn out too badly, and I have since cooked it again, and it turned out quite nicely (although for once in my life I think I used too much garlic). You may also remember that "Pad See Ew" literally means "stir-fried with soy sauce". I laughed when I found that out. Who knew it meant something so generic? But it's comfort food, baby. Delicious comfort food.

Coming around to the main point of this post, I was on a search one day for another Pad See Ew recipe, just to make comparisons to the recipe I had already tried. While searching the internet, I discovered a site that featured videos of Thai street vendors cooking traditional Thai dishes. I thought to myself, I've hit the jackpot! Videos of Thai people cooking Thai food! And sure enough, there is a video of how to cook Pad See Ew, not to mention dozens of others.

Cooking food from a foreign culture for the first few times can be time-consuming because of unfamiliar ingredients and unfamiliar cooking techniques. For that reason, I haven't been able to try any of the recipes on the site besides the Pad See Ew, but I'm excited to try in the future. If you are up for a challenge, try one out. And if you do, please tell me how the cooking process went, and how the recipe turned out!

In the myriad of videos, you can find Pad Thai, Garlic Shrimp, a recipe for Thai curry paste (yum), Thai sticky rice, Pork Satay, my favorite Tom Kha Gai soup, Thai iced tea, and so many more.


Here's the link to the complete series of videos: Thai street vendor cooking

Click the caption to the photo to access the video specifically for Pad See Ew. 

Pad See Ew

Remember, if you try a recipe, let me know how it turns out!


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Monday, December 6, 2010

Etsy Store: open for business!

Amelie Rose is now open for business!

My photos are finished, and I spent the evening posting a few items.

Enjoy, and check back for more!


Purple Rose Hair Clip


Natalie Headband

The link to the store: Amelie Rose

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Gemstone Rings

I have seen this particular style of ring cropping up quite a bit in the world of handmade items lately. The setting is called a "tube setting". Most of the settings are round, but as you can see in a few of the last images, some are set in untraditional shapes. Many are meant to stack with other rings, but I think I like the simplicity of wearing them individually. If you like the idea of wearing real gemstone jewelry, these rings are an affordable (and pretty!) way to do that.

What do you think? Do you like the look? Would you prefer wearing one at a time, or stacking a few together? What do you think about that rough diamond alternative engagement ring down there in the "less traditional" category?


Tiny Peridot Stacking Ring


Citrine Sterling Stackable Ring


Petite Diamond Ring


Chocolate Diamond and 14k Rose Gold Ring


Yellow Diamond Bloom



Some are less traditional...


Rose Cut Pink Sapphire


Sterling Twig Ring with Whisky Quartz and Diamond


Rough Diamond Unique Alternative Engagement Ring


There's a seller called "Midwest Alchemy" who breaks the mold for this type of ring-- in fact, I wouldn't even put their rings in the same category-- but I want to know what you think.

Weird? Ugly? Stylish? Unique? Interesting? Would you wear one?

Topaz Frosted Ice Artisan Ring

Silver Citrine Crystal Artisan Ring

I think I would wear one-- with the right outfit, on the right day.

Given a choice though, I would choose either the Petite Diamond Ring or the Sterling Twig Ring. Which would you choose?

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Monday, November 29, 2010

Pretty Scarves

I love scarves.

I love weather that legitimately encourages scarf-wearing.

Do you love scarves? If you do, and you could buy one of these, which one would it be?


Knit Cowl with Bow

Gold Lace Wool Scarf

Puckered Salutation Scarf

Poppy Red Wrinkled Scarf

Ditsy Floral Scarf in ivory

Global Girlfriend Darling Dots Scarf

Dotted Scarf in coffee

Baffled Box Scarf

Lace-trim Floral Scarf


And now I must ask, what do you think of this last scarf? I think it is creative in theory; however, I am not sure that even the Anthropologie model who wears the scarf in the photoshoot is ultimately able to make a fashionable statement. I do think it deserves a post, though.

Shrewd Stiches Scarf

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Knitted Glove Goodness

This year, I have seen so many crocheted and cable-knit gloves cropping up all over the place. I love the trend, and I even added a pair to my Christmas list. Texture is what I like about these gloves, and my favorites are the ones with the wrist strap and button detail.

Which do you like best?


Knit Honeycomb Fingerless Mittens in Olive

Lacey, Lightweight Handwarmers with Grandpa Buttons

Beige fingerless gloves with a strap

Honeycomb

Purple fingerless gloves

Fingerless Gloves with Crocheted Corsages

Long Gray Merino Fingerless Gloves


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