little.black.sheep.shop

Cut, Piece, Pin, Sew...

So a couple of weeks ago, I took a Quilting 101 class (you can sign up for one of these classes at your local Jo-Ann's Fabrics store).

I was really happy to bust out my sewing machine... it hadn't really seen much daylight in the last year or so!

And I thoroughly enjoyed the class. I suspected the quilting process would be a bit too fussy for my liking. All the talk of cutting, piecing, and pressing had me thinking my impatience would get the better of me...

But, I actually enjoyed the process!

For my fabric, I selected a red scattered polka dot, a modern blue print, and an understated white-on-white striped print. I LOVED the combination. (And I realized that I'm currently obsessed with this color palette. Remember my compost pot from the Mad Platter? Same colors... but anywaaaaayz...)

The instructor, Miss Ginger, walked us through the process of creating a "monkey wrench" block...

 

{ my workspace with some of my pieces laid out... rotary cutter at the ready }

 

{ cut, piece, pin, sew, press... cut, piece, pin, sew, press... }

 

{ the block started coming together quickly }

 

 { the final block... the colors don't show up properly here (thanks to bad fluorescent lights and taking this pic on my iPhone)... I loved how it all turned out! }

 

I was encouraged by Miss Ginger to continue making more blocks... and I have done so... cutting and sewing in my spare time. I'm hoping to make more progress this weekend... and then I'll have to think about how I want to put all the blocks together.

SO excited! I'll let you know how the project goes. And I'm going to be looking for inspiration of modern quilt designs online for ideas of my finishing touches... and maybe for future quilts!

 - crafty h -

xoxo!

A trip to Mainz, Germany - HELAU!!!

During my trip to Germany, I joined my friend and her German neighbor on a trip to Mainz to celebrate what they called Carnival. It's kind of like Mardi Gras... except to get the sweets (and other odd items) they toss from floats, you don't have to bare any skin. In fact... you just have to yell out HELAU for 4 hours straight!

We got dressed up, spiked a 2 liter of Diet Coke with a teeny bit of rum, and caught the morning train to Mainz. It took two hours to get there, and the parade seemed like it would never end. It was an interesting day - everyone got dressed up like it was Halloween. Except there weren't any scary costumes! 

 

{ i went as Athena and my friend went as a twenties flapper girl... it was cold, so we had bundled up with turtlenecks and gloves! }

 

{ we sipped on our "diet coke" for the few hours we were out there... refreshing! }

 

{ the giant heads that were sort of the brands of the parade }

 

{ some of what they tossed out to the outreaching arms of the crowd! }

 

{ a float with characters from some German children's show }

 

{ a cute bee couple on the same float }

 

{ and a dandy dandelion to top it off! }

 

{ a lot of people were dressed up in costumes reminiscent of George Washington... I have yet to figure out why }

 

{ polar bears! }

 

{ vikings... seriously... they looked very cold... }

 

{ one of the more involved floats that I liked - voodoo dolls! }

 

{ we got to enjoy some packaged waffles in the afternoon when we were hungry }

 

{ i was raised not to litter - and Germans are so eco-concious i was SHOCKED when everyone was throwing their trash on the streets during the parade! but... }

 

{ this was the same street only 30 minutes or so after the parade had finished - already cleaned up! }

 

I had a great time that day and enjoyed seeing a Germany tradition. We had a great spot in the sun, so we weren't even as cold as we had feared we would be. And with that, I will bid you...

HELAU!!!

hehe

-h-

Fortnum & Mason's

On my first full day in London, my sister and I met up with my fabulous aunt and we killed some time grabbing a bite to eat at Fortnum & Mason's - a London institution that has history dating back to the 1700s. No, that is not a typo. 1700s. Like... the century in which the Declaration of Independence was written!

Pretty incredible.

After grabbing a bite to eat (paired with a bottle of champagne because we were on vacation after all), we pottered around the various floors of the store, stumbling across all sorts of great finds. I wish I hadn't had to pack so light because I would have LOVED to have brought back some of the goodies I found!

 

{ the "beauty" floor had tables full of colorful soaps in the most fabulous scents }

 

{ the scent of the Bronnley Lemon soaps (in the shape of lemons) took my aunt back to her childhood }

 

{ they even had a perfumery bar where you could mix your own custom fragrances - tres chic }

 

{ Fortnum & Mason's offers Highgrove-branded garden products (The Highgrove Estate of His Royal Highness, Prince Charles) and proceeds benefit charities - two thumbs way up }

 

{ from Highgrove were citronella candles, twine, and colorful watering pots }

 

{ check out this sweet suede gardening apron from Highgrove! Practical and charming! }

 

{ loved the color of this garden sign }

 

{ the bottom two floors offered food items - a blur of tins and jars full of delicious treats! }

 

{ crackers, honey, jams and jellies... }

 

{ English tea? take your pick! }

 

 

{ a peek down to the lowest level boasting a variety of produce, breads, cheeses, and canned and preserved items }

 

{ does anyone know what to do with preserved lemons? i don't... but I loved the packaging! }

 

{ friendly daffodils were offered in their small flower section - my favorite flower! }

 

It was really nice to walk around and see what they had to offer... and I may have spent some money had I had room in my luggage. If you want to check out Fortnum & Mason's for yourself, or look into the Highgrove Estate and its products, visit their websites.

xoxo!

-h-

Pics of Sweet Candy Cakes

{ windsor, england: candy cakes' cupcakes. take a walk through the streets of windsor and i challenge you not to want to step into this adorable little shop! their cupcakes were individual masterpieces... such care was taken with each one. they almost looked too good to eat! }

 

{ sweet-lovers were eyeing the candy cakes through the window... and i didn't blame them! }

 

{ it was SO hard to just window shop and not snatch up any of these cuties to take home! all the colors were so cheerful! }

 

{ can you spot the tiny toadstool?! LOVE it! }

 

{ and teeny tiny penguins! arggggggh! tooooooo cuuuuuuute! }

 

Check out everything this shop has to offer - visit their website!

xoxo!

-h-

Chez Papa

When in Paris, I had REALLY hoped to eat as the Parisians do! So when the sweet young French girl at the hotel front desk offered an Italian place as her restaurant recommendation, I was more than a little disappointed.

Lucky for me, my friend decided to go back and ask the girl if there was a good local spot that we could visit without getting all dolled up. (I was in cargo pants and hadn't packed anything more elegant than jeans. So it needed to be casual, affordable, and French.)

That sweet girl (who had a beautiful French name that started with an E that I can't recall!) directed us to a cafe she frequents for meals that was just 15 minutes away. So a short walk later, we stumbled upon Chez Papa... a sweet cafe on the corner (officially located at 101 rue de Croix Nivert). They specialize in South Eastern French cuisine.

By this point in time, I must have nailed my bonjour's and bon soir's... because after I confidently stated "bon soir!" inside the door, the gentleman who greeted us started rattling off something in French! I quickly explained (in English, thank you very much!) that I was so sorry, but we hardly spoke any French. He explained that the question was indoors or out... and he quickly sat us at a table inside.

We pored over the French menu for what felt like FOREVER! I had thought my years and years of learning Spanish (elementary, junior high, high school and college) and my one year of taking French (it was my first C in school - gasp!) would have helped me figure out what the menu had to offer. But no such luck!

I turned page after page hoping something would look familiar. I thought I should surely know "chicken" when I saw it! I began wishing like hell that I had paid a bit more attention to Madame Perpignani in the 6th grade. The only thing I figured out that there was an entire section of the menu dedicated to duck liver... wow!

A man (who seemed to be the owner) came by our table... and after a brief conversation found out that we desperately needed help!

And although he brought us English menus, we ended up not needing them at all... because he ordered for us, after asking each of us what we liked and didn't like. He even selected wines to go with our meals... A sweet white for me and a bold red for my friend (which we would have preferred the other way around on any other day, but they did complement our meals well!).

I ended up having a selection of a few things all served on a wooden cutting board... foie gras (YUM) with toasted wheat bread, an assortment of sauteed pieces of duck (I couldn't tell you which parts), some fantastic ham (which looked like parma or prosciutto), and a little salad with a zesty dressing. My friend had some sort of fabulous baked dish - with layers of potatoes, ham, duck, mushrooms and cheese in a savory sauce... all served in a cute little pot at the table!

We had some nice conversation over dinner... and decided to split a chocolate mousse for dessert.

Shortly thereafter, we were informed that it was ladies' night... and the manager brought us both small snifters of armagnac. Neither of us were fans - I'm usually a strict Bailey's girl when it comes to after dinner drinks!

But my friend downed hers in one gulp when the manager wasn't looking. (I couldn't imagine the BURN!) I sipped mine down in between bites of chocolate mousse - which helped calm the heat a bit!

We finished the night after having a short French lesson from the manager. He was trying to get my friend to perfect saying my favorite French word: parapluie.

It means umbrella.

Kind of ironic because it did not rain one bit while we were in France!

Needless to say, he spent 10 minutes trying to help her with her accent and meanwhile telling us how harsh Americans hit their "R's"!!!

We shut the place down and were the last to leave that night. On our way out, we were asked if we would be returning the following week. How I wished I could have said yes!

 

{ the outside of Chez Papa at 101 rue de Croix Nivert }

 

{ inside the cozy cafe }

 

{ right inside the main door on the left - everyone sits so close together, it feels like family eating together! }

 

{ the specials from the night we were there }

 

{ a pic of their foie gras papa from their website }

 

{ and their yummy ham }

 

{ at the end of the night, we realized we were the last ones there! }

 

{ it was so nice not to be rushed through dinner - we felt welcome to stay at our table as long as we wished }

 

{ the armagnac must have hit us hard after our wine because this is one of the pics we took on our walk back to the hotel! }

 

I welcome you to make a visit to this great little place on your next visit to Paris. To peruse them from afar, check out their sweet website! Here is a link to the main Chez Papa website too.

xoxo

-h-

Back home, baby!

I'm baaaaaaaaack!

So I just stepped back into my house about an hour ago or so... I'm returning from a short weekend trip to San Francisco. I went with my twin and her hubs - and we all celebrated our collective 30th birthdays together there!

It was SO much fun - I truly LOVED the Golden Gate city. It was a beautiful, inviting and cultural melting pot of food, fashion, and fun.

I will finish up blogging about my Europe trip first... and then I'll share some pics from FANTASTIC SF!!!

:)

xoxo!

-h-

Happy Birthday to Me

Hi flock!

I've been laying low for a few days because it was my birthday on Saturday (the big three oh!!) and I had a last-minute guest come into town to celebrate with me. My older sister!! :)

I had a great birthday. It was odd to say goodbye to my twenties... To be honest, it felt like it kind of snuck up on me! I didn't feel like I had too much time to think about getting older and how to handle the upcoming milestone birthday.

But now, I'm SO looking forward to finding out what the next decade has in store for me!

---

In lieu of a gigantic cake this year, my hunny organized a mini cupcake-cake... too cute!

{ adorable and delicious! }

 

He tried to make the whole table colorful, so he added a store bought birthday-themed plastic tablecloth... and didn't notice the full print on it until we pointed it out...

{ hehe! happy 1st birthday to me!! }

 

And now back to our regularly scheduled vacation-picture sharing!

xoxo!

-h-

Eating my way through Europe

I - like many people - have a bit of a love affair with food.

I always have.

I remember beginning my food adventures from a young age when my parents would make international dishes (Chinese, Indian, Mexican, etc.) at home.

And when we traveled, my Dad could always count on me to try something new with him.

 

Sushi in Japan? No problem.

Blood pudding in Scotland? Absolutely.

Shark fin soup in China? Sounds good.

Thousand-year old eggs in Hong Kong? Errrrr..... Ok, you got me. Maybe not.

 

Actually... this is the only thing I can remember NOT wanting to even try. Their appearance is scary... and the name doesn't help!

In truth, they are simply pickled eggs... preserved in a series of different vinegars, which give the egg an odd stratified, layered, jelly-like appearance. Dark yellows, purples, greens... Ick.

But for trying almost anything else, I am your girl!

 

Trying new things has enabled me to develop a broad palette in my life. And traveling naturally tintilizes my taste buds!

I can't wait to see what new favorites I might stumble upon!

---

I began my trip taking pictures of all my meals... once my camera died and I grew hungrier, I quickly abandoned that tradition. But here are some pics of my food travel adventures on my trip...

 

{ kaiserslautern, germany: sweet potato fries served with aioli. perhaps not the first thing you would think of to order there, and it took FOREVER for our food to come out, but these made the perfect snack. I always tried their pumpkin coconut soup - which was fabulous! }

 

{ my friends' home in reichenbach-steegan, germany: peanut butter-banana toast. i had so many good meals during my time in germany... and the homemade breakfasts were fabulous! i loved this sweet smiley face that grinned up at me from my plate one morning... so cute! and SO yummy! }

 

{ montmartre, france: the street vendor where we had our first snack in paris. my friend selected french fries... yes! french fries! i thought that was hilarious and ironic. i had some sort of sausage served in bread and covered in toasted cheese... it was ok. but didn't live up to the charm of the kiosk! everything was premade and the server nuked our orders! nuked french fries? a big no no. we only hoped our food adventures in paris would go UP from here! }

 

{ paris, france: fresh strawberry + nutella crepes. per my sister's suggestion, we stopped at this friendly frenchman's cart on our walk to the Eiffel Tower (which could be seen in this picture if I turned 180 degrees!). the crepes were warm and yummy... the strawberries were SO fresh and juicy! }

 

{ the crepe. i barely had a chance to snap a photo before this crepe disappeared in my belly! it was SO delicious! }

 

{ paris, france: orangina. i remember my sister raving about this drink when she returned from her travels to france during her senior year of high school. so i HAD to try it while i was there. being a big water-drinker, it wasn't for me. but i loved the label and some of the bottles that looked like oranges! }

 

 

{ london, england: the curry mile. door-to-door curry shops and indian diners all the way down this street. yummy smells whipped through the air as we got closer. i was told you can bargain your way with different shops as you walk down the street to find yourself the best deal. but we just picked a place to eat for the night. i downed countless poppadums, and ordered aloo ghobi (a mild potato and cauliflower dish) with plain basmati rice and plain naan bread. it cured my indian craving that had been following me for months... and it was SO nice to have a meal with my cousins! a very nice evening. }

---

So what were some of my favorite meals during my trip?

My favorite breakfast was at Betty's Tea Room in Harrogate, England... I had a fabulous chocolate soy latte and a tummy-filling English breakfast. And it was all served in style. Even my toast was served in an adorable serving tower!

I also thoroughly enjoyed my last dinner with my Scottish familyin Blantyre  - my cousin has a curry recipe that is fabulously mild and sweet. DELISH! I will share it with you once I attempt making it myself at home. :)

I also REALLY loved a meal I had at one of my cousin's houses: perfectly poached salmon served with yummy veg and followed with a lip-smacking, fruit-filled, cream-topped pavlova. Does it get any better than this? (Pauline - I'm dying to get your salmon and pavlova recipes!!!)

 

{ pauline's beautiful (and HUGE) pavlova served with ripe fruit and sweet cream... my mouth is literally watering as i write about it again! }

 

I also LOVED the Haggis Fritters served with a Malt Whiskey sauce at the Parkville in Blantyre, Scotland. Seriously delicious... not the best for my heart's health, but a few bites in a lifetime can't hurt!

My dinner at Chez Papa in Paris was undeniably the most unforgettable meal of my trip. Not only for the food and wine, but for the ambiance, the company, and the overall experience. I will be posting about my experience there separately... it truly deserves it's own post!

And I did some food-window shopping during my trip. I promise I'll share that eye candy with you too.

:)

-h-

 

Falling in love with Cath Kidston

Time to share more pics!!

While traveling, I quickly realized that my purse was lacking a VERY useful item that comes in handy in the Europe and the UK...

A coin purse!!

I usually don't really carry much cash on me. And I certainly don't carry much change (if any). At any given point in time I might have a few quarters in my car for the odd metered parking space.

But in Europe and the UK, there are coins in currencies of 1 and 2 units (1 Euro, 2 Euro, 1 Pound, 2 Pounds, etc.). So if you carry cash, those coins add up quickly!

So I began to scan the shop windows we passed by to see what I could find.

And - lucky me - I came across the adorable Cath Kidston shop in Windsor!

 

{ the understated storefront I walked past at first without stopping }

 

{ it was the few items showcased in sweet patterned fabrics in their windows which caught my eye! }

 

{ inside the charming store with ancient wooden floorboards was a multitude of bags, homewares, accessories, and more... a girl's dream }

 

{ messenger bags, totes and purses... all in the sweetest of fabrics. I personally loved the blue polka dotted fabric that was dotted on items throughout the store. you can see it here on the bottom row on the wall to the far left }

 

{ want to wrap up your laptop, iPad or other tech device in a cozy fabric? here, you can! }

 

{ here is a slice of their adorable array of kitchen and homeware products. I REALLY wanted to nab one of those aprons and dish towels bring them home with me. too bad I didn't leave any room in my luggage! *sniff sniff* }

 

{ and check out what i found in the kid's section... ewe-topped pencils! too cute :) }

 

I did manage to find a coin purse small enough to tuck inside my humbly-sized handbag. It was hard to narrow it down... and I secretly wished my bag was bigger so I could have picked up a bigger coin purse! Oh well. I'll be more prepared on my next trip!

If you want to check out Cath Kidston in person, you can visit their stores in the UK, Ireland or Japan. You can also take a peek at what they have to offer on their website.

I'll be sharing more window shopping pics from my trip soon... I came across so many great finds!

xoxo!

-h-

Cozy England

So I've been going through all my pictures... trying to select my favorite snapshots and favorite memories to share with you. There are SO many to choose from! So it has taken me a while to narrow them down...

I'll begin today with some of the architecture and buildings I loved in England...

 

{ On our walk through London, we saw a lot of grand architecture. And I don't know how they managed it... but so many of them achieved grandeur and coziness simultaneously! Is it the use of potted plants at entrances? The warm lights glowing from within at dusk? Whatever it is, i imagine warm milk and overstuffed chairs inevitably await visitors within... }

 

{ Betty's Tea Room in Harrogate achieved grandeur and coziness too. Everything about this place invited me in. The detailed dentil work beneath the glass awning... the promise of a freshly cooked English breakfast... and the large glass windows revealing an array of chocolate Easter bunnies and assorted English teas for sale probably didn't hurt! The English breakfast was delicious! }

 

{ The chimney tops on this building in Windsor are reminiscent of a certain scene from Mary Poppins... and if you look closely, there are patterns built into the structure in the brick laid on the front of each building... very clever! }

 

{ A crooked house in the States would likely be condemned... but no one worries about this The Crooked House of Windsor! This house is still standing after goodness knows how many years. So charming... } 

 

{ Resist the temptation to tilt your head! }

 

{ Adjacent to the Crooked House was this charming little perfumery. I LOVE that gorgeous muted teal color. And the stained glass inlays in the windows give it character but aren't over the top. A-dorable. }

 

{ No one can say the English are bland... there was stunning use of color everywhere I looked. Sherwin Williams would be proud! Something about this bold chartreuse caught my eye... Love it. }

 

{ And just when you think you know what might be around the next corner, England serves up the unexpected. Such a pretty patina on this building in Windsor. It definitely stands out against the classic architecture. }

 

Othelr pictures to be shared this week!

-h-