Split Decision

It's an age old question. One that has riddled the minds of cookie monsters everywhere....Which way do you eat your Oreo? What a delicious dilemma.

There are, of course, the hardcore purists who eat Oreos solo.  On the other end of the spectrum are the diabolical dismantlers who, "twist, lick, dunk" their Oreos. And of course the serial saturators who pre-redunk their Oreos in milk. Before. Each. Bite.

Whichever school you choose is a good one. And the only thing that can make an Oreo better is if it's homeschooled. Yep, homemade Oreos. Truth, people. 

Whatever kind of Oreo cookie connosieur you are, you'll find that the homemade ones are the valedictorians of the class. So twist them, lick them, dunk them or eat them whole. Or put them in stuff. For the record, folks, that includes in vanilla ice cream, as a pie crust and in super-thick milkshakes. Mouth watering yet? Pour a glass of milk and dig on the recipe here.

nauti-cal by nature

I should preface this by saying that I suffer from from debilitating seasickness. As in-  I got seasick on a cruiseship. As in- I got seasick on a drydocked boat. Seriously. 

Despite the fact that I'm not clearly not seaworthy, I love the look of all things nautical. Anchors, canvas, rusty metal chains, weathered timber, faded paint...you're speaking my language.  Not to mention ropes and knots, which I became so obsessed with in college that my entire senior thesis centered on them.

I'll never know why, but there is something about the iconography of ships, boats, docks and life at sea that appeals to me. Perhaps I was a mermaid in a past life. (I've still got the mane for it.) Or maybe I just love old rusty stuff.

Either way, I got my visual fix during our quick trip to the Pacific Northwest last month. And I didn't even get seasick.

More shots of our trip here.

DIY faux real

It's amazing what you can whip up with some foam core, spray adhesives and pretty paper. That said, making this stag head was a mission of epic proportions. If we lived in the States, it would have been a piece of cake. We could have popped into craft supply megastore in some suburban stripmall, walked out with everything we needed 20 minutes later, and probably stopped at a Dairy Queen for a Reese's Pieces Blizzard on the way home.

But since we live in New Zealand, this afternoon project became a four month hunting and gathering expedition. After months of searching, we finally tracked down the right foam core. Having scoured gift shops across the lower South Island for weeks, we managed to forage some chic papers. Eventually, the spray adhesive and other bits and pieces fell into place. And then the real fun (cutting curvy pieces out of foam core with craft knives) began.

It's not a project for the faint of heart. And were it not for my studly knight in shining armour, I can guarantee this could have ended in tears, and perhaps a severed finger or two. But thanks to his patience and mad skills with the craft knife, we have a faux trophy to commemorate our real hunt...

Should you wish to embark on such a journey yourself, find the instructions and templates here. Just a note; we improvised and decided to mount the head on a plaque with contrasting paper by drawing a template ourselves and cutting the foam core to size. So feel free to heed the call of the wild and get creative with your...uhm, mounting.

simply the best

Bouncing down a dirt road in a pickup truck. A sign directing you to a place called Paradise. A private picnic in a field far from everything.  Hooking your arms around neck of a handsome horse. The scent of the horse on your hands for hours afterward. A belly laugh. A kiss in the the tall grass. Sometimes simple things reign supreme.

 

post modern

There's nothing I like more than a piece of furniture with a story to tell. Check out this chic chaise.

The tufted upholstry and ornate arms allude to days gone by, while the heavy, clean lines of the legs bring it back to the future. Rooted in the past, but fashion forward enough to look dynamite in any room, be it sleek and modern or shabby chic.

And what's even better? There really is a story in this seat- it's upholstered with vintage New Zealand post bags. There's no junkmail here, kids. This is the real deal. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to pen a love letter to the designers at Union, post haste.  Signed, yours truly.....