Photo: This Handmade Life
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
From the garden...
A few bulbs of garlic picked from our garden. Very small I know, but garlic is difficult to grow in Florida so this feels like success to me...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Today...
Today I...
am wondering why I ever invested in the stock market.
need a nap, need a break, need a vacation.
am reluctantly beginning to accept the fact that I am in my last year as a twenty-something.
feel happy for the little things in my life that sometimes get overlooked but bring me so much joy.
love the sunshine, hate the humidity.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
My Heart is in NY
This past weekend was spent in New York City for a wedding and a much needed visit back to the last place we called home. For three years I existed in a torrid love affair with New York, which at times was beautiful and surreal, like a dream I never wanted to wake up from and at others it was like a wicked and raw storm that refused to break.
Like anything, I do believe you can only appreciate something more when you don't have it anymore. This sums up my relationship with the city now. A gentle and subtle ache for something that is no longer mine and a great appreciation and respect for everything the city did to me while I was there. It changed me in irreversible ways. I may be here now, in Florida, living and enjoying life, but a little piece of my heart, will always be in New York...
Like anything, I do believe you can only appreciate something more when you don't have it anymore. This sums up my relationship with the city now. A gentle and subtle ache for something that is no longer mine and a great appreciation and respect for everything the city did to me while I was there. It changed me in irreversible ways. I may be here now, in Florida, living and enjoying life, but a little piece of my heart, will always be in New York...
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Today...
Today I appreciate...
New friendships but also the comfort that comes from old friendships with people who have known you before you even knew yourself.
Dark chocolate and coconut green tea, a beautiful combination.
Parents, even though I take mine for granted, I still can't deny how much I rely on them and need them in my life.
My husband, who thanks me for the little things I do for him that I feel take no effort, but that mean so much to him.
Walking barefoot outside, something my feet got to do for the first time in months. It felt amazing.
Artisan Bread
Mike got me a bread maker over Christmas and while we are thoroughly enjoying the awesome concoctions that have come out of it, we are both kind of missing that delicious, crusty, artisan bread we used to buy at the market.
Sooo, this weekend I finally broke down and tried the famous NY Times No Knead bread recipe. All I can do is kick myself for not trying it, you know, like 4 years ago when I first read about it. Just think of all the delicious bread I could have been making all these years! But, I digress.
This bread is so easy to make and oh so good. If you have waited years to try it like me, or maybe this is the first time you have ever even heard about it, stop wasting time reading this post and go make the bread, like right now!
But, like all good things, especially those that take little to no effort on your part, this bread takes time to do it's thing (hence the "no kneading"), like 12 to 18 hours, so don't expect the smell of fresh baked bread to start wafting through your house in the next couple of hours.
When the bread is complete, it's totally worth the time you had to wait for it. If you don't consume the whole thing in one sitting (it took much restraint on our part to do so), keep in mind that there is no fat in this recipe so the bread will go stale VERY quickly. However, it's still an excellent candidate for toasting, as I did the next day and enjoyed with nutella* and a cup of Earl Gray.
Sooo, this weekend I finally broke down and tried the famous NY Times No Knead bread recipe. All I can do is kick myself for not trying it, you know, like 4 years ago when I first read about it. Just think of all the delicious bread I could have been making all these years! But, I digress.
This bread is so easy to make and oh so good. If you have waited years to try it like me, or maybe this is the first time you have ever even heard about it, stop wasting time reading this post and go make the bread, like right now!
But, like all good things, especially those that take little to no effort on your part, this bread takes time to do it's thing (hence the "no kneading"), like 12 to 18 hours, so don't expect the smell of fresh baked bread to start wafting through your house in the next couple of hours.
When the bread is complete, it's totally worth the time you had to wait for it. If you don't consume the whole thing in one sitting (it took much restraint on our part to do so), keep in mind that there is no fat in this recipe so the bread will go stale VERY quickly. However, it's still an excellent candidate for toasting, as I did the next day and enjoyed with nutella* and a cup of Earl Gray.
Photo: This Handmade Life
*If you are lucky enough to have European relatives as we do, and they ever ask you what they can bring you from Europe when they come to visit the states, tell them to bring you nutella from their country. Soooo much better than the U.S. produced stuff which is oily and full of process. Trust me, there is a BIG difference in taste.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
hello
Hi! Welcome to my blog. If you've been following me for a while you probably know my back story but if you don't here goes.... I opened an Etsy shop, Kopah, selling soap while living in New York City with my boyfriend (now husband), Mike and our dachshund, Peewee. I taught myself to make soap after attending a Christmas market in Bryant Park where I saw a soap maker selling soap cut right off the loaf. I was intrigued and thought, I can do that. So I did. Shortly after I began making soap, I stumbled upon Etsy while perusing the internet. I can't even remember what I was looking for, or how I ended up on Etsy but I was instantly hooked. I quickly opened up my own shop and then soon after started a personal blog related to my life and soap making, Kopah's Soap Box.
Then in 2009, before moving from NYC to Florida, I started another blog, The Design Boards, related to things I am passionate about like interior design, vintage, indie design, photography, fashion, and anything else I find that sparks my inpsiration and creative side.
In 2010, after discovering a new found hobby that I absolutely love (and am honestly a bit obsessed with), I started another Etsy shop, Apt 22 Vintage (named after one of our apartments in NYC), filled with vintage items Mike and I find while thrifting.
Over the past few months I have been at a crossroads with my desires to continue making and selling soap. My shop is still open and I still own all the materials and tools needed to make soap but it doesn't give me the creative rush it used to. I am now busy with The Design Boards, and Apt 22, which I truly love.
All of this has prompted me to stop writing at Kopah's Soap Box, since it has always been directly related and tied to Kopah. I realize after being absent on that blog for many months that I miss having an outlet to write about completely random things pertaining to my personal life, something I can't do with The Design Boards. I want a place where I can blog about any topic and where there is no rigid posting schedule to follow or any expectations (hopefully!). So here goes...
Then in 2009, before moving from NYC to Florida, I started another blog, The Design Boards, related to things I am passionate about like interior design, vintage, indie design, photography, fashion, and anything else I find that sparks my inpsiration and creative side.
In 2010, after discovering a new found hobby that I absolutely love (and am honestly a bit obsessed with), I started another Etsy shop, Apt 22 Vintage (named after one of our apartments in NYC), filled with vintage items Mike and I find while thrifting.
Over the past few months I have been at a crossroads with my desires to continue making and selling soap. My shop is still open and I still own all the materials and tools needed to make soap but it doesn't give me the creative rush it used to. I am now busy with The Design Boards, and Apt 22, which I truly love.
All of this has prompted me to stop writing at Kopah's Soap Box, since it has always been directly related and tied to Kopah. I realize after being absent on that blog for many months that I miss having an outlet to write about completely random things pertaining to my personal life, something I can't do with The Design Boards. I want a place where I can blog about any topic and where there is no rigid posting schedule to follow or any expectations (hopefully!). So here goes...
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