E is for Etsy!

Everyone loves Etsy.com.

I've been sort of obsessed recently.



These lil' birdies came in saturday-ish? I put them up immediately. I'v been looking for alternatives to paint (we rent) to make it a lil' more exciting. These wall decals from VinylWallArt hit the spot. Check out the Quail, I love it :-)



Adrienne is quite the scratcher! She destroyed her old reflective collar. I had this lil' polka dot guy from theModernPet in my faves forever! I'm so glad no one else bought it before me. The collar is actually pretty well made, and most importantly has that safety clip that pops the it off if it were to get caught on something. (I know the picture is blurry but, it tooks few treats to get her to sit that still.)



Last, but certainly not least, we have BrainScan coffee. I bought a half pound to try it out first. I can be really picky about coffee, I know what I like. It seems Starbucks leaves a strange ashy aftertaste anymore, so I figured it was time to move on. Alex hand roasts organic fair trade beans for the tastiest brew on the block. I'm sort of addicted to her Small World blend (1/2 Sumatra, 1/2 Costa Rican). It's delicious and there is no coffee belly ache if I skip breakfast.

in other news:

-I'm just about finished a pair of socks! They should be done in a few days.

-I've planted some Basil and Parsley, and had an issue with some Tom Thumb pea seeds (cutest thing ever!). Luckily, I found some more and they should be here soon.

-I've been working on a reversible apron for quite a while, and just realized I cut a few pieces on the wrong side!!!!!! I don't have anymore of the fabric and neither does the place I bought it. I may just keep going and assemble a panel or two backwards.



---Miranda July Makes Buttons---

So, that's how buttons are made?
I had no clue until now! I'm not sure if I'd have the patience for that "ferberization" step.



<3
knitxcore.

Cold Beverages. Uh-huh.

A while back , I read about how much more superior cold-brewed iced coffee is (compared to drip coffee with ice). I was skeptical, but intrigued by this coffee trend. The NY Times and a couple of other reputable sources claimed that it wouldn't need to be sweetened and you barely need any milk, two things that I don't drink my coffee without. Usually, I would stand strong and wait out the trend, but coffee is my weakness and I love finding new ways to drink it.

Making cold-brewed iced coffee is sooooo much easier than it's fancy name suggests. Using my coffee scoop, I put 5 heaping scoops into a 1 qt. bell jar. I filled the jar with *almost* 5 cups of water, put the lid on and left it on the counter all day. Of course, Dave and I couldn't resist shaking the "S" out of it everytime we walked by. The next day, I strained it twice and put the super condensed cold coffee back in the jar. I dilute each glass with 1 part water, 1 part coffee and float just a little vanilla soymilk on top.

It ridiculous how tasty it is, and you really don't need any sweetner. It sounds crazy, I know! I usually use about 3 tablespoons in a big cup of sumatra blend, and I didn't use a pinch in this! AWESOME!!!!! Really, if you're a coffee enthusiast of any type, you need to try it.

*Knitting News*

I've got one sleeve attached to my seamless *whatever it's going to be*, and I'm almost at a new strip of color on the Ol' Log Cabin. My Harry Potter book came today, so it may cut into the knitting time signifcantly for at least a few days.