Comments (0)

By Aimee, March 9, 2010

On Tuesdays I share a favorite image(s) from our Home as Art Flickr Group. I hope that you find them inspirational too!

All of today’s images come from Kay Loves Vintage. She has a lovely blog, which can be found here.

Comments (0)

By Aimee, March 8, 2010

Have you ever wondered where certain sayings or words come from? We often wonder about the origins of foreign words, and what they mean. Another fun thing that we often talk and speculate over is where certain phrases started. So of course when I was sent a review copy of the new book new book A Certain “Je Ne Sais Quoi”: The Origin of Foreign Words Used in English, I was very excited.

In the book we get the answers to a lot of these questions! The book has tons of interesting words, and tells the story of where they come from and how we came to adopt them into the English language.

Having studied French for 4 years, I already knew most of the French words and meanings. However, there were so many words from other cultures that I had no idea of. For example:

• Ketchup began life as a spicy pickled fish sauce called koechiap in seventeenth-century China.
• Honcho came from the Japanese world hancho, which means squad chief. The word was brought to the United States sometime during the 1940s by soldiers who had served in Japan.
• Dungarees comes from the Hindi word dungri, the thick cotton cloth used for sails and tents in India.

I love that the book is laid out like alphabetically, from A to Z you can easily find and look up what you have been curious about. It’s a really fun book to have around, we have been cracking it open off and on and learning new things each time. It’s a great book for people who love trivia or languages (or both)! And to whet your appetite for the book even more, here is an article from the author. Continue reading 'A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi"'»

Comments (1)

By Aimee, March 7, 2010

I recently got a chance to check out a great new book from Debbie Wiener. It’s called Slob Proof! Real-Life Home Decorating Solutions, and is jam packed with great tips on how to make your home fit your lifestyle. Anyone who lives with pets (or spouses) knows that it can be a messy endeavor. Plus, sometimes we are just plain messy ourselves.

The book offers design ideas as well as resources for material choices that are easy to keep clean. One material that is talked about often is called Crypton. We actually have a pet bed made from Crypton, and it is amazing stuff! If you are into science at all, you will especially love Crypton, not only is it “space age” material, but it really does do what it says it can do. I was really excited to see it incorporated into the Slob Proof! solutions, as I had no idea that it was also available for furniture.

One of our home rules is that our house must be livable. We don’t have “show rooms” in our home, each of our spaces is a space that we truly use and enjoy. Debbie uses this same approach and focuses on designing for the way your really live. I loved that aspect of the book because it resonated with me, and I feel like too often people design for someone else. In a no nonsense and funny tone, she gets right to the point… if you have kids, or a messy pet, white couches are not likely for you! She also offers great tips for designing on a budget and making the most of your money spent.

She even has some quirky tips, like using permanent markers for quick touch ups, or even white out ink! And the book even addresses window treatment options, lighting, use of color, and flooring. If you are interested in learning more, you can connect with Debbie via Twitter, Facebook, or read her Designing Solutions blog to get tips and advice. I really enjoyed the book, and have been planning and saving up to add some of the solutions to our home. You can find Slob Proof! Real-Life Home Decorating Solutions online at Amazon.

Thank you to Debbie and Alpha for providing the book for review.

Comments (2)

By Aimee, March 6, 2010

How’s that for alliteration? Today we had the tastiest, and cutest, strawberry shortcakes. Despite the snow on the ground outside, the strawberries in the store were absolutely sweet and plump. They just had to be eaten. There were cute little shortcakes (mini sized), and I even bought glaze. The glaze had an unfortunate accident and spilled all over the floor, rendering it unusable. Luckily I had just made our favorite fruit dip, and my hubby who is a genius, said we should try using it instead. It was better than the glaze by far!

To make the fruit dip, you just need a large size of vanilla yogurt (32 oz), and a small size of instant banana cream pudding mix (3.5 oz). Mix the two together, and you have a yummy treat that is perfect for dipping fruit in (though I often eat it sans fruit), and even more perfect for filling shortcakes with. The strawberry banana combo was divine!

As you can see from the photo, the shortcakes were very little. We put more strawberries on, but I had to get a “pretty” photo first of course. And yes, there was even Redi-Whip to spray on top. A perfect treat for a snowy Saturday.