Thursday, October 4, 2012

TESTING

TEA

I'm having all sorts of issues with Windows Live Writer - which is what I use to write my posts ... and I can't seem to get anything to post at all! Trying to figure out ways to solve this problem (I don't always have internet so using a separate writer is a must for me) - ughhh! If anyone has any suggestions let me know!

xoxo. Kristine

Friday, August 24, 2012

Instagram

I have it! New today ... follow me (kristineariella) so I can follow you back! xoxo


Monday, August 6, 2012

tidbits (& yes I’m still alive)

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& a not edited quickly taken picture of my new home. I’ve been around taking pictures, trying to get used to my little cousin’s nikon (although mine will be much different) – keeping things quiet while I move for the second time in a year, in with my boyfriend (in his parents home) trying to get used to a different pace. how many times can I use the word different?

Still haven’t gone back to get my hangers, or gone back at all to be honest. it’s been chaos. too much furniture too little space. a lot of clothes in bins on the bedroom floor. and then my puppy was here (for a month) – and he got really sick. which made me unpacking even harder (even if I had managed to have everything) and now my aunt is in alaska so going back is going to have to wait a little bit more. (& then I had a really long birthday weekend – which I needed – but now I’m having even more trouble getting down to business)

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He’s cute though – no?

Here’s a few more shots of that I’ve got sitting on my computer (that are actually edited) that will get dedicated posts later. Sometime soon when I really return

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I’m a whiney complainer … as my old human growth and development teacher used to call caillou (she hated that he encouraged whining to get what you want to children, including her daughter, whom she taught to shut it off or change if she was at a friend’s). But not really – I’ve had a lot of good things happening lately. I’m just altogether lethargic, and making a million excuses for being so. I know I’m just procrastinating because I’m overwhelmed. I do.

Let’s see how it all plays out.
& of course – I need to remember to breathe. ♥

xo. kristine

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Tidbits

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before / during a friend’s surprise birthday dinner. one of the rare times we went out together.
we both make the same faces when we take pictures – it usually involves growling … haha
& I only just realized that  we sort of matched that night.

IMG_4919the birthday boy & his birthday drink! even though it looks girly – it had the most alcohol at the bar (an “Oh My Tai” from Boston Pizza)
and no – I can not believe we are all turning 20+ this year. seriously. weren’t we all just 15 and gangly in high school?

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Instead of drinking beer I actually mixed myself a drink for once – a rye&ging. in a pretty cup it made me feel super girly (:
& R, in my sunglasses that match his shirt. hanging out at a bbq hosted by his parent’s friends.

 

just a few pictures that have popped up on my camera from the past few weekends. Back to having things to photograph is nice … even if they are silly and just for me.
xoxo. kristine

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Lemon Poppy seed Crepes with Ricotta, Basil and Asparagus

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The pictures speak for themselves.

crepes:

1 cup flour
2 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons / ¼ cup butter (melted)
¼ cup Poppy seeds

1. Mix flour, eggs, water and milk in a blender until smooth. Making sure to use a fork to scrape the flour off the sides (but stop the blender first of course! hahaha)
2. Add melted butter and salt, mix in blender.
3. Chill for ½hr / overnight (in blender) This helps get rid of the bubbles and make it nice and smooth. I found it also makes it so much easier to swirl them)
4. Heat a lightly oiled (& I do mean super lightly) griddle (or really any flat pan will do) over just more then medium heat (like a 6/10).
Pour the batter onto the pan, & “tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly”
5. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top to your liking
6. When the edges start to get a little golden & crispy (usually 2 min.) see if you can stick your spatula underneath all the way through to test if they are ready to flip. I flip my sliding them off my pan onto the lid and then flipping the lid really fast. Some people can do it with a spatula – but it’s much harder for larger crepes. Do what you do.
7. After another 2 min, check to see if they are finished. Place on a plate lined with paper towel. (to absorb the extra oil)

Tips
*For my perfect sized crepe – I usually pour until I see batter in a circle about the circumference of a larger mug.
*I sometimes line in-between each crepe so they don’t get to spongy and oily. Especially if I’m making a big batch to fill later.

I used a recipe that was given to me for this dish, but I really regretted it. It added sugar you didn’t need, and was too thick for me. So this is my tried & true crepe recipe, with poppy seeds added. (: I made these for a wedding shower – and they went like hot cakes (pun intended).

Filling:

Ricotta Filling:

1 standard bag of ricotta
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
sea salt & black pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon each)

1. Take the ricotta out of the bag & add the olive oil and mix together with a large fork
2. Add fresh lemon zest on top (in hindsight I would have added a pinch of lemon juice too, but I had just saved the peel) salt & pepper – mix.

Asparagus:

1. Blanche the asparagus (but keep it whole –  if you need to – halve the stocks)

Basil:

1. Pick out of your garden. (this recipe called for arugula as an optional switch – which I think would have made the dish a 100x better – so if you want – sub out basil for arugula and blanche it when you are doing the asparagus)

 

Here’s how to fold your crepe …

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Excuse my rudimentary drawing skills :P You could always just place them all on top and devour. Or not do the bottom fold and just roll.
But if you do then you can grab it & go – and it’s delicious. + when you put the leftovers in the fridge they can also just be picked up and snacked on.
They happen to be excellent cold. ♥ They’d also be a good thing to bring to a party – because you can make them small and they are good in the fridge for 2 days. Or a make ahead meal for a busy night. If you have those.

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p.s.  OMG! This post was done over a week ago & I thought I had put it up. Like … 2+ weeks ago. Eeek! Expect a bunch of posts all in a row now :( wooosh!

Monday, May 14, 2012

music monday

Fiona Apple. If you don’t know her … well then I’ll hold up the rock you’ve lived under so you can crawl out. (:
She may not have had the easiest life, (hey - who has?) and she’s been penalized for eating disorders, advocating heroin-chic, and doing whatever she wants. … but she’s won a grammy for a reason.
Her newest song came out on April 23rd, and she’s doing another tour – so if you can – get out & see her!

Here’s her newest song below:

 

& a few classics:

 

That I think was the hardest to narrow down yet. Yikes! There’s also a christmas song, a tim burton song, and ohh let’s not forget a cover of across the universe.

happy mondays. if there is such a thing.

xoxo.
kristine

Monday, May 7, 2012

whirlwind+

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WOW. What a weekend. A weekend plus.

Quick update:

Friday Morning: drove my aunt to her physio. that was not a happy experience (she ended up being really fed up w. her therapist) but at least I drove the beamer!

Friday Night: Avengers (opening day) sosososososososososososo good. we’re going back to see it in 3D now that I can look away for a second or two so I don’t make myself sick. (and so we have some less obnoxious people (& children) in the theatre with us + some better seats)

Early Saturday Morning: chiro yeah so that kind of sucked. I hate that I have chiro so early in the morning. It’s a royal pain in my rear,

Saturday: Shower prep. alllllllll dayyyyy. meats & cheese & place cards – oh my! plus I made a ton of crepes. Apparently they were a huge hit! Always nice to see.

*Saturday Night: Endast / Lumbergh show! haven’t been out to a show in way. too. long. I tried to stay out of the most pit. Really I did. So I ended up drinking more then I ever drink at shows – with no way to burn it off. But it was fun none-the-less. Like “I can’t believe I actually walked home” good. Even the little bit of jumping in the pit killed me (especially since chiro in the morning) but it was worth it. I missed the scene so badly.

Sunday Morning: more shower prep this would be when I started wondering if the show the night before was a good idea. Having to be up at 9:30 was not ideal

Sunday: bridal shower!! & this would be when I almost regretted going out. On my feet helping out allllll day! I was so exhausted by the end of it. but the bride to be was happy. & I am so so so so so happy for her. She’s my “secret sister” pictured above. She’s been friends with my sister since they were 8 – which is before I was even born! I grew up with her, and she really is a second sister to me. That’s her gorgeous self up there – and a quick snap of the head table. The shower was french themed! When my cousin’s photos are sent to me to edit, I’ll upload them with a post just about the shower.

Sunday Evening / Night: more tear down & divying of the food. then went back to Ryan’s house where I fell asleep promptly at 10:30. I was so tired. But also going there meant I was guaranteed sleep & to be taken care of. Such a good weekend, despite the exhaustion.


that’s it, that’s all folks!
Well not quite. There was a lot of stuff inbetween, and I’m sure a lot of those items could have had their own post, but like I said on twitter: you know you’re having fun, which you can’t take the time to tweet about it. ♥ so happy & blissed out & tired. can’t wait for bed tonight.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

we can burn brighter then the sun

I won’t say “I’m back!” again for good… but there is a VERY good chance you’ll see me around these parts more frequently again, because …

I HAVE INTERNET AGAIN

& it’s going to be consistent – whether or not I will be is another story. I’ve never been great at keeping a journal, or a diary, or blogging every day … but this is for me – and if it brings joy or insight to those who come across it … then why not?

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But I’m back for a bit & here’s a quick run-down of what’s new with me

I lost my android. It is completely missing. We’re hoping it turns up in my room (or maybe still maybe somehow in my friend’s car) but both areas have been searched a couple times, and it hasn’t popped up. So I’m giving up & going to get a new sim card to use in my old phone :(

I bought some 35mm film & a battery for my camera – so I’m going to have some cool film photos to share! I’m really excited. I haven’t used this camera since I was 11… maybe 12?

I got side bangs! I know that’s silly – but it’s a big deal to me. I haven’t had bangs in YEARS and I kind of forgot how hard they are to maintain … but also, how much cuter they make it when I pull up my hair (which, let’s face it, is most of the time)

I also bought some 120 film for my Holga, so as soon as I manage to get a hold of a manager at Black’s I should be able to have some holga prints to share as well! (which I am super excited for)

I finished a journal! & Today I started a new one. I forgot just how much I loved to doodle as well as cut & paste. Makes me so happy!

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Anyways – I didn’t die! I haven’t been tweeting without my phone, but feel free to check me out over there, or on pinterest :) –> links on the side.

xoxo.
kristine

OH! & one more thing … I started production on my dandy rascals again … ;D something about spring makes me want to sew … so there is very possibly going to be an etsy re-opening later this spring!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Quality over Quantity

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I have been looking for 5+ years for the PERFECT “baseball” t. Now I’ve found it. “The Perfect Raglan T is a classic and that is that” Exactly. Two for $68. + Shipping. Not exactly my price range for a basic shirt. But it’ll last more then one found at old navy – that’s for sure. Quantity over Quality.

Every female in my family has a teeny tiny addiction to scarves. Plain ones, bright ones, basic ones, extremely interesting & out there ones. We luv’em. This scarf is handmade in Ethiopia and “inspire[s] economic independence in [Ethiopia] and [preserves] the art of weaving” . It’s two scarves sewn together with a hole for your head. It’s full of gorgeous spring colours. It’s $160. Something to save for.

Oh yeah. And then I’d like a few of Litas. Maybe 5 or so?

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The itch for a job is getting stronger & stronger. ♥

Monday, March 19, 2012

music monday

I love Lissie’s voice… I first discovered her through a cover of Pursuit of Happiness – that I love so much more then the original (& super props to that swig of tequila?) & Then I got hooked on her original music. Perfect to blare through your car speakers (I would imagine) also good on a run, a perfect mix of upbeat songs & really mellow ones for cool-downs. Plus her voice. It’s like … butter laced with tequila. I love it. ♥

 

& did I mention she is gorgeous? the perfect blonde bedsex hed & those freckles. those eyes. etc.

xoxo.kristine

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Brick Love.

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I have an obsession with brick walls.
Maybe I’m not alone on this, but it’s just what it is.
Maybe it’s that dream to be a starving artist, in a super expensive brown stone in new york, with brick walls, candles everywhere to save on electricity.
Maybe it’s the idea of being rustic, of old historic buildings, and culture, and just how long the building has stood the test of time.
But I love ‘em. & I love the idea of white washing spaces as well. Old wood & red brick painted white & fresh? I’m there. ♥
Especially if it’s a bathroom or a kitchen *swoon*


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Here’s just a quick taste of the things I love. Fresh & white or rustic and beautiful – it just makes my heart happy.

xoxo. kristine ♥

 

pictures are linked to credit – as always

Monday, March 5, 2012

introducing: music monday

Let’s make Mondays much less monotonous shall we?

Introducing: Music Mondays! I’m a fan of alliteration, and evidentially so is the blog-o-sphere.
This is a pretty common theme around the web but one I like so I’ll stick to to liven things up over here.
Today, I thought I though I’d start off with a bit of a bang, & have a song from Magneta Lane!

An oldie but a goodie in my opinion. Lexi’s voice is has that throaty quality that makes my stomach sway.
Then again, they say that the music tastes you acquire at the age of 14 are the most important.
But I’ve loved them for a long time – mellow with just enough punch – and a ton of girl power – but not in the spice girl over sexualized way.
Although I will admit – their songs are repetitive & meld into each other. Not highly marketable: but great to have on in the background while studying or conversation where you just need background noise more then “are listening to music” ♥

Without further adieu (although I bet you clicked on one of the videos before you read this – didn’t you?)

Magneta Lane :

Lady Bones (Gambling with God)

& Did I mention they’re from my home town? (: ♥

xoxo. kristine

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Art

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After stumbling upon society6 in a vain attempt to find an attractive phone case for my android – I realized I had become captivated by some of their prints, and  POOF like magic! Over an hour of my day was gone. Browsing through their VAST assortment of art prints (& iAPPLIANCE cases) has led me to discover several things about my art tastes:
1. I can appreciate almost anything, but I am very picky about what I would actually purchase.
2. I really do have a very basic colour palette that I like to stick to which is b&w, neutrals, plums, aubergine, berry hues, & the occasional bright blue or teal.
3. As much as I want to – I just can’t get into surrealism, which I think is half the problem.
4. I am the most narcissistic person ever. I like pictures that are indicative of myself (leos, girls w. glasses) & of my close peers (my boyfriend, mother, sister, close friends)
5. I really like a certain kind of simplicity, common in vectors, but also sketches, and paint is my favorite medium.
6. I like women. In art. Girls, the female essence in all it’s forms and displaying all it’s emotion. Innocent, blissful, seductive, provocative, curious, empathetic, what have you.

So here I leave you with a bunch of beautiful bits & pieces. There were many more – but I whittled this down to a few, that I think would look fantastic all hung together on a feature wall – maybe above my couch some day. ♥

Leo_Art_Print-Hanna_Viktorsson-society6      PERVERT-Anwar_Rafieebookworm-Maggie3t-society6      rose_PRT_II-James_Richard_Smith-society6Efflorescence-Holly_Sharpe      Ms._Tambourine_Art-Hanna_Viktorsson 

{via society6}

 


xoxo. kristine ♥

p.s. all pictures are linked to their source – as always!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

I’m back!

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valentines day dark chocolate crepes w. vanilla icecream & strwberries ♥ photo by: me

SO much has happened in this little hectic life of mine.
My aunt (whom I live with) fell down the stairs and had a major surgery done to put a plate & a bunch of pins in her ankle.
So now I’m a live-in care-taker for her (which I don’t really mind) but running up & down the stairs eats up a lot of time!
& on top of that, in order to get her laptop to have internet so she can work from bed (long complicated story) I get no internet during the entirety of her work day! Then it’s off to make dinner for the family (my 25 year old cousin too) & then eat it & watch our t.v. shows together … where’d the day go?
And it’s been like this for a month! EEK!

Monday she goes to get a new cast & a check-up. So maybe things will improve a little bit then, but we’ll see. Until then: I clearly have to pre-pre-schedule blog posts during the day, and post them at night.

Upcoming posts to look forward to:

A DIY (one of the DIYs I'm dying to try) but waiting for news that my gift has reached it’s sender!
A room tour! All the pictures have been taken, they just need a wee bit of editing (;
ANDDD:

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This month I’ll be participating in the March photo a day challenge over at Fat Mum Slim!
I’ll do a weekly round up post but to see each photo as they’re posted head on over to my facebook page (:

Today’s photo: UP

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xoxo. kristine

P.S. It feels good to be back & writing!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

vlogg numba twoo


I'm almost used to this stuff ♥

happy wednesday ;D
lots of stuff going on right now
but blog posts will be more regular soon!

xoxo
kristine

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

vlog numero uno



I shouldn't do these things so late at night.

enjoy!

xoxo.
kristine

Monday, January 23, 2012

DIYs I’m DYIng to try

There’s always a bunch of super trendy DIYs flying around, but these are the two that every time I see I go “I could do that!” and then “that’s so me!” and “Why don’t I do that?” and then … “oh yeah, because I don’t even have the $2 to start that project” ahhhhh the life of a non-working 19 year old*.

However I’ll get on with it – the two projects that are pulling at my heart strings as of late are as follows:

Painted plastic animals

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dinosaur terra/aquarium via harpers happenings, birthday candle holders via the sweetest occasion, hippo via the good machinery etsy shop

more specifically: painted plastic dinosaurs. but this hippo is pretty cute too (;
my plan is to make a bunch of these for the holiday season next year – or possibly as my birthday theme this year (:

customized mugs

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handpainted tea set via delightfully tacky via ladies home journal, chalkboard mug via wit and whistle

Because I drink hot beverages like they are going out of style & I think it’d be super cute to have similar but not perfectly matching cups (:
unfortunately no real need for this atm – as the home I am living in has PLENTY of mugs – none of which are mine to mess with – hahaha.

that’s pretty much it – I was on my way to snuggle into bed with some Gilmore Girls, when I saw some acrylic paint &  the thought of painted animals once again popped into my head. so a blog post it was!

xoxo.
kristine

Friday, January 13, 2012

One month ‘till Valentine’s Day ♥

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{JulieAnnArt Etsy Shop}

Let’s see who is paying attention – hahaha.
I have “some” “issues” with Valentines Day, that being said, I also hate people who hate Valentines Day.
Regardless of these feelings* I wanted to bring you a little wishlist of things that I find cute from around the web for that special someone in your life.
Or you know – me. ‘Cause my mom reads this thing – and truthfully – she is the one who gets me valentine’s gifts (; ♥

So here it is…

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one, two, three cute heart mugs from Circus Bear Vintage
because I need mugs for my coffee, tea, latté, different kind of tea, and then hot chocolate and I don’t like to do dishes in-between (:

Also for the mister or your dandy gal:

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anatomical heart t-shirt, archery arrows tie
so they can be ironic or play cupid or whatever (;

Also: if you wanted to make/buy/decorate a really simple sweet treat or two:
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chocolate covered pretzels w. sprinkles & free downloadable cupid's arrow decoration
you can make them, buy them and add sprinkles (that goes for the pretzels and cupcakes) or just decorate them & sign w. a kiss it’s all up to you!

Enjoy this bit of Valentine’s Day inspiration … or don’t – up to you!
Also one time I had to dress as an atomically correct heart mascot … named Cardiac Carl[a] … it was quite awful and I almost had heat stroke. The things I do for money … / a wicked cause. ♥ (yes there are pictures … no you don’t get to see them)

xoxo. kristine

*I don’t think it’s designed to make people who are single feel bad for themselves, I don’t think that it’s meant to get people to buy things that they don’t need – I think it’s just like any other holiday that’s turned into something overly commercialized – kind of sad, but with good roots. That – and it’s kind of a really wicked competition for some girls … one I never appreciated. Because frequently it is filled with disappointment. (I find boys usually suck at Valentine’s Day, and girls are good at it, but conventionally it’s supposed to be the other way around? I don’t get it.) Basically the whole holiday has turned into a day to celebrate the one you love (or crush on) before you have to do it from a jail cell … to whatever mess it is now. & I don’t like it and tend to avoid it. Not to mention … in high school I definitely had people yell at me for celebrating – like WOAH. It is NOT my fault that I have a boyfriend and you do not. Yes he is willing to make me dinner tonight – no that doesn’t mean I am evil or have joined a cult or hate you and disregard your feelings. Get over yourself. /rant

[ + a total biased point : I have bad memories associated with it. I tend to go all out & get disappointed because no one can ever match my weird enthusiasm for holidays and I would rather not participate then participate and be sad. true story. I need some help]