drift closely

I never really understood the appeal of Amy Butler fabrics; most of her prints weren’t suited to my tastes and the price per yard was more than what I would consider paying, especially since it was made for Rowan — and anything by Rowan is ridiculously expensive. However, when I stumbled across her Red Lotus print, I was hopelessly in love.

This is gorgeous. Gorgeous.

I ended up picking up four yards, so that I could make curtains for my apartment. :) I paid $6.29 per yard – a steal in my opinion! I never got around to it until this past weekend.

While I was measuring and cutting my fabric, I felt so nervous and giddy. “Am I really cutting into my precious Amy Butler fabric? Oh god, I need to be precise about this.”

Ashlin was particularly fascinated with this fabric. I cut on the floor, but he decided to put his kitty butt on my fabrics and make a new bed for himself. I had to move him numerous times and had to keep him in the bathroom temporarily since he wouldn’t budge (!):

I didn’t finish the curtains until later in the evening; hopefully I can get a better picture when there is still some natural light in my apartment. :)

(I have to move them away from the right side because it really confuses my cat. He enjoys sitting on the ledge and staring outside the window. My previous curtains were shorter, and replacing them with a longer length left him wondering what the heck was going on and why he couldn’t see the window!)

The curtains aren’t very gathered, and I’m okay with that since I still have a yard or so leftover for projects! ;) I usually keep my curtains open during the weekend. I also would like to put some white curtains on another rod, so that I can keep the Lotus one’s open. Maybe this weekend!

I love kale. As much as I enjoy its flavor in potato soups and in dishes that need a strong green that won’t easily wilt, I normally don’t find the time to cook time-consuming meals, especially during the weekday. Unfortunately, my kale usually goes limp and soggy before I actually can use it. I’ve restored its turgidity a few times, but one easy, sure-fire way to use up your kale is to roast it.

Awhile ago, I posted a rant on Facebook about these ridiculously overpriced kale chips I bought at Whole Foods. I have no idea why I bought them — probably because I just wanted to taste the seasoning used on the veggie. Plus, they looked delicious in the wax lined brown paper bags. I wasn’t sure if I liked them, but after munching on half the bag, I decided I did. The curry seasoning was all right — reminiscent of Dorito Cool Ranch chips that I had years ago. The kale wasn’t particularly crispy either, but that’s almost a given, especially in Houston with the high humidity. Overall, they were mediocre. Factoring in the price, they were kind of disappointing.

My friend Christina suggested making chips. I won’t lie. I was lazy, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to spend the time making something I wouldn’t like eating.

But making kale chips is simple. Insanely easy. It just takes time to thoroughly clean the kale, dry it, remove the stems, and chop it into pieces.
…that’s pretty much the process.

That’s pink Himalayan salt, not bugs! ;)

Kale Chips
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of kale (I used the organic dinosaur one from Whole Foods that was on sale.)
- olive oil
- salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Thoroughly wash the kale and remove tough stems. Chop into slightly larger-than-bite-sized pieces.
3. Completely dry it. I use a salad spinner to remove the water without using a billion paper towels.
4. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
5. To conserve a bowl, pool your chopped kale onto the cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil over it – don’t go crazy! Less is better as you can always add more. Scrunch it with your fingers.
6. Spread kale in a thin layer on the cookie sheet. If you have more kale, split it into two batches.
7. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over your kale. Since kale shrinks when roasted, don’t over do it on the salt, or it will be extremely salty.
8. Pop into oven for 10-15 minutes. I monitor it, so that the kale won’t burn and give it a poke with chopsticks to ensure that all pieces are being evenly toasted and roasted.
9. Remove from oven and let cool before storing in an airtight container.

You can, of course, add whatever seasonings and herbs to the kale. Just be very careful with the salt and salty condiments. I personally prefer my kale roasted with olive oil and pink Himalayan salt, so that I can savor the flavor of the vegetable. :) It is hearty and green with a rich, toasted undertone.

Kale should still be dark green! But brown is okay, too, for the extra crunchies if you like the slightly burned taste. :D

Omg, omg, guess what?

I actually finished a knitting project. :O
(Yeah, I’m totally shocked, too.)

I really enjoy knitting “mindlessly.” Granted, with some of that mindlessness came a Persian flaw or two, but for the most part, not referring to a pattern while I’m knitting makes knitting very enjoyable for me. I like knitting simple things.

This scarf went to Alex as a thank you for being a great friend and for encouraging me to diligent with my workout regimen… even if he refuses to tell me that I have something stuck in my teeth until later because “it was funny.”

I used 1.75 skeins of Hobby Lobby’s “I Love This Cotton” yarn in their ivory color. The yarn is very soft and has very good stitch definition! It drapes nicely with smaller needles; with larger ones, not so well. I used size 6 needles.

As usual, thanks to heartflood for being a great knitting friend and suggesting her favorite patterns to me. :)

I went to Austin and San Marcos this past weekend my family. The trip was all right. I’m sure if I wasn’t going for a reason other than “business,” then it would’ve probably been much more enjoyable.

I picked up a pair of Anne Klein synthetic coral open-toed pumps for $18.99 and two tea cups with matching saucers for $6.99 each. I also bought a pair of work shoes, but those aren’t very exciting.

These are actually quite comfortable! I love the color and the contrasting gold panels. :)

Tea for two. I need friends who enjoy drinking brewed tea out of light, dainty teacups!

I’m hoping that I can wear heels again soon. Ever since I sprained my ankle wearing high heels, I’ve been a bit wary. But in my defense, some of the walkways aren’t very smooth and level. Then again, it’s also very likely that my foot didn’t land straight.

And totally random, but are any of you on SparkPeople.com? If so, I’d love to be your buddy. :D

Can I let you in on a little secret?

I’ve always wanted a wonderfully tacky flamingo sculpture to stick on my front lawn. I see these flamingos made from metal lining the antique and thrift shops on Westheimer, and my heart aches so badly.

You see, I would love and cherish those flamingos. Give them a nice lawn to errr… graze on. Thing is, most of the flamingos are a bit pricey (more than I’d like to pay), and let’s face it, I don’t even have a lawn to offer them.

One evening, when I was at Arne’s, helping my brother gather supplies for his end-of-the-year banquet, my heart stopped. I saw… flamingos?? Beautiful, pink, glittery flamingos? Suffice it to say, thank God I had finished helping him pick out most of his stuff because I could not focus on anything else other than those flamingos. I had to have one. After examining the birds, I chose one that I thought was perfect.

Please meet Vladimir, King of the Flamingos:

Here he is, in front of my apartment, in his full glory. (Please pardon the weird plug thing. Come to think of it, I have no idea what it is.)

And a close up. Gorgeous, isn’t he?

I’m so happy to have him guarding my little home. :) My brother named him, and it suits the King well!

My flamingo dream came true. :D All is well in the universe.

Hi, everyone!

I know that I may not have many readers at my little blog, but it’s a place that I call home. :) For those people who read it, I am very grateful to have you read what I have to say – from the reviews to the complete and utter nonsense. Things have been going very well for me lately after a year of… unfortunate luck. Thankfully, the new year (lunar, might I add!) has been very kind to me, even though I’m a lot busier than before!

I’ve been very fortunate to have met so many wonderful people online. One of these people is Grey from Le Gothique who writes about fashion and makeup, where she focuses on handmade and cruelty-free products with a vegan perspective. Her posts are a lot of fun to read and also informative. What I enjoy the most about her journal is the fact that she shares ideas openly, whether it be some tips on making your own eyeshadows, lip glosses, or sewing up a pair of knickers. ;) I truly believe in encouraging people to make their own things instead of always buying everything.

That being said, Grey and I are co-hosting a giveaway in celebration of her May birthday. :) April showers bring May flowers, and here’s a little box of sweet treats for you!

Aside from Unii palette and a bunch of other birthday surprise goodies, which Grey is offering in the giveaway, I’m including these items tucked into the prize package:

• 0.114 kg of Lush’s Gentle Lentil Solid Shampoo
• Morgana Minerals Eyeshadow in Buried Treasure
• SoBe Botanicals Eyeshadow in Dreams
• HiFi Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Big Shot
• Blue Plumeria Hair Clip
• Ice Cream Parfait Earrings (pierced)
• BPAL Imp in Queen of Hearts

.

That being said, the contest is open to everyone, but if you are the winner and live internationally, I will substitute the Lush shampoo for something else since many countries have strict rules on products that contain fruits/vegetables/etc. being imported (and I am clearly not a company authorized to do so). I apologize in advance for this, but I do not wish for your prizes to be confiscated or held up in Customs limbo. Thank you for your understanding!

To enter, please visit Grey’s website here for the giveaway. I’ll post the rules here as well! :)

* Between now and May 1st, simply comment below with your favorite cupcake recipe.
* You may enter (comment) only once.
* If you include a photo of your finished cupcakes (made by YOU, please) that counts as a second entry.
* If you tweet (or Re-Tweet) a link to this contest on Twitter, that counts as another entry! Link: http://legothique.com/2010/04/20/a-very-happy-un-birthday/
* The winner will be drawn at random on May 2nd!

Thank you very much for visiting, and good luck! If you like, I would love to hear about your favorite thing to do during the summer, whether it be a specific food you like to eat, a drink you like to drink, or an activity you like to do in the comments. This won’t count as an entry, but I love listening to other people’s ideas. :D

Started a new job last Monday, have been attempting to adjust to my new schedule. As a result, lapse in posting. :(

I have to get to bed soon, but I wanted to post this quick dish I made two weeks ago. It’s a pasta with chickpeas, kale, and mushrooms; very simple, no additional spices aside from a dash of salt and cloves of garlic. :)

Tomorrow, I’m starting the 30 Day Shred again and am going to eat better. One can hope, at least. :)

Will post once I can figure out a proper schedule in regards to work, grocery shopping (haaaate), and exercising!

This past week has been crazy. Despite all of the crazy, the 26th was my last day at work and the day that my beloved baby brother was born. :D My family and I went out to Ruggles Grill to have dinner. I’ve never been to Ruggles Grill before, but I frequent Ruggles Green frequently. Ruggles Grill and Ruggles Green both buy primarily organic local produce.

Ruggles Grill sprawls over two houses. Since this is located on Westheimer, you have to pay for valet parking or park ten blocks away and walk. I love the restaurants on Westheimer, though – so many of them are in houses and have bright colors and pictures on the walls. :) Mom had made the reservation, and we got a cute little table overlooking Westheimer and Grant. Our table wasn’t particularly eventful, but the booths across from us were adorable! There were flowers placed outside the window sills, and the windows were open. Spring in Houston is gorgeous, even if it is short-lived. :(

I normally don’t like booths, but I wouldn’t mind sitting here. :D

The ceiling was painted with regular cowboys and frog cowboys. My bro took a picture of the frog cowboys on seahorses!

Mom, Mark, and my aunt had wine while Jerry and I had water. :B We also ordered appetizers:

Gunderman Farm Tomato Basil with warm golden puff pastry dome and house made basil mozzarella.
They have this at Ruggles Green as well; same thing. ;) There is mozzarella in it, but you can request it without, and it’d be vegan, according to their menu.
05.11.10 – Okay, I’m not exactly sure about what’s going on with this, but Ruggles Green has told me that this soup served at their location is made with chicken stock. Why? I have no idea as the restaurant is owned by the same person, but I had two cashiers tell me when I went and inquired on two separate occasions. I feel hesitant recommending this now, and I’m hoping that their menu at Ruggles Grill is accurate. :|

Organic Hummus with house made basil flat bread, sundried tomatoes, Castelve-trano Sicilian green olives and organic extra virgin olive oil.
They also have this at Ruggles Green, too. xD Their pitas are seasoned, toasted, and warm. The hummus is very fresh and tasty, not watery like some hummus out there. It’s served with olives and sundried tomatoes.

Avocado Jumbo Lump Crab Tower with local citrus chili reduction, sweet habanero sauce, organic olive oil, corn crisps and Gunderman Farm sweet potato crisps.
Family ate this one and really enjoyed this. :)

After the appetizers came our entrees. This is where things got disappointing.

I ordered the Local Vegetarian Plate with Animal Farm grilled baby carrots, Hanka Farm sweet and sour red potatoes, organic fair trade quinoa, Animal Farm portobello mushroom, crispy lemon kale, organic hemp seeds and organic pomegranate reduction. Sounds really good, huh? I was looking forward to eating this for days, and when it actually arrived, I was so unimpressed. First and foremost, the dish was disgustingly sweet. It tasted as if everything was cooked in a sugary pomegranate syrup and then stacked onto a plate. The lemon kale wasn’t crispy – it was greasy and soggy. Since it was fried, it was brown and tasted like it was almost burned. D: There was no flavor to this dish other than sickly sweet; the taste and freshness of the vegetables were lost in the sugary mess. For $15.95, I expected better than this. I could cook so much better than this, too. :/

But the dish was relatively pretty, even though it could send you into a sugar coma. :B

Mom ordered the Mixed Grill, which was one of the specials of the day. The plate came with antelope, some kind of steak, shrimp, and an additional plate of vegetables. Her dish was also very disappointing. She could barely chew the antelope, and everyone else at the table who tried it said it was hard to chew and swallow: the cut of meat had a lot of ligaments in it. Additionally, the glaze used on this dish was also sickeningly sweet.

Just got a photo of the Mixed Grill, not one of the vegetable platter.

My mom and I both returned both dishes back to the kitchen. We normally never send anything back to the kitchen and choke down whatever it is that we’re eating, but we both had a hard time forcing this down (and this is coming from the girl who ate Aramark-catered food that most college students refused to eat :B). My teeth had started hurting because of how sweet my dish was. :/ On the plus side, the manager was very nice as was the staff. My mom didn’t get anything else, but I chose to get another vegetarian option.

Thankfully, the other entrees that came out were good.

Mark ordered a buffalo burger, which we didn’t get a picture of. It was a huge slab of buffalo meat on a burger. It had a spinach squiggly cracker thing sticking out of the bun. It was cute. :)

The birthday boy ordered lamb. I’m not sure if his was a special or off the menu. It may have been the Organic Hemp Seed Crusted Texas Natural Lamb Racks with Swiss chard rolls stuffed with Animal Farm portabello mushrooms and organic fair trade quinoa and savory yogurt ghost pepper demi-sauce, but I’m not too sure.

I do recall seeing Swiss chard underneath the lamb. Maybe the yogurt or whatever was in it? Jerry was happy with his dish and enjoyed it.

My aunt ordered the Potato Hemp Crusted Sea Bass with crab hemp ravioli, herb roasted tomato and grilled asparagus. Apparently her dish was agreed upon as the tastiest of the evening. :) She said that the sea bass was cooked to perfection and deliciously flakey. She also really enjoyed the crunchy crust that coated the fish.

Gorgeous and colorful dish. :)

The waiter brought me another dish that was confirmed to not be sweet. I received Chef Bruce’s Original Vegetable Plate which was an assortment of organic/local product grilled to perfection. There were also some sides such as potato au gratin and sweet potato mash.

That “crispy” lemon kale, grilled tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, asparagus spears, rice, portobello mushrooms, carrots, spinach and garlic, and two dipping sauces. Both were sweet, UGH. The brown one on the right was sugary sweet and the one on the left was sweet but not as sweet as the brown one. Either way, pass on both of them – enjoy and savor the natural flavor of the vegetables.

The meal concluded with a dessert that we all shared. I believe it was called the Charlotte’s Web. Mmm, this thing was AMAZING. Chocolate cake on the bottom, espresso/coffee flavored mousse/cream topped with crunchy Heath bar bits, and a dark chocolate and cookie squiggly things. ;) As strange as this may sound, the mixed grill glaze and the pomegranate reduction were significantly sweeter than the dessert. The dessert was light, fluffy, and airy – decadent without sending you into a sugar coma or causing your teeth to ache.

The sun was starting to set, so this is the best picture that we could get!

Eating at Ruggles Grill is really an experience – a definite enjoyable one! For vegetarians, I’d probably advise sticking to making your entree out of appetizers and eating dessert. Ruggles Green has far better vegetarian/vegan menu options. It’s also a lot less expensive, but Ruggles Green is also far more casual.

The ambiance and service of Ruggles Grill is truly wonderful: they have attentive and polite staff and the atmosphere of the restaurant is so pleasant. Overall, the food is very good, despite some of the entrees that we had ordered. I would love to return to Ruggles Grill in the future. :)

In my previous post, I wrote about purchasing the Aquadelic quad but didn’t play with it yet. I had some spare time a weekend or two ago and got to test it.

Inside the palette, the colors appear bright and vibrant. They also have a creamy appearance to them. However, after using this quad to do my eyes, I was totally unimpressed. The shadows were vivid up until they were applied. I primed my eyes with UDPP and used some Pixie Epoxy; this unfortunately didn’t do much.

The colors applied muddy and were very difficult to blend; they were also very, very sheer. I added another thin layer of primer when I was building up the eyeshadow to make it appear more vibrant. I probably have about 4-5 layers of eyeshadow on my eyes in order to get it this bright, which isn’t saying much:

(I apologize for the picture quality; although the lighting isn’t the best, the colors are close enough.)

The eyeshadows didn’t last very long. About three hours later, the eye makeup starting wearing off. At $5 for the quad, I didn’t expect Sephora or department-store quality, but I did expect a bit more. The product doesn’t have much pigmentation, and it isn’t very long lasting, even with a primer.

The swatches turned out slightly better. I used Sin (couldn’t find the other stuff at the moment) as my primer. Primed swatches are on top, bare skin swatches are on bottom. I also swatched MAC’s Electric Eel with and without primer next to the turquoise in the quad. MAC is obviously more pigmented and brighter than Avon’s turquoise.

You can barely see the white eyeshadow: you see more shimmer than you do pigment.

I’ll pass on Avon eyeshadows and stick to their other products in the future.

Life has been a bit crazy busy these few days… Thankfully, I have tomorrow off, so I can gather my thoughts together. ;)

This past weekend, I decided to do some organization. I still haven’t fully settled into my apartment, and my vanity was looking like a dumping ground for stuff. I’m seriously not kidding:

And unsurprisingly, I always seemed to misplace a primer or powder that I was looking for. :B After some reorganizing and wiping down the countertop, everything is finally neatly organized:

I really am quite fond of Erika’s idea of using silverware storage to organize perfumes, so I decided to purchase myself another unit to lay on my table to neatly organize my mineral/loose makeup. I wasn’t able to find the organizer in bamboo, so I picked it up in a light wood (which is NOT harvested from rainforest wood, too!). This unit is able to store two 5g jars side-by-side on its side. I keep my full jars, especially from Fyrinnae, upright, though, since their pigments are packed.

Got my Philosophy Bake Shoppe house, Bare Minerals Mermaid kit, and a chunk of Lush Temptation soap there. ;)

I’m loving that I can actually find everything now. :B
I’m quite happy with the makeup “kit” I’ve acquired. I just wish that I didn’t have that little stash of repackaged mica… Lesson learned!