I'm participating in Victoria's Pin it Forward project where I used Pinterest to gather inspiration for what home means to me. My Pinterest boards were filled with images of cozy nooks, eclectic sofas covered in pillows and throws and funky frame-filled walls. But when I really ask myself what home means to me...

It comes down to this.





Since I cheated a little check out my Pinterest boards here to see all the home and design inspiration I've been gathering. Tomorrow Alexis Swanson Traina will be posting what home means to her.

• Labels:
• edgemere park
• home
• Jeremy
• pin it forward


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Rocking: a very temporary mohawk.


Cooking: southern comfort food.




Eating: local tomatoes. Drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme, and left to die a glorious, slow death in the oven. From the Durham Farmer's Market.


Exploring: lollege.


Backyard: Duke Chapel


Living: 2 hours from the beach.


Home: sweet home.

Liz has been in Durham, North Carolina for an entire month now. I miss her terribly but am confident that she's grabbing life by the balls out there on the East Coast - so for that, I'm terribly proud.

• Labels:
• Liz's First Home
• north carolina


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I know I share a lot of cooking, gardening, reading, designing and adventuring on here but I also really like to kick back, zone out and watch some good (and sometimes bad) TV. Here are some of my newer addictions as well as long-time favorites.

Starting in the top left and going clockwise:
+ True Blood - I always end each episode squealing out of excitement. I love this show. Love it.
+ Mad Men - I adore this show because of the amazing writing, styling and drama but I also loved finding parallels between advertising in the 1960s and working in advertising now. And of course I have the biggest girl crush on Joan.
+ Freaks and Geeks - It is truly a shame that this show only lasted for 1 season. If you haven't watched it Netflix it now.
+ Buffy the Vampire Slayer - I've had countless and passionate conversations about Buffy. And when I finished the series of Buffy I watched Angel out of desperation.
+ The Fabulous Beekman Boys - I actually found this show just yesterday as I was channel surfing. Two gay city boys buy an organic farm in upstate New York. It fosters my desire for chickens and goats.
+ United States of Tara - I was quick to dismiss this show when I first saw the promos. I thought it was going to be too absurd and quirky but once I gave it a chance I became completely obsessed. Toni Collette is at the top of her game.
+ 9 by Design - This show made me want to have 7 kids. Enough said.
+ Everest: Beyond the Limit - this show actually sparked my Everest obsession.
+ Dexter - I cannot wait for the next season to start up. Along with Dexter I'm also a fan of Weeds. Showtime is giving HBO a run for it's money.
+ Sex and the City - Carrie Bradshaw changed my life a little. Or at least the way I approached fashion. And also... Team Aiden. Yeah, I said it.
+ All My Children - I grew up watching this soap opera. When I came home from school my entire family (including my dad) would wind down from our day by watching this soap together. And if the VCR didn't tape it all hell would break loose. I don't catch this show anymore but my parents still watch it every single day. I love that.

So now it's your turn. What shows are you currently watching? What are some of your all time favorites?

• Labels:
• tv


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I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of fake meat products - so when I'm craving something a little hearty I don't reach for a box of frozen veggie patties. Instead, I like to use substantial ingredients like mushrooms and potatoes. This dish would've been amazing with a fried egg on top but I had used all of my eggs recreating my green bean tart for friends this week. So I paired it with goat cheese toast using homemade bread.

Skillet Mushrooms and Potatoes
2-3 large or 4-5 small Yukon gold potatoes
1 large or 2 small yellow onions
8 oz. mushrooms
Seasoning (I used Herbs de Provence and salt)
Olive oil
Butter
Ingredients in green are local

Skin and slice your potatoes into 1/8" thick medals. Slice your onion in half and then cut into thin slices as well. Wash and cut your mushrooms as you like. I used a smaller shitake version so I just destemmed and sliced them in half. Toss the potato, onion, seasoning and a tbs of olive oil in a large bowl (DO NOT add mushrooms - leave those to the side). Heat a tbs. of butter in a 12" cast iron skillet. When heated throw your onion and potato mix into the pan. Cover (I don't have a cover so I used my pizza stone to trap the heat). Cook for a good 10-15 minutes on medium heat and stir occasionally. When the potatoes become tender add your mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid. You may turn up the heat a little and leave uncovered to cook off any excess liquid in the skillet.

I highly recommend frying an egg and topping the skillet potatoes and mushrooms with it. Serve with a side of toast topped with goat cheese.


P.S. I know this isn't the prettiest meal ever, but I promise it is more delicious than it looks.

• Labels:
• eating local
• what we eat


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Zucchini bloom

Our vegetable garden is under attack - we've been doing everything pesticide free so far but we've got these vine borers slowly eating away at our best plants. We've yet to produce any veggies - so I think I'm going to go to a local organic gardening store and see if they have any ideas on non-toxic pesticides.

But instead of showing you a close up of these grubby little jerks and the really sad plants I wanted to show you a beautiful bloom Jeremy picked the other day. I want to fill it with goat cheese, dip it in some batter and fry it up. Yum.

Have a beautiful weekend you guys.

• Labels:
• square foot garden
• vegetable gardening


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Right after I announced my plans to go freelance Ada's Technical Books in Seattle, WA contacted me about creating a logo for them. Ada's Technical Bookstore wanted it obvious that they are a technical bookstore but they also wanted to evoke an image of the intellectual coffee shops and bookstores of the past. Also, their bookstore is named after Ada Lovelace who was pretty much a genius.

So with all of that information to work with I knew I wanted a logo that felt refined and vintage, yet technical. So I paired a silhouette bust I created for Ada with technical lines you may see in technical drawings. I created both a horizontal and vertical version of the logo to be used appropriately in different applications.

I also created business cards (shown) a blog recommendation and Twitter background (not shown) and then came up with the idea that Ada's should make bookplates for their customers.

I loved working on this project and am excited about the results. I hope to visit if I'm ever in the area.

• Labels:
• ada's technical books
• and kathleen
• graphic design
• logo design


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When I picked up my Local is for Lovers tee at Collected Thread I also came across a bundle of fabric that I instantly fell in love with. This throw pillow is just a mock-up (the fabric is just folded around the pillow form) but I think I can get three big pillows out of the material I've got.

And now might be a good time to address the white couch. A couple months ago I had decided I was going to get it - practicality be damned - I'm childless and fabulous and my white couch was going to prove it.

Then I quit my steady day job and decided there were other things I should spend $2,000 dollars on. Like Adobe Creative Suite 5. I also felt like it was a little wasteful - we have a perfectly nice couch. And, finally, that maybe we'd like to have a baby sometime in the near future that would like to have a big old couch to play and puke on.

So my new plan of attack is to make our existing couch eclectic and cozy. Sew leather patches with oversized stitching on the places the cats have scratched. Collect a variety of colorful (or not) throw pillows and blankets. I'm especially inspired by these couches.

But I can't lie, I still really love that white couch.

P.S. Did you guys notice that that plant in the corner is totally making out with itself in the mirror?

• Labels:
• fabric
• living room
• white couch


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I've got a growing collection of Oklahoma t-shirts and have been meaning to pick this one up since it made it's debut. When Collected Thread tweeted that they were offering 40% off I saw it as a sign to go purchase it immediately.

On a related note - I've found that I've been wanting to wear my tees just a little oversized lately. Anyone else?

• Labels:
• oklahoma
• what we wear


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I'd like to think I don't have much of a sweet tooth - I never really craved candy at all. But I'll be damned if I can't devour fresh baked goods. Like cookies. Lots and lots of cookies.

When I was a kid my mom and I made chocolate chip cookies (Tollhouse) on a weekly basis. We definitely shared a love for chocolate. Now that I'm a little more settled in my own domestic bliss I've been, once again, craving not only chocolate chip cookies but the act of baking them as well. I find myself trying out new recipes almost weekly and am more comfortable than ever improvising with my ingredients.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c almond flour
1 & 1/2 c oat flour (measure oats then grind in food processor)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c butter softened
1/2 c dark brown sugar
1/2 c maple syrup
2 eggs
1/4 c peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup dark chocolate (I use 85%)

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Mix your dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix your wet ingredients (and sugar) together in another bowl. Add your dry mix to your wet mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Bake for 10 minutes and let cool for equally as long.

• Labels:
• cookies
• what we eat


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After a lot of careful thought and deliberation I finally decided on my business name: And Kathleen.

Seems obvious, right? That's a good thing. But it was a complicated decision to make and when I finally settled on And Kathleen I had to celebrate by buying a URL, setting up email (thanks, Hallie!) and mocking up business cards.

Scooty Boots will get one too, of course.

• Labels:
• and kathleen
• freelance


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I was feeling uninspired to cook last night. I knew I had some squash and was craving some pasta. I took note of a few ingredients in my fridge and decided to keep dinner quick and simple with whole wheat linguini dressed in a lemon and yogurt sauce and pair it with some sauteed squash. It was a little zingy for my taste so next time I might limit the sauce to just half a fresh lemon instead of a whole.

• Labels:
• eating local
• what we eat


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Our dining room seems like a constant work in progress. Our favorite art resides in this room as well as our 1957 Heywood Wakefield dining room table with Eames dot pattern fabric upholstered chairs. The chandelier came with the house - we painted it white. The wall of frames is an ever growing collection that I add to from time-to-time. I'm still holding out for the perfect credenza.

Recently Jeremy has networked our home not only so I can back up my work but also so that we can listen to our iTunes library from just about anywhere in our house. The little TV stand from IKEA has not been serving a purpose in our home until now - it's happily housing our stereo system. I've also brought my IKEA floor lamp in from another room in our house where it wasn't being used.

And yes, there is still an outline of a dead body on the wood floor.

• Labels:
• dining room
• House Stuff
• Interior Design


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I immediately took notice of these ceramic mushrooms my blog friend Kat, of Heart and Craft, had posted about a while back. So when she offered to send me one, as well as a couple other goodies to check out, I was more than happy to oblige. Visit her Etsy site to check out these mushrooms and other ceramic goodies.






Kat also sent me a little package of gift tags with the sweetest little bundle of raffia ribbon for the perfect gift wrapping touch. I love little details like that.

The best part - Kat wants you to win one of these gift tag party packs in a giveaway over at her blog.

• Labels:
• blog give away
• heart and craft


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About two or three years ago my older sister took my dad on vacation to New York. My dad is starting to feel old and was convinced he was going to die making the trip from Oklahoma to New York. And with his morbid and dry since of humor he would joke about it. So, I told him that if he collapsed in the airport his dying words, pained and breathless, to my sister (the one taking him on vacation) should be "Kathleen... was... my... favorite." He thought it was hilarious and promised these would be his dying words.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. Even though it would've made for a hilarious story, I'm glad you didn't die in that airport.

• Labels:
• Dad
• Family
• Father's Day


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My favorite is when Jeremy comes home from work and joins me while I wrap my day up.

And Mister Boots is exhausted from a full day of print production and cutting out invitation mock-ups. Clearly. He even screamed at me to get an intern earlier this morning.

I'm happy it's the weekend. So is Boots.

• Labels:
• freelance
• home office
• scooty boots


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It's working, it's working!

I spent some quality time out in the veggie garden yesterday. Trimming off bad veggies so the others could thrive, weeding and general garden clean up. Everything is thriving and I'm so excited to sink my teeth into some fresh zucchini and squash in the next week or so.

Next we're going to pull up all the lettuce and arugula squares and get some herbs going.

• Labels:
• square foot garden
• vegetable gardening


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When I'm not designing custom wedding invitations I usually have a logo project or two in the works. They're trickier than you'd think and take a lot of energy to create, but when I've created something that accurately represents an artist or small business I get a rush like none other.

Photographer Kathy Wolfe was sent my direction when looking for a logo design for her photography business. Kathy specializes in baby, children and family photography - she creates really unique photos that really capture a feeling in a time and place. I was especially drawn to her Polaroid projects.

We went through a few rounds of looks for Kathy's logo - starting with something feminine and refined, moving on to something a little more sleek and modern and finally landing on this more energetic and whimsy look that visually describes Kathy and her business on the mark. The hand drawn squiggle represents the energy she captures through the lens of her camera and the hand cut typeface (do you recognize it from my header?) speaks to the playful nature of her subjects.

• Labels:
• graphic design
• kathy wolfe photographer
• logo design
• Photography


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This is delicious. 1/4-1/3 cup of oatmeal (I cook it with 1 part oatmeal to 2 part water - it takes just minutes to cook over the stove), a big heap of peanut butter and a glug of maple syrup. Stir it all together and eat it up. Simple and delicious.

• Labels:
• eating local
• what we eat


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I'm not sentimental enough to hang on to things like birthday and wedding cards but this note from my grandma, in which she wrote our initials on top of love birds, in blue ball point pen, I will keep forever. Also, the design and quality of this ephemera is to die for.

One of the highlights of our beach vacation was getting to see my grandma. She got to meet Jeremy for the first time and they hit it off nicely. Which is great, because Jeremy's grandma is pretty much my best friend and I'm so lucky to get to see her weekly. I'll have to tell you the story sometime of how my grandparents met, during WWII, sometime.

• Labels:
• ephemera
• Family
• grandma
• Vacation


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