What's In Season, Virginia - NOVEMBER

Photo Source: maangchi.com

 

Here's a list of produce in season for the month of November:
Apples
Basil

Broccoli

Broccoli Raab

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Celeriac/Celery Root

Celery

Chard

Chicories

Collard Greens
Cucumbers

Escarole

Fennel
Green Onions

Kale

Kohlrabi

Mushrooms (wild)
Parsnips

Radicchio

Radishes
Scallions
Shallots

Squash (winter)

Turnips

 

And here's a list of the produce available year-round in Virginia:

Arugula

Beets

Carrots

Cilantro

Leeks

Lettuce

Mint

Mushrooms (cultivated)

Onions

Oregano

Parsley

Sage

Sorrel

Spinach

Sweet Potatoes

Thyme

Resource = VA Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables

Tudor Revival Style House Makeover, Part 2

Vladimir and his helpers have been busy busy busy the past two days! I posted before about how we are doing a tudor style makeover for the front of our house, and the work has now begun! Yesterday was the demolition, today they've been attaching the new siding to the front, and tomorrow will be adding beams and painting primer. So excited to share with you the finished product, but until then, here are some pics from the past two days.

This is a shot of the front of the house before.

First they stripped the house of the previous shutters and siding

Our nephew Nik enjoy sitting on the roof

I wouldn't recommend trying this at home... A ladder stacked on top of another ladder isn't exactly safe...

Next step was adding the new siding, beams will be attached to cover the seams

Finished for today!

Now that the siding is up, they just have to patch, sand, prime and paint; and then attach the beams. :) I can't wait!

<3 Lauren

How to Carve a Pumpkin From Your Own Picture

I don't know about you, but I love carving pumpkins... I always get really excited this time of year to make new creations. In year's past, I've only ever tried carving from stencils I've found online. 
One of my all time favorites being Jack from the Nightmare Before Christmas.

This year I wanted to try something unique and personal. I thought it would be fun to try to put one of my own pictures on a pumpkin. Since I was carving pumpkins with my niece and nephew, I decided to try out carving a picture of their dog, the sweet Catahoula/Australian Shepard mix Dasha. I snapped pictures of the process to share with you! (Pardon my outdated version of Photoshop, haven't had the time/money to upgrade!)

1. To start out, choose a picture of your subject where you can really see their whole face. Some faces might work better as a profile, or slightly to the side. I chose this shot of Dasha... She always looks like she's deep in thought...

2. Next, crop around your subject's face. Be sure not to crop in too close, but don't leave in part of the photo you don't need. I made sure to crop just high enough to include the full outline of the top of her head, just low enough to get a little extra room below her nose, and just enough on the sides to include her ears.

3. Next, use the levels to bump up the contrast. This step is important to really outline the  details in the face. I made the shadows darker and brightened up the midtones.

4. Change the picture to black and white.

5. Next, I used the cutout tool under the filters tab. This step will make your picture look like a cartoon, and will make it much easier for you to look at the picture as a bunch of shapes to cut out instead just seeing your subject.

6. Print out a full page copy of your picture. Attach it to your pumpkin with either tooth pics, or tape. Make sure to smooth the picture over the pumpkin as much as possible. If part of the picture need to be folded over to fit, try as much as possible to make it parts of the picture that don't include the face.

7. Next, use a toothpick, or a pen, or if you want to buy one of those pumpkin carving kits, they include a tool for this step. Carefully poke holes through the paper onto the pumpkin. I decided to cut out the large white parts of this picture, to take the skin off of the parts that are gray, and leave the darker areas alone. When you're planning where to cut, make sure you are thinking about the big picture. If you carve too much, the whole picture will fall out. Check out this website for extra tips.

8. I wanted to cut an outline around Dasha's face, but made sure to leave enough attached to the rest of the pumpkin so the face wouldn't fall out. I made myself basic outlines around where I wanted to take the skin off. When I took the paper stencil off, I kept the picture next to me as a reference. To cut off the skin, simply make a cut, and stick your knife underneath the skin and peel. Be careful not to cut too deep into the skin!

Here's the final product!

Dasha was happy with her pumpkin. :)

Try to carve one of your own pictures this halloween! Be creative!

<3 Lauren

Linking up with the Inspired Room's Favorite Fall Projects

Coming Back Soon

Hello everyone! Sorry for the hiatus, I've been busy getting my application for graduate school together. The past month has been dedicated to studying for the GRE. The test is over and my application will be turned in shortly! Hopefully I'll be starting my graduate studies in the Spring; keep your fingers crossed!

My best girl Hannah & her bridesmaids - October 7, 2012

October has been a great month for me.
I got to be a part of my best friend's wedding,

Hannah & me

Vladimir and I celebrated our one year anniversary,

Vlad and me on our wedding day

our good friends who moved to London last winter surprised us with a visit,


Lucy enjoyed their visit as much as we did :)

spending time with our pooch,

 

and we've been able to spend more time with family. I'm really excited to share with you the projects that are in the works! Remember my tudor style post? Vlad has invested in supplies and will shortly begin construction :) Hope all is well out there in cyberspace! See you soon!

<3 Lauren

What's in Season, Virginia - OCTOBER

Photo Source: Joelle Morris, National Geographic

Here's a list of produce in season for the month of October:
Apples
Basil

Broccoli

Broccoli Raab

Brussels SproutsCabbage

Cauliflower

Celeriac/Celery Root

Celery

Chard

Chicories

Collard Greens
Cucumbers

Escarole

Fennel

Grapes
Green Onions

Kale

KohlrabiMushrooms (wild)
Parsnips

Pumpkins

Radicchio

Radishes
Scallions
Shallots
Tomatoes

Turnips

Winter Squash

And here's a list of the produce available year-round in Virginia:

Arugula

Beets

Carrots

Cilantro

Leeks

Lettuce

Mint

Mushrooms (cultivated)

Onions

Oregano

Parsley

Sage

Sorrel

Spinach

Sweet Potatoes

Thyme

 Resource = VA Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables

Have you bought local produce this week?

<3 Lauren

The Hall Bathroom is Finished!!

Our hall bathroom is finally finished!!! I am so excited, can you tell? It's been quite a long process, but the end result is definitely worth all of the blood, sweat and tears! Here are the before and afters of the space... it's really hard to believe how this bathroom used to look compared to now... Judge for yourself.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before, we were embarrassed to let guests use our hall bathroom. Now, we can't wait to show it off :) Next step, decorating! 

<3 Lauren

(Check out the home renovation label to see all of the work on our house)

DIY Quick and Easy Touch Up for Outdated Frames

Today I want to share with you a quick and easy makeover for your outdated frames. I have a couple beautiful prints of Ukrainian street paintings. However, they were previously professionally framed. I didn't want to spend the money to buy new custom frames, but couldn't live with the look the frames had. 
The outside of the frames were good; very simple, a pretty light wood. The matting is what I had a problem with. They were cream colored with brass lining... Brass is one of those fads I will never understand. 
To fix these frames, I simply painted over the mats with white paint. It's a quick and easy update, but it makes a world of difference.

For this project, you will need: 
White Acrylic Paint
Paintbrush
Exacto/Utility Knife
Painter's tape

Outdated brass lining

To start, line the part of the frame you wish to keep the same with your painter's tape. Make sure to get right on the edges and firmly push the paint down. Line the inside of the mat around the painting. Be careful not to press too hard on your painting/print if it's delicate.

Paint in the open area. Make sure to use nice even strokes. Let dry. Add two more coats, drying in between. 

When your paint is dry after the third coat, get out your exacto/utility knife. CAREFULLY, and not too hard, line straight down the frame where your tape was. Try as hard as you can to get right on the line; so as to remove the tape from the paint rather than cutting into the tape. 

Remove all of the tape, and voila! The paintings look great, I love the fresh, new look of the frames! I can't wait to hang them up!

I love the bright white mats :)

How do you update outdated artwork and furniture? 

<3 Lauren