Back on Etsy!

Check out some new necklaces I've posted on Etsy.  Most of them are made with the lost wax casting method I posted about awhile ago.  Help a girl out and tell some of your friends if you like what you see.  I posted a few pictures but check out the rest of the items at AH shop! Much appreciated. Most posting soon-- hope your summers are all off to a great start!

VvV Amanda

When cheese meets chocolate

This is a cute video:

        


What an unlikely combo, bet it tastes great though!  Can I call it cheesy choc?
VvV Amanda

Dusen Dusen

Dusen Dusen is Ellen Van Dusen's post-college brainchild. Based in Brooklyn, Dusen Dusen mixes simple silhouettes with fun, tribal-ish prints. There's a lot of blue throughout, so obviously I'm into it. These pieces are from her Fall 2011 collection, but I'd still wear 'em right now.

♥, Azzara

GUCCI Fall 2012

Check out these gothy vampirish looks. I'm actually quite into them even though there are perhaps one too many pairs of riding jodhpurs.  Otherwise I think the textures and colors work well. 



VvV Amanda

NYFW Time Lapse

Lincoln Center NYFW Time Lapse Video (via Refinery29)

♥, Azzara

Pancake Day

When I woke up yesterday and realised it was pancake day (!), I really wanted some o' that good ol' thin, flat, round carbohydrate-rich goodness. BUT I wanted to try something new (and I've been craving yorkshire puddings constantly for the past couple of weeks) so I thought a german pancake would be perfect.

And boy was it good, a little sugar, butter, cinnamon... mmmhmmm. Like a cross between fried dough, a yorkshire pudding and a pancake. I would make it with less egg next time or in a bigger dish so it would be thinner, but it was SO GOOD.

Ingredients (from Real Simple)

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk, preferably whole
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)
• 1/2 cup fruit jam (optional)
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 
  
• Directions
• 1. Heat oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to combine. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the milk, salt, and vanilla and mix until incorporated; set aside.
• 2. Add the butter to a large cast-iron skillet and transfer to oven until the butter melts. Remove from oven and quickly pour the batter into the hot skillet. Return to oven and bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.
• 3. Drizzle the lemon juice (if using) over the pancake. Spread the jam (if using) evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar.

Fat Tuesday is RIGHT!

♥, Azzara

Berry Good

Yesterday, when I opened my fridge and realised that I had way too much fruit lying around (good problem to have, eh?), the only solution was this guy. Crumbly, cakey, fruity, sweet but not too sweet.. such a dream.

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch (I used flour instead)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares

YUM!

♥, Azzara

Murray's Cheese has a tumblr.

This is for all you cheesy peeps: New York City's oldest and best cheese shop now has a tumblr. 
Check it out at http://murrayscheese.tumblr.com/ for cheesy goodness.


VvV Amanda

Coclico

Inspired by the French word for poppy flower (coquelicot), the Coclico footwear collection "is a fresh and unique composition of style and colours". Sandra Canselier, the creator of the line, was born and raised in Brittany, France and makes some LOVELY shoes. I want them ALL. I love the mixture of all types of fabrics, colours and heights. Dreamy!

♥, Azzara

Wellesley College Archives

So I was clicking through the Wellesley College image archives (because who doesn't love old photos?) and found so many I wanted to share. The prettiest!

Wellesley ladies, partyin' hard (& workin' even harder) since 1875

♥ Azzara

Simple + Easy

As you could probably tell from my post yesterday, I'm currently into easy + simple style.  Sometimes when things are basic they just work.  Of course, it doesn't to have a pair of cool sunglasses on hand.  Here are some more recent favorite looks:

all photos via Elle

VvV Amanda

Remain Simple

I just came across this tumblr site that's dedicated to simple style called Remain Simple.  It's nice to see a lot of stripes and basics look so comfortable yet pulled together.  Basically I want to own all of these pieces and wear them everyday.  Here are some of my favorites photos from the site:

What do you think?
VvV Amanda

Lost Wax Casting!

Hello friends!   It's been awhile since I've last posted (sorry) but luckily Azzara has been writing about some cool things including Jason Wu for Target. 

I've been taking this "lost wax casting" jewelry and metalsmithing class for winter session and I love it so far.   Wax casting is basically using our little alcohol lamp flames and dental tools to shape wax into all sorts of shapes and textures.  After the wax is ready, you attach it to a "tree" of sorts that allows the liquid metal to flow and distribute evenly within the plaster cast.  The wax is burned out, the metal poured in, and voila, a piece of jewelry!  After the piece cools down you use tons of drills and pickling solution to finish and polish the metal.  Today we got back our first cast pieces ever so I thought I'd share some photos of the process in case any of you were curious.  I could definitely see myself doing more of this in the future.  It's so fun to mold the wax and create something magical out of nothingness. 

This is the bronze metal tree that the whole class shared.  The rings are attached by "sprues" which are the branch shapes that join to the tree cone. 

 This is my piece it's been cut off the tree (sprues still attached)

 Again from a different angle.

This is after the pendant has been placed in the pickling solution, scrubbed clean with a copper brush, polished, sprues have been detached. 

 The final piece!

After scrounging in my jewelry box I could only find this long chain with tiny pearls and an evil eye attached.  I kinda like how it all looks together. More photos and projects to come.  Our next project is to create a ring inspired by food (one of my favorite things) or a feast.  I think I'm going to do some sort of double ring since I've never had one of those.  Also I'm excite because I bought some silver to try out too even though I do like the effect of the bronze a lot. 

VvV Amanda