Since moving, this might be the first weekend I've been able to wholeheartedly enjoy in NYC. I start my new job tomorrow, and I'm both relieved and excited about a new start. I pity anyone job searching right now, and I feel realy lucky to have found the spot I did. The hurricane that didn't even let a drop loose here brought the most beautiful almost fall weather. Open windows, card games, ferry rides, quilting, chats and dinner with friends: all the ingredients for a perfect quiet weekend in town.

I've started a new quilt, and its going to take quite a while. After being inspired by this medallion quilt-along on flickr. I've decided to start my own hand piecing some oddball fabrics and scraps I've got lying around. This mariners compass isn't quite big enough yet to be the center medallion, so I'm going to build it out with some fancy corners and a border made with one of Tim's old shirts.

The scene of yesterdays mishap. I figured it was time to share our kitchen and the new wall quilt Tim and I created. Since yesterday's fiasco, we are now looking for new flor carpet tiles to replace these old ones. There are a few burns right infront of the sink.

 We've been making attempts at 'warming/cozying up' the kitchen. I've added some vintage goodies to the extra deep windowsill, and a small ikea lamp since we don't have a light just over the sink. Overhead lighting drives me nuts, so we're working on better lighting for all the rooms.

Tim has been painting these, so we decided to make one just for us to put on a quilt for our kitchen. He cut out all the pieces and helped me applique a few, and then I did all of the hand quilting, squaring and binding.

Now, we're looking to add a little color, while maintaining durability, to the flor carpet tiles. We've narrowed it down to the tiles below. What do you think?!

Not every day starts with calm and order, and from now on cooking in the morning without having coffee first is absolutely banned at our house. We were using the broiler to toast some oats this morning, and we both forgot about them for just a few minutes. Of course, when I remember and rush over I find a small fire inside our oven. Thank goodness our sink just happens to be incredibly close to the oven, so Tim and I were able to put it out safely. Moments like those, I'm glad to have a tiny kitchen. Needless to say, we're buying one of these today. The whole experience has got me thinking about photographers Jan Groover and Laura Letinsky, except I think I need to figure out a way to photograph some flames without hurting anyone or anything.

I'm pretty excited to be part of the papernstitch marketplace this month. You can find all of my items on the site, along with some other fabulous handmade things. Pop on over and check it out!

Happy Birthday, friend! Tim and I hosted two awesome ladies this weekend for a special NYC birthday. We couldn't have picked a more beautiful weekend to show our friends around the city, especially considering most New Yorkers seem to be out of town. Nellie's favorite cake is carrot cake, so I gave this recipe a spin. All in all it was a great cake, but I would definitely leave the molasses and nutmeg out of the icing next time. Instead of the broiled coconut I melted 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a pan and added 1/3 cup of grated carrots, 1/3 a cup of unsweetened coconut, and 2 tb brown sugar. I cooked on medium heat until sugar had carmelized and coconut began to toast. I allowed it to cool for about 10 minutes, and then crumbled it over the top of the cake. It was so good that next time I'm going to cover the whole cake with this topping.