Silver Scalloped Bowl

My sister came over for dinner one night this week, I made her spicy shrimp + grits.  This time, I added lots of garlic and cajun spice then followed the same recipe I posted before.  I made a garbage salad for myself with roasted carrots, black beans, edamame, a chopped veggie burger and cilantro, mixed together with olive oil and truffle salt.  Oh yes...

I had a DIY project in the back of my mind for weeks.  Okay, full disclosure - that makes it sound a little more intense than this one actually is.  But, my sister and I decided to do the project together the night she came over... 

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me post this photo...a typical Saturday afternoon with my engagement ring on a Target shelf (sorry, Boo!):

Anyway, as I was saying - big plans!  I wanted to create a decorative edge around the bowl, and of course I was going to use spray paint.  Hello! What else is there in this world, right? Just kidding...sort of.  Actually not kidding at all. 

Tools you will need:

1 ceramic bowl

1 roll of painters tape (we used 2")

1 single hole punch (we used a 1" punch similar to this)

1 can spray paint, color of your choosing

1 can polyurethane or jar of minwax (we used polyurethane in this project, but minwax in this project)

To the studio!

Directions:

1. With a large hole punch, cut circles from the painters tape (I found it was easiest to have the sticky side facing up, then guiding the punch over the tape)

2. Adhere tape to bowl in a design that is appealing to you (we laid the tape on the lip of the bowl so that half was inside and half was outside of the bowl), continue until fully covered

3. Using the excess tape (it will have holes in it, but that's fine) and scraps of tape, cover the outside of the bowl so that no spray paint gets on it - you can also use whole pieces of tape if you aren't cheap environmentally friendly like I am ;)

4. Once your bowl is fully covered, spray paint the interior part of the bowl, remove the tape and wait 24-48 hours to let the paint dry - remember, it should not be tacky or sticky 

5. When your paint is fully dry, apply polyurethane or minwax, and let dry at least 24 hours before placing anything in the bowl - especially diamonds!  No one likes a spray painted diamond...

My large single hole puncher:

The tape with one hole punched out:

The punch just slides down the tape:

 The bowl 3/4 covered with tape:

 Close up of the tape:

Fully covered bowl:

We used scraps of tape to cover the edges:

The sprayed bowl in my studio:

Finished product: 

My ring in the transformed ceramic bowl:

What do you think of this scalloped edge bowl?  What would you use the bowl for?

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

My Evening with Young House Love

...well sort of.  If you consider me waiting in line for 1.5 hours then having my book signed by the duo, then yes (!!), I spent the evening with Young House Love.  

Sherry and John are on a book tour and their original NYC date happened to coincide with Hurricane Sandy, so obviously it was cancelled.  It was rescheduled for tonight (yippee!), and a friend from high school and I decided to go together.   

At each of the other events, the lines were out the door and around the corner, so I offered to arrive early (5 p.m. for a 6:30 p.m. event) and wait in line.  To my astonishment, I was the first one there!  I awkwardly loitered for a couple of minutes until I saw some other girls doing the same.  After a few minutes we started chatting and quickly passed the time.  It was so fun!  We chatted blogs/DIY/spray paint (!!) and everything in between.  Then, I got my book signed...and Sherry commented on my fur "come on over, girl with the animal on!"   

The line before we were allowed into the store:

The line waiting to have books signed:

My requisite stalker-shot of these two:

Here we are...you know, hanging out:

There was wine and seltzer and popcorn:

And now...on to dinner!  We went to Ushiwakamaru, which was excellent. 

We both started with a seaweed salad made from four different kinds of seaweed:

Which I followed up with six pieces of salmon sashimi:

My friend had various sashimi: salmon,  scallop and sea urchin (the edible kind, not my version). 

Do you read Young House Love?  What are your favorite blogs?

xx,
The Future Mrs. Wolf

Guacamole For The Win

Guacamole is a crowd pleaser.  I mean, really - who doesn't love a good gauc?  Please introduce me to someone who does not like guacamole...because I have never met one person who fits that description. 

I'm a bit of a creature of habit, and have been making this same recipe for years.  If it ain't broke, right?

Ingredients for 6 servings:

2 avocados

2 limes, juiced (this makes it nice and tangy)

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup tomato, chopped (can also use sliced grape or cherry tomatoes if that's what you have on hand)

sea salt to taste

optional: chopped cilantro and red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Dice the onion and tomatoes, juice the limes

2. Slice avocados in half and remove the pits (I do this by taking a large knife and hitting it into the middle of the pit - please be careful, if you are unsure what I mean, then you should remove the pit the way you normally do, and I should work on my descriptive writing skills)

3. With a paring knife, score the flesh of the avocado (without cutting through the skin) lengthwise, then widthwise to create squares

4. Run a tablespoon around the inside of the skin to release the flesh

5. Cover avocados with lime juice and mash to combine

6. Add tomatoes and onions to the avocado and lime mixture and combine, then season with salt 

Here's the finished product:

Nutrition information per serving:

92 calories, 3g carbohydrates, 17g fat, 2g protein, 21g fiber 

You may wish to gussy your gauc (GYG) with additional heat, but I don't love spicy food so I leave red pepper flakes out.  I do, however, love me some cilantro, so I often use that...just mix it right in!  My sister and I literally cannot get enough, in fact she once said cilantro was her favorite food.  Torah (you know - Bible...but for Jews). 

Did you know that keeping the pit in the guacamole can help it from browning?  Well, that and lime juice (acid counteracts oxidation)...

What's your favorite way to eat guacamole?  Do you like it spicy or tangy?  Hope you enjoy...

xx,
The Future Mrs. Wolf

From Drab to Fab - The Spray Paint Edition

If you have been reading from the beginning, you are likely familiar with my affinity for a good can of spray paint and my studio.  If you are a new reader, welcome! 

In an effort to spruce up some dark wooden frames we had displayed around our apartment (including one for our menu wall), I took to my studio and got to painting!  

I chose silver for the small frame, and glossy white for the large frame.  Both are Rustoleum and the white contains a primer which is important for good coverage, especially when you are spraying anything dark with light paint.  If you need a spray paint refresher, head right over here.  

Just a casual Friday in my studio:

Here is where we started:

You may remember this finished product from the sea urchin post:

The new silver frame is home to The Pearl Jam 4...aka The PJ4.  If their name is not an indication, they all love Pearl Jam, and have since high school (Boo has been to more Pearl Jam concerts than I have total concerts).  I won't post the photo in case any of them want to remain anonymous, but the group is made up of Boo and three of his best friends from growing up (BFFs/biddies/BBFLs!!) who all happen to have J names.  This, you will find, is wildly common in his friend group.  In fact, each of his 6 groomsmen have J names, and three of them have the same J name!  Six Js and a Boo - perfect!  Well, actually seven Js, if you know what I mean... ;)

This large frame was $5 at a local dollar store:

And now it is the proud recipient of a menu from Perilla which is where we went after deciding on our wedding venue.  Boo thinks this addition to the menu wall is a bit of a stretch.  While it doesn't have the same importance as the day we got engaged, it was a fun dinner with my family.

The menu didn't take up the entire frame space so I wrapped the backing with a piece of silver tissue paper from an engagement gift.  

 Then just close him back up...

Now the empty space between the menu and frame shows silver instead of cardboard.  This technique can also work with burlap or any fabric you like so long as the frame can close.  

Unrelated to menu walls - if you visit Perilla try the farro risotto...it's good! 

Do you need to update some old frames?  What color do you prefer?   

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf 

Peaks Island Engagement and Menu Wall

After dating for just shy of a year and half (8 days to be exact), Boo and I got engaged on October 20, 2012 on our beloved Peaks Island.  It was the best surprise ever...

We had a late flight from JFK to Portland, and had dinner at Gotham before heading to the airport.  Most all my friends who have gotten engaged told me their boyfriends had been so nervous and scattered right up to the engagement...many knew it was coming.  Boo was so calm and himself the entire time. We flew into Portland and had planned to charter a water taxi to the island.  However, due to gale force winds (can't make this stuff up...) we had to stay at a local hotel.  This didn't phase Boo either! The next day we headed to the island.

I won't get into all the details (just a few!), but he got down on one knee on Maine's rocky coast.  It was spectacular.  Just like my Boo...sorry, I had to!  

Boo had lugged small red pebbles from NYC to Maine so that he could make this (my new married name monogram) on the rocks:

We enjoyed champagne on the rocks before two ladies passed us in their golf cart and stopped after Boo shouted "she said yes!"  This is so Peaks Island...quintessential island life.  They took our picture and shared champagne with us.  It had been misting all day and we learned the old wives' tale that a "wet knot is a tight knot."  The light mist on our engagement didn't deter us - we were getting married! I guess this is similar to "rain on a wedding day is good luck." 

My family and Boo's family were in on the surprise.  Boo had arranged for our families to meet us (and surprise me!) at dinner, post engagement. I had known that we were planning to eat at our most favorite restaurant in Portland, Maine: Fore Street.  But, I didn't know our families would be there.  Both sets of parents and siblings (my sister Erica) and my aunt joined us.  It was so good!  We are big on family, and it wouldn't have been the same with them.

My mum brought a chocolate cake for dessert, it reads: To a Lifetime of Happiness.  Don't you think engagement cakes should become a thing?  Me too...

We have begun making a menu wall which displays menus from special events in our lives.  Appropriately, the first menu to be displayed is from our post engagement dinner at Fore Street.  We took home a clean menu and my mum and aunt picked out this beautiful brushed silver frame and navy blue mounting.  We just love it and now have it displayed in our apartment.

What do you think about our menu wall idea?  Do you keep menus from special dinners?  How did you get engaged?

xx,
The Future Mrs. Wolf

Simple Scallops and Brussels Sprouts

I am someone who relies primarily on seafood for protein which means I often exclusively order seafood or fish at restaurants.  A few years ago I used to think: scallops are not something I make at home...

But, why not I thought?  I decided to have a can-do attitude: I can make that!  So, I did and have been having a love affair with them ever since (don't tell Boo!).

Ingredients for two servings:

10 oz sea scallops, raw

4 tsp olive oil, separated into 2 tsp portions

2 tsp garlic, minced

3C brussels sprouts, washed and halved 

1 lemon, quartered

salt + pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees 

2. Wash and dry brussels sprouts, remove the bottom stem and outer leaves with a knife, then slice down the center to halve 

3. In a large bowl, marinate brussels sprouts with 2 tsp olive oil, minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste, let sit until oven is heated*

4. Unwrap scallops and pat dry with a paper towel, season on both sides with salt and pepper 

6. Cook brussels sprouts for 25 minutes, or until brown and crisp (or to your preference)

7. Quarter lemons

8. With 8 minutes remaining for the brussels sprouts, heat 2tsp olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet (cast iron or non-stick will work fine)

9. Cook scallops 3 minutes on the first side without touching them, then flip and squeeze 1/2 of a lemon into the pan, cook another 2 minutes on the second side

10. Remove scallops from heat and portion half on each plate with lemon (either garnish with remaining pieces or squeeze directly onto scallops)

11. Remove brussels sprouts and portion half on each plate

*You can also prepare the brussels sprouts in the morning and marinate during the day until you are ready cook.

Nutrition information per serving:

321 calories, 26 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 19 g protein, 7 g fiber

Are there foods you don't make at home, but would like to?  Hope you enjoy...

xx,
The Future Mrs. Wolf 

Engineer Prints

We had two sections of our wall in need of some attention. We didn't find anything we wanted to buy, so I decided to DIY engineer prints.  I was inspired by Pinterest, of course. Where else would a gal gather inspiration?

Once I had this idea in mind, I chose the photographs I wanted to display.  This technique really only works with black and white pictures, so I used Instagram to edit the photos I selected to be sure the printer did not alter the coloring at all.  

We decided on two photos Boo took on our beloved Peaks Island, Maine.  This island holds a special place in our hearts - especially because it's where we got engaged. But even without that, it's a little piece of paradise where we love escaping to - all four seasons of the year.  In fact, this project was completed before we were engaged. That's some serious Maine loving right there...

Tools you will need (for one print):

1 black and white photograph on a flash drive

1 piece foam board (large enough to back the painting - size will depend on photograph size)
1 xacto knife
1 level (we used a meter stick because of the size of our print)

1 tube stick glue or spray adhesive

Heavy books

3m command strips or metal wire plus tape and 1 nail

Directions:

1. Edit your photo to black and white

2. Head to Staples or another office supply store with printing capabilities and ask for the largest possible print service they offer (keep in mind what they will likely offer you is a very thin piece of paper - some will call it an engineer print)

3. Once you have the dimensions of your print, measure this size onto a foam board and cut with an xacto knife, keeping everything straight with a level
4. Lay your print over the foam board to be sure there are no rough edges (cut again if you have excess foam board)

5. Depending on your glue, either spray a light mist over the board or roll on the stick glue so that the board is sufficiently covered, you do not need to drench the board with adhesive, especially because the paper is very thin (just for reference, I used a glue stick which worked fine, I am guessing spray adhesive would work too, but might be harder to move the print around if it needs slight adjustments)
6. Gently position the print over the foam board to attach the two (it's helpful to hold the print slightly above the board to be sure you are accurate with your placement before you apply the print)

7. Smooth over the paper print to be sure there are no bubbles or wrinkles

8. Place heavy books over the print to help the paper adhere to the board and to ensure a tight hold, let sit overnight

9. If you are using 3M command strips, attach one on the right and left edges of the print so that there is reinforcement from both sides OR if you are using a nail strong tape should easily hold the metal wire onto the back of the board, hammer a nail into the wall and hang the middle of the wire directly on the nail

Our original photos in color then in black and white:

The drying process:

You can tell which items belong to whom - law school textbooks (Boo), West Elm diffuser and Henri Bendal candle (me).  Well, for people reading besides my mother (Hi, Mum!) maybe you don't know what belongs to whom, but now the secret is out: I'm marrying an attorney.

Our prints hanging on the wall:

This project cost us under $20 and we love the results.

You can also paint the sides of the poster board if you are displaying the prints in a location where sides are viable. For us, the prints are hung so high that it didn't make sense. But it's a sweet touch. Check out Katie Bower's version of this project where she did paint the sides. Too cute.

UPDATE: After receiving a few questions about how the prints look on the wall, I took this picture to show you.  It's a tricky angle to capture because it is where two different ceiling heights meet, but I hope it gives you a better sense.  It's not perfectly to scale, but hope it's a start! 

So, what do you think? Do you like our Peaks Island tribute in the concrete jungle? I'd love to hear from you if you try this project!

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Life in the Suburbs

I think of myself as a city girl, but I really love the time we spend with my soon-to-be-in-laws in the suburbs of Washington DC.  

Today we did suburban things including but not limited to - 

Sitting by the fire:

...and looking at baby pictures (name that Boo!):

Shopping for butcher blocks:

...and backsplash tile (project to hopefully come soon!)

And talking about our wedding a little lot.  

After our requisite trip to Costco (sorry - no pictures to document that portion of the trip, it was too crowded and we had big screen TVs to look at)...we headed to dinner.  Amongst my favorite things about Boo is that he loves to share agrees to share his meals with me.  Doesn't food always taste better when you share it with someone?  Here's what we had:

Seaweed salad over a bed of cucumber noodles:

Spicy tuna cubes (or in laymen's terms, XL-sized tuna tartar):

And our crowning achievement: a massive sushi plate for splitsies (say that 5 times fast) featuring ikura (salmon roe), crab, octopus, eel, saba (mackerel), tuna sushi, salmon sushi for Boo and salmon sashimi for me - 

Have you ever seen salmon sashimi -  or any other fish for that matter - formed into roses?  Me either. But they were tasty.  Extra ginger, of course. 

After a little more wedding talk, we were craving something sweet, and took a trip to 16 HANDLES.  

You might be thinking.  Is 16 HANDLES on her wedding diet?  Come on...everyone needs to live a little.  Here's what we had:

More fun to be had tomorrow...

Do you live in the city or the suburbs?  What's your favorite suburban activity?

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf