Jon Duenas

Very cool imagery in these photos by Jon Duenas (to find this group more easily, look in the Allison set). Also, seems appropriate for fall, and a gray day like we're having here in Oakland...

via how to make a baby elephant float.

Amanda Vissering

I finished building Amanda Vissering dot com, a portfolio website for my friend and roommate Amanda. 

Also did a brief update to Naomi Bardoff dot com, mostly to reflect this new site, new Green Living designs, and a couple new drawings. A big update is coming soon. 

in-between clutter and unrealistic sparseness (unrealistic for me, anyway!)

After my post on attainably-cluttered rooms and my post on sparse, white spaces, I found a few more cluttered and cluttered-ish or in-between spaces that I love. 

Above is one of my favorite interior decor pictures ever, via the style files. (It was also one of my very first tumblr posts.) It has color! Plants! Flowers! Porcelain! Rustic wood! Sunlight! Slanty ceilings! Pots and pans and things hanging! 

From Meryl Smith's feature on the Selby. This is some clutter I can seriously relate to! All the specimens and natural items on the walls really make this room for me. 

The above and remaining pictures are from Ann Wood's sneak peak on design sponge. I love Ann Wood's work a lot (I post her work and in progress pictures all the time on my tumblr) so it's a treat to see what her place looks like. I love how much like her work her apartment is, especially that decaying curtain in the picture above. 

Christina Bothwell

Totally enchanted by these glass, clay, and wood sculptures by Christina Bothwell.

Discovered via how to make a baby elephant float.

vegan thin mints!

Finally, here are the vegan thin mints I've been promising! In this recipe, I only put glaze on one side of the cookie. It's a yummy, thick, and very minty glaze. You can double it if you want to glaze both sides (though I recommend letting the first side firm up before glazing the second side), or you can just spread the glaze thinner to cover both sides.

VEGAN THIN MINTS

makes 50 - 70 cookies

Cookies:

1 cup margarine, softened

3/4 cup sugar

equivalent of 1 egg (I used 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water) 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 - 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Glaze: 

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vegetable or coconut oil 

2-3 tsp peppermint extract

Beat margarine and sugar together until well-mixed and fluffy (above).

 Prepare egg equivalent (my cornstarch and water mixture is above).

Add egg equivalent and extracts to the margarine and sugar mixture and beat until smooth and consistent. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined (if you over-mix, you'll deactivate the baking powder). It's hard to mix at this point, but it will be a clearly consistent mix and stop sticking so much to the sides of the bowl, as in the picture above right.

Divide the dough into halves. Turn one half onto a piece of wax paper and roll into a log about 10-12 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter (or whatever diameter you think thin mints should be! though you'll end up with a different number of cookies than my estimate). The wax paper is just so the dough won't stick to your counter or cutting board; now that it's in log form, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or freeze for about 1 hour or more). Repeat with remaining down. A log just after being taken out of the freezer is pictured below left. (You can also keep the dough in the freezer for a moth, then follow the directions from there! Or finish making the cookies and keep in the freezer for a long time anyway.)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Remove the logs of dough from the fridge or freezer. Slice into 1/4- to 1/3-inch rounds. If the cookies are too thin, they'll burn in the oven, but if they're too thick, they won't bake all the way through. A good balance gets them nice and crispy. Place on a cookie sheet. They shouldn't touch, but can be pretty close together, since they shouldn't spread much (above right).

Bake until the cookies are firm around the edges but somewhat soft on top, about 13 to 15 minutes (may be more like 15 - 17 minutes if they are straight from the freezer).

When the cookies are done baking, let cool on a cooling rack or on plates. Then line baking sheets with wax paper.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips for the glaze. I find the best way for me to do this without burning the melted chocolate is to slowly melt them in a little pan while stirring constantly, but I usually end up using the microwave anyway! Anyway, melt as you like, until they're nice and liquid-y. Stir in the vegetable or coconut oil and peppermint extract.

Using a butter knife of a small rubber spatula, spread the glaze over the top of each cookie. Place the cookies in the fridge for 15 minutes, or until the chocolate is firm.

They won't go bad if stored in an airtight container at room temperature, but they may get melty! Margarine usually has a lower melting point than butter, so they get gooey fast. I try to keep them in the fridge, or even the freezer if I plan on having them on hand for a long time.

Enjoy your vegan thin mints!

plants make all houses beautiful

I have this idea that potted plants make rooms like awesome, and can overcome clutter and other setbacks just by being alive and green. So here's some more interior decor pictures, of rooms with plants. 

The above picture is via design sponge.

Besides the plants and all the light from these windows, I also really like all the baskets and textures in this picture, via seenandsaid. 

Another plant-filled room via seenandsaid. 

I think this is a great example of how much power plants have for me, because other than the beautiful windows and the plants, I don't really like this room! By Petra Bindel, via sfgirlbybay. 

The above and remaining photos are from Nicolette Camille's sneak peak on design sponge. She's a florist, so there are plants aplenty! One of my favorite things about this series of photos is that, other than the huge amount of plantlife in the last photo, these are photos I love but are still somewhat attainable for me. A lot of my furniture and belongings are already in the same style that I love in these pictures, which is promising! 

Juul Kraijer

I love the uncanny imagery in Juul Kraijer's work. Her charcoal is so delicate and etherial, it's interesting to see similar subject matter in the heavy sculptures. 

More on my tumblr. Originally via Ullabenulla.