collab we’re crazy for: angela adams and egg press
Collaborations are a dime a dozen these days, so it’s rare that one really catches my heart. But when I heard that one of my favorite letterpress stationery gurus, Egg Press, was teaming up with the ultimate rug design diva, Angela Adams, I actually swooned. Now that they’ve finally launched, the Angela Adams Egg Press collection is even more gorgeous than I’d imagined. Every single card is the perfect paper interpretation of those beautiful rugs from Adams’ collection. As it turns out, this really is a match made in heaven: Egg Press’ bold letterpress style lends itself perfectly to Angela’s retro-mod graphic styling. Plus, of course, what really makes Angela’s rugs sing is her use of texture within each pattern, which Egg Press has recreated perfectly.
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen cards that I’ve wanted to take home and frame…but it’s the first time I love them enough that I might actually do it. The textures and colors are so vivid, I can’t help wanting to show off a few – I’m envisioning a vertical line of them down a narrow wall space in my dining room. Or, I suppose I could go the traditional route and actually send them to friends – for all the technology in the world, there’s just nothing like a handwritten note, especially for no reason at all.
With four sizes (including an impossibly adorable mini gift card), and several messages to choose from, I have no idea how I’ll even begin choosing favorites. The only solution? Get one of each! –Becki S.
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customize great gifts for dad at pinhole press
This year, my dad will be receiving a shiny, new bird feeder for Father’s Day (more on that to come), but for those of you looking for an indoor gift for Dad, a few very thoughtful ideas worth passing along can be found over at Pinhole Press. First spotted by way of Joanna Goddard’s blog, A Cup of Jo, the company makes gorgeous photo gifts, like the incredible birthday book Joanna made for her father. From customized notepads and stationery to calendars and books in a few formats, the site offers a variety of options in different price ranges that all boast very professional, keepsake-worthy finishes. Though a time-consuming project, a 97-photo signature photo book, complete with linen book-cloth cover, vellum end-leaves and customizable title page will cost you $65, but would be well worth the time and money spent on that #1 Dad. – Sarah C.
cool gifts for coffee-loving dads!
It’s no secret we’re coffee lovers here at Shelterrific. So why would the fathers in our lives be any different? (Actually, my dad never touched the stuff, preferring Diet Coke.) So I’ve gathered up a handful of groovy gadgets and gift ideas for those java enthusiasts on your shopping list — most under $50 (with the exception of #1).
Click for my picks, after the jump! (more…)
real life test kitchen: chocolate banana bread
A dear friend of mine used to live in Maui, and when ever I visited (which was never often enough) he would have just-baked chocolate banana bread to greet me upon arrival. Bananas are omnipresent wherever you go in Hawaii, and they get overly ripe fast in the humidity. Baking banana bread is a great use for the super sweet fruits. Fast forward to my own kitchen, where there now always seems to be about three bananas on the verge of turning brown. I hunted down an easy recipe for chocolate banana bread (on food.com) and modified it slightly. It’s pretty simple pantry fare: mix butter with sugar and vanilla, add in eggs, mashed bananas and milk, flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt. My secret twist? Replace the 1/2 cup of walnuts with chocolate chips. Bake at 350F for 50 minutes. The results are just as moist and lovely as the ones I remember from Maui. This recipe makes two small loaves. One for eating, one for sharing. Here’s the recipe — Chocolate Banana Bread — definitely one for the files! — Angela M.
P.S. Here’s another banana bread recipe from our archives that’s not chocolate, but also very yummy!
steal this idea: diy reed scent diffusers
Looking for a fabulous-yet-frugal gift for the moms in your world? Something easily thrown together in minutes with things you probably have around the house? Well, then let me suggest these DIY reed scent diffusers — they are way cooler than the ones you see for $15 each. I’d been thinking I should make my own ever since I saw the first crazy-expensive air fresheners in a specialty shop years ago. They just looked TOO SIMPLE. So this year, when wracking my brain for mom’s day gifts, I remembered my stash of used SanBitter bottles, and decided to give it a shot.
I did a bit of Googling to see how it was done, and I found this post from Young House Love in 2009, but I was disappointed to see that they had just used Mrs. Meyer’s Household Cleaner as their scent (nothing against Mrs Meyer’s — I SWEAR by the lavender products). I wanted to custom-blend my own scents. Thankfully I found this helpful post at TipNut to help me make my own uniquely scented gifts. I used a mix of grapeseed and sweet almond oils as my “carrier oil”, added a splash of vodka to help it diffuse, and my favorite essential oils, gave it a shake — and BOOM. That’s it.
What you will need:
Bamboo skewers
small bottles or narrow necked vases
vodka
essential oils
grapeseed or sweet almond oil
Trim the pointed ends off the skewers with wire cutters or sturdy kitchen shears. To mix the scented oil, measure out 1/4 c grapeseed/almond oil, add a splash of Vodka and 12-20 drops of essential oil. Shake. Pour in your vessel (no more than 3/4 full), add the skewers, and flip them a few times to start the diffusion more quickly. Favorite scent combinations are grapefruit & sandalwood, lavender & clary sage, and black pepper & palmarosa. Have you ever made them? Share your results in the comments! — Megan B.
