Insta-Collections! with Cavallini & Co.

My all time writer crush Vladimir Nabokov and his wife Vera collecting butterflies. 

Lepidopterists for life, yo.

I'm going to fill you in on one of my favorite secrets of internet shopping for classy home decor. No, it's not this sexeh "foot" stool that's more Myrtle Corbin than Marie Antoinette, this big ass wine bottle bar, or even the Potty Patch (although, I have had a dark moment or two in my life where I totally thought I needed this astroturf atrocity for Tino. Don't judge me). It's none of these. Try to hide your disappointment, friends.

You see, when my boyfriend and I moved into our current apartment, I set a few rules for myself when decorating the place in a tasteful (as possible) manner: 1. Keep my clutter and "collecting" under control. 2. No more bringing in "treasures" from the curb (but let's be honest, if something is super amaze, it's coming with) and 3.) Invest in some new, larger scale wall art which, since we are adults, should be framed (no, this does not include my tattered OK Computer poster from highschool or Casey's Grindhouse/Deathproof movie poster, as endearing as they both may be).

Adventures in Iced Coffee

This is what working from home looks like. not. 

Truth: the only beverage that I love more than coffee is iced coffee. This year, it just so happens that the warmer weather has coincided with me working from home for the entire month of April. So far it's been no picnic (technology and I are barely on speaking terms right now) but one of the bright spots in my days of being glued to my computer desk (an old sewing machine table, not ideal but a girl manages) has been sipping on glorious home brewed iced coffee.

Now, I have tried various ways to make good iced coffee at home (including sticking the entire hot coffee carafe in the fridge like a lazy bum. not very tasty) but only recently am I finally happy with a method. Has anyone seen The Pioneer Woman on Food Network? Don't worry, no cool points lost if you haven't, I just watch my 'fair share' of TV if you will. I'm not sold on the show since I have very little in common with the blogger/domestic diva/dude ranch dwelling Ree Drummond and to be honest, her rich "down home" recipes border on diabetes-inducing Paula Deen territory. Plus, I'm so much more of an Anthony Bourdain/Travel Channel girl anyway.  However, I am loving me some of Ree's Perfect Iced Coffee. It's genius!

It's a beautiful thing.

DIY: At Home Samoa Bars

*Picture from Gluten Free Betsy

Apparently this week is Girl Scout's Week, where Girl Scouts everywhere sit back and reflect on their community service, and I sit back and reflect the delicious-ness that is Girl Scout Cookies. That being said, one can only buy so many boxes of cookies in good conscience. Not only are you painfully aware of how many you buy when the little girl pulls up to your house in a fully loaded wagon, but each box is $4 a piece!

Anyhow, me being pregnant with a hungry hungry husband, and a cookie crazy toddler at home, you can bet your ass I ordered a bunch of cookies. You can also bet your ass they are all gone and I refuse to go out and buy more...mainly out of shame.

So I decided to browse the Internet and find a cheap, easy, homemade version of my favorite Girl Scout cookies, Samoas aka Caramel DeLights. There are a lot of time consuming Samoa recipes floating around, but I stumbled upon an easy adaptation at the oh so yummy Baking Bites blog that better suits my impatient "I-Want-It-Now" personality.