Inspiration Friday: Craft Rooms!

I am very lucky to have a whole room for sewing and other crafts.  The finished attic was definitely a selling point of our house.  We knew we wanted a "bonus room" where I could work on projects and not have to clean everything up at the end of the day.  It is really great being able to leave projects that are still in progress out on the cutting table or near the sewing machine.

There's only one big problem with the room... the window looking out over the backyard is old, rotten, and leaky.  We've known this since we moved into the house, but in Hurricane Sandy it realy became obvious that we need to fix it!  Granted, that was an extreme weather event, but seriously, the enter wall is soaked through. 

So, we are looking for a contractor to not only fix the structural issues with that wall and window, but also to replace the sheetrock and really finish off the space in a polished way.  Oh, and while we're up there, we're hoping to add new insulation under the roof and maybe even install some sort of cooling system so that it's actually possible to be up there during the HOT summers here!

I have already bought a few storage pieces that I love, and have some artwork in mind.  But it is always fun to dream about creating beautiful pieces in a beautiful new studio!

I love this streamlined and perfectly organized storage:

I know Ikea has cubbies like this (we had one in our old apartment).  I don't know if we could fit something like this up the steep staircase to our attic, but I have something similar that I think will work.... if only I can convince my husband to try getting it up there!

I thought this was a cool idea to put wallpaper or fabric behind the shelves to add some life:

And, although I'm not a big fan of shabby chic, the idea of putting beads and small embelishments into old salt and pepper and tiny other tiny glass containers is so sweet.  These are the kinds of things you always see at estate sales for a dollar because most people think they only need one set!

I also love the idea of having narrow shelves for artwork.  It is very clean, and makes it super easy to change out the pieces periodically.

Now, we just have to completely gut and redo our attic!

Anne's Fool-Proof Steak

I have a no-fail steak method that I love to use.  It is easy and works for all different kinds of cuts and thicknesses.  We used it this week on a wonderful locally grown new york strip steak (big enough to share!).

Here's the basic method:

- Season your steak and make sure it is room-temperature before cooking.  This is really important - don't skip this!
- Preheat your oven to 400.
- Heat a skillet on high heat.  When it is hot, add about a tablespoon of butter (more if needed for more steaks or a larger pan). 
- Sear both sides of your steak well.  This is the key to the whole process.  Once you put your steak down in the skillet, don't move it until you've gotten a good sear.  If you start flipping your steak around or moving it, you will not develop the tasty fond in your pan or get a proper sear on your meat.  One way to check if your meat is ready to turn is just to give it a little nudge with a pair of tongs.  If it moves easily, pick up a corner and check.  It should look like this:

- Sear on the second side, same as the first.

- Move the whole skillet into your preheated 400-degree oven.  Cook to desired doneness.  For this new york strip, which was nearly 2" thick, I cooked it for 6 minutes to medium rare.
- Let it rest!  A good rule of thumb is to let it rest for as many minutes as you cooked it.  Don't loose all the good juices you sealed in with the searing by cutting it too soon.
- You will have great flavors in your pan from the searing and cooking process, don't let them go to waste!  So, while the steak is resting, make your pan sauce - it can be as simple or complex as you like. 
(The basic process is: add whatever aromatics you want (onion, shallot, tomato paste), add a spash of wine and scrape up all the good bits from the pan, when the wine is mostly evaporated, add some stock and let it cook down to a sauce-y consistency.  Finish with a dab of butter.)

- Serve and enjoy!



Inspiration Friday: Chevrons!

My friend Elle over at elle-mental recently posted photos of a gorgeous chevron quilt she made out of a partial jelly roll.  It was amazing - the colors were perfectly cool and calming, and - even more amazing - she is donating it to the 100 Quilts for Kids project! 

I have loved the look of these quilts for a long time, and have amassed various inspirational photos in my "wish list" of quilts I would like to make.  Here are a few.

Some are true chevrons . . .

. . . while others are more of zig-zags . . .

But I think I am going to forge ahead using the tutorial on the Hyacinth blog:

I believe Elle's chevron quilt is based on this pattern (although I know from making countless quilts together that Elle never exactly follows someone else's pattern... there is always just enough math and geometry involved in quilting with her that I feel like I've had a real mental workout!).

Maybe if I can shake loose a couple of hours this weekend between multiple play dates, recovering from the week, getting ready for next week, and having our family portrait taken, I'll try to start one of these!

Happy quilting.