Such a Dreary Day...

This is how it feels today :(

It's been kinda rainy the last few days, which makes me sleepy. And far less productive than I should be!

I did get a few things accomplished over the last day or so... including a bit of updating on the studio! I finally got the craft shelf back op on the wall in the closet (and stocked again :)) Oh the joys of more organized ribbon and being able to find the stamps! (oh, and I might just have a bit of a spray paint addiction ;) )

I also got most of the drawers labeled so that I can find supplies without opening every single drawer first. Next is to move the last of the stuff that is still hanging over the dining room table into the studio. 

Speaking of the dining room, I'm planning to leave the Lack shelf that I had above the desk up on the wall above the table, and adding a hanging pendant light from underneath. I've ordered this, and I have already have a shade I purchased from Ikea (almost a year ago!) that didn't end up working with the lamp I bought it for, but will be perfect for this project. Leaving the shelf will also give me some storage space for things like extra party supplies and some seasonal decor that I don't keep in the storage closet. Photos as soon as I'm done!

I also have a couple projects for the laundry room (to streamline the laundry as well as keep it much more organized. If any room in the apartment is insanely cluttered, it's this one! And it seems, even for one person, that laundry is never finished!

As far as non-studio/apartment related updates, I did get a few more gifts for family, got them wrapped and their under the tree. I did also do a bit more decorating, but I have a few more decor ideas, and I need to get this on J's door for her new place. I'm thinking a Hello. decal for my own door to replace it (like the ones found here in my shop!) 

I've also added a few things to the shop! (and there are still more to get photographed and uploaded!)

From Top Left, Across) 

1,2,3,4

At work, we got the Christmas tree up, and there are a few presents already under it for our adopted family. There should be some more early next week, after our volunteer shopper (aka me :) ) goes shopping with some monetary donations that were given.

Hope every one is having a great holiday season so far and the stress hasn't gotten to you yet :) I am a master at over doing it, so this year I'm trying to pace myself and not add too many things to my "to do" list

Happy Post -Thanksgiving!

It's back to work, but the holiday season is in full swing! I didn't get nearly as much accomplished on my few days off as I would have liked (so no studio updates :( ) but it was a pretty busy couple of days, filled with food, family, and friends (old and new!)

This is, sadly, the only photo I got of my Thanksgiving dinner(s). But isn't he cute!?!

I did do the crazy thing and go Black Friday shopping with my mom (after another dinner and a few drinks with friends.) Speaking of drinks... I swear by this stuff!

The Crisp Apple is also very good!

The lines were actually not all that crazy. We have done this enough years we have figured out which stores are really worth it for early deals, and which ones we can wait until a normal hour to shoot for. We hit Walmart for bikes (which I was picking up for the family that my office adopted for the holiday season) and Target had some great deals on things my Aunt and Uncle had put on their wish lists. 

And the nerd in me kinda wanted to go home with this guy!

I did manage to get a little holiday decorating done and a few presents wrapped. Those gifts even have the new holiday tags that are available in my Etsy Shop!

How was your Thanksgiving Holiday? Did you get any of your Christmas shopping or other preparations done?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Try not to eat too much! 

I'll be back Monday with hopefully a few photos of my meal(s) (Yes, there may be more than one!), some studio updates and a few more products for the Etsy shop!

Polka Dot Designs..and a Thanksgiving Round Up!

With Thanksgiving only two days away... my Pinterest feed has been filled with tons of recipes pinned for the feast! (and some for after the feast...)

I thought I'd do a little Recipe Round Up, of some of my favorite (and possibly soon to be favorite) recipes.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Oh, and don't forget this post, for a pumpkin filled dessert

And while you are gathering up your recipes, now would be a great time to pick up a few of these!

These are the newest addition to my Etsy Shop, Polka Dot Designs!

I started the shop after making this for J when she moved in with me (to make it feel a little more like "our" place instead of just some place she had a room)

I'll probably change it now that she has moved, but she has requested it for her door :)

You can find both the recipe cards and the decal in the shop, along with other decals, stationary, and home decor!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Studio/Office Space

About 6 months ago, I moved into a new apartment. Two bedrooms, all my own space! Well, for about 2 weeks. Then a few different circumstances led to a friend moving in with me, and the second bedroom that I had wanted for a studio/office space (one of my life goals is to be able to do photography full time) ended up being her bedroom. But only temporarily.

Now that she is settled and moved to her own place, I have my studio space back again! It's still a work in progress, but I went from a temporary space of this:

To this! I also have the storage space back that I have always been lacking in previous apartments. That brings a huge smile (and some clutter crazy relief!)

Have a whole room vs. a wall in the main living space is already making a huge difference (even if everything is a mess at the moment!)

Pumpkin Trifle, with Candied Pecans

The last half of November always seems like it's just a long, drawn out planning period for the biggest feast of the year (well, maybe only second to Christmas, if you have a large feast then too). Our office just had our Thanksgiving feast at work, and this year I splurged and brought two items!

First, the infamous green bean casserole! This isn't the Campbell's version though (only fresh and non-mushy ingredients here!)

I've never been a fan of green bean casserole until last year, when my friend Jenn posted a recipe for it on her blog Peas and Crayons. See, I don't like mushrooms or onions, and I can't stand green beans from a can. So when the option to have it sans mushrooms and with fresh green beans came along, I figured I could work around my distaste of onions and give it a shot!

Photo via Peas and Crayons

Check out her recipe here: Light + Tasty Green Bean Casserole.

I also brought a dessert (is anyone surprised?). I never like to bring the same thing each year (though I'm sure not many people would remember) so I scoured Pinterest for an idea of what to bring. This caught my eye: 

via Pinterest

But the link didn't make finding the recipe easy. So I googled it and actually came up with this recipe: 

Pumpkin Trifle

I adapted the recipe to use a cake mix I had on hand (I needed a shortcut since there was so much cooking going on that night!) Here is my adaptation (of just the cake portion)

Ingredients

• 1 box vanilla cake mix
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup veggie oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cake mix, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin.
• Transfer to a greased 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Remove pan and cool completely. Yield: 12-16 servings.

It turned out fantastic (or so I was told... I don't like to judge my own cooking). Here is a photo from my Instagram (the only photo I got of either dish)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome!

This pretty much describes me to the letter :)

Welcome to Polka Dots on Park Ave, a blog dedicated to DIY, my artsy side, the baker in me, and the various ways I have managed to make polka dots my signature...anything :)

I should probably clarify something to the quote above.. I don't my entire day talking to children, but I am a receptionist during my daytime job, so some days, it feels like I talk to children all day. But I do find it fundamentally strange when people don't like dessert. I like (ok, love) to bake, so if you can't appreciate a cupcake, I don't think we can hang out (just kidding :))

So we've covered baking, my love of polka dots... oh, the Park Ave park of all this? Kind of a shout out to my love of all things NYC, as well as the fact that I live on a Park Ave in sunny (most of the time) Florida.

And that's me in a nut shell! Well, for now anyway.....