truly cray cray

i love this time of year because crawfish are in season and that means gettings together with friends, eating food that's too spicy, drinking beers that are too cold and sitting in places that are too hot.  throw a ping pong tournament in the mix and you've got a little shin dig.

our cray cray mess

the awesome golden paddle made by our friend andrea. the back gets signed with the winner's name.

i went out in the first round. i made a vow to myself to get better and surprise everyone next year. it would be an honor to write my name on that paddle :)

the crawfish invite.. finally some masculine design around here :)

round two.

sarge!! he's such a good dog.

it's the fancy shoe club.

oh hey, summer plaids.

i didn't take very many photos, which kind of tells you i was having a good time catching up with everyone who i hadn't seen in awhile... everyone's turning into ' busy adults' these days...  

xo

 

it's here, it's open : charm & fig

so happy to announce that my etsy shop, charm & fig, is finally up and running!

if you follow this blog, you may recognize some of the items. here's a little peek at some of my new stuff. as you can see, all of these designs are inspired by the beach, which tells me i'm ready for a little vacation.

water color sunset polka dot folded card

hudson bay blanket folded card

postal thank you flat cards

'you're my anchor' folded card

yay! now go check it out.. and if you're on etsy and you like it, please add charm & fig to your favorite shops. thank you.

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texas blackberries & sorbet

over easter weekend we went to woodville, texas to visit jon's grandparents. the weather was gorgeous and we heard from a bird that blackberries/dewberries were ripe for picking. (note: we learned dewberries are blackberries that grow on the ground.. who knew that tid bit?).

here i am thinking about cool it is we found a handfull of berries. us city kids are so easily amused.

we found a jackpot of ripe berries! it was worth all the little thorns to get them.

our final stash.

when we got back to the house, we made some jam with raw honey from the bees on the land (we were in our own episode of portlandia. is it local? is it local? is it local? yes.)

when we got back to houston, i was quick to make some dewberry sorbet with our beloved kitchenaid mixer. 

so good. perfect summer treat! 

blackberry sorbet recipe

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

3 cups of blackberries or dewberries

juice from two small limes

pinch of salt

in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and 3/4 cup water. bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and a syrup is formed. let cool to room temperature.

blend the berries, syrup and lime juice in a food processor until smooth. put the mixture in a bowl and chill for at least two hours or up to one day.

pour the cold mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. for our kitchen aid mixer, i had it on level seven for 15 minutes and and level 10 for five minutes. spoon the slushy mixture into a freezer-safe container and place parchment or waxed paper directly on the surface to prevent ice from forming. cover tightly and freeze until form, at least two hours.