Author Archives: Victoria Vitale

Fall Fashion With: Isabelle Kepke

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This week’s post is brought to you by Isabelle Kepke.  A well trained fashionista herself, Isabelle received her education from the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising in New York City.  Today, Isabelle is giving us the low down on some of this year’s trends.  I’ve been seeing these colors and patterns all around Philadelphia!I’m loving Oxblood.  I like how you can add it to your outfit in so many ways!
Chunky scarves?  Yes, please!Have you noticed any fall fashion trends on the street or in magazines?  For more ideas and inspirations, check our Isabelle’s Pinterest here!

Note: all images were found via Google Image and Pinterest searches.

Chewy Chocolate Jumbles

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There isn’t anything quite like having cookies on hand, and these bite-sized wonders are perfect for on the go or at home!  They are soft and chewy, and definitely leave you wanting more.  These cookies are a take on a 2007 recipe published in the Chicago Tribune by Michael Reinhart.

After a few adjustments, this is the recipe that Anne and I used:

Chewy Chocolate Jumbles (adapted from Michael Reinhart)

Prep time: 20 minutes | Baking time: 10 minutes per batch | Yields: 52 bite-sized cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 stick of butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped oatmeal
  • 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet & dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.
  2. Mix the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamy, about 3 minutes.
  3. Beat in egg and vanilla until light and smooth, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
  5. Stir in oatmeal, chocolate chips, and almonds, working together a bit at at time.
  6. Form tablespoonfuls on a non-stick baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, and transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Note: While the cookies may not appear to be done, they set and cool to perfection!

From Scissors & Sage

Do you have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe?  Happy baking!

The City of Neighborhoods

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City Hall

Anne and I recently had a friend visit us from out of town, and it was a great way for us to get out and about in our own city!  We spent an entire weekend walking and exploring some of Philadelphia’s greatest neighborhoods.  Included on our self-guided tour: Center City, Art Museum, Fairmount, the Schuylkill River Trail, Chinatown, Olde City, Northern Liberties, and South Philly.  Phew!

The Clock Tower

The Clock Tower

View from the Clock Tower Observation Deck

View from the Clock Tower Observation Deck (note: Art Museum)

The Delaware River

The Delaware River

Rocky

Rocky

Art Museum

Art Museum

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Elfreth's Alley, the nation's oldest residential street dating back to 1702

Elfreth’s Alley, the nation’s oldest residential street dating back to 1702

The Schuylkill River Trail

The Schuylkill River Trail

Chinatown at Night

Chinatown at Night

Cowl Me Crazy

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‘Tis the season for all things cozy, so why not ring in this beautiful fall weather with a knit cowl scarf?  I haven’t picked up knitting needles in many years, so I thought I’d give it a go.  My grandma taught me how to knit when I was in elementary school, and it was something that we did together most days.  Granted I couldn’t knit a straight line for the life of me, but it was the time we spent together that was especially important.

This time around, I had to resort to another mode of learning how to knit again: YouTube.  Miracles do happen, folks!  One woman named Judy acted as my Knitting Fairy Godmother.  Her step-by-step instructional videos were incredibly helpful, and she is even a knitter to the stars.  (But really.)

The model in this post is my dear friend and fellow creative arts therapy student, Jacklin!

My girlfriend surprised me for my birthday with some of the above knitting tools and a gift certificate to a local yarn store, Loop.  I quickly went to check out the options and choose my yarn colors!  Here is a list of the supplies you’ll need for your very own cowl scarf:

  • Three skeins of Spud & Chloe Outer yarn.  I used two of Rhino & one of Snow Day.
  • Size 13 needles (9 mm)
  • Hand sewing needle
  • Knitting needle stoppers
  • Stitch counter
  • Scissors

My inspiration for making this scarf came from another blogger’s Katy Cowl.  I used her free pattern as a starting point for my project.

Here are my own step-by-step instructions on how to make my striped Cowl Me Crazy scarf.

  • Cast on 30 stitches of Rhino
  • Garter stitch for 28 rows
  • Change color to Snow Day and garter stitch for 14 rows
  • Change color to Rhino and garter stitch for 8 rows
  • Again, switch to Snow Day for 14 rows
  • Finish with 46 rows of Rhino
  • Bind off
  • Weave in all the loose ends from changing colors
  • Whipstitch the ends of the scarf closed in order to make a circle!

Happy knitting!

Make Your Own Scrabble

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Who doesn’t love a good game of Scrabble?  I sure do!  I’ve taken Scrabble playing to a whole new level by making my own game board from scratch!  That’s right.  From decorative paper and cardboard.  It was one of my most lengthy projects, but it was worth every minute.I took a few bookmaking classes during college, and applied what I learned to this project!  Upon completing these classes, I somehow left with what were the makings for a clamshell box.  Everything was pre-cut, and I knew I had to construct something on my own.  Would I have the skills to do it all by myself?  What would happen if I made a grave mathematical error?  (These really do exist in bookmaking.)I decided to go for it.  I purchased a Scrabble game from a tag sale for $1.50, and took the pieces I would need: wooden tiles and two tile holders.  The tile pouch is courtesy of Anthropologie’s gift wrapping, and I found the cloth for the “board” while I was studying abroad in Ghana.  My final detail went into wrapping the pencil in the same decorative paper as the rest of the box.  I used spray glue to adhere the paper, which allowed the pencil and paper duo to be sharpened beautifully together.Have you ever made a game of your own?  Leave a comment if you have any questions!