We Made Our Own Christmas Tree!

About a month back my sweetie and I decided we wanted to host his family for Christmas Day dinner. It's a great way for us to plan and try out new recipes... together. We have been notorious for not working well on projects together. The differences in our personalities become glaringly apparent as we power struggle our way through. So because we are very aware of this, we try to work on small projects like throwing dinner parties to figure it out.

Our Lovely LED Lamp/Tree

 But before the meal planning started he announced he wanted a Christmas tree.  In my mind, we had a Christmas tree. Yes, it is an LED lamp in the shape of a tree made of wire and is barely 12 inches tall...but I love that tree! It was the first tree we bought when we moved in together almost 10 years ago.

So the debate began: Real or Fake? They both have their pros and cons. But, in the end I knew I didn't want to do either. So, I thought making our own would be a stellar project to work on together! But, when I presented my idea, there was a lot of eye rolling on his part. Yes, while it's true I love coming up with lots of fantastic, grandiose ideas, they don't always work out in real life (so he likes to tell me).

Finished Tree

But I was insistent, so I googled "How to Make a Modern Wood Christmas Tree" and voila: there were tons of entries. I ended up finding 3 that I liked and melded them into the one we ended up making. The basis of our tree is on this version with full instructions.

Decorated Tree

I think our collaboration worked out well and we are both so happy and excited about our new tree. Now the dinner planning....Yikes!

Order Online by End of Day Tomorrow...

 

There is a Domistyle apron to suit everyone on your list. The gal who will cook for shoes, the baking beauty, the grill god and even the kid who thinks they are the boss :)

Buy more than one and get a deal! Check out our gifts sets and save as you leisurely shop online while sipping hot chocolate and avoid the mall madness.

Order online by end of day tomorrow (Wednesday December 12th, 2012) to make sure your gifts reach their destination (**within Canada)by December 24th.

You can also find our aprons and accessories at select stores across Canada and a few in the U.S. too. Email us to find out if there is a retailer near you.

Happy Shopping!
xo
penny and lee

Super Easy Thai Noodles

The super easy and delicious Thai soup I made the other day gave me a craving for more Thai. Really, someone just needs to say Thai and I have an instant craving. It is always so comforting, flavourful and delicious. I have attempted to make my own Pad Thai but it never works out. It is always more like Bad Thai. Or Sad Thai. If anyone out there has a foolproof recipe please let me know!!




 In the meantime I found this recipe for spicy and sweet Thai noodles. No Bad Thai here! It is more like a noodle salad, spicy, sweet and oh so yummy!

Spicy Thai Noodles:

Boil a box of linguine noodles or angel hair pasta and drain.

Heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and 1/2 cup of sesame oil along with 1-2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes in a pan for 2 minutes. Strain and reserve the oil. Whisk in 6 tbsp each of soy sauce and honey.

Toss sauce with the noodles, then top with 2 peeled and shredded carrots, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 3/4 cup chopped peanuts, 1/2 cup chopped green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

One of a Kind Prep

So it only took a week to get over jet lag from the West coast. I, like others I'm sure, was never good at time change. Even daylight savings time seems to put my sleep pattern into a tail spin.

While in my zombie-like state I found this scrap piece of paper with a recipe on it, and I have no idea where it came from. I know I didn't rip it out of a magazine at the doctor's office. That drives my crazy. I find a recipe I like while flipping through a magazine in the waiting room, I pull out my pen and paper to write it down and when I get to the page, it's been ripped out. Grrrr.

I have been prepping lots of good food for the marathon stint at the One of a Kind Show. So this salad seemed perfect as it has healthy ingredients to keep me full and energized: green beans, pasta and kidney beans.

Green Bean and Pasta Salad (from I don't know where)

Cook 1 1/4 cups of penne pasta adding 1 cup of green beans halved crosswise during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and run under cold water. Toss pasta and green beans with 1 cup kidney beans, 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and salt and paper.

I'm hoping this will help keep me away from desire to eat lots and lots of chocolate while in the booth...we'll see :P

See you at the show! It starts today. We are in booth I-26

xo
penny

West Coast Love

 

It has been a really busy time for us at Domistyle. We have been going through many changes and with that a few bumps in the road. But it's the start of the frenzied holiday season and we couldn't be more excited to kick it all off with Circle Craft our fave west coast show.

It's the 39th annual Christmas Market and people come from all over to check out all the great artisans. We met one couple who travels 8 hours to attend the show and they haven't missed one in 10 years! It's such a wonderful community the people at Circle Craft have created.

"Circle Craft Co-operative is a unique BC Artist Cooperative dedicated to providing opportunities for craftspeople to connect with the community. Formed in 1972, Circle Craft has grown to become a major force in the marketing and promotion of quality craft, utilizing a ‘direct from the artist’ approach."

So, if you are in the Vancouver area, come by the market and say hello. We are in booth 348 this year. Hope to see you there!

xo
penny