under 600 sf? could you live here?

ah, Europe. 

okay: Europe & Japan. 

well, okay: Europe, Japan & New York. 

lands of super-tiny living spaces. 

You know how the camera adds 10 pounds? The same theory works with square feet (at least with a seasoned photographer). I'm sure it looks bigger & brighter in the pictures than it really is. The shot is taken at maybe 4' high...had it been taken at normal person eye level...well, I'm just being mean when I'm really not trying to...

So ignore me being all cynical here. I still find it difficult to believe that this apartment in Stockholm is less than 600 square feet. It's really well done. So long as I got to go out a lot (um, & traveled back in time before the fam), I think I could manage.

 

But then again, Sweden, I have a sweet spot for you. You brought me IKEA and Alexander Skarsgård. 

So what do you think? Could you live here?

pictures & article found via freshome

two words: sushi & bazooka

How freakin' cool?! Problem is, I would need to invite friends over to help me finish off all my experiments. Okay, so maybe that's not such a problem and a cause for celebration!

buy on Amazon.
found (including image) via Lost At E Minor.

the to-do's are stacking up!

I will not have time to whimper much about Summer winding down. New pieces! New styles! Fall & holiday show applications deadlines to meet.

Bring it.

behind the scenes...

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. This weekend was the ICE summer show & if you were waiting in line early enough (like these people), then you most likely snagged yourself a Cardinal House goody (one of the above) in their famous swag bags.

I've also been busy on a couple new lines that step away from all of the relaxed floral pieces. Don't fret, the flowers are not going away! I just wanted to have a line or two that are more modern in style.

Here's a sneak peek of me test driving one of the new necklaces:

Also in the next couple of weeks, I will have my first lookbook ready to go. AND, I'll have the catalog & site ready to go for retailers! Yay!


Now. I'll also be doing some updates in the shop these next few weeks. To get ready for that, I'll be promoting some exclusive deals on the CH Facebook page this week. Expect some auction-type sales with bids starting at $1 (+ $3 shipping)!



What have you been working on lately (besides a tan)?!

xoxo
-Kat.

HAVE-A-HEART (necklace), will you?!

HAVE-A-HEART (necklace), will you? 

Portion of all proceeds from the HAVE-A-HEART collection go to charity.

Shop HERE!

Connect with Kat:

Minuet necklaces in 9 different colors!

Hand wrapped vintage beaded necklace.

17", 21" or 30" long.

Available in 9 different colors.

Shop HERE.

Connect with Kat:

Cardinal House giveaway!

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!

Comment with some love below for a chance to win this grass green Garland Necklace! :)

Additional entries:

♥ share the Cardinal House love on Facebook & leave a comment below...

♥ pin this on Pinterest & include link in a comment below...

♥ go on a scavenger hunt in the Cardinal House shop & leave a comment below with your favorite goodie...

♥ tweet the Cardinal House love on Twitter & leave comment below...

(see the theme about leaving comments?!)

♥ blog some Cardinal House love & leave the link below...

Winner announced Thursday! Ready, go!

(US only; Garland Necklace $32 value)



Connect with Kat:

food fix. balsamic chicken with spinach & gnocchi with artichokes & sun-dried tomatoes.

adapted from Publix - Apron's recipe Balsamic Chicken with Baby Greens and Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi. 

Note: el kiddo really loves helping out in the kitchen, so I try to involve him as much as possible...I'll let you know when...

For the chicken:
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut each in half)
- sea salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- Herbes de Provence (mine came pre-mixed from Whole Foods, but you can fake your own from this)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (mine came from Trader Joe's)
- up to 1 bag (approx 7-10 oz) of baby spinach (I keep spinach on hand for everything- for sandwiches, salads- so I just use up whatever I have left in the bag)

1. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. (NOTE: I usually let el kiddo grind the salt & pepper over while I hold the chicken...he keeps his hands off the raw chicken & my hands make fewer trips to the scorching kitchen sink!)
2. Drizzle some oil in the pan (a couple times around the pan), then add chicken and cover; cook a few minutes on each side.
3. Add a couple pinches of the Herbes de Provence. Add the vinegar & spinach; rotate chicken to top of greens and cover. Remove from heat; let stand 1–2 minutes or until greens are wilted. Serve.

For the gnocchi:
- 3/4 typical can artichoke hearts (coarsely chopped) (um, we have BIG ♥ for artichokes at our casa...prolly about only 1/2 the can actually made it in with the pasta...el kiddo takes his snacking privileges seriously in the kitchen)
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (coarsely diced)
- 1 (14-oz) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2-1/2 cups water
about 16-oz gnocchi pasta (whatever type you prefer- or can find. This time it was a basic semolina pasta *the only one* from Kroger's, but we really like the potato kind)
- 1 tbsp butter
- couple handfuls of shredded Parmesan, Asiago, or Percorino (again, your preference...we use whatever wedge we shredded down most recently)

1. Reserve 1/4 cup of the chicken broth; set aside. Combine remaining broth (about 1 1/2 cups) and water; cover and bring to boil on high for gnocchi. (I let el kiddo do all the pouring & monitoring duties)
2. Add gnocchi to boiling broth mixture (if needed, separate gnocchi before dropping into water). Cook and stir 4 minutes or until tender. (HINT: they float when ready)
3. Drain gnocchi. Return empty saucepan to medium-high heat. Place remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth, artichokes, and tomatoes in pan; cook 2–3 minutes or until heated. (I let el kiddo help out here- but he knows all of the stove & oven rules- he's 9, FYI)
4. Gently stir gnocchi, butter, and cheese into tomato mixture; cook 1 more minute or until butter and cheese melts. Serve. (El kiddo helps with the stirring. And we sprinkle just a bit more cheese on the gnocchi once plated)

Sooo good.

Serves 3-4. And for a realistic approach to how many this serves...
It fed the two of us twice. Had the BF been here...it would've fed the three of us once or left a small-portioned sized lunch for me the next day.

Acworth Art Fest - Spring 2012

So, it should be said that el kiddo really wasn't mad about me taking the picture. He said that it's because I made him do it there in the sun. Whoops. And that reminds me that we still need to do that scavenger hunt for his sunglasses too!

I don't want to offend here, because it's not that we had a bad time or that it was a bad show...overall, it just wasn't our favorite sort-of show.... And, really, I think it's that I expected a little more from the Splash Festivals that coordinates this show & two others in the ATL area. I was hoping that this & the others would be a potential for me participating in & now I feel let down.

So, why am I disappointed...from a vendor's point of view? 
1) The vendors page on their site only lists their actual names...not the business names...and no links to the vendor websites. Sorry, but that is a little pet-peeve of mine because I had to do a lot of google-searching to match up some of the artists I liked!

2) There was a decent kids' play area (not the inflatables, but one of those gym buses & crafty-type areas), but no other entertainment for the big 'kids'. Some local music would have been great to listen to while we strolled the vendor booths. Oh, and did I mention that the kiddie craft area was trimmed out in pinks & purples....my SON didn't want to gt infected with girl cooties. just sayin'....

3) A lot of the same. I saw multiple booths with VERY similar items. Do you know how disappointing that can be for a vendor?  Visitors come looking for unique & not-likely-to-find-elsewhere items at these arts & craft shows. When they see 2 or more booths with what casually looks to be the same thing...well, what a jip...  :(


Okay, okay. But I did see some work worth mentioning.

My favorite artist was Thomas Burns & his vintage travel poster spin to Atlanta area landmarks (like Marietta's big chicken- above left), well-known hot spots (like The Vortex in L5P- above center), or the holiday pink pig train at *now* Macy's (above right). If you don't get it, well, then you don't know jack about the ATL.

I also really liked the jewelry by Silver Handles made from well old silverware!

And we can't have jewelry made from silverware without more made from broken china pieces! And these are handmade...not bought pre-set from one of the jewelry supply companies (I'm such a meanie, huh?!). Go check out the rest of her stuff at Cracked Up Jewelry (cute name- lol).



I plan on going to the Dunwoody Festival on Mother's Day weekend, which is also hosted by Splash Festivals. We'll see how that one goes...if nothing else, I know it's going to be close enough to grab some fabulous grub from the Village Burger (one of my FAV burger joints)!

Alpharetta Arts Streetfest - Alpharetta, GA - Spring 2012

We had a great time out at the Alpharetta Arts Streetfest yesterday. Actually, we enjoy coming out to this one each year. It's a smaller Atlanta suburb type of show...but compact in a good way. There's a good amount of nearby (and free!) parking...entrance is free. And you automatically hear the music once you reach the perimeter. I like that, because it's infectious & draws me in.

And this show always has a good variety of artists & lots of interaction between everyone. That's a HUGE plus. This is a show that I'd like to try out.

I noticed a lot of texturally heavy art here. Not just from KenzArt Creations (which was built up out of old magazines!), but there were many of the oil landscapes canvases were loaded with such three-dimensional textures that almost gave them an abstract quality. And others that were built up from mixed media on the canvases. But they all had their individual qualities...so big applause to the coordinators of the show for keeping with diversity.

The Sheep Incognito art by Conni Togel (her cute card shown above) was el kiddo's clear favorite. He got really excited by Hairy Potter (which you can see in the background next to that guy's shoulder!). We both thought that the oh-so clever names were very punny too! The sheer number of pieces she has makes my head spin. Seriously, go check them out HERE.

I thought that the glass art by Lisa Mote was exceptional. And truly unlike the typical stained glass; notice that they're fused together & are one 'sheet' of glass. The colors were dazzling out in the sun.

These pieces by Michael Bryant are larger than what they seem in this picture. And he lucked out with a corner spot, so they REALLY stood out. There were many people stopping to ignore the real cheery clouds in the sky to stop and take in his art with a look of 'awe' on their faces.

The artwork by Sean Huntington was my favorite of the show. How absolutely fantastic are those edges?! I LOVE it! And the art is actually watercolor (and not some typical grandmother's floral vase or landscape so often seen in that medium). But it's on watercolor paper which he then applies to the canvases. There's a lot of creativity, love & time spent on these pieces. And they have this great bold & graphic nature that really appeals to me. Great conversation pieces. And Sean was so great to talk to too. He'll be at this weekend's Atlanta Dogwood Festival, which I'll be stopping by on Sunday.



Okay, guys. Do you LIKE CARDINAL HOUSE ON FACEBOOK? If not, you're missing out on weekly Monday giveaways & daily deals given the rest of the week!

Festival On Ponce - Atlanta, GA - Spring 2012

As a kid, I helped my grandmother out in her booth at arts & crafts shows across the Southeast. Now, I've finally made up my mind to carry on & start doing my own shows. Of course, there is something like sticker-shock when you start looking at the costs involved. So, I'm checking out the Atlanta area shows as some research to decide if certain ones are duds.

Anyways. So yesterday we checked out the Spring Festival On Ponce show in Decatur area of Atlanta. It's one of those over the $200 mark for a booth. And it does get good foot traffic...but I didn't notice too many people actually buying. Yeah, there were some...I'm just not sure that I have warm fuzzies about making up the booth fee & then some.

Of course the, what I like to call, Food Truck Alley was hoppin' with a non-stop stream of customers...but that's always the case with festivals & food vendors.

By the way, we tried out the gourmet grilled cheese & pastrami/corned beef sandwiches at the Rolling Reubens food truck & they were delicious. And, as our tradition requires, we sampled a couple new flavors from the King of Pops stand. The strawberries-n-cream & the chocolate/sea salt pops did not disappoint.

See, I think that's one happy customer. ;)

Now, don't think I forgot about the actual artists. These three were my favorites.

First, Shijun H. Munns' art has this very dreamy like quality. Very feminine...very serene. Her art caught my eye, honestly, because she actually had numerous pieces featuring black cats that reminded me of my awesome feline, Oslo.

Take a 180 from her work is that of Thomas Chavalia's booth. I took a few year's worth of black & white photography & am always partial to that at art shows. His work is very gritty and urban feel. The distressed look on his B/W transfers add to the decay of his subjects. I know this art isn't for everyone, but I have this love of art capturing of moment in time of a subject that was once whole, but is now ravaged with time. It reminds me that we our time on this earth is a fleeting thing.

Sarah Kargol's art cracked el kiddo and me both. Her reinterpretation of Vermeer's Girl with Pearl Earring (her version above in first image in post) caught my eye immediately considering I studied art history back in college. Then right next to that, she had her version of one of my fav's: Hopper's Nighthawks. And what monster themed art wouldn't be complete without a spoof on one of Coolidge's Dog Playing Poker series (above)? I didn't see a link to her Etsy shop on her site, but you can shop her work on Etsy HERE. Love them!


Today we are going to check out Alpharetta Arts Streetfest. It's smaller than Ponce's, but usually packed with people. I'll share any good finds with you.

Also, stay tuned, because so long as the weather cooperates, I'll be bringing Cardinal House goodies out to The Midway Pub this next Saturday (4/21) for the East Atlanta Village Earth Day Festival Arts & Crafts show.

Like free goodies?

Flower headband. Current giveaway going on today only!! Go get it now!