Nine years ago, almost to the day, I started this blog. At first, it was a hey-mom-and-dad blog. Kev and I were freshly married and had just moved from Dallas to Chicago. A blog seemed like an efficient way to let our families know what we were up to. By the second or third post, I was typing out recipes, mostly the baked variety, with a side of crafting and knitting.
This post is sponsored by Delta® Faucet. Their new ShieldSpray™ Technology cuts through stubborn messes with a concentrated stream and reduces splatter with an innovative water shield, so you can power off the mess without making a bigger one. See what Delta can do.
A couple Christmas’s after starting, my dad gave me his old DSLR. (An aside: I used that very same camera up until last year, when my friend Lindsay convinced me it was time to upgrade.) Kev was supposed to be my fancy camera guy until we realized he has very unsteady hands. The camera stabilizing technology was no good back then (and there was no room for a tripod in our tiny condo). So I had to fire him. Many years later (like two years ago), I hired him back. Actually, he hired himself in a new position. But that’s a story for another day.
Nine years ago, I fell in love with blogging over a point-and-shoot camera, over yellow-toned, artificially-lit images, over making everyone else’s recipes, and posting whenever inspiration hit. I fell out of love with magazines. They were so pretty but too unrealistic. Blogs were real. I was craving real.
But like anything that grows older and matures (especially wine), it gets better with age. Until we find ourselves right back where we started—to the magazines. Beautiful and well done things aren’t bad. It’s good to get better. But is beautiful real?
Inadvertently, we often communicate just as much by what we don’t say. When you only see my highlight reel, the beautiful things, you begin to wonder if my house is ever messy. If my relationships are complicated. If I eat frozen pizza. If I lose my cool with Hal or Kev. If I deal with self-doubt. If I clean my own toilets. If I have fine lines and grey hair. If my pie crusts ever shrink. The answer is of course.
I have messes too (the literal and figurative kind), even when I don’t mention them. So, I’m pulling back the fancy camera that now sits on a tripod to show the beauty and the mess.
The Faucet
In October, I got the chance to visit the Food52 headquarters to see the newest Delta Faucet technology. I’m a sloooow adopter when it comes to new technologies in the kitchen. So I was a little nervous to try something new.
Like an iPhone without a home button, change takes some getting used to. But I’m beginning to love this matte black beauty. The Touch20® on and off technology is so amazing, especially while making pizza dough with flour all over my hands. Forearm bumps and cheeks work to turn the faucet on and off too. The ShieldSpray™ Technology took the most getting used to, but once you learn how to use it properly (up close and not pulled back, whoops!), it’s magic. See the video for proof.
Get the recipes:
Butternut Squash Soup
Blender Hummus
Mambo Taxi
POST SOURCES Matte Black Esque Delta Faucet | Soap Bottle DIY | Soap Bottles | Linen Striped Towel | Dish Brush | Olive Oil Bottle | Foil Dispenser (vintage) | White Enamel Bowls | Seafoam Enamel Bowls | Flower Vase (former candle) | Grandview Sconce
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Delta Faucet. The opinions and text are all mine.
I am looking at matte black faucets and I was wondering if it was a high-maintenance finish (ie – difficult to keep looking clean)? I have some concerns regarding water spots and mineral deposits.
Hi Jen! It’s been so easy to keep clean. I wipe it down every so often with a damp dishtowel. No streaks or spots. The longer we’ve had this faucet, the more I love it. We look like crazy people when we go to friends’ houses and try to tap the faucet on with no luck. Ha! I love the long hose that can get into the corners of the sink and the spray features. The spray features do take a bit of getting used to, but now that I know how to control them, I love them. Basically, I’ve been really surprised by how much I love this faucet. Even recommended it to a friend redoing her kitchen. You have my two thumbs up on this one!
That faucet is gorgeous! I love reading about the past of the blog and looking at where you are now. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love everything about this! The video was such a great inside peek into your work. Beautifully done! Also, can we talk about that black faucet!! LOVE IT!
Ummm. You make Mambo Taxis. How about Mambo Limousines?
Oh my gosh, how did I miss you live in Dallas?!! I grew up in Plano for half my youth! I’ve yet to try a Mambo Limousine. Sounds like I need to get some Chambord!
Spot on post. I agree with your perspective on we begin seeing things.
Love the faucet!! We are currently planning our interiors for a townhouse and I want matte black faucets, this is definitely on my list for the kitchen sink, thanks for sharing!
Love your kitchen! The faucet looks great, and I really want the touch technology to turn it on and off. Do you find that it comes on at unwanted times (i.e. when you just intended to change the pressure, cleaning it)? Thanks for sharing!
Hi! Love the post! Question, I’m at the point where my photos are poorly done with bad artifical lighting, lol. Are there any photography resources you would recommend to a fellow (small but growing) blogger?
How do you label your bottles? I love your vinegar and oil bottles too! Did you label those the same way?
Hi! There’s a link to the DIY buried in the Post Sources at the bottom of this post. It’s sorta hidden. I used that DIY for both bottles. You’ll find links to the bottles and stickers in the sources too. We LOVE those soap bottles! I put one in my bathroom too.