i don’t know about you, but without my iphone and several handy apps, my online biz would suffer and i’d feel completely out of touch with you! whether you’re a blogger, crafster, indie biz owner or just a lover of all things creative, i think you’ll enjoy the apps above (they are my personal favorites!). however, i know you all have to have some favorites of your own. so go on, spill the beans! what are you favorite apps for creative souls?

1. paypal
2. instagram
3. etsy
4. dropbox
5. evernote
6. square
7. wordpress
8. pulse
9. pinterest
10. adobe photoshop express

after all these years, i’m still not comfortable with my camera in manual mode. ugh! maybe after i’m done reading this book i’ll be better, but until then i believe this handy dandy manual photography cheat sheet is going to help tremendously. head on over to living in the stills to read miguel’s helpful notes, then head over here if you’re interested in purchasing it.

discovered via rachael taylor’s beautiful boards.

winner chosen with the irandom iphone app.

speaking of tea, i am absolutely in love with these sugar doilies from sweet de ja vu. they are a flexible, edible lace that have a sweet, melt on your tongue, creamy taste. though i would be happy to simply have them on hand for cups of tea, hot cocoa and coffee, you could use these sweets just about anywhere. on desserts, cakes and cookies, oh my!

just in case you needed a little (or a lot of) inspiration. head on over the the magnificent shop, promo pocket to view these and many more!

this week i had the absolute privilege of trying the new tea for creatives: possibiliteas. started by a creative professional and tea enthusiast, regina brooks found that her custom blends of fine tea, florals and herbs made her feel more centered and had a positive effect on creative output. and guess what- they did for me, too!

for now, they come in three mind-focusing blends: creativitea, productivitea and claritea.

creativitea is made of chamomile, which calms the body and centers the mind and a mixture of lavender and lemon grass which help bring about more focus and insight.

claritea is a honey-gold brew of china green tea which helps you focus, brahmi that helps mental acuity and rosemary, which stimulates memory, balance and mental alertness.

productivitea (my favorite) is a blend of stimulating formosa oolong and nilgiri black teas. rooibos from south africa and organic chocolate from central america which helps fortify and energize.

the sole purpose of possibiliteas? to help enhance creative’s ability to put their imagination to work. a cup of possibiliteas can help bring your dreaming, planning and making all together!

i’ve been having a cup nearly every day, and i have enjoyed so much sitting down with a cup while i sketch or write! in addition to tasting incredibly-amazingly delicious, it really does seem to help my imagination flow!

visit possibiliteas and check out their blog, twitter and facebook pages while you’re at it. i think you’ll fall in love with their mission (and their teas!).

p.s. my sweet glass tea vessel came from one vessel!

many of you know that i have a love for journals, but this one from gadanke is especially unique. it’s handmade AND it’s specifically for creatives! it slowly helps you find inspiration and answer questions, unearthing the creative direction you’ve been searching for.

{a become journal in progress from gadanke}

as a creative journalist herself, the lovely katie of gadanke knows just how important it is to get your dreams and thoughts on paper. she’s so sweet, that she’s offered one become journal and refill pack to giveaway! filled with prompts and tidbits that make you think (and laugh!), her journals are thoughtful and eco-friendly (printed on 100% recycled papers)!

the become handmade journal includes:

* 76 pages of writing prompts
* mini envelopes with custom labels for exercises like writing a letter to your future (successful!) self
* carnival tickets, a hand-stamped teensy tag, and square embellishing stickers
* patterned papers from italy

your 35-piece refill kit includes:

* 21 mixed papers
* 1 recycled paper envelope
* 1 luggage tag
* 2 round kraft stickers
* 2 shaped paperclips
* 1 aeronautical chart page
* 2 library cards
* 1 library card pocket
* 1 30% recycled mini envelope
* 2 4×4 inch hand-cut patterned papers
* 1 italian textured paper

giving: become journal and 1 refill pack

deadline: giveaway ends sunday, may 20th at midnight, pst.  the winner will be drawn at random and announced here on monday, may 21st.

ways to enter:

head on over to gadanke and check out all the lovely journals, then let us know which one is your favorite and why!

like both going home to roost and gadanke on facebook, and leave another comment here letting us know you did so.

tweet the following, and leave another comment here letting us know you did so:

Unearth the creative direction you’ve been looking for. Enter to win this journal by @makingthishome on @gohometoroost! http://bit.ly/JN5ozk

happy friday, y’all! this week we got our very first csa box of the year -yaaahooooo! inside we found: snap peas, fava beans, cabbage, collard greens, strawberries, spinach, parsley, leeks, lettuce and broccoli. so that, my dears, are what you’ll find in this weeks recipes! hint: that’s probably what’s in season near you as well, so be looking for these items at your store or farmers market- they’ll have traveled less distance to get to you!

monday: husband’s healing stew (to help mend his collarbone!)
tuesday:  grilled veggie kabobs and a big ‘ol salad
wednesday: asparagus, snap pea and avocado pasta (leave off the parm!)
thursday: spinach spanakopita (our favorite this week!)
friday: orzo and snap pea salad with grilled fava beans

what was on your plate this week? any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

we follow a whole foods, plant based diet. the dinner ideas posts are a way for me to log our dinners, how we make eating this way easy, and hopefully inspire you to try some new things as well. they are always meat free, dairy free and often gluten free. you can follow the posts here, and i encourage you to share your favorite recipes with us as well!

vegan spinach spanakopita:

2 tbs water
1 cup chopped scallions
8 cups fresh spinach
1 1/2 cup drained herbed tofu feta (see below)
1/3 cup fresh dill
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbs fresh parsely
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
12 sheet phyllo pastry

directions:

1. add water to a large pot over medium heat, then add scallions and spinach. cook until spinach is wilted (you might have to add spinach in batches as they begin to wilt). once wilted, set aside and let drain, squeezing out as much moisture as possible.

2. in a large bowl, combine spinach, herbed feta, dill, nutritional yeast, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

3. preheat oven to 350°f. lay 1 sheet of phyllo pastry in the bottom of a lightly greased 9×13″ pan. brush a light layer of olive oil on the sheet, than add another. continue layering in this way (brushing between each sheet) until you have 6 sheets down.

4. spread the spinach mixture evenly in the pan and continue the layering process with 6 more phyllo sheets.

5. sprinkle the top with water to keep the sheets from curling and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top become lightly browned. enjoy!

above is the recipe for the herbed tofu feta. it’s amazing! make it ahead of time and use it on salads and anytime feta would be called for. yum!

i just can’t express to you the appreciation and gratitude i feel for each of you who read my things i’m afraid to tell you post earlier this week. your comments made my day.. no, my week.. no, my year!

many of you say that i inspire you, but the truth is that you inspire me. above are just a few of the comments (or excerpts from comments) from you all this week that i found incredibly inspiring. i swear i have the best readers in all the blogosphere!

i loved putting this together so much, i might just have to make this a regular column as well. you.all.are.so.inspiring. thank you!

love, bonnie

design inspired by the latest vegnews magazine.