tell love and chocolate

LOVE: Adorable Flats

2012-01-27T09:00:00.001-08:00

I am pretty much in LOVE with these freesia flats from Seychelles.

I cant decide...I kind of want all three colors :) I need opinions...which color do you like?

CHOCOLATE? : Cream Cheese Pumpkin Cupcakes

2012-01-26T11:22:00.000-08:00

During the holidays I stock up on canned pumpkin! why you ask? Well because this treat here is one of my all time favorite, and I want to be fully prepared to make them at any time, any where.

Generally I make these in "loaf" form. But every now and again I change it up and make them into mini cupcakes.

Recipe for the pumpin cupcakes:

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour
8 ounces canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

-mix pumpkin, eggs and sugar together first. In a separate bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients and combine with pumpkin mixture. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease the cupcake pan. The cooking time varies...I only had to cook mine for about 8 min. But keep an eye...make sure they dont get overcooked.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

(now I have slowly perfected this frosting...not too sugary and just enough cream cheese!)

8 ounces softened cream cheese
3 cup confectionars' sugar
3 tablespoons margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk

Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost away. I shaved some dark chocolate and sprinkled it on the top of each cupcake

LOVE: Baby Lit Board Books

2012-01-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

Have you seen these clever, adorable books?

They are the Baby Lit Board Books! I am dying over the art, and the whole idea is too cute! Thanks to the genius combined talent of Jennifer Adams (author) and Alison Oliver (illustrator) we can now read some famous classics to our sweet little babes. You can buy them here.

LOOK at the adorable spilling from each page...

love them...gotta buy them!

TELL: Bad Week

2012-01-19T23:29:00.000-08:00

FIRST...our little man got sick! His temperature got up to 104 degrees and his breathing was short and wheezing, so the doctor told us to go to the ER.

Poor little guy, lots of poking, prodding and crying.

But he was okay!

He fell asleep on the hospital bed (I had to stop my snuggling to take some pictures)

Look at his tiny hospital gown!

It makes me so happy to see him back to his usual self again!

SECOND: We got sick (with the stomach flu)....yes WE. Which means we were both miserable, wanting to die, and had to take care of our now healthy happy, very lively little man. It was the hardest, most exhausting 2 days.
(sorry no pics of us ha ha they would NOT be as cute)

Phew! We are all healthy and better now! I seriously have not been sick in about 2 years (well not counting my puky pregnancy). I am so thankful for health...to see my family healthy and happy and not somber with a high fever or head in the toilet.

TELL: A New Year

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

wow it is already 11 days into a brand new year and I am already slacking on my blogging...way to start out with a bang ha ha!

well new years eve this year was pleasantly fun! We decided to invite over some friends and throw a very last min new years bash. So we told everyone to dress as ridiculous as they could, bought some streamers, confetti and poppers and it was officially a party. It also included a crazy fireworks show, courtesy of our friend Greg.

and now for our photo montage...

nice beard Austin...yes he shaved it especially nasty for this party

I was really proud of my royal blue pant suit with a sparkle bib shirt...only $5 from goodwill and on the tag it said "pride and joy". Yes, that is right, my outfit is by pride and joy... and that sums up how I felt about it.

dont forget the sparkle new years hat and crazy bangs! Now that makes an outfit!

now although it was last min I just had to do something fun with my streamers....

here is my DIY photo wall/ decorations

I used streamers and plastic table cloths...I swooped up the streamers to create a curtain effect and then this was where we put all the drinks and food.

Then when it was time for pictures...I put it down and it turned into a fun backdrop (as you can see from above)

here are my supplies for the table cloths streamers:

-plastic rectangle table cloth

-scissors

-thumb tacks

I laid out the table cloth and left most of it folded (the long ways)...then cut it in strips leaving about 6 inches along the top. I unfolded them. I did this with two different colors and hung them on top of each other. I used 4 table cloths in total

I hung them up and then added some color by hanging a few additional streamers. I also made and draped some ruffle streamers, the tutorial is from here

A happy (late) new years to everyone!

LOVE: New Years and some serious decorations

2011-12-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

Its almost new years! Time to decorate and have a PARTY!

When I think of decorations for new years three things come to mind, confetti, streamers and balloons!

These balloon decorations from Geronimo are just PERFECT.

Here is a fun DIY on how to make ruffle streamers from MADE

these installations from CONFETTISYSTEM pretty much blow my mind!

here is a DIY for some confetti streamers of your own, and another one over here.

and I am currently in awe/dying over this curtain...

now lets not forget actual confetti...or should I say confetti eggs!

love these colors (pics from here )

and a DIY over here from Oh Happy Day

hope this has inspired you for some New Years Party greatness!

TELL: Christmas lookback

2011-12-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

Oh it makes me sad...my all time favorite time of the year has come to and end. But I enjoyed every min!

This is what we did this holiday:

-Manhattan Beach Christmas open house

-looked at amazing christmas lights

-drank peppermint hot chocolate (while acting stupid in front of the christmas tree)

-(snuggled up and) watched favorite movies like:

Family Stone

The Santa Clause

Its a Wonderful life

Miracle on 34th st

and

A Christmas Story

-Watched the Balboa boat parade

-went to christmas parties

-got to wear some awesome ugly christmas outfits

-saw Santa

-Made Christmas cookies

-Spent time with family and friends

-Watched our sweet boy get to open his first present (ha ha he wasn't very excited, but he is only 10 months old)

-listened to Christmas music non stop

-went to Christmas concerts

-ate lots and lots and LOTS of chocolate and other delicious treats

-And spent time cherishing what is truly important this season

LOVE: Wrapping

2011-12-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

I think packaging is EVERYTHING! As long as something is wrapped in pretty paper or in an adorable box/bag I instantly love it, regardless of what is inside

So for anyone still needing to wrap a few extra christmas gifts I love these ideas:

DIY gift bags made with wallpaper...LOVE THIS! From Oh Happy Day

I am kind of a paper fanatic...I might have a problem. I just cant pass up good wrapping paper. So these wrapping sets are SUCH a must for my christmas presents this year.

from Pleased to meet ( a cute german store)

TELL: Santa and Grandma

2011-12-16T09:08:00.000-08:00

This past week my mom was down visiting us. And while she was here we had to do those good ole Santa Pictures. Our little guy wasn't scared at all....until after all the pictures when he finally looked back at who's lap he was sitting on ha ha

After Santa we just had to take the cheesy pics in front of the tree

Bye Grandma we miss you!

LOVE: cold weather, warm coats

2011-12-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

Yes you all know how much I love J. Crew, so I wont go on and on about my true obsession for them. But I must say my all time favorite thing (this time of year) are their coats. They are so classy...AND beautiful AND warm.

via: J.Crew

TELL: SPARKLY Christmas Cookies

2011-12-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

I am not a huge glittery person...BUT when its christmas I say bring on the GLITTER, the SPARKLES, the GLIZ and the TWINKLE.

And these right here made it all possible. Thanks again to Wilton (what would I do without you...seriously!)

I liked these colors, they are more muted. The red is more of a raspberry color and the green more minty.

So thanks to glittery sprinkles... Rudolph's nose has a twinkle, Christmas bulbs sparkle and the snowmen wear some very fashionable hats!

Just a rule of thumb...do the non sprinkled frosting first. Let it dry. Then put on the frosting where you want the sprinkles, pour on the goodness and let dry.

Also always outline the cookie first and then fill in. After that I usually smooth it out a little with a butter knife.

Here is the cookie recipe...(from joy of cooking)

Combine and whisk together:

3 1/4 Cups Flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat until fluffy

20 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (2 1/2 sticks)

1 cup sugar (I added a little extra)

then add:

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Gradually add flour mixture.

Divide the dough into two and place each ball of dough in between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the dough so that it is 1/4 inch thick. I like them pretty thick, then the cookies are softer after baking. Then refrigerate until cold and firm about 30 min.

Bring out dough, peal away parchment paper to loosen and then start cutting. Repeat the rolling of the dough and place back into fridge while working with the other dough and keep alternating so they stay cold and firm until finished.

Bake for about 6-9 min at 375 degrees

Royal Icing:

4 cups Powdered sugar

3 tablespoons Meringue powder

6 tablespoons water

mix all together...depending on the consistency you can add more water...but do so gradually so not to make it too watery.

Supplies:

-Wilton 10in decorating bag

-Wilton tips: #1, #2, #3

-Wilton Icing colors: Kelly Green, Red, Brown and Black

TELL: Should have...

2011-12-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

This should have been our christmas card picture!

ha ha so scary but oh so awesome!

TELL: Christmas Pictures

2011-12-08T12:29:00.000-08:00

yes we late till the last min...but here are some of our Christmas pics :) (Christmas cards to come)

I love these two guys SOOO much!! I am so thankful for my wonderful family and for my son who is now walking...WHAT?? why so quickly?

CHOCOLATE: Gooey Caramel CHOCOLATE bars

2011-12-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

oh yummy caramel!

So I have this book... Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor. The name says it all, its jam packed with the most delicious gooey yummy, make you drool desserts. And its an adorable book to just look at. One of my favorites are her GOOEY CARAMEL BUTTER BARS. Now in NO way are these good for you, but are they worth those few extra holiday pounds? oh YES!

The Recipe:

makes about 15 large bars or 30 small

Now of course knowing me I had to tweak a few things...

it was imperative that I add (dark) chocolate...I thought it gave these bars that extra dose of delish!

Ingredients for the crust:

1 Pound butter (4 sticks)

1 Cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

For the filling:

1 bag of caramels, or a bunch of tiny bags (at least 50 caramels in all)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup walnuts

Powdered sugar and dark chocolate for dusting.

to make the crust:

combine butter and sugars, beat together until creamy. Add vanilla and salt, then sift in the flour until it forms a soft dough

grease a 9x13 pan press about 1/3 to 1/2 of the dough to the bottom of the pan. Pat the remaining dough into a flat disc and refrigerate for about 30 min or until firm

Preheat oven to 325 and put the crust in for about 20 min or once you see the sides a golden brown. Let cool

Place the caramels in a bowl for the microwave or in a double broiler on the stove. Add in the Cream and vanilla and salt and melt until smooth.

Pour the caramel onto the crust, then sprinkle on the pecans and walnuts. Take the remaining dough, break it up into small pieces and crumble it on top of the caramel and nuts. Return it to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumble is golden (about 30 min)

The dark chocolate I added before I sprinkled on the powdered sugar. I melted it in a double broiler added a little bit of olive oil to make it easier to drip. And then I went to town covering those sweet bars with my all time favorite treat.

once they have cooled dust on powdered sugar...then EAT!

TELL: Pics of Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T15:58:00.001-08:00

Here are just a few random pictures from my phone of our thanksgiving trip...

all bundled because it was SOOOOO cold

Dylan was such a good older cousin

picture with cousin Madi

LOVE: Gifted Magazine

2011-11-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

I talked about this last year, and I am going to talk about it again! Gifted Magazine from Creature Comforts. Stop everything and read this because I am pretty sure it is the greatest magazine for the holidays. Sometimes I feel stumped on what to give co workers, friends and even my husband (he is pretty hard to shop for). But have no fear because this magazine is the complete cure for the horrible "I'm stumped" syndrome. It is filled with the most adorable gift ideas...I literally love every page. It inspires me on what gifts to give...and makes me want some for myself as well! (I cant help it, there are so many cute things)

I have officially added this to my must read magazines for the holidays (the other being Martha Stewart Christmas.)

TELL: Thankful!

2011-11-24T21:15:00.000-08:00

Today is thanksgiving! And while I was eating this...

I was thinking about all the things I am thankful for!

My husband and sweet baby boy

amazing family

wonderful friends

warm place to sleep at night

my health and the good health of those that I love

Laughter

Love

This Beautiful Earth

My Savior Jesus Christ

And this time of year, that always reminds me what is truly important!

I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving, filled with...lots of eating, love and gratitude!

p.s we saw about 6 live turkeys today in the woods...very daring to be out and about on such a delicious holiday :)

pic via: epicurious

LOVE: Always Kate...

2011-11-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

wow I have not blogged in a bit, the reason? Well just...life... I guess. Although I have nothing exciting to share, no fun trips or cool outings. Just cleaning, working and being a mom ha ha isn't that excuse enough? Anywho...

tis the season...FOR COLOR! I love Kate Spade.

Their new colorful line and campaign is adorable as always. It gets me so excited for holiday parties...now if only someone would give me a couple thousand so I could buy some of their clothes. Anyone?

here are a few of my favs

TELL: Thankful Tree

2011-11-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for SO many things! And since this is the month of Thanksgiving I wanted to do something in our house that really made us reflect on giving thanks. I saw this on pinterest and knew I had to make it...

The Thankful Tree

This costs next to nothing.

Here is a list of the supplies:

- different colored paper (thick/ card stock)

-Martha Stewart paper punch (from Michaels..with the 40% coupon it was only $5)

-Branches (I got these from a park by my house)

-Large Mason Jar

-Twine

-hole punch (so your circles can slide onto each branch)

I put a bunch of the circles on the tree for the picture, but the idea is to write something you are thankful for and THEN put it on the tree. The rules are you MUST put at least one on a day...but there is no limit to how many you can do. I just keep all of the cut out circles in a little jar next to the tree. Then throughout the month watch your tree fill up!

Then at the end of the month you can sit down as a family and read what they all say.

LOVE: 25 ways to wear a scarf

2011-11-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Creature Comforts and felt I HAD to share...

This video is adorable, creative, informative and SO perfect for fall!

Who knew there were so many ways to wear a scarf. I am excited to change things up a bit :)

TELL: Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

Our little stinker! Yes our little man was a skunk for Halloween...and us? Well we were the Critter Control (ha ha very last min AND we had clothes pins on our noses...but I completely forgot to put them on for the pictures...bummer!)

A few phone pictures from later that night...

We went downtown to the pier, they had lots of fun things for kids...petting zoo, bounce houses, trick or treating and games. Our little skunk is too small for all that stuff but it was fun to look at costumes and hang with friends.

there are those clothes pins...and dont you like my scary Halloween eyes?

Jack skeleton...best costume we saw!

all ready for bed...last night in my skeleton pj's

TELL: Monster Cookies!

2011-10-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

Monster as in grrrrrr not Monster like HUGE. Although I do like a HUGE cookie every now and again (okay that is a lie, I ALWAYS like huge cookies).

SOOO I know that Halloween weekend is upon us and I have waited till the last min to make these...but better late then never right?

Remember when I made these? Well I wanted to do more Halloween cookies this year but I lent my cookie cutters out to someone and still have not tracked them down. SO I had to be creative...and work with what I had.

I decided to use these two cookie cutters....Christmas Wreath and "biscuit" ha ha yes that is the official name.

Other supplies:

-Sugar cookies...find the recipe here

Royal Frosting recipe...here

-Wilton 10in decorating bag

-Wilton tips: #233, #2, #3

-Wilton Icing colors: Kelly Green, Peach, Violet and Pink

Here is a little trick (well I am sure everyone knows about this...BUT if you dont its great!)

When putting your icing in the decorating bag I always put it in plastic wrap first. You just glop the frosting on some plastic wrap

like so...

then you roll it up and twist the ends. I tie one end and then cut the other. Then I put it straight into the pastry bag. It is SO much easier to clean and if you need to swap out colors it is much faster.

Now for the fun part...so with the wreaths I made the bows either a hair bow for the girl monsters or bow ties for the boys. All I do is outline the design and then color it in, the great thing about royal icing is it settles nicely so even if they are a little messy they smooth out. Then I used the wilton tip #233 (which is used a lot for grass) and made the fuzzy monster with the peach color.

then I made their faces...

for eye brows or eye lashes I used food writer pens

I just love all these guys...cute monsters :)

TELL: To the pumpkin patch we go...

2011-10-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

Apple cider and donuts, hay bails, farms, pumpkins, and friends. THIS is how we spent our Saturday.

We met up with our friends at Oak Glen, it is a magical place (at least for me when it comes to my obsession with the holidays) with a bunch of "U pick" farms... from apples and berries to pumpkins and flowers. We stopped first to sample some, most delicious, (free) apple cider, and then Hudd (picture below) bought a bag of the world famous apple donuts. Now on a side note...I hate donuts...yes its very weird and I have received much ridicule for this. BUT these were YUMMY! Maybe because they were crunchy, fresh, warm and tasted like apples? Who knows, but I liked them.

Then off we went to Riley's farm to pick our pumpkin. Their pumpkin patches were wonderful! We have decided this is our new pumpkin picking tradition.

friends in a wheelbarrow

ha ha dont worry he loved every min of this...even though it looks frightening

soooo much fun, everything I could have hoped for and more!

LOVE: cozy, cute socks

2011-10-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

I am kind of a sandal girl, well its probably because I live in California and it is the most comfortable. BUT when the weather starts to get colder, I love myself a nice pair of socks. Thank you madewell for these adorable pairs!

LOVE: bookcases

2011-10-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

I love books...and I LOVE when they look all pretty sitting on a fabulous bookcase

apartment therapy, visualize, twighome, re-nest, vivaamore, Acoustic Garden, yeah write

TELL: Time to Decorate!

2011-10-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Weeeeeeeee (that was a squeal of joy). I LOVE the holidays! I am sure I have mentioned that on numerous occasions. So now that Halloween is almost here it was time to do some decorating. I dont have too much stuff, so this year I thought I would MAKE some decorations.

First was the garland... ( I wasn't feeling the whole purple orange and black theme...so I went for more orange greens and yellows)

crows I made myself

Bats I got from here...this Halloween poem/sign

yay a little Halloween cheer!

Here are a few how to's for what I did...

So, I saw this sign with a cute Halloween poem at a store for about $30 and thought... I can make that! And I did, for only $8.

The sign.

Supplies from Home Depot:

---------------------------------------------

-wood that was 10 feet by 2 1/2"

-Another piece that was smaller and thicker (for the back)

-Wire Brads/nails 1-1/4"

-Glidden paint color- cinnamon stick

I had them cut the wood into 14" pieces and the other piece of wood into two pieces that were 20" long. I nailed the 14" planks on. I didn't line up the pieces...I thought it looked better that way. I painted the board, sanded it and made it look more antique like. Now came the LONG and time consuming part. I used some stencils I got from Michaels, penciled in the poem, then painted it over with black.

TA DA!

Garland...super super easy! I bought fabric quarters at a fabric store...and twine from Home Depot.

I cut them into 2" by 8" and then tied them onto the twine. ha ha nothing fancy :)

its not all that exciting, but festive enough for now :)

TELL: Family Video

2011-10-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

The other day when we went to the park and took pictures...we also filmed and documented our little guy. So Austin, being the talented and amazing husband that he is, made this cute video of all of us :)

CHOCOLATE: Package love

2011-10-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

I love chocolate...but I also love chocolate in great packaging!

Here are a few that I think are wonderful.

via: the dieline

TELL: Family

2011-10-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

The other day our little family went to the park...we also snapped a few pics :)

TELL: Canning 101

2011-09-29T16:19:00.000-07:00

I have never canned anything before...well that isn't true I think I helped my mom can something when I was 5 (but that doesn't count).

So... my friend bought 20 pounds of strawberries for $5 (crazy good deal) and since she is so amazing she brought over about 1/2 for me, they were perfect for jam...nice, ripe and a little squishy. And so it was time to take a crash corse in canning. With some help from my friend, and the internet, it was a success.

The recipe

(found on allrecipes.com, but I altered mine a little. I didn't want quite so much sugar)

2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled

3 cups sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

(I liked this recipe because it was pectin free)

In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

......................................................................................................................................................

After the canning was through I thought they needed a little something...so I got

Twine

burlap (some left over I got from Home Depot, they are actually used for painting)

acrylic paint

I just cut out some circles (a little bigger than the lids), tied them on top with the twine and painted little strawberries.

TELL: I blogged over here...

2011-09-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

on The Thirteenth...check it out. Its a fabulous blog :)

TELL: Trip to Washington

2011-09-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hello!! Well we have been out of town for awhile...visiting my family up in Washington. Oh how I love Washington. Here is mini photo montage of our trip...

looking out from our little cabin where we stayed

picnic

hanging with grandma :)

our day on bainbridge Island....

ferry ride out there

biking around the Island

stopping to pick blackberries for about....an hour

Vancouver BC...so amazing! How awesome is this picture....and this is from my phone.

Granville Island...such fun markets and shopping

ha ha well that is the trip in a nutshell. Home, family and lots of fun!

LOVE: Wooden Blocks

2011-09-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

I LOVE wooden toys they are classic, last for so long, and age so well. Now to be more specific... wooden blocks are a must! These blocks by Uncle Goose are just too cute, I want every set! My little sweetie has started playing with these little rubber blocks from B. and soon he will have to graduate to these...

LOVE: Lime

2011-09-08T00:02:00.000-07:00

loving LIME...its bright, its fun, it makes me happy

bag: Marc by Marc Toaster: Sur La Table Sofa: Crate and Barrel Card: Specklefarm Bike: Public Print: Keep Calm Towel: Terrain

LOVE: Alphabet Prints

2011-09-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

These prints from Wallace Design House are aaaaamazing! Perfect for a nursery.

A is for ant

S is for Squirrel

H is for hare

E is for earthworm

O is for off-road

L is for landing pad

LOVE: Pretty Pretty Chairs

2011-08-25T00:34:00.000-07:00

I have been semi obsessing over new furniture lately...and these chairs are some of my favorites!

via: Anthropologie, urban outfitters

TELL: This week...

2011-08-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

This week has been SO busy. I seriously can not believe it is already Saturday. I work from home and there was so much to do this week, I feel like I didn't have time to do anything...including cleaning the house (yikes). But we did find time to do some stuff as a family...

Lunch at Beach Pit BBQ

I spy a pig surfing

Sawdust Arts Festival

In Laguna Beach they have the Sawdust Festival every summer. Neither of us have ever been so we thought it would be fun to go check it out. Music, Food and Art...loved it!

notice the sawdust?

a great band! Parker Macy Blues

This face makes me melt!

Family pics...ha ha I LOVE his face with daddy...surprised/ excited?

Glass Blowing

It was a crazy/ fun week :)

TELL: Missoni for Target

2011-08-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Okay...Im kind of freaking out. Well "kind of" is an understatement.

First lets state the obvious...Yes I love you Missoni and No I will never be able to afford you.

But now Missoni is coming to target weeeeeeeeee! (that was a squeal of joy)

Here are a couple things that I am pretty sure I will have to buy.

It is supposed to be available September 13th!

TELL: US Open

2011-08-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend was CRRAAAAZZZY down here. It was the US Open for surfing and I am pretty sure the whole state of California came down for it. But since we live 5 min from down town we had to go. And it was fun to bring little Rowe along to see his first Surfing contest.

Just hanging out and sucking on my finger

the whole family :)

LOVE: Stripes!

2011-08-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

I have a minor obsession....stripes! Sometimes I think its a problem and if I don't stop soon my wardrobe will start to look a little strange. I am just drawn to them, I can't help that they magnetically attract me. So here is my latest stripe must have!

Its a coin purse, and it is the BEST thing ever... you just attach your keys, and it becomes your on the go wallet.

Thank you Kate Spade for once again making something far too adorable!

CHOCOLATE: Summer Popsicles #2

2011-08-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

Remember when I said I was going to make more "summer popsicles"? Well here is popsicle #2 (or fudgesicle)

Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter Ice Pop!

okay not to boast but this thing was AHHmazing! Maybe because I love chocolate so much, and maybe also because peanut butter was involved...either way it was tasty.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups 2% milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk chocolate

1/2 cup dark chocolate (I used 75% cacoa, you might want to use less)

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

heat up milk and cream together. When warm add chocolate and stir. Once melted add in peanut butter and whisk it up until its really smooth. Then pour and freeze.

Thank you again to Martha for the recipe, I tweaked mine a tiny bit :)

LOVE: oh so fun Globes!

2011-08-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

My husband LOVE love loves maps. If I gave him complete control of the the house and how it was decorated he would fill it with maps, actually he would cover entire walls in maps!

And so I have started to buy him unique maps on special occasions so that some day when we have a big house, he can have his very own "map room". Well I will call it the office, ha ha but it will be decorated with all different kinds of maps (I am actually really excited for it). Now I must say I love maps too!! This is the map we have hanging on our wall right now, documenting where we have been and helping us plan on where we want to go next, its one of my favorite things in our home.

So then I came across these fabulous globes from Imagine Nations! How awesome are they? And yes we love globes too, they are just round maps!

TELL: what's been going on?

2011-07-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

This week has been a crazy one...it went a little too fast. My mom came into town for a few days, and do you know what that means?? DATE NIGHT's (yes that is plural) Austin and I have not gone on a real date since our sweet little boy was born. So with the greatest babysitter in town it was time to party it up...well dinner and a movie at least.

First... HARRY POTTER! Yes I am a huge fan, and was so sad I couldn't be there opening night. But I was still so excited to see it

Night 1: Movie

yes we DID buy popcorn, and yes it was the LARGEST size, and yes we ate it all, and THEN refilled it! (ha ha we did have some help from our friends that came, don't worry we aren't that crazy)

Me and Hermione...ha ha she looks scared/ determined. I look more thoughtful. not good acting on my party, especially if I am fighting Voldemort.

Night 2: Dinner AND a Movie

yummy Peruvian restaurant

yes I got dressed up for our date...since its been awhile we had to document.

Movie (Thor which I totally liked!) And then Fro Yo

I am going to put up some pics of my mom and Rowe a little later :)

Oh also! I Asked the Duplex... check it out! These girls are so fun and witty and came up with the cutest blog idea!!

TELL: No Heat EASY Curls

2011-07-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

I HATE curling my hair... I hate the heat, the time it takes, the inconsistency and the fact that its bad for my hair. So when I saw this video..I was SO excited. Its genius!

AND I tried it! AND it works! I am going to do this all the time.

here is me the night before... right before going to bed. (my hair looks like a mix between a dog and princess leia in this picture) But I wrapped my hair really loosely so that my curls weren't so tight

The next morning!

TELL: Not chocolate...

2011-07-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

but still oh so yummy and CUTE! As you may have seen before here, that I LOVE making iced sugar cookies. I just got a couple new cookie cutters, and I thought this one was perfect for summer.

fresh out of the oven.

The recipe for the sugar cookies and icing is here in an older post.

The supplies:
Ice cream cookie cutter (Got mine from Sur la Table)
Meringue powder (michaels)
food coloring
(I got these from Michaels as well, they have so many different colors, like kelly green...fun!)
Pastry Bag
(mine is called a "mechanical pastry bag" even though its not mechanical, I love it because it is reusable and easy. From Williams Sonoma)

Mixing up the icing. It took a couple tries to get the right color.
I just use these butter knives to spread on the icing. If you make the icing the right consistency its actually really easy and moldable.

The cones didn't turn out exactly how I wanted them. I used a lighter brown for the cone and a darker brown for the lines. But the thinest pastry tip I had still seemed pretty large, so I would recommend an really thin tip, so that your lines are smaller and not so large and in charge.

All in all I loved making them!

TELL: Summer Popsicles #1

2011-07-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

Summer.... you can be oh so nice or oh so hot, lately its been the latter. Either way summer makes me crave something cold.

Does anyone remember homemade popsicles as a kid?? Here was our recipe...Juice. That was it, frozen juice with sticks, and after 2 min all the juice was gone and it was just ice cubes with sticks. awe the good ole days.

so...since I have been wanting a cold tasty treat, I got these fun popsicle molds at target and sticks at Michaels. Ever since, my mind has been plotting on all of the different and delicious popsicles I am going to make...no "juice only" recipes with these babies, no way. So I will be posting lots of popsicle recipes this summer this is popsicle recipe #1.

I found this idea on Marthastewart.com, I tweaked the recipe and made mine slightly more healthy, because if I am going to be eating these every day I might want to chill out on the sugar.

but aren't they so pretty?

Recipe:

1/2 pound fresh Strawberries

1/2 pound fresh blueberries (I used frozed with these and it made it way more icy)

1 cup organic fat free vanilla yogurt

Just blend up the strawberries with a spoon of yogurt and set aside. Same with the blueberries (I had to add a little milk to soften because my blueberries were frozen). Then spoon in the ingredients alternating between the three. This gives it that cool marble look.

Freeze and Eat.

The Supplies

Now which one should I eat first?

TELL: True Food with True Friends

2011-07-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend my husband, sweet baby and best friend all went to check out True Foods in Newport Beach. It was delish! I loved this place... from the wonderful menu to the fun decor. I just FELT healthy being in there ha ha. They base their menu off of Dr. Weil's Anti inflammatory diet and food pyramid, and they really focus on healthy eating. All in all it was fun and tasty.

How cute are these bins of fresh herbs right out front?

The two loves of my life :)

my bestest

LOVE: The best of both?

2011-07-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

What has happened to all of our glasses? Within 2 weeks we broke about 8, then there were 4 now there are 2....what happened? Are we really THAT clumsy? So needless to say we need some new ones.

Then...

my bike got stolen.  Yes stolen.  What is wrong with people? It was old, and falling apart but it was mine.  My sea foam green beach cruiser... I will miss you.

SO

When I saw these....I thought...hey its the best of both! Right?

ha ha well not really, but at least I will have something to drink out of and in the meantime look at cute bikes until I can get myself a new one.

glasses via: paper source

LOVE: Swimsuits

2011-07-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

ummmm what more can I say but...THANK YOU J. Crew for the most fabulous one pieces ever!!

I just can't decide which ones I like better.  I need help! thoughts?

LOVE: Nursery

2011-06-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

Well I don't have a nursery for my little one...sad but true. The reason? Well we left everything... jobs, place to live...sold our car and furniture and set off to do some serious world travels (we blogged our travels here). Well the day after we got back I found out I was pregnant! We had JUST got home, we had no jobs, no furniture, no place to live, it was a crazy time! AND I was miserably sick so me getting a job was out of the question, I mean who wants to hire someone that is throwing up every hour? SO needless to say we didn't have a ton of money. And that means a small apartment. Now don't get me wrong, I can live in a small place for a year if it means that I got to travel the world with my hubby....BUT in the meantime I will put together my dream nursery. So that WHEN we do move and little Rowe gets his own room...it will be fabulous!

First and foremost are the BOOKS!! I am a HUGE fan of children's books. They are oh so wonderful. My love for books runs in the family... (I will need to talk more about this later, in another post). But because of this minor obsession, Rowen is going to have many many books. I have already started gathering up his collection. So when I saw this...

I fell IN LOVE!

I am doing this in his room no matter what! It is so amazing and so easy. I just love how they are all displayed its beautiful. And to have a big comfy chair to cuddle up in and read and imagine together is a dream. ohhhhh I get so giddy just thinking about it :)

Phew sorry if my book obsession scared a few of you, now on to more pictures of inspiration...

everything about this room is PERFECT. First is the color story, the orange and browns and greenish greys are everything I could ever want. And what about that barn door?? could anything be cooler? I think not.

Same here...loving the colors. But my favorite are the stripes on the wall. LOVE

the wood on this wall is divine. yes...I think if I can't have a barn door in the nursery I will have this.

I think that is enough for now, there will be much more nursery or just plain baby inspiration to come. I mustn't overdo myself.

via: Pinterest

LOVE: Painted Floors

2011-06-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

Goodbye carpet, HELLO painted floors!!

I have always been a hardwood floor kind of gal, and this just brings it to a whole new level!! I am obsessed with the idea of painting your floor. Grrrrr to renting but one day when I have my dream house with hardwood floors...I am getting out my paint brushes!

painted floors via:
Design Sponge, Design Sponge,Apartment Therapy,Katie Maennle,Design Sponge, Nate Berkus, colorful living project

TELL: Happy Fathers Day

2011-06-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today was so much fun and just makes me so grateful for the fathers in my life

First...

My Dad

I love my dad so much and feel so so blessed that I got to spend the time with him that I did.  He had such an amazing sense of humor and could always make me laugh, (or embarrass me depending on what age I was ha ha) which are some of my fondest memories.  He was so incredibly creative, (I always had him help me with any kind of art project) he was unreal at the drums, and had a killer mustache... basically he was awesome.  He would have been the BEST grandfather, but I look forward to telling Rowen all about him.  I am so thankful for his example of charity, kindness, and  love of life. I love you dad!

So the other day my Aunt sent me all these old pictures of my dad and since it is fathers day I had to share a few.

with his dog scout/ and I LOVE the cowboy outfit!

In his Christmas best! How sweet are those pants ha ha?

I love this pic...and the fact that he would be such a good sport and let me put curlers in his hair. ha ha great daughter daddy bonding time!

The next father I got to celebrate today was my wonderful husband Austin!

Today was his first fathers day which is exciting. Austin is honestly so amazing at being a dad! I love watching him with our son and how much he loves to spend time with him, even when he is this young. I am so excited for the future and being able to watch Rowen grow to idolize his dad. I couldn't ask for a better person to look up to. I hope Rowen grows up to be just like his dad...funny, creative, smart, spiritual, charitable, kind, and selfless.

I love him...Happy Fathers Day :)

watching a surf video with his dad. Looks like we are going to have another little surfer in the family.
(I'm not a horrible parent I swear! it was only a 2 min video ha ha)

so...
I painted an old tie and made it into an ugly/snazzy piece of art for him to wear to church ha ha. I can't claim the idea, someone else came up with it, and I loved it.

So needless to say, I needed to take some pics.
Gotta get a family one in there...even if Rowen doesn't look at the camera.

TELL: Where does the time go??

2011-06-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

But seriously....where?? 

Okay...so I used to blog ALL the time, about my life, travels, things I loved.  And then I got pregnant...AND incredibly sick so blogging just didn't seem all that fun anymore (maybe because my head was in the toilet most days?).  THEN I had a baby...and blogging was the last thing on my mind (I had a new little one to occupy my time).  Well I am NOT pregnant anymore, and my sweet sweet baby is already 4 months, and for the first time (in a long time) I feel up to blogging again!! yippppeeeee! I have SO much to share its almost overwhelming. 

Well first off let me introduce you to the most wonderful, beautiful and absolutely most precious thing in our lives...

Rowen!!

Right now he is 4 months old....oh gosh how we adore him!!

So as I was talking to someone the other day, about labor, delivery and the whole shebang.  I realized that I was starting to forget!  The bad, the good and everything in between.  This was sad, and since I absolutely FAIL at keeping a journal, I wanted to write down a few things that I want to remember.

(a friend of mine did it this way, and I thought it was perfect)

THE BAD:

-Getting induced and having to be in the hospital for 17 hours without ANY contractions.

-My sweet little man had an irregular heart rate and so I had to stay in the same position for hours....cramp city!

-having to unhook a million cords and things to get up to go pee (which was pretty much every 5 min)

-Shaking uncontrollably from the pain!

-Shaking so badly that I could barley hold still for the epidural.

-Having the epidural work on only half my body (still shaking from the pain)

-Getting more medicine that COMPLETELY numbed the other half of my body

-then just shaking because of all the meds

-Throwing up even when I ate one tiny ice chip 

-having to throw up on my side into a small dish, and then getting it in my hair

-pushing so hard I thought my head was going to explode.

-having to support my dead leg while pushing

-gasping for air in my oxygen mask

-feeling so hungry, weak and exhausted I wasn't sure I could do it anymore

-getting told about a thousand times "ONE more push, he is almost here!"

-Getting woken up from sleep to have my blood pressure checked

-having him taken from me for the first time to get his shots

-feeling like if I got out of bed and walked my lower half might explode

-being so exhausted that I feel I might throw up, but not being able to sleep because I am feeding him so much

-feeling scared and unsure if I even know what to do

THE GREAT:

-getting to watch HGTV non stop!

-Eating a really yummy subway sandwich before it all began(yes I was craving it and it was my last meal for awhile)

-having good nurses (all extremely different)

-Getting to shower for the first time after giving birth

-having my wonderful friends and family come and visit us in the hospital

-getting to lounge around in a hospital gown

-having a room all to ourselves

-ice packs and tucks (you know what I mean!)

-having Austin there to help me

-getting to talk to my mom and sister for the first time

-having Austin sleep at the hospital every night

-getting to go home

-watching how carful and slow Austin drove on the way home from the hospital

THE WONDERFUL:

-seeing his tiny head for the first time

-hearing his healthy cry

-listening to the excitement and love in Austin's voice as I was pushing

-hearing Austin almost explode from excitement once he saw the head

-Having so many wonderful nurses encouraging me along

-My wonderful doctor

-Austin being so patient and loving with me...giving me massages, getting things for me, asking questions.

-listening to him exclaim "He is SO cute, I thought newborns were supposed to be ugly....he is SO SO cute!!"

-Having my sweet baby boy resting skin to skin against my body

-Watching him suck on his tiny hand

-Seeing his beautiful face

-Knowing that he was mine forever, and that he depended on me to take care of him

-Watching Austin care for him, and look at him with so much love

-crying after he came back from his first shot, and feeling how much I want to love and protect him

-Eating a sandwich right after the delivery and for the first time in 9 months not feeling nauseous!

-having my sweet Rowen snuggled up close to me.

-feeding him

-waking up and looking over at him sleeping

-Austin and I saying back and forth how much we love him, and how cute he is and never getting tired of saying it

-knowing that everything was worth it

-feeling absolute pure and perfect love for my son

SO NEW!

a few weeks later

LOVE: Gifted!!

2010-12-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Im not sure if you have read the amazing GIFTED MAGAZINE from Creature Comforts, but if not.......ohhh you must!!

It is fabulous, inspiring, and just plain holiday fun! You get to know other bloggers, there is a gift guide, DIY holiday fun, and so much more. It is truly a Holiday inspiration :)

CHOCOLATE: Chocolate Coconut Bars

2010-12-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

And so the Christmas baking begins...

I found this recipe on Marthastewart.com and had to give it a try.  It is SO incredibly easy and SO unbelievably delicious!  My husband, who does not like coconut, couldn't get enough of them.  ha ha that sure says something :)

sorry for the not so amazing photos...I took them with my phone

Chocolate Coconut Bars

3 cups finely ground cookies (12 ounces), such as graham crackers or chocolate wafers, or a combination -I used vanilla wafer cookies, and they worked great!

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup pecan pieces

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly splash a 15-by-10-inch rimmed baking sheet evenly with water, then line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter until combined. Evenly press onto bottom and up sides of prepared baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway through, until firm, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool, about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle cooled crust evenly with pecans and chocolate. Pour condensed milk over the top, spreading to cover completely (do not let it drip over the edges). Sprinkle with coconut.

Bake until coconut is toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool completely. Trim edges, if desired, and cut into equal-size bars.

Let them cool for awhile before eating because they are sure messy when warm :)

LOVE: Memories

2010-11-30T09:52:00.000-08:00

Aren't memories the BEST presents? I love looking back on little keep sakes, old journals or anything that reminds me of something, someone or some event in my life. I found these fabulous and creative journals...fun ways to record special memories.

I am especially adding the ticket stub diary and gratitude journal to my wish list....LOVE IT!

This journal has sleeves to store you tickets and then write about each event. I LOVE shows, plays, concerts, movies and games. What an amazing way to preserve and remember them :)

An adorable way to record what you are thankful for. This is such a wonderful way to really appreciate all that you have!!

LOVE THIS!! ha ha when my little guy gets bigger and starts to talk I am owning one of these. Its a journal purely of amazing things your kids say. There is a spot for where, when and what they were doing. All in fun word bubbles.

ohhhh dreams! I have some really weird ones, so this book would be more a joke to me... Looking back and laughing at all the weird things my mind comes up with in the night. But honestly sometimes don't you have a really inspiring dream?? What a cute book to record them in...sitting right there on your bedside table :)

Find them all at Chronicle Books

ohhhhh Christmas Time!

2010-11-26T16:02:00.001-08:00

Christmas time is now officially here (now that yummy thanksgiving is over)!! And although I am still not feeling my best I CAN NOT pass up blogging during the holidays. There are just too many fabulous things to share...don't you think?

SO...I am BACK! Rain or Shine, Sick or not sick.

I WILL blog during the holiday! I mean... this IS my favorite time of year :)

Now lets talk holiday cards...

How amazing and creative is this card from Laina Miller (isnt she genius)? I want some made just for me!

Next on my list of "Most Fabulous" Holiday cards are from Minted.com. They have such adorable designs...If I could, I would have posted almost ALL of their cards. But here are a few of my favorites.
(ohhh and if you enter MARTHA10 you get 10% off your order)

Let me know if YOU know of any adorable holiday cards...I would love to check them out :)

TELL: Oh the nausea!

2010-11-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Remember when I said I was sick? And that I was feeling better and that my blogging would improve? Well I have let you down! One I still am sick and two my blogging has been the WORST! ha ha what has become of me??

Now don't get me wrong I do have my good days....some are even great! But I most definitely still have my bad days. And lately (since it has been 90 degrees here in California every day) my nausea has been extra bad. Its probably because heat and throwing up are a HORRIBLE combination.

I love all of you, my faithful readers! So when the days are good and I feel inspired... I still love to share, read your comments and browse your blogs :)

NOW.....What have I been up to? Well besides the obvious (making a baby ha ha)...My husband and I went up to Seattle to visit my family and go to my friends wedding.

Me at 25 weeks with my amazing husband :)

I photographed a wedding about a month ago of this adorable couple and FINALLY got some pictures up on my photography blog...

And lastly I have been organizing our apartment...the icky organizing, that takes hours and hours...but feels so nice when you are finished!

So YAY a quick update and an apology! I will try to be better :)

TELL: Girl with Camera

2010-10-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

I found this photo and thought it perfect for Halloween AND Girl With Camera!!
I hope everyone has a fabulous Halloween weekend!
via: laurarotondo

LOVE: Magnets

2010-10-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

I am totally admiring these little wooden magnets from SNUG...

little raindrops...

little umbrellas...

then put them together....and make any fridge adorable :)

LOVE: Rifle Paper Co.

2010-10-22T09:41:00.001-07:00

How adorable are these Halloween cards??
Oh Rifle Paper Co. you never let me down :)

LOVE: Halloween Cookies!

2010-10-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yes it is holiday cookie time...

Probably one of my favorite things about the holidays are all the goodies I get to bake. And I have been dying to use my $1 target cookie cutters...so here are my

"Royal Icing Halloween Cartoon Cookies!"

First is the cookie: (thanks to the good ole Joy of Cooking)

Combine and whisk together:

3 1/4 Cups Flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat until fluffy

20 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (2 1/2 sticks)

1 cup sugar (I added a little extra)

then add:

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Gradually add flour mixture.

Divide the dough into two and place each ball of dough in between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the dough so that it is 1/4 inch thick. I like them really thick then the cookies are softer after baking. Then refrigerate until cold and firm about 30 min.

Bake for about 6-9 min at 375 degrees

Now for the Icing!!

My favorite part. Well I must say that Royal Icing is the way to go, it hardens and is so easy to move around and shape I love it.

All you need is:

1 Pound Powdered Sugar

1/4 cup Meringue powder: I like this better than egg whites

(can find at Michaels or other baking supply stores)

1 cup Water

Now the consistency of the icing is VERY important. So you might need to keep adding powdered sugar to get it just right. You want it thick, so that you see peaks forming while you are mixing it with your mixer. This makes it the easiest to spread.

Now food coloring options... I just go to Michael's (or other baking supply stores) and get exact color food coloring, I don't really enjoy all the mixing of the primary colors ha ha. And they have so many choices :)

Once the icing is separated and the colors mixed in. Its time to put it onto the cookie! I just put a dollop in the middle of the cookie and spread out with a knife. The icing is fabulous and sticks great and when laid out flat the icing will even out as well.

I used a pastry bag for the eyes.

Lastly after you let them set for about a day....its time to draw.

With these amazing edible pens.

Its fun to give them different expressions.

and your finished project is just way to cute for words!

Sorry I get way to into baking that I somehow forget to take pictures until Im finished. Hopefully my directions didn't seem too crazy!

LOVE: RED!

2010-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I mean...its one of my favorite colors I can't help but love it! :)

1. Maries Vintage 2. Jayson Home & Garden
3. Three Potato Four 4. Becky Drolen's Shop
5. Oh Happy Day

TELL: Girl With Camera

2010-10-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

This GIRL (Jamie) with her camera is fabulous and an absolutely amazing photographer....check out her gorgeous photos over here on her blog.

I LOVE this picture!

LOVE: Plush Fruit!

2010-10-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this fabulous store... La Pomme and just can't get enough of the plush home decor!

TELL: Girl With Camera

2010-09-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Love the Focus...

via: Momota.M

LOVE: looking forward to...

2010-09-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was 100 degrees here in California....UGH! It was miserable! And all it did was make me want my favorite time of year to get here as soon as possible!

Anyone that knows me knows that I am OBSESSED with the holidays. I love the cold weather, layering, decorating, crafting, smells of warm cooked treats, dressing up, family gatherings, warm fuzzy feelings, Christmas lights, pumpkins, turkey and holiday music. I am most definitely a winter/fall girl I just cant help it!

so even though I am sweating in this ridiculously hot weather at the moment... I still daydream about the upcoming months!

So here is one thing I cant wait to put on....
BIG FAT scarves!!

via: Need Supply Co.

TELL: Girl With Camera

2010-09-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my! I know I have forgotten about my Thursday "Girl with Camera" feature for quite a few weeks now... but because of my now growing belly MANY things have completely slipped my mind, so please forgive my memory loss. But Girl with Camera is back! And I am so excited to share some fabulous new photos...starting NOW!

I have just fallen in Love with these 2 photos from an engagement shoot over here at Snippet & Ink!

LOVE: BOOKS!

2010-09-20T11:34:00.001-07:00

wonderful wonderful BOOKS!

You may remember Coralie Bickford-Smith from her fabulous redesigned penguin classics. Well now I am once again in LOVE...with her whole series of F. Scott Fitzgerald cover designs. They are so unique and stunning.

Book AND bag? LOVE IT! Yes Kate Spade you have done it again! This Book of the month clutch is just too cute for words. What a fun idea, incorporating the classics with a little style :)

TELL: My first feature!

2010-09-20T11:05:00.001-07:00

Oh I was so thrilled to find out I was the Friday Feature for the lovely Seychelles blog!

see here :)

As you probably know I am completely smitten with pretty much every shoe Seychelles ever makes! So I feel honored to be called
"the epitome of a Seychelles girl"!

Here are a couple of their newest shoes...that I am already drooling over!

LOVE: lacy things

2010-09-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

There is something so delicate and girlie about lace...

1. Hideminy 2. Tags from The gilded Bee
3. Coasters: uncommon 4. This is Glamorous

LOVE: Rain, puddles and ANTHROPOLOGIE!

2010-09-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Oh gosh (sigh) I just love love LOVE Anthropologie's catalogs...I mean seriously...do they EVER disappoint??

My favorite part of this Septembers catalog are the shoes! I adore how the whole shoot is based off of reflections in puddles and cobble stone streets.
And coming (originally) from Seattle, this just makes me oh so happy :)

LOVE: Being Comfy

2010-09-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

I am loving these PJ's from Steven Alan!
Don't you just love lounging in some good ole comfy pajamas when your not feeling the best or are just being lazy??

LOVE: movies

2010-09-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

I love movies!  I always have and always will.  I don't really enjoy TV much but there is something about a good movie that just makes me feel all happy inside! So this Sunday I popped in my favorite movie...

Stranger than Fiction

and when I say favorite... I mean ALL TIME favorite! I love this movie. Every time I watch it I laugh and I cry and just love it all over again! Have you seen it?? If not you must :)

The soundtrack is fantastic and so is the cast...

This song...I LOVE...along with this part in the movie...

BUT
if you haven't seen the movie then here is JUST the song...don't want to spoil it for any of you!

What is your favorite movie??

TELL: Im back!

2010-09-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hi its me!

Oh gosh where to begin???
Well my husband and I got home from traveling the world for a year...
you can see our travels here. It was such an amazing adventure, but it felt oh so good to come back to the states!

Well once we got back there was so much to think about such as jobs, places to live, buying furniture, getting settled, but something was wrong...

I just did not feel good...and I mean did NOT feel good!
At first I thought...I might be just really tired from traveling
or got sick from some bad food?
But this just seemed like a different kind of sickness and I just couldn't put my finger on it.

that's when I took one of these...
And found out we were going to have one of these...

We couldn't be more excited!!! I'm going to be a mom! I'm both scared and excited at the same time.

It's been a rough beginning... for the first 3 months this was my only friend!

I was too sick to see anyone, too sick to eat, too sick to leave the house ha ha and most definitely too sick to blog...

But now I am feeling better. Took about 4 months, but I can cook again and go to the store and even clean the house!! And on rare days keep most of my food down. ha ha who knew how much I would miss these things.
So that is what has been going on! Thank you so much for all of your kind words and I am very excited to be back blogging, updating everyone on life(tell), love and chocolate!!!

pictures via: google, cwieme

TELL

2010-08-03T09:31:00.000-07:00

ahhhhhh I am so so so sorry!! Where have I been? And WHY have I been missing for the past month?? Let me just say, life has been CRAZY! I just want all my amazing readers (if there still are any) that I will be back blogging again soon, and there is a wonderful and exciting reason why I have been gone...which I will tell soon as well. Hope everyone is enjoying their fabulous summer :)

TELL

2010-07-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

GIVEAWAY WINNER!!

Gracious Giveaways & Reviews said...

Love the black kettle towel! such cute designs!
New follower from Tues Follow

Thank you so much for everyone that entered and to House of Bouton for this amazing giveaway :)

LOVE

2010-07-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

This + That=
such a cute party!

via: Linda Ferrol Studio, Kate's Paperie

LOVE

2010-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

GIRL (Andrea) WITH CAMERA
This photo was sent to me from the lovely Andrea Despot. Its a self portrait...isn't it beautiful!? LOVE IT. Check out her photography website, she is truly talented.
Thanks Andrea!

TELL

2010-06-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY
with the fabulous...

Oh my goodness my excitement is overflowing! And I'm pretty sure yours should be too...especially because YOU can enter! When I stumbled upon The House of Bouton I instantly fell in love, I mean how can you not with such retro colors and that vintage kitchen feel?

A few of my favorites

1. Tell us a little bit about the girl behind the art...

I am a 28 year old Mom-To-Be, living in Portland, Maine with my husband and 2 kitties. I was born and raised here in Maine. When not working on my business I find myself seeking inspiration for my work in books, music, thrifting, cooking, and the great outdoors.

2. When did you start the House of Bouton, and how did you get started?

This business has been in my mind in one form or another since I was about 10. It really started to materialize concretely last year, so it's been a long time in the making. All the work that I was making focused on functional domestic objects, so the transition to home decor just seemed natural. I have a lot of retail management experience which has really aided in running the business side of things. Some of it was determination and a drive to utilize my Fine Art degree.

3. Where do you find your inspiration with your beautiful prints, towels, and everything else?

I have a photographic memory, which goes back to being very young. Since that time I have cataloged images in my mind- The pantry at my grandmother's farm house, the millions of antiques my father collected, the Victorian era home I grew up in, bead board, chipping paint, peeling wallpaper, slate sinks. Sometimes it's my own visuals drawn up when reading a passage in a novel or hearing a great story. Stories of my Great Aunt Adelaide who was the first Betty Crocker Persona are probably the most obvious.

4. Since your work is kitchen inspired, I must ask...what is one kitchen item you can NOT live without?

Well, clearly I have an unhealthy obsession with kitchen towels. Aside from that? Probably my vintage Hamilton Beach stand mixer, it is so much fun to use. I used it to mix my wedding cake!

Cassie, the mastermind behind these fabulous towels and prints, is giving away two of her hand printed towels!

Hand Printed Gourmet Flour Sack Tea Towel

and Hand Printed Gourmet Flour Sack Tea Towel

HOW TO ENTER
(3 separate chances to win these towels, separate comments for each)

1. Head on over to The House of Bouton and check out her fabulous store. Then come back and leave a comment sharing your favorite thing in her shop!

2. Tweet, Facebook, or Blog about this giveaway.

3. Follow my blog :)

Giveaway ends July 10th and the winner will be announced that Saturday :)

LOVE

2010-06-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Pretty Pretty Paper Garland!!
it just makes me want to have a party
Garland found here:
1. Sweet Things 2. Dan Dee Shop 3. Kalli Arts Shop
4. Paper Klip Design 5. Bookity 6. Le Jeune

LOVE

2010-06-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Girl having fun With Camera

via: Solarina-Lucy Nuzum

LOVE

2010-06-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Just STUNNING!!
The amazing hair pieces...the photography...love it all!
all thanks to ban.do

This is their black label line, which is a little pricey, but they do have a more affordable line here!

TELL

2010-06-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

Books and Things

So I love to share books that I have recently read and loved. I mean...I read lots of books but I just don't have a desire to share the books I'm not fond of. But tell me...should I? Would you like to hear about other books, although I might not recommend them?

SO on to my newest read and loved book...

Sarah's Key
This story is both troubling and compelling...It takes place in Paris, France and is told through two very different characters. A little Jewish girl named Sarah in 1942, and a journalist named Julia in 2002. The horrible event of the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, where Jewish families where arrested by French police and held before being sent to Auschwitz, intertwines both Sarah and Julia and their stories unfold.

This book truly was hard to read at times. And I actually had never heard of the Vel' d'Hiv roundup before, but am both horrified and glad that I now know of these awful events.
I think that was what I really loved about the character Julia, her desire to learn the past and its horrible truths, to never forget, and to make it apart of her. I think that is something we all need to do...

Well as some might know, my Husband and I spent this last year traveling the world. It was such a rewarding experience...the places we saw, people we met, and pieces of history that came to life.
One that really struck me hard was our trip to Poland, and visiting Auschwitz, one of the most horrific concentration camps. It was so hard to see everything and I couldn't help but cry...here are some pictures I took while there.

TELL

2010-06-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

Whew okay I am back....geez I HATE feeling sick. This is pretty much what I have been doing for about a week and a half...

ha ha except I did NOT look this cute...

So thank you for your kind words :)

pic via: haeshu's

LOVE

2010-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Girl with Camera and cutest little skirt!

via: gillian villa