Wednesday, March 31, 2010

want something sweet?!?! me too

i am pretty sure i wanna make these yummy easter treats! buuuuut i just polished off one of these bad boys.
lemme tell you, the trader joe's mini milk chocolate peanut butter cups are AMAZING. they are the Perfect ratio of chocolate and peanut butter and they mmmelt in your mouth. curse you justin for buying them for me, you are a bad brother. seriously, if you live near a tj's then go and buy right now! i guess noelle o's cute easter nest's will wait a day or 3.

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our most valuable piece of furniture


bryan did some research on our tv stand. it is actually a brasilia broyhill mid-century modern buffet table. bry found out that it is worth 800+ dollars in good shape...or not painted red :)! we found this at the d.i. when we were engaged and fell in love. we snagged it and painted it red, which i love. we don't have a really expensive collection of furnishings we either got it at d.i. or ikea, so it was fun to see that we had made a good choice. this piece is really well made and i LOVE the beautiful lines and the proportions on the piece. maybe when we grow up we will refinish it, so it looks like it was intended to.

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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

2000 unread messages


it seems like i should be celebrating something. So, here it is...i am 1 message away from 2000 unread messages in my inbox. feel free to send me a message...anybody... anybody?!?! or are you afraid i won't read it?!?

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la jolla shores

on saturday we went out to la jolla shores to enjoy the beautiful 80 degree & sunny day. it was wonderful and everything was pretty much perfect. the seagulls DID get our pizza, but we had eaten all we wanted...so why not share?!? it feels so good to have bryan back in town! here is a funny clip of penelope on the beach. she was RUNNING the whole time and she even tried a couple of somersaults.


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progress


sometimes i feel like i am making NO progress on anything. i have so many projects that i haven't finished, so many goals i would like to accomplish, a list of places i would like to go and things i would like to do with my B & P. i get down and frustrated. but this is only sometimes. when i feel this way it helps me to make a small dent in my big dreams and say this is progress. last night i completed 2 more rows on afgan for p, this afgan's due date is christmas. i have plenty of time to finish it if i take small steps and make progress.

things i need to remember about goal setting:

give yourself plenty of time to complete a goal
baby steps
don't expect too much
you are loved

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Monday, March 29, 2010

the easter baskets

when i was in my basket weaving class 3+ years ago i had a plan to make us easter baskets...it never happened (i also planned on making up a bassinet for p when i was pregnant and that never got made either. last year i gave up on me ever getting around to making the baskets and i got a couple of baskets on clearance the day before easter. this year i DID get around to making our baskets liners to spruce them up a bit.


here is mine and bryan's


here is p's



i thought i would include a rough tutorial to make one of your own if you would like. this is super rough, but you can get the idea.

you will need:
tape measure
scissors
double folded bias tape
fabric

step 1: cut a piece of fabric 1/2 in larger than the inside base of your basket (i used newsprint to make a template first.)

step 2: on the inside of the basket measure from the base to the rim and add 1 in, this will be measurement A. now measure around the inside of the basket along the upper rim (or the widest part,) this will be measurement B. now divide measurement B in Half and add 1 in, this will be measurement C. cut 2 pieces that are A x C. these are your inner rim pieces.

step 3: measure from the upper rim of your basket down to wherever you would like the liner to hit on the outside of your basket (i just measured 1/2 of the way down) and add 1/2 in, this will be measurement D. now measure along the outer rim of your basket from the edge of one handle to the edge of the next handle and add 1 1/2 in, this will be measurement E. cut 2 pieces D x E.

step 4: with the pieces you just cut fold each of the short ends under 1/4 in" and then again 1/2" and top stitch. now you will have a nice finished edge. these are your outer rim pieces.

step 5: take the one outer rim piece and one inner rim piece. with right sides together, line each of the top edges up and center the outer rim piece from step 4 on the inner rim piece from step 2 (the outer rim piece should be shorter.) pin in place and sew with 1/2 in inseam. repeat with the other 2 pieces.

step 6: take the 2 pieces from step 5 and match them up with eachother with right sides together. stitch 1/2 in inseam up the 2 raw edges of the inner rim piecs. ***DO NOT SEW SHUT THE 2 OUTER RIM PIECES. now open up the liner and pin down the raw edges of the inner liner pieces on the sides (where the handles will come out and there is no outer liner piece) zig zag stitch them down.

step 7: attach your 1/2 in bias tape to the bottom edges of your outer liner pieces leaving at least 5 in on each end to tie with (more if you would like to tie a bow.) pin in place and fold under the ends of the bias tape. now top stitch the bias tape closed making sure to get both the front and the back of the tape with your stitching.

now would be a good time to try the rim on your basket and make sure that it fits.

step 8: attach the basket bottom! place good sides together and pin the bottom of the inner rim to the edges of the basket bottom piece. i had to gather mine a bit because my basket tapers. now stitch 1/2 in inseam around the base.

step 9" attach embellishments, finish seams with pinking sheers and clip all threads.


here they are in the entry of our house!
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Saturday, March 27, 2010

some easter tutorials

here are some tutorials for easter that i think i may like to try.

crepe-paper spring birds at marthastewart.com i love these!

and if you have some springy fabric scraps check out this great easter tutorial at retro mama!


wouldn't this little chick be the cutest basket stuffer. love it! this one was posted on whip up and was created by myrtle & eunice

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featured on luvinthemommyhood

i was featured on the luvinthemommyhood's link luv roundup last week! i really loved the sweet collection of links that were a part of this post...check it out here!
thanks to luvinthemommyhood for including my rose belt diy!

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Thursday, March 25, 2010

children's pool and yesterday's excitements

yesterday we headed up to la jolla to check out children's pool. children's pool was built in the 1930's as a gift to the children of la jolla/san diego by ellen browning scripps. it was originally meant for swimming & diving, but in the '90s a colony of 100+ seals came to stay. now with seals inhabiting the children's pool swimming is off limits and it is more of an attraction, because you can get to see a large group of seals lounging around on the beaches way close up. p thought they were funny.


after checking out the seals we played in the sand at la jolla cove. it was a beautiful day. it was actually a bit cool and overcast, but it was so pretty at the ocean. loved it!




p & j love building sand castles...or rather, they loved destroying sand castles.

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Wednesday, March 24, 2010

JUSTIN GOT JURY DUTY

justin (my big bro.) has to go in tomorrow in the wee hours for jury duty...lame. it made me think of this 30 rock clip:


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sea world and yesterday's excitements

we went to sea world with justin, anna, josh & nathan. i haven't ever been to sea world and i got a kick out of it. the shows were very entertaining and the kids play area was AMAZING. penelope loves having her cousin josh to play with...most of the time!


this is the star fish ride... kind of like the tea cups at disney land. p thought it was the GREATEST and she laughed the whole time. i love her laugh:)!


p was so excited to see big bird! she ran right up and waved at him, but she wasn't so fond of the idea of big bird touching her (?) justin jumped in and mediated!

squishy blocks

the shamu show


after the zoo, we headed over to beautiful south park for a scoop at the daily scoop (this time i had cash.) it was delish! i will be returning.

arts and crafts news: all my projects have been put on hold this week.

once the partying stops, i will be finishing easter basket liners and i am also going to post a pattern for a crocheted easter/spring toy, once i figure out what i am going to make p.

also, check out this peeps topper download! i think this is exciting, but i may just be excited about eating the peeps...both excite me.

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Monday, March 22, 2010

bryan left!

i am a single mom...for a week. while bryan is in vegas on a business trip, p and i are playing tourists!

i got this pic of bryan sporting some SWAG from kyocera (i have the cutest boy friend.)

-today we went to the zoo. we almost froze our tails off and i didn't bring jackets and then we were going to get a cupcake at daily scoop, but they stopped accepting credit cards and i didn't have cash... so we ditched that. our tourism has been pretty unsuccessful so far.

-BUT we have the whole week and i am excited about tomorrow, because justin, anna and the boyZ are coming to visit and we are going to sea world and hopefully children's pool! i am STOKED!

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Saturday, March 20, 2010

bows



in prep for the queen bee market and the beehive bazaar i have been cooking up some felted bows and i really love them. i seriously think i will keep one in every color for me and p to share. i have some headbands with bows that i am working on getting pics of... i also think i will make up some cuffs with bows. i heart bows lately.

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my mom-in-law is so sweet


look what tami made us for st. patrick's day. thank you tami! i think it is so cute. i love table runners and i need to bulk up my holiday decorations! i totally would have posted a pic on the 17th, but bry confiscated the camera for a work project:(!

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Friday, March 19, 2010

featured on the coiterie blog


check me out on the coiterie blog! i love this blog, so i was really excited that she featured me...well my shell cowls today! thanks heather m.

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spring wreaths


i have been thinking of making a pretty springy wreath...or buying one. here are some inspirations i have found. i will post a pic if an when i make/ buy one:)! enjoy!

if you are feeling super ambitious. you can make your own wreath if you follow this link to second sister's blog. isn't it gorgeous!


super cool wreaths from chic-adee's shop



here are a couple of spring wreath from itz fitz

i couldn't leave out this tutorial from blue bird vintage's blog. (you could make it with more springy colors?!!? I LOVE IT!


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