Friday, August 31, 2012

Etsy Finds....Jewelry

I don't know of a better, or more affordable source for unique jewelry than Etsy.
The only problem is choosing something!


Chevron Ring made from wood and resin from Starlight Woods


State necklaces, Ninotchka Goods




Feather Wrap Ring, MakiYDesign



Geo Rings, amerrymishap



Gold Arrow Bracelet, iadornu



Nautical Knot Necklace, BrooklynRehab

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Chicken Gyros

I don't know about you, but when I think of gyros I picture the Seinfeld episode where Kramer knows of a subway stop with the best ones ever and is convinced he can get on and off the train while its at a stop, and come back with one....



Just me? OK, moving on...

I came across this recipe for Ground Beef Gyros on Full Bellies, Happy Kids. The original recipe can be found here. The first time I made it, I overcooked the beef patties and then used a store bought pita that was no where near fluffy enough! But I had to try again because the tzatziki-like sauce was so easy and delicious.

So the next time I used cubed chicken instead, and decided to make my own pita bread from a recipe I saw on Pinterest and all ended up very well in our tummies! 

Here is the homemade pita on the stove. Thankful for the recipe found here at Budget Bytes


Chicken saute'n.....the flavor of the seasonings here is just delicious and you most likely have all the ingredients on hand


Something different than the same old taco.....mix it up!

My slightly revised Chicken Gryo recipe after the jump....

Monday, August 27, 2012

Fun with the Crew

I have an unabashed love for J. Crew. When a new catalog comes in the mail, its always a nice little pleasure for the day. I don't always have to buy anything, its just fun to look at for style inspiration. 
Especially since a lot of the products can be a bit pricey,
but there are some affordable options, and hey, a little J. Crew goes a long way in my book!

Untitled #4


J.Crew vintage shirt / J.Crew striped sweater / J.Crew color block top / J.Crew pea coat / J.Crew long skirt / J.Crew ballet shoes / J.Crew ballerina shoes / J.Crew ballet shoes / J.Crew neon jewelry / J.Crew twist jewelry

Friday, August 24, 2012

Nice to Meet You

Just wanted to say hi to any new followers and I thank you for stopping by!
This also gives me an excuse to do a family post and share some pics from our recent trip to Northern Idaho, where my in-laws live, my husband grew up and wants to eventually move our family (eek!),
where the green grass grows, the air is clean, the 4 seasons exist,
and you never hear police sirens in the distance. Hmm, what's that like?

So anyway, hello, nice to meet you!

This is me and Charlie.....


This is Nathan....

This is Carys....


 This is my heart...



This is Us...



Aaand just a few more!


The view from our own little private beach....is this what they mean in that song My Own Private Idaho?
I think so...


Here is Grandma Barbie!

Do I look comfortable? This was my first time driving one myself...I know, I'm sheltered

This is Nathan's idea of heaven....can you blame him?


Charlie watching her sister...I love this picture


Thursday, August 23, 2012

Bag Lady

One of the more annoying speech habits is when someone asks themselves a question, and then answers it. For example, would I like a new handbag for fall? Yes I would.
Do I really need a new handbag for fall? No I do not.
But if I did buy one would it be under $100? Why yes it would.

I always see bags I love and then find out its like a $500 Marc Jacobs bag or something. So I've gotten used to shopping for bags that don't cost that much, but still look like they do. 
Like these!.....



Here are some of my go-to affordable online sources:
Francesca's Collections (my fave) - great assortment of totes and cross body bags, nothing over $100
Piperlime - you can search by price, and stylish people like Rachel Zoe and Rachel Bilson have their "picks" to make for easier shopping
DSW - seems to be better selection of bags online than they do in the store
Urban Outfitters-  hipster bags for a fraction of the price

Linking up on
Current Crush Thursdays

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Steak Anyone?

I'm just going to say it...I love steak. One of my favorite cuts is flank. I love it so much...like I want to ride on a tandem bicycle with it and go shopping to a montage of Walking on Sunshine with it. It's that good....if you do it right. It also helps if your husband knows how to grill it just right on the charcoal. 
The only drawback is that flank can be kind of pricey if its not on sale,
so this is kind of a splurge for us. 
The good news is that you can easily feed 4 people with 2 lbs of flank.

I'm sharing this bomb marinade with you by way of Grandma Barbie by way of her friend Troy, who doesn't mess around, she has the good stuff. (by the way in case you are picturing Grandma Barbie as some little 'ol lady, she is in fact my husband's mom, and is still a quite young and beautiful grandma, wink wink)

Flank Steak Marinade
1-2 lbs flank steak
1 small bottle of soy sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dry ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced

Put this all in a ziploc bag and let it sit overnight. BBQ it, slice it up into strips, and enjoy!

I call this shot....."Glory at Dusk".....or maybe "Sunset Glory", I don't know, it's a working title...









Sunday, August 19, 2012

P.S. I Love You

I've still been dreaming of Palm Springs style, especially inspired by the two hotels we visited....the Parker and the Viceroy. The Parker was like stepping into the 70's, and while I wouldn't personally go that literal in my own home, I was inspired by retro modern feel and the colors, like the orange door, the orange booths and light blue glasses in the patio, and the colorful pottery.

The Viceroy is a totally glamorous Hollywood regency style, with lots of black and white, and yellow. I especially loved the pool area with its yellow and white striped lounge chairs, white chairs with black cushions, cabanas with starburst mirrors, and lights hanging from the trees. It was pretty much my dream backyard...of course I did not have my camera with me. 
Sorry it was just not working with my outfit that night!
I found this pic of the Viceroy pool here, click on the link for even more images of this lovely joint!

the patio at the Parker

Here's a board I created with some affordable items to get you a 'lil P.S. style....
Those hanging lanterns are on sale at Z. Gallerie for only 10 bucks each!


Palm Springs






Friday, August 17, 2012

Palm Springs Getaway

I haven't been updating the blog as much as I would like. Going on a long family vacation and then a weekend girls trip has kept me busy. Not that I am complaining, its been great!  But I do have hopes for my little blog, that include improving my time management skills and actually putting all the ideas in my head into action. I sat down this afternoon to do this post and within 5 minutes, my dining room table was pushed against the wall, baby Charlie was running around naked and Carys was spraying the hose all over the backyard. They are busy little buggers! Oh but I love them! So I shelved it and waited for them to go to sleep.  By the way, here is a picture of them. 
See sometimes they are calm...

Anyway, on with the post! I went on a girls trip to Palm Springs for a couple days. I just absolutely love it there! Despite the 115 degree temperatures and pool that felt like a warm bath, I was still happy to be there. Good company, beautiful views and retro modern design and architecture around every corner. 
Also got the chance to practice more with my trusty camera.

The entrance to the amazing Parker Palm Springs Hotel...this is a must stop if you visit this city! The whole place is designed by Jonathan Adler, and its just awesome. Click here for more info.

One of the lounges at the Parker

OK I didn't take this. That's me in the chair! My talented friend Andi took it while trying to explain over-exposure to me.

Colorful glassware

@Norma's in the Parker w/Cara

Palm Springs signage

the sky is so beautiful here...the Del Marco Hotel

there is a massive 26 foot statue of Marilyn downtown, its oddly realistic and human like for such a large structure.


Such a fun trip!




Sunday, August 12, 2012

Easy Being Green

We are taking family photos in a couple weeks and it's fun, yet stressful finding outfits for everyone to wear. I've got to dress the husband, the two girls, and myself, and it all has to coordinate?! I've had it in my mind that I wanted to wear a hunter green dress so I have been on the lookout. I found the one in the below set at Modcloth and its on its way, I am just hoping it will look good on me. But if I wear green then what color does husband wear? White? Black? Brown?? Stay tuned, I'm sure the suspense is killing you. 
I've been seeing a lot of green around, and I like it especially with black skinnies and these nude shoes, mmhmm.

Hunter Green


Jack BB Dakota green dress / J.Crew knit sweater / Madewell draped top / Skinny jeans / J.Crew bandeau bikini / J.Crew bikini swimwear / Sam Edelman high heels / Kate Spade handbag / Illamasqua nail polish

Friday, August 10, 2012

Crafty Attempts

One of my personal goals for this blog is to become more crafty...more DIY'y (I just made up that word).
A friend told me once, yeah I like Pinterest but who actually does any of those things. Well I am going to be one of those people! Or at least try to be.
(As I type this I am fighting off a little baby who wants to climb on the table and pound on my laptop. She's like a cat who wants to come and sit on your board game, just wants to be where the action is I guess!)

Crafty Attempt #1:  Mason Jar Brush Holder
We are re-doing our little master bathroom...its almost done, stay tuned....but in the meantime I wanted to make my own make-up brush holder. Because I am always digging through my make-up to find those little suckers! Now I know where they are all the time! It's the little things....

So basically I picked up some decorative sand from Michael's, Looking Glass spray paint, and a mason jar that I already had. Looking glass spray paint is quite popular in the blogosphere. Basically if you play you're cards right, you can make any piece of glass have that mercury, distressed look.

 What the spray does is achieve a mirror like effect on the glass. Follow the directions on the can by spraying the inside of whatever piece you are working on. There are different ways to do the distressing that you can Google....I chose to use a solution of equal parts water and vinegar, dipped a paint brush in it and (after the paint dried for about 5 minutes), dot the surface with the brush, kind of randomly stripping the paint. Here is a picture of the jar before I stripped it.

The jar on the left is non-stripped, and the one on the right is. Can you see the difference? Not really?
Yeah, I didn't get a very good shot of this...


Here is the finished product in my almost finished bathroom. (OK I'm working on my photog skills, I'm telling you this jar did not want to cooperate with me!) My brushes are short so that's why I used the sand to make them easy to grab. I suppose you could also just grab any mason jar, not even paint it, and fill it with whatever color sand you like, if you want to get crazy with it!


Crafty Attempt #2:  Custom Ribbon:
Alright so anyone with a glue gun can pull this one off. I helped a little with decorating my brother's baby shower last week. The colors were navy and pink which are so cute together. I couldn't find any ribbon with that combo at Joann's though, so I just got some pink grosgrain and some satin navy ribbon, laid out the length I needed, and then glued those bad boys together. Turned out great!



The chevron table runner is from Etsy shop, Four Bugs in a Rug
They have a bunch of great patterns to choose from.



She used the nail polish favor idea, can't wait to use mine!

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Fall is Coming



It is still about 90 degrees here but I am thinking about Fall. And by Fall I mean, jeans, light sweaters and sandals. Who am I kidding, we don't really have seasons here. 
I usually find these things on Pinterest or wherever but this is the first "mood board" I created myself. 
I expect to get a little better at this hopefully! 
At first I thought of mint green and brown, because I am that obsessed with mint chip ice cream. But found this turquoise top from Modcloth that looks lovely with caramel brown too. So here is my first fall inspiration...caramel, mint, turquoise....and a gold watch of course!

Fall - Brown, Blue, Green


Banana Republic sweater / Sheer top / Old Navy skinny fit jeans / Neon jeans / Gianvito Rossi leather shoes / Old Navy flat t strap sandals / Nixon chunky jewelry

Monday, August 6, 2012

Friday, August 3, 2012

Kids Design

I'm back in Cali! 
Spent the whole day alternating between un-packing everything and re-enacting Rapunzel with Carys.  (Side note: its just a tad disconcerting pretending to kidnap your own "baby" out of her bed and lock her away in a tower. Love the movie, but man what a creepy story!) So anyway, everyone is asleep and I feel like watching gymnastics and looking at kids design. 
Why not?

I have a slight obsession with teepees. 
I'd like a large adult one in my backyard and one in the girls room please. 
Love how this one from Apartment Therapy has a little book organizer and sheepskin!

Source: lonnymag.com via Lonny on Pinterest

Bunting is such a cute touch to any kids room, and anyone with scissors and a string could do one!

Source: lonnymag.com via Kathy on Pinterest

Also from Lonny Mag, you can't go wrong with a big map in a boys room, period.


Striped ceiling, for the win!


Love  the idea of blowing up an old photo for the nursery, from Me Oh My!


I have plans to make a DIY canopy like this one, except maybe with more gauzy fabric. 
This one featured on Babble is so cute though, along with a tutorial on how to make it.

I'm participating in the Casual Friday Link Up on