Who wants s'more!? (Q's candy experiment)

So we are still enjoying our newly finished backyard patio - it's been so lovely at night we have been eating out there almost every evening.

Q especially loves it because he's been able to talk his dad into toasting marshmallows a few nights in a row. Last night Quinn was rummaging through his Halloween candy stash for Hershey Bars to use for s'mores and wanted to know if we could do an experiment with his other candy bars.

Well - why indeed not. Don't know why we hadn't thought if it before. Bring on the sugar rush...so he grabbed a Twix, Milky Way, Three Musketeers and a Snickers.
 

 (this was the Twix one)

Consensus was we liked the Twix the best, then the Snickers (although I am keen to try my favorite candy bar - Heath). Meanwhile since I was snapping photos - G took EVERY opportunity to ham it up and pose for the camera.

The Great Outdoors (and our secret ingredient for the best Guacamole ever!)

Mike and I have been working hard to get our outdoor patio in order and we are done! YEAH!

So here's a view of the whole patio...we found our furniture set on Craigslist about a year ago (new), the rug from the thrift store and the fire-pit table from amazon. The Thai umbrella with the fringe is from a friend and a few of the pillows are from Target.

However after sitting out for a year the cushions became trashed! Sun and smog did a number on them.

I searched the internet and the fabric district high and low for affordable, outdoor, washable and colorful fabric to re-cover them with. Nothing! Until this spring when I happened to be buying coffee at World Market. They had all their awesome summer items out on the floor and I spied these amazing ethnic patterned oil-cloth tablecloths. Just so happened that 2 tablecloths and $85 later I had enough to re-cover my cushions in the exact colors I was hoping for. (a good friend did the sewing for me!).

We also found the outdoor umbrella at World Market - and Mike embellished it with a thrift store chandelier I had bought for the patio (but hadn't figured out what to do with it yet). He figured out it fit perfectly on the center pole of the umbrella. Isn't it pretty?

A few more photos of our backyard...a neighbor gave us the awesome Thai wood chair. I found an old Victorian wrought iron lamp stand at the thrift store and we hung a Moroccan style lantern from it.

Home Depot had the best Limey green spray paint that complimented our orange house - so I couldn't resist spray painting this old wrought iron patio chair...

And last but not least - the recipe for the yummy guacamole we enjoyed last night while sitting outside on our new and improved patio!!

2 avocados smashed
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tomato finely chopped
3 cloves of minced garlic
Splash lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
and the secret ingredient is 1 tsp of green olive juice (I swear it's amazing!)

Who's the Man?

I have a husband who loves to cook! Which works out best for both of us - because I just don't really like cooking  - but I do really enjoy grocery shopping and don't mind cleaning up (especially after one of his wonderful meals).

So when Mike is home in the mornings I am the lucky gal who is the recipient of a home cooked breakfast. He loves to experiment and has come up with quite a few amazing concoctions.This morning he went out to our garden (courtesy of a lot of hard work on his part and the Squarefoot Gardening book) and selected some chard, zucchini and chives. He also used beets from our garden that he had roasted the day before. In addition he pulled portobello mushrooms, onions, eggs, and bacon from the fridge.

He grabbed our electric skillet and sizzled up the bacon (I like it crispy!). Then using the bacon grease he grilled the mushrooms, onions and zucchini. Next up was frying the eggs - over medium -  and then warming the chard and already roasted beets. And then - drum roll please  - what came next was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had! He assembled - bottom up - the portobello mushroom, grilled onions, chard, egg, zucchini, bacon, beets and a sprinkling of chives.

The whole family loved it - even my little Mr. Picky Eater!

Who doesn't need a pretty party dress? Thrift Store Thursdays

 I found a bunch of gorgeous vintage designer/couture dresses this week!

Vintage couture 1950s 1960s sequined velvet floral party dress by Bernetti New York.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/128083199/vintage-couture-1950s-1960s-sequined?ref=shop_home_active

   Vintage 1950s 1960s sequined summer swing dress in greens, browns and yellows by Mort Schrader. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/151766231/vintage-1950s-1960s-sequined-summer?ref=shop_home_active 

Vintage Couture 1950s 1960s layered / bandage black wiggle dress with lace.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/150995930/vintage-couture-1950s-1960s-layered?ref=shop_home_active

 Drop dead gorgeous vintage 1960s dark vibrant pink beaded accordion pleated chiffon maxi gown by Jack Bryan. 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/151762944/drop-dead-gorgeous-vintage-1960s-dark?ref=shop_home_active

The Walking Dead

Zombies are on my mind (again). My husband and I have just finished Season 3 of The Walking Dead and for weeks it has permeated my dreams and subconscious. I love apocalyptic, human nature under a microscope, survivalist television shows / movies and The Walking Dead is right up that alley. So a few weeks ago my son Quinn asked me if I would hang out with him and do art/collage together. I love our crafty time together - so I said sure and started pulling out a bunch of magazines to spark the process. I didn't start out with any particular plan in mind and my method is usually pretty random. I look through my books/magazines and tear out any pictures that interest me, then I go through my cabinet of odds and ends, gathering whatever catches my eye. (for this piece I used vintage earrings, a doll arm, 1950s flashcard, dice from a randy adult game, a mouse trap, paint swatches and cardboard stomach from a children's educational kit). With a little luck, patience and artistic ability I hopefully end up with a finished piece. I can't wait for Season 4!!

Thrift Score Thursday - Mid Century Madness

A few photos from my thrift store finds this week! It was a good week for mid century goodies.

A gorgeous colorful mid century Still Life Oil Painting

You can view more photos of this here: (and/or to purchase)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/127914216/colorful-vintage-60s-mid-century-modern?ref=shop_home_active


 Fun pair of vintage 50s/60s eyeglasses decked out in rhinestones!

You can view more photos of this here: (and/or to purchase)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/128787283/theres-a-sparkle-in-her-eyes-vintage?ref=shop_home_active

Would those glasses look great with this awesome bold graphic so very Mad Men dress?

You can view more photos of this here: (and/or to purchase)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/113199811/stunning-mod-geometric-vintage-1950s?ref=shop_home_active&ga_search_query=50s%2Bdress%2Bbrown

Hoppy Easter!

Our family had a wonderful Easter and hope you did too! We go to a bit of a zany church - Westminster Presbyterian in Burbank - and each year we have the most wonderful service. My favorite part of the service is singing the "Happy Song" by Chris Tomlin. But because our church doesn't do anything boring - as soon as the song starts the room exlpodes with beach balls flying through the air as adults and children sing, dance and hit beach balls up, across and around the sanctuary. See the below video for the song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g57DCNkUjeA

We had some fun with Easter this year and I made the boys this cute bunny sandwich - super easy!
You will need:
2 pieces of bread
baby carrots
blueberries
bag of shredded zucchini (I used a bag of carrot/zucchini slaw)
gummy candy
Directions: Using a large drinking glass I pressed it down unto the bread to make the circles. We made cream cheese and jelly sandwiches - but you make peanut butter/ jelly, etc. Then I used whole baby carrots for the ears and a small slice for the nose. Finally I added shredded zucchini for the whiskers, blueberries for the eyes and gummy candy for the mouth. The boys loved it!

Quinn and I also had an "Easter date" and made these yummy candy kabobs! Quinn has a major sweet tooth so he loves to bake together. We bought the rabbit peeps, the chick peeps and the peanut butter cups at the store. But we made the chocolate dipped marshmallows.
You will need:
Marshmallows
Sprinkles of various colors/shapes
Chocolate chips
Wood Skewers
Directions: Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave - about 2 minutes on 50% power (don't use full power or they will burn). Then we rolled the marshmallows into the liquid chocolate and then dipped them into the sprinkles.

I also made an Easter Brunch invitation for my Etsy store. I love retro graphics and I illustrated my own bunny for the invitation.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/123295974/easter-brunch-bunny-egg-hunt-party

Below are a few more photos of our Hoppy Easter!