Pick o' the Day: Taping up presents with Dots

Tiny Spots from happy tape

I am in need of some fun tape to use for presents. My tape wishlist can be found at happy tape.

My Closet Wishlist: Summer Updates (2)

My "screen" shopping finds for today:


1. Skinny Rope Belt from Ann Taylor LOFT
2. Heidi Mustard Colored Heels from Lulus
3. Socialite Tank Dress from Lulus
4. Ruffle Scoop Neck Dress from Ann Taylor LOFT
5. Printed Floral Umbrella from Ann Taylor LOFT
6. Anita Top from Jcrew
7. Floral Cut-out One Piece from Alloy
8. Billabong Harrison Dress from Lulus
9. Twisted Tropical Tank from AE

Sweatin' out once again: Dreaming of ice

image via: auntjojo

Right now, I am dreaming of an ice bath.... Once again our air conditioning broke down yesterday and I don't know if I can handle the heat- or the sweat. I set up three fans in my bedroom last night and I still slept restlessly. The A/C company has finally arrived and this time they sent in the boss man. After three different breakdowns within two months, I am hoping this will be a problem that is permanently fixed!

Home Inspiration: Gray/Blue walls and Jackalopes

The mounted antlers on the wall remind me of stories of jackalopes when growing up in Idaho. I'm really falling in love with light blue/gray painted walls. Something makes them seem so dreamy and patient.

My Closet Wishlist: Summer Updates

My latest "screen" shopping has made me yearn for an updated summer closet. I'll be posting on my dreamy finds. Here are my finds for today:
1. Geo Print Shorts from Ann Taylor LOFT
2. Rowboat Bermuda Shorts from Lulus
3. Cotton Ruffle Tank from Jcrew
4. Lightweight Oxford Tunic from Jcrew
5. Ivory Key Hole Sandal from Lulus
6. Bow Pleated Tank from GAP
7. Soft Brushstrokes Scarf from Ann Taylor LOFT
8. Country Club Dress from Lulus
9. Coco Cloche from Urban Outfitters

Anthropolification: Fringed Heather Heels

Beautiful fringe heels from Anthropologie.

1} Calvin Klein: Petra Fringe High Heels
2} Lulus: Tab 2 Tan Combo T Strap Sandal by Jeffrey Campbell

3} ASOS: Leather Fringe Sandals
4} Lulus: Quantum Black Ruffled T Strap Platform Sandal by Steve Madden

5} Victoria's Secret: Ruffled T-Strap Sandal by JLO
6} Zappos: Penny by Type Z

7} Piperlime: Cocobelle Fringe
8} Lulus: Peggy Black Ruffle T Platform Heel by Pink Duchess

9} Zappos: Pracila by Madden Girl
10} Zappos: Donella by MIA

11} Zappos: Yasmin by MIA
12} Lulus: Albany Black Vegan Ruffle Thong Sandal by Classified

Pick o' the Day: Sitting on a Constellation

Constellation Wingback by sprucehome

Fishtails: A place to hang the cat's toys

I have seen these little doggie bums from Ikea for a very long time and I love the idea of using the hooks to hold a dog leash or other dog accessories from. I do not have a dog and it seems silly to hang my cat's toys from a dog's bum, so I was excited to find these fishtail hooks at PotteryBarn Kids. The colors are great and I love that they are very simple looking.

Getting ready in the morning- just a little faster

This video from a Japanese game show has nothing to do with anything, but I just had to share. The man gets dressed, eats breakfast and brushes his teeth all under 5 minutes! Although I don't wear ties (obviously) I would love to try this trick out. And the way he puts on his jacket is just perfect.

My Red Craving: Blue walls and tree bark

I love this image. Of course the red sofa, but also the aspen trees going up the wall.

image via: our little love nest

My Daily Day: Cleaning/Organizing

After pulling out all my sewing equipment and many, many accessories my house has started looking like a sweatshop. I decided to crack down on my mess-making and cleanup. I love having a large sewing kit so I can find places for all my left over buttons, threads and needles. I've had this kit since my freshmen year in college when I was taking fashion design courses.

My Daily Cookbook: Grilled Chicken and Creamy Corn

click on the image to enlarge the recipe

Cooking for one has been difficult to wrap my mind around these last few days, so I scoured my old recipe clippings to locate some easy recipes I could recreate for just one tummy. This recipe was clipped from Better Homes and Gardens and I loved the creamy corn. We still have yet to buy a new grill (our old grill was left in Idaho) so I turn my panini press into an indoor grill.

Yellow Mood: Wedding Inspiration Board

I am LOVING this yellow mood board from Snippet & Ink.

Style Watch: Bangs and a Dress

I love her hair...and the cute little dress she's wearing.

Emma & Jed via: Snippet & Ink

Never Never Land: A birthday bash

I would love to turn three again- and have a Peter Pan party!

Merrilee put together this adorable Peter Pan birthday party for her son, Atticus.

See more here and here.

Graduation Wishes

I spotted these cute chocolate graduation caps over at Bakerella and now I wish I had a graduation party to throw for someone so I could make some of these :)

Red Poppies: Memorial Day

Have a safe Memorial Day!

image via: LADezigns

Logo Identity: Getting Crumpled

I like to check in with Brand New to read about upcoming logo updates being created. The re-creation of logos is so inspiring to me. A recent post included the logo redesign of Swanswell and I loved the new concept that was created by Johnson Banks for the company's identity purposes.

You can read more about the logo redesign here and here.

DIY: Jcrew ribbon necklaces

I was drooling over these necklaces in the last Jcrew catalogs I received in the mail. But $98 a piece just seemed outrageous. With something so easy to recreate, I got right to it. I wanted to keep the project SUPER thrifty, so I started by sorting through the discount ribbon bin at Michael's Crafts store. I found some fun (and cheap) necklaces at Claire's, got my handy jewelry pliers out and went to work threading on ribbons. I found the fabulous purple ribbon on super sale (a Martha Stewart find). These have been great necklaces to throw on in the afternoon when I want to dress up my plain-jane outfit I've been wearing all morning. Plus the ribbon adds some color to my neutral clothing.

DIY: Summer Skirts

Here are photos of the three skirts I made during my "internet break". I used the NewLook pattern (above) but made alterations so the skirts would sit lower on my hips.

This is the first skirt I made from the pattern. I had issues with altering the waistband. I also hate using interfacing so I had to work around some of the instructions. I had hoped to add on pockets but after numerous attempts, I decided the pattern wouldn't allow me to add pockets (because of the zipped placement). I also had to remind myself how to sew in a zipper. This was my favorite fabric, so I should have left it for my last skirt...but I was too excited to make a skirt from the fabric.

The second skirt was a breeze. I opted for a wider hem at the bottom of the skirt and I like the way it turned out. So far, this is my favorite finished product.

I paired up this cute white swirly fabric with a yellow fabric because the white fabric was very see-through. I decided to make the white an overlay and turn the yellow into the waistband and hem. I love the color combo!

We'll see how many skirts I whip out. Maybe a dress or shirt are next??

My Daily Cookbook: Mango Breakfast Smoothie

This was my good morning breakfast smoothie:

I used an unripe champagne mango that we just couldn't get ripe enough to eat plain. I used honey in my smoothie rather than molasses because I am a HUGE fan of honey! I also swapped the plain yogurt for strawberry Activa yogurt. Delicious!

Clipped from HerSports magazine.

Disconnected: Back tomorrow

We've been having one of those months were everything is quiting out on us. Our A/C decided to shut down a second time last weekend and our internet modem fired out. I spent my few days of heat and no internet by sewing up some skirts and pillows- its always good to be crafty. I also finally went down to the DMV to get my new drivers license. And ended up walking out with the worst picture I've ever had on my license! I never knew it was possible that I could look like a thug- but now I know.

I'm taking today to round up my thoughts and last minute projects. I'll be back tomorrow to fill you in on what I've been up to.

My Daily Day: Luncheon and Sketching

my desk: doing some daily sketching exercises and flipping through my rolodex to remember names before going to the AIGA luncheon (my name remembering skills are very poor so I've trained myself to write on the back of business cards so I remember people- working so far)

snack: mmmm...fresh kiwi.

I wonder why you never see kiwi seeds being sold like poppy seeds. They look very similar and I'm sure they would be just as delicious :)

No Time for Blogging: An abuse of my scheduling

So sorry I'm late at posting today. I had a luncheon date that consumed my afternoon and I got wrapped up in my sketchbooks. The NHL playoffs will be on all night so I'm taking a break from cooking and eating some pizza for dinner.

My Daily Cookbook: Bananas and Lunches

I've been struggling the last few months to come up with original content for this blog (at times I feel like I'm just spitting up the same posts as other blogs I follow) but I'm really going to try to make this blog more personal and let you in on what I am up to.

To start, I have decided to share with you some recipes I use throughout the week. Within the last year I have become a cookbook and recipe addict and go grocery shopping with recipes in hand. We've been pretty good at putting together a dinner menu for the week and then purchasing our groceries for that menu (this is such a money saver because you don't purchase food that doesn't get used before it goes bad). I hope you enjoy the recipes I share!

Today's recipes are for Streusel-topped Banana Bread and Shrimp Pasta Salad.

We had a few bananas go ripe extra early on us so I was saving them in the fridge to use for banana bread. I turned this recipe into banana muffins instead so the hubby could grab one on his way to work in the morning. The recipe comes from a family cookbook my aunt made me as a wedding gift.

click on the image to enlarge

I have been trying to be a good "housewife" and prep lunches for my husband to take with him to work. Today I prepped ahead of my normal schedule and made this scrumptious pasta salad that was published in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food.

click on the image to enlarge

We didn't have mayo for this recipe so I substituted it with Miracle Whip- it gave it a nice zingy flavor.

Sew a Ruffled Flower Collar

You can find a step-by-step tutorial on how to make these easy flowery collars at Katie Rich's website, Katie Did. Also, I love these beautiful photos of her daughters. They remind me of old photos we have of Easter dresses my mom used to make us when my sisters and I were very little.

Pick o' the Day: Carved Wooden Box

Target: Carved Wooden Box ($25.99)

Home Inspiration: Beautiful photo

Etsy Finds: JessJamesJake

Pink Eyelet and Lace Dress ($52)

All Tied Up Postcard ($13)

Nina's New Wave Pumps ($30)

Multicolored Tulip Dishes ($15)

Victorian Crinkle Dress ($32)

Somber Whale Pin ($15)

Pastel Rainbow Pumps- Size 8 ($34)

Quote of the Day:

Anthroplification: Colorblock Dress

I love this dress's color combination! So simple.

1. Lulu's: Sweet Tart Two Tone Dress
2. Macy's: Johnny Martin Sleeveless Ponte Contrast Dress
3. Forever21: Fab Colorblock Pleat Dress
4. Forever21: Colorblock Babydoll Dress

5. Macy's: XOXO Sleeveless Colorblocked Dress
6. Delias: Janette Dress
7. Forever21: Fab Colorblocked Dress
8. Lulu's: Candy Apple Tank Dress

Cool Air.

image via: dogfrog

Our A/C has been fixed and I'm finally enjoying a cool house again! Yeah!

Anthropolification: Simple Sandals

I recently spotted these simple sandals on Anthropologie's website and was smitten by their design. From there, I began the hunt for sandals similar to the Front Lawn Flats.

1. Lulu's: Rudy Black Patent Thong by Classified
2. Zappos: Slapp Sandal by Steve Madden
3. Zappos: Bellows Sandal by O'Neill
4. Gap: Sleek Leather Flip-Flop


Let me know of any Anthropologie items you'd like me to hunt down somewhere else and I'll do my best to help you out.

The Sweetest Bike, like ever!

MADSEN Cargo Bikes

I just LOVE this bike. And even though I have my old "new" bike in the shop getting prepped for its summer ride, I am in bike envy. Ooh, la la! Enter here to win the bike!

Sweatin' out to things other than the oldies

We've been roasting out at our house the last two days. Our a/c unit quit on us and we've been waiting for the repair guys to come see what needs to be done. We camped out in the living room last night after sleeping in our bedroom sauna the night before.

I took advantage of the heat yesterday and made some tea outside. This has to be my favorite way to make tea!

Here's my recipe:

You will need:
1 gallon cool water
4 or more tea bags
Granulated sugar or other sweetener (optional)

1. Fill a 1-gallon container with cool water. Add 4 tea bags to the water. (Flavored tea bags sometimes require more to be added to the water to taste the flavor. I like to use traditional black tea.) Cover the container tightly. Place in full sunlight for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Open the container and pull out the tea bags. Add sugar to sweeten if desired.
3. Chill and serve over ice.

This method is sometimes referred to as a cold brew tea.

Thanks to one of my best friends for this amazing glass pitcher!

Sunshine Summer Dresses

Lulu's: Lemonade Stand Dress

A Big Girl's Bike: Part Two (the big reveal)

As you know by now we moved within the last few months to a new home along St. Charles Avenue where bicyclists throng around the university campuses. Seeing all these bikes made me crave a bike ride, but alas my old mountain bike had practically become one with the Earth. My husband, craving a bike ride himself, began shopping around for new bikes for us. He had his heart set on a hybrid bike and has now test drove his dream bike at least three times now. I rode a few cruiser bikes, thinking I would be reunited with my love for bicycles, but it didn't work. Every day I watched new and old bicycles pass in front of my house and for some reason I found myself eying up the old bikes, the bikes with baskets and bells.

So the other day when my husband asked me how long it would be before I went and picked out a new bike, I confessed to him that I didn't want a new bike, but instead an old classic bike. I jumped on Craigslist that night in hopes of finding out what the asking prices were for bikes like this and lo and behold I found a listing for a "garage full of bikes" and an image of several bikes stacked on top of one another. In this stack, a classic maroon fender caught my eye. The listing read $75 for any bike so I called up the seller and wrote down directions to her home. I loaded up my husband in the car and we set out to see what this "garage full of bikes" had to offer.

The bike I had seen in the posting was still for sale and after pumping some air in the tires I was able to ride it down the block. A wonderful bike! Of course, the breaks weren't working and the tires needed replaced, but I convinced my husband that THIS was the new bike I wanted. This was going to be my new Big Girl's bike that I would take care of and love. We wedged the bike into the back seat of our car, paid the woman $60 and drove off into the sunset! With a little elbow grease and some help from our neighborhood bike shop I hope to be riding this bike by the end of the month! Woot-woot!

Milk Weed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Oooh. I am so in love with this skirt. What a beautiful, summer look.

Milk Weed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sunshine Summer Tote

Lulu's: Volcom Fade Out Tote in Gold

A Big Girl's Bike: Part One (the history of my bikes)

So in case you're not up to date, here's the story of bicycles before I reveal the Big Girl's Bike:

I owned several bikes when growing up. The most famous probably being my first bicycle, the Cupcake bike. It was a birthday present and my Dad and I pieced it together on our front porch. I rode that bike for MANY years, mostly with the plastic training wheels on because I didn't have the courage to ride it without them. The bike was stolen once or twice by neighborhood children. As you can imagine, it was a hot bike. But as I got older, my bikes got bigger. And since I lived in the boonies of Idaho we always had mountain bikes.

As I got much older the bikes I owned were much more boring. I chose them by paint jobs rather than the overall style or features. The last bike I owned when still living at home with my parents was painted in a faded in-and-out color of pink and teal. The bike was very neglected though. It was a bike that got me from point A to point B (with a broken brake handle). When I moved away to college I chose not to take the bike with me. It was later sold at a garage sale.

I went bike-less for years in school. I borrowed roommates bikes if I needed one. And then, my senior year in college my roommate, Meg, brought home this amazing baby blue cruiser bike. I was so in love. It was so classic and made you look elegant when riding it. This is when I started loving bicycles again.

After graduating from college, my husband's (fiance at the time) step mother gave me one of her used mountain bikes. This was a perfect gift since I had no bicycle and I was just starting my job at BOB. Everyone at BOB rode a bike and knew bikes and loved bikes and talked about bikes. I rode this old mountain bike to work everyday and parked it next to all the fancy road bikes and hand-built bikes. I felt cool just to own a bike there. We lived in Boise at the time at road our bikes everywhere. Boise is a great city to live in if you want to get around on your bike. The few weeks before we left Boise to move to Louisiana my husband's bike was stolen from our backyard. It was a sad day. No more sunny bike rides together on the Greenbelt, no more bike races up the hill to our house, no more bike partner. We moved to New Orleans and my old mountain bike was chained to the fence along our house, where it sat for over a year. This poor bike was neglected and discarded to the fence. Yes, I am a bad person for owning a bike and not taking care of it.

Summer Accessories: Cascading Flowers

I love this cascading flower necklace from Forever21- it has the potential to brighten up any summer outfit!

Brewing up a Gift: Mother's Day Tea

Tea Forté: Loose Tea Canister ($15)

I recently spotted a tea gift set idea for Mother's Day and thought it could be extra fun putting together your own set as a gift. All you would need to do is package up your choice of tea, whether you choose tea bags or loose tea with an infuser, a tea cup of some sort and perhaps add in a bag of homemade tea cookies. With a little touch of love, any present is welcomed by your mother :)

Gleenashop: Two Red Wee Tea Cups ($35)

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Piñata love by Kasiakrz

Just in case you need an update on why we celebrate Cinco de Mayo (there is much confusion on this topic because of assumptions made that it is similar to the 4th of July for the USA) read up on the history of the holiday and where it came from here.

O So Beautiful: Orange Kitchen

via: Better Homes & Gardens New Decorating Book

Anthropolification: An Easter dress for Miss Cakies

Carambola Shift from Anthropologie

Rubyellen recreated this adorable Anthropologie dress for her Easter Sunday dress to go along with the two other dresses she sewed for her daughters. This dress is so beautiful and Rubyellen did an amazing job!

My kind of reusable bags: Flip & Tumble

Thanks to Ez for posting on these fabulous bags! For only $9 I am looking at buying some of these to stick in my car for grocery shopping trips! I am not a fan of the typical "reusable" grocery bags because I don't like storing bags, but these bags from Flip & Tumble can be quickly and easily flipped into these small balls for storage. I love it! Watch the how-to video here and shop for the bags here.

Radio Jealousy: Magno Radio

I'm in love with this adorable radio from Anthropologie. Sadly, I think it would distract me even more from getting work done- I would place it on our porch and sleep in the sun listening to oldies all day. So adorable....