New toy

My very first power tool!

It's a random orbit sander. What does that mean? It's means that tackling the daunting task of painting my cabinets & banisters just got easier. In fact, I started using it already on our bathroom cabinets. It's very easy to use and I like this one because it's lightweight (I don't have much in the upper arm strength department) and it has a vacuum that collects a good amount of the dust while you sand.

 

 See. The cabinets are already sanded & primed for paint. I'm going to paint with Valspar Brown Velvet. It's a high-definition color that coats and hides stains. Perfect for cabinets I'll say. Crossing my fingers that it looks good.

Random inspiration

Whimsical garden inspiration from today's visit to Laguna Nursery in Laguna Beach. They had some beautiful displays I must say...

Love this idea of hanging paper parasols upside down. Future summer patio party decor?

Basket pendant lights.

Black painted branches hung over a chandelier. Perfectly wonderful for Halloween!

Dripping garland hung from the rafters. It was magical looking.

...and just because I love birdcages. The doves were beautiful too.

DIY bleeding script candles

Moving right along with the Halloween party planning with some good old crafting. I give you a simple bleeding candle with old script. The perfect detail for a creepy event.

What you'll need...
-taper candle
-red sealing wax
-scissors
-small flat paint brush
-Mod Podge (in matte finish)

-old script download printed on computer paper (available below)

To download, click on the image and choose "Save Image As"

Instructions

1. Wrap your script paper around the taper candle so that it overlaps about 1/4". Trim paper with scissors.

2. Using the paint brush, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the blank side of the script paper. Slowly wrap the paper around the candle, pressing and smoothing out wrinkles with your fingers. Apply another layer of Mod Podge on the printed side of the script paper. Let dry for 20 minutes.

3. Melt the red seal wax, allowing it to drip down the sides of the candle.

Enjoy!

Toe tag Halloween invite

So we're hosting a Halloween party again this year. Topping last year's Nevermore Halloween party invite is impossible, I think. But I like the simplicity of this year's design. The theme is forensic science and I'll be sharing hosting ideas in a later post. Naturally I went with a toe tag design, paired with an incriminating looking kraft paper envelope.

Note: I blurred parts of the invite & envelope for privacy sake :)

These were fairly simple to put together. I printed 2 tags per page on 65 lb weight cream cardstock, trimmed with a paper cutter, then added the twine.

For the envelope, I literally mashed my fingertips onto a black ink pad and stamped my prints. I created the "blood spatter" using a small paint brush & theatrical blood. I stamped the opposite side of the envelope with our return address.

White Halloween

I'm loving this modern take on Halloween from the Fabulous Fall issue of Sweet Paul magazine, which is amazing by the way. Definitely check it out if you have a chance. I'm drooling over the featured recipes.

Wine weekend - part II

We left off on part I with Friday night cocktails. Saturday morning we dragged our fabulous asses to Santa Rosa for the 14th annual Kendell Jackson Tomato Festival.

There was a whole tent set up with tables upon tables of different tomato varieties. I never knew there were so many! There was also a food competition, the only stipulation was that it had to use tomatoes as one of the ingredients. My 2nd favorite was the spicy tomato octopus top right. Below was the dish that actually won, a masa tostada dish. I didn't think it was that amazing or inventive. This however was:

It even had pistachios on top. I've been scheming on how to recreate this at home. In addition to the food competition, there were also wine tasting and pairing seminars. We attended "Blending In" where they discussed the trend of blending several different types of wines together in a single bottle.

The day was super hot, but fabulous. Afterward we went back to Kim's sister's seriously adorable cottage in the woods for some R&R.

Melinda made a delicious mushroom stroganoff. After dinner we enjoyed strawberries & raspberries with creme and Lambrusco while watching Bridget Jone's Diary.

On Sunday we went to Mazzocco for some more wine tasting. I learned a lot that day. Like, I never knew that there were also red Zinfandels or if you swirl the wine in the glass, it infuses more oxygen into the wine, giving it a purer taste and less of that alcohol flavor. It really does make a difference. I ended up purchasing 2 bottles - Serracino & Thurow. The Thurow is interesting. It's infused with the most amazing black currant flavor.

Next we headed down to Thumbprint in downtown Healdsburg, which had some very interesting blends. One of them being "Climax" which blended 7 types of wines together in one bottle. The ambiance of their tasting room was beautiful.

After all that delicious wine, we decided to top it off with some frozen yogurt from SnowBunny.

Sunday afternoon we trucked back to Kim's place. I made shrimp scampi & Kim made a wonderful salad. Kim's brother & other friends came over too. It was like a little dinner party. We stayed up until 3am, playing Scrabble and drinking wine in excess. It was a great weekend, but I'm pretty sure my liver disagrees. haha.

Recipe time

Shrimp Scampi Over Veggies
Start to finish: 15 minutes     Serves 2
Shrimp scampi is definitely on my list of top ten favorites. This variation is healthier than the classic recipe, but is full of flavor. The tomatoes yield pops of sweetness, while hearty asparagus leaves you satisfied.

Ingredients
20 shrimp, deveined & tails removed
small bag of cherry tomatoes (about 20), halved
1 bundle asparagus, trimmed & halved
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon margarine
1 lemon (zest & juice)
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
olive oil for frying
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

-Heat a large frying pan with olive oil. Add trimmed & halved asparagus. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning every 2 minutes.

-Meanwhile, using a deeper pan with oil, add shrimp. Cook for 1 minute. Add white wine, garlic, margarine, oregano, black pepper, lemon zest & lemon juice. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until shrimp is pink.

-Add tomatoes to asparagus pan. Add more oil if necessary. Cook for 2 minutes.

-Add asparagus & tomato mixture to shrimp pan. Incorporate until sauce coats evenly.

-Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired. 

Coco + campfire

At the first signs Autumn - when the air is cooler and the leaves are changing, cozy up next to a warm campfire. Rustic, but not necessarily 'roughing it', it's the great outdoors with the everyday indulgences. Coco & ember inspiration for you.

kerosene lantern - $2; Amazon.com

faux fur butterfly chair - $128; Urban Outfitters

field boot - $68; Urban Outfitters

pocket knife necklace - $30; Etsy.com

s'more brownies - $10 for 4; Etsy.com

wooden utensil set - $25; Etsy.com

vintage yellow mugs - $10.50; Etsy.com

Wine weekend - part I

There were 3 of us - myself, Melinda (on my left) & Kim (right). Melinda is friends with both of us, so the weekend was meshing of 2 worlds. Kim was gracious enough to play host for the weekend.

Our girly wine country weekend began with a trip to the store for supplies. I searched forever for a bottle of Lambrusco...and eventually found some! As Melinda noted, that's 6 (count 'em) bottles of wine in our cart. And yes, we drank them all...and then some. We took our whole cart through self-checkout (bad idea) but made for an amusing first introduction between Kim & I.

Then we headed down to Tiburon for an afternoon of sailing on Kim's dad's boat. We made delicious caprese sandwiches below deck, then sipped on wine while we sailed around the bay.

you can see the Golden Gate in the distance.

I earned my keep by keeping the bottles coming.

of course no sea voyage is without a little turbulence.

After sailing, we met up with my friend Gina at the Marina District for some (you guessed it) more wine at Bin 38. I haven't seen Gina since my wedding last year. It was a nice, but very short reunion.

We ended up with a giant cheese pizza at 1am from the place across the street. It wasn't my bay area favorite - Golden Boy, but it was delicious just the same. 4 types of cheese, tons of oregano!

Next up on the weekend itinerary... 2 full days of fabulous wine & tasty food...part II coming up soon.

Loot.

As I mentioned earlier - we spent Saturday at the OC Marketplace swap meet. I haven't been in years. We left with some deliciously fragrant coffee (macadamia nut & creme brulee), cabernet sauvignon jelly and macadamia nut pancake mix. I also picked up some decorative treasures from the sea -

Style Parade 9.20.10

Not having anywhere to be during the day sure makes for some uninspiring fashion. I'm sure you'd love to see my daily stylings of yoga pants & hoodies. haha. Anyway, I actually had places to be and people to see this past weekend. Sunday, was our friend John's birthday. We celebrated alongside friends & family at a delightful bbq at the park.

I think chartreuse & gray are my new favorite color combo. I paired with navy blue shorts and my rope bracelet. My husband was sweet enough to put up the dough for this newsboy cap - a lucky find at an outdoor swap meet we went to on Saturday. I'll share more of what we got later today!

Cardigan: Target; $14. Blouse: Old Navy. Shorts: Old Navy; $15. Bag: Heritage 1981; $20ish. Rope bracelet: Super Duper Things on etsy. Shoes: Payless. Newsboy cap: OC marketplace swap meet; $10

P.S. - Did you watch HBO's new series Boardwalk Empire last night? I've been excited for this series to premiere all summer!

Rustic Fall decor

I've been changing up the decorations around the house in preparation for Fall. A little bit of natural, rustic neutrals. The fireplace mantle -

The woven hurricanes are easily transformed back to vases, filled with grapevine and willow branches. Birch tree candles and a little pinecone I found that dropped into the yard.

A new centerpiece for the dining room table. This was a simple DIY - just take a block of wood, stain if desired, then drill holes in the top with a hand drill. Easy. I added some more willow branches.

 

I've been burning cedar & spice candles lately. I can't wait for the Fall weather to start.

Inspired by Jane

This lovely inspiration has me feeling bookish. A woman must be sensible about these things, and only indulge when the occasion calls for it. Tea, being the perfect occasion. Rosy pinks will leave you wanting to play matchmaker with your nearest & dearest or perhaps find your own Mr. Darcy.

silhouette journal
first draft napkin
rose solid perfume
John Derian for Target tea tray
Mr. Darcy proposal mug
Emma by Jane Austin
never forget you are a lady print
Jane Austen pencil set

Victorian illustrations

100-page ruled journals, coffee cup - $1 each.

More dollar bin goodness found over at Michael's Crafts. The Victorian illustrations are simply charming! They also had Anthropologie-esk drawer knobs with the words pull or open on them. Love.

The kitchen nook

I've been meaning to post this for a while. You've seen the inspiration for the kitchen nook...warm woods, gray with pops of yellow. Lets go back - this was what it looked like the day we moved in:

 

After:

Clearly I painted the accent wall. I love this intense gray. So bold. I'm really glad I went with the smaller high table too. Lets zoom in a bit...

The Wisteria stools were very much a splurge, but I must say that they are beautiful and comfy to sit on.

 I picked up these black & white tins at Ikea. They are perfect for storing my vast tea selection.

As you can see, I went with the minimalist edison bulb pendant.

These track system shades from Ikea were the perfect solution for blocking out the intense sunlight we get in this room. I hate vertical blinds. I think these are so much prettier. The sliding door was 70" wide, so I picked up 2 of the track systems and trimmed the excess using a junior hacksaw.

I love clocks. This one from Ikea was perfect because the face is that nice slate color, but the border is wood, picking up the tones from the bar stools.

The color pops of yellow are balanced on each side of the room - the trash bin on the right and these modern prints on the left. And the message couldn't be more true for me right now.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Have a great day!