Pinterest SF Meet Up

This is not the first blog posting from me about my love for Pinterest. I think everyone who knows me, knows that I love me some pinning! See original post here.   If you don't know what it is, here is my favorite definition....

So a couple weeks ago, while sitting on my computer after getting home from sitting in front of a computer all day, I was pinning and remembered that I had accepted a Pinterest Meet Up invite @ West Elm in Emmryville for that same night. What the hell. Why not?! Of course it was only 7 miles away, but it took me an hour to get over the Bay Bridge at 5:30 on a Thursday, but whatever! It was worth it. I love me some West Elm too- I walked out with a cookbook for a gift and a new pillow sham for the sofa which is totally "sofa king awesome." Check out some pics...

The SmileBooth would have been a whole lot cuter- if I actually had someone else to play with in front of the camera. Oh well- not my best shot, but that's nothing new!

Lyric Art

I have been seeing some cute easy DIY ideas for art.
And I just thought I would share them with you ....

Image via Roost.

Image via Poppytalk. Tutorial here.

This is from our wedding. We found this piece on Hautelook(I know random, right). It now hangs in our bedroom- where we work extra hard not to 'fuss or fight'. ...

Image from Steep Street!

Image from Me Oh My.

If I weren't so lazy, I might try to use some of these favorite lines:

" Your the yellow bird that I've been waiting for." -- Bright Eyes
" Wipe your feet really good on the rhythm rug" -- Tribe called Quest
"They say the heart of rock and roll is still beating. And from what I've seen I believe 'em"-- Huey Lewis & the News ( okay maybe this one is pushing it)
"Hello darkness, my old friend . I've come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping. Left its seeds while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain. Still remains.Within the sound of silence" Simon and G.

What are some of your favorite- wear on your wall worthy song lyrics?

Baby Shower Invites

I feel bad for taking forever to upload things. These invites were a small labor of love for my bestie's baby shower. I was really hoping to screen print them, but ran out of time. I doubt too many people notices, but they are just iron on. What? ever.

Forgive my lame (camerbag trial) logos on the photos. Just trying something out here. I will post a DIY entry later this week. In case anyone out there is interested. :)

Recipe Experiment

I experimented over the weekend with a new recipe and it was pretty good. It started to look pretty enough a 3rd of the way through that I even decided to text the neighbors to join in. ( One of which is gluten free, so that was kinda a bust.)

I found the inspiration here on a cute little blog called ClothesHorse NYC. It wasn't exactly a recipe, but she gave a decent enough explanation. I did search like crazy on Men's Health, but couldn't find it.


Also, I had never heard of Farro before. I asked 3 people (3 PEOPLE!?!) at Whole Foods to find where it was. Is it a produce, is it a liquid, is it bigger than a breadbox?? Alas, someone took me to where it was (by the rice and other grains), but of course they were out. Good thing the Hubs was there to solve the problem; simply by crouching down and looking at the back of the shelf behind the other things that were not Farro. Where would I be without him? Farro-less?

Anyways, here it is.... hope my vegetarian friends and family (Aunt Dianne/ Uncle Ron) find it helpful.

Saute chopped white onion and garlic in a pan.

I pre-cooked the Farro for about 6 mins.

Transfer both the Farro, onion, and garlic, to a cast iron.

Add tomato sauce

Add red beans

Add red chili flakes

When the pan is really hot and the tomato sauce starts to boil a little, crack a few eggs right on top.

** this was the scary part. It didn't seem like the eggs were going to cook, so I put a lid on it and they cooked perfectly.

Put in the broiler for about 5 mins (should have added cheese here).

While the whole mess is in the broiler- grill some butter bread.

Serve hot and right outta the pan. We just put spoonfuls on top of the bread.

In case, you are in the mood for a history lesson, here is a little tid-bit on Farro.

Lazy Girl Babbling...

Okay, it has been weeks. WEEKS I TELL YOU! I actually wish I could say that I have been too lazy to write anything on this blog, but the truth is I have been busy busy busy with the BAU stuff. (BAU is corporate lingo for "business as usual".) I know. Lame. The last few weeks have been jam packed with a 4 night trip to the La Quinta Resort (aka Desert Paradise) with the Hubs for an Anniversary trip. Came home relaxed, tan, and hungover. It was awesome. The same day I got home I got back on a plane to London for work. London is the BEST! Is there any way better to describe London than using caps to spell BEST? yes, but I am too lazy to explain. And then we head to Michigan for my sister in law's graduation/ fam visit/ help them pack/ etc the day after tomorrow. All exciting stuff going on... but I can't help think how many things I need to put on the list/calendar for the next few months. Phew. It actually made me cry last night... so much to do... so little time. I'm annoying myself as I write this all down here. But sometimes life can get cra-zay and I need someone to slap me across the face and tell me to "SNAP OUT OF IT", like Cher in Moonstruck.

Any... ways... I am feeling a little exhausted from all the thoughts running in my head and a little lazy to go into a real post about something real interesting which is really not very often anyway. But thought I would post a few ideas of cute little ideas for the next time someone invites us over to their house and says "Bring whatever you want. Surprise us". Anyone? Anyone? Buller?.....

How cute are these? Best not put any red sauce on 'em, cause they might loose their cute factor. Anyone know a better word for cute? (putting it on the list of words to look up synonmys for next to BEST)
Or how about making some of these cute easy to-do icecream sandwhiches. Just add sprinkles. There are from the Carter and Cook Event Co blog.

While shopping the duty free on my way home, I stocked up on some Pimm's, which has fast become my most favorite drink. Or is it a cocktail? I dunno, but it tastes like juice to me. Here is a recipe.

Marcencol

Some serious right brain at it's best.... check it out. ....

About Marwencol.

Coctails and Creativity

I have just fallin in love with a new blog: Mint Love Social Club.
Honestly, if I weren't so lazy, I would totally be this chick who is doin' it up like every single day! Creative little home ideas, amazing recipes, and cocktails galore! Here are some fancy Friday Cocktails she has posted. Ummm... for me a little soda water and vodka is the best I can do (sometimes I might even through in a straw from Ikea cause I'm lame like that).

And then there's this one......

So bottom line is... that if I weren't so lazy, I would TOTALLY have friends over all the time and I would make them fancy cocktails. And if we had all those lovely ingredients, I would like to have it look like this in my house(obvs it would be a SF map)....

Pic found on this home tour from Apartment Therapy from Cupcakes and Cashmere.

Native, Rustic, Modern?

I have been thinking about adding a little native american touches (specifically a rug) into our loft space. I think it is safe to say that our style is officially: rustic, modern, contemporary, urban. haha. Why not add "bohemian" to that list? No, but seriously. I think just some subtle adds would really bring some warmth to the place. Here are a few inspirational pics I have found on the blogs this week.....

Photo Creds:

1.) My new fav blog: Amber Interiors (via LGN)

2.) Decor8blog

3.) Apartment Therapy

4.) Amazon, i think?

5.) Apartment Therapy

I Waffle, Therefore I am

While in London, I visited the Portobello Market. This is my kinda place! It was a great way to spend an afternoon alone. Its a darling little street near Nottinghill with many antique stores full of interesting treasures, a few boutiques with expensive yet hard to find items, and I think there might be an American Apparel there too. (blah).

I brought home with me a couple of photography prints, a jacket that was on super sale, and some vintage letter blocks for a DIY project I am after (more on that later).

A highlight on my journey that day was the darling little waffle shop: WAFFLEMEISTER. um, yeah, that's right, WAFFLES!!! There are at least a handful all over London. The question posed: Why in the hell do we not have this here? In SF at the VERY least?

If the Hubs was there, he would have for sure gone for the works..... maybe better for his heart he wasn't.

Flea Market Finds

Greetings from across the pond. I am working from London for the next few weeks! How awesome is that? Feeling pretty special. I just got here today and am just about to crash as I have just finished my dinner: BBQ Pringles, Chickpea Salad, Red Wine, and a Tylenol PM for dessert... this post could get weird.

Before I left the Hubs and I spent a wonderful Sunday morning at the Alameda Flea Market. This place is no joke! They have 300+ antique vendors with gadgets and gizmos a-plenty. They've for who's its and what's its galore. You want thing-a-ma-bobs? They've got 20. (okay, that was a random Little Mermaid quote, told you the jet lag/wine/pill post could get interesting.)

So here are some of the finds that made it home with us....

Some Edif Piaf, Ray Charles, and Creedance. 3- for $10.00 Enjoyed listening to Edif while I hastily packed for my trip which will include a short weekend in Paris. whoop whoot.

No joke-- I was on a mission to find a bronze elephant and book ends to accessorize a new bookshelf... and would you believe we found ....

This is actually also a little "before and after". Babar on the left has been polished... the one on the right is how they came. What a difference a little bronze cleaner can do.

And finally, our most appreciated find; an interesting mid century pendant lamp.

Pallet Wall in our Loft

I have been lagging forever on posting something on the Pallet Project (refer to first posting of inspiration here) that the hubs and I did a while ago. Technically he was all the muscle, but everything in this household is pretty much a joint effort in some way or another. I really wanted to wait until I had all the best stuff hanging on it. Then I wanted to wait until I had some seriously well thought out photographs of it, but alas... I am too lazy and decided that I would show it as is.

Here are some of the "progress" shots...

Here are some more "afters"....



And the living room side which needs loads of work. I am really pushing for some particle board and wallpaper. Who knows...

PINTEREST!!!

Okay, I am obsessed!

How cool is this site? It's your own virtually library, bulletin board, bookmarking, blah blah blah, application!

I already have a few boards going: Baby Shower Inspiration, Home Decor, Bunting (from past post), Things I want.

It's kinda like a serious window shopping trip everytime!

Check it out HERE! You might have to wait for the invitation acceptance. (is it still in beta?)

Happy New Year

Well, I usually love to say goodbye to the year behind us. This year, saying goodbye to 2010, was a bit sad. It was a year FULL of amazing wonderful blessings. This year brought all our family together to celebrate our love in an amazing wedding in Big Sur this year. Friends had many healthy, beautiful babies, that I get to love whenever I can. Traveled to exciting new places; NYC, London, & Belize. We also traveled to enjoy family in Portland/ McMinnville, SoCal, & Florida. I really feel that 2010 was a great year in my life and I am now looking forward to 2011.

In 2011, I plan to ...

1.) Take a trip to Maui
2.) Travel on a train somewhere (commute to work doesn't count)
3.) Go out of my way to celebrate birthdays for friends
4.) Blog More
5.) Excersize more, eat better (cliche, I know)
6.) Focus on dancing and exploring other genres
7.) See as much live music as possible (or as much as can afford)
8.) SAVE money and plan towards a large purchase (like a house)
9.) Continue talking to other Big Sur brides and see where that leads.
10.) Love my husband and enjoy the time we have together before we start talking about babies.

11.) Oh and of course, not be so lazy and actually make the list of 10 above, a reality.

What are your resolutions?

Note to self

If one day I am lucky enough to be able to design our own kitchen... make sure there is a fireplace in it.