Friday, December 30

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!




OMG! 2011 has gone by so quick... It's been a great year for us.

We hope that 2012 brings much success and happiness to all!

<3, Hallo Jak!

Friday, July 8

Escondido!

Summer = Road Trips! (at least on the weekends...)

So, for last weekend, it's south to San Diego county
and the city of Escondido.
Our good freind, Debbie, whom we run into all the time,
thrifting =) has a booth set up @ this place called the Urban Barn.

It was yet another great drive down.
(if you ignore the stop and go traffic b/c of the 4th of July Holiday)
Hey! Not going to let a little traffic spoil our fun!

Finally, we got there and it was so worth it!
Take a look...


Fun Shabby Chic Look

Picnic anyone?

World Traveler

Paris Flea Market!


It's a collection of various artists and vendors that set up their
own "showrooms" of the items that they have for sale.
It's a great concept and allows the consumer to shop different styles all in one place.

SOOOOO Much Fun !!!
Make sure you check their blog. They have a monthly Street Faire where more vendors 
come out to play!

Time for lunch!
On the suggestion of the ladies @ Urban Barn, sis & I tried out El Nopal.




Cute Ambience. Lots of tequila bottles on the walls.

chicken taquitos lunch special

chorizo con huevos.

Good comfort food that will leave you full and satisfied.

Time to drive home...
but we did hit up Anthropologie and the outlet in Carlsbad on the way around.
Guilty! =P

Lates! Have a weekend!

Tuesday, July 5

Summer Pennant Wreath

So...recovered yet from the 4th of July partying and eating?!

Summer has decided to come in with full force here in So Cal.
Thought we should have something more "summery" to decorate the doors with.
As a side note, I did start off this wreath back in March with the intent on it being a spring / Easter wreath but that project went no were fast.

It was perfect for this project!
Hey, better that than on my floor half done!

I decided to make this wreath bright.
Went to my local hardware store and got myself an assortment of yellow paint chips.
yeah free!


Then, I had to decide on what flower shape I wanted.
I looked thru my binder of stuff and went with a
 free again!

I traced it on card stock to make a template. Cut it out.


Trace the template on the paint chips.
You can vary your placement to get various shading on your iris. 


Trace, trace, trace, trace some more. Did I mention trace? 


You know what's coming next ....Cut! Cut!


Put all the cut parts together and decide what looks good to your eye.
They don't all have to be matchy matchy.

Staple the petals together (large on the bottom, medium on top).
Glue on the circle on the middle to cover the staple.

Assembly time!
The wreath that I had was already covered in burlap.
(Remember, spring incomplete?)
I just had to arrange the flowers and hot glue them on.

Voila...


Duh...Almost forgot about the pennant.
I made that out of leftover posters and some twine.
 Just cut triangles and glue them on.

It's a nice pop of yellow and makes me happy when I see it!

Enjoy!


Friday, July 1

Lavender anyone?

Sis had planned an adventure last Sunday. She didn't tell me what it was...just that it was about 1 1/2 hours away and that we were driving south, towards San Diego. Why no?! The weather was gorgeous and the drive ain't half bad. Ocean view all the way down! Heck ya.

We started out early on the trip. Navigation is your friend. But Sis did also print out directions, just in case.

Well, this is the site that greeted us. Gorgeous Huh?! Reminds me of the lavender fields in Provence, France. And the smell!!! The air is permeated with lavender!!



It's local (in So Cal)! No Passport Required! And it's free!

It's Keys Creek Lavender Farm in Valley Center, northern San Diego County.

If you have time this next 2 weeks, they are extending their schedule till July 10th. You can thank Cali's unseasonably cool weather! At least the June gloom and the May gray went for some good!

They have over 12 types of lavender in bloom here. They're always planting.
They can get approx 5-6 years of good blooms from the lavender that they plant.


The tour is extremely informative and the grounds are so lovely. All on 8 acres of land. They make use of it.

Signs to guide you.


If your lucky, you can see them harvesting fresh lavender blooms to sell.

They have a distillery on site, but if you're a DIY'er...


As a forewarning, there are LOTS of bees on site.
But no worries, there is so much lavender that they don't pay much attention to the humans.
They do give them a home here and the honey is delich!


Notice the purple bee hive crates in the back? They blend in nicely.

Just about here, we got hungry. They serve scones, tea, and lemonade at the farm...But we weren't feelin it. We wanted something heartier. The peeps on the farm recommended the The Yellow Deli right when we get back on the main road. The Morning Star Ranch , which runs the deli, are neighbors to Keys Creek Lavender Farm. They said the breads were to die for and the woodwork was superb. Sold!



We ordered the cranberry salad and the lamb sandwich on an onion roll.
We'll let the food speak for itself...



It was fresh, organic and yummy!

Have a great 4th!

Tuesday, June 21

Ahhhh... Summer! How you taunt me so.

Yea! It's the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. Thank goodness. June Gloom is in full effect in So Cal. You know that there is something wrong with the world when it's warmer in San Francisco (high of 85°F) than it is in Los Angeles (high of  80°F).

No matter. Bike riding, Pool time, BBQ, fresh fruit, and al fresco dining awaits. Ahhh....relaxation.

Here are some ideas to start us off....

Bikes (via)



















Sis and I never got to learn how to ride bikes as kids and there is this thing called Fear that seems to creep into your life as you reach adulthood.

So, as a cure-all to our non-bike riding dilemma, we have what we have nicknamed our "adult tricycles". It's what we got, for now.

BBQ (via)
















I know that rib eye and porter house are the choice meats in the summer.

But for me, nothing beats a good Korean BBQ. It's especially easy to make at home in the summer with the grill blasting. All of the condiments are readily available at your local asian market or grocery store. The sauces come prebottled. Just marinate and grill.

Wanna make it a party? Try Jaden's recipe from Steamy Kitchen. It's a crowd pleaser! I promise.

Al Fresco Dining (via)
























No matter where you are, hope you have time to go out there and enjoy the season!

Cheers!

Thursday, June 2

Thank You !!!

May is a hectic time for the sis and I. Patchwork Long Beach and Santa Ana are so much FUN, but also alot of prep work. But once the booth is set up (Thanks to Gloria @ Foe Industries) and we get to see the peeps, all of the work is worth it.

We wanted to give a hearty "Thank You!" to everyone involved with the shows, from the organizers to the volunteers and also, to the customers who came by to have a look and supported us by purchasing.

THANK YOU!  

Just in case you missed us, here are some pics.....




Thanks again everyone! See ya at the next show.

Tuesday, May 10

DIY Crate Container Gardening!

Mother's Day is usually spent having lunch with our Mom and Dad. Well, this year, the parental unit is suffering the ill effects of jet lag courtesy of their VayKay to China and Tibet. So, Sis and I thought it was the perfect day to spruce up our garden. The weather in So Cal has been odd of late...cold, mild, blazing hot ... all in the span of 2 weeks! It no wonder our plant and garden have taken a hit! It was time to replant and reap the rewards!

A couple of weeks ago, we were shopping at our neighborhood Asian market when we noticed that they had fruit crates stacked high on the back ready to discard. Sis remembered Fern's Pallet Gardening post from Life on the Balcony. This inspired us. We had done it with wine boxes before... why not take it to a larger scale? Well, here goes.

Supply List
- wooden crates
- soil, compost (enough to fill the crates that you have)
- Weedblock (this is the brand that we found @ our local Home Depot)
- stapler gun and staples (make sure to buy staples that don't puncture the wood)
- yard stick or ruler

1. Here's the container that we had obtained. We ended up with 4 total.


















2. Next, take measurements to figure out the dimensions of weedblock that your going to need.
   
     -Height

     -Length










- Width


3. Cut out your weedblock to size and get ready to staple... Lots and Lots of Stapling!


 

Note: Try to center the weedblock so it's even on all sides. It makes it easier to staple.

4. After all that stapling, here's the finished product! Nice huh?!

If you look closely, we stapled all along the edges to reinforce all sides. All that's left is soil and plants!
















5. Fill your container with the soil and compost.




6. Plant and Enjoy !!!




Got to admit, this took us a couple of hours. But it's well worth it! Come summer, my kitchen will be bursting with fresh tomatoes and herbs. Yummm. Bon Appétit !


Wednesday, April 27

Repli"KATE"

The hype about the Royal Wedding is everywhere! Not an hour goes by that there isn't some type of news or update.... "What flowers are they using?" "What's her dress going to look like?" "What are the guests going to wear?" ..... Never ending.

But what about Kate and her style. She's preppy, modern .... kinda modern English and I think that makes her look so attainable and easy to repli"KATE"!

PS: Kate has a tiny waist and she makes use of her best asset!

Her closet staples ....

1. The Fitted Blazer

 

2. Boots



3. Casual / Jeans



For a Kate inspired Casual-Look on a budget....
                  credit stylebakery

1. Scoop-Neck Babydoll Cardigan, $29.50 at oldnavy.com
2. Silver Dimpled Earrings, $4.80 at forever21.com
3. Glass Pearl Rope Necklace, $48.00 at nordstrom.com
4. White Skinny Jean, $29.50 at wetseal.com
5. Gabrielle Quilted Clutch, $18.00 at urbanoutfitters.com
6. Gabriella Rocha flats, $44.95 at zappos.com

Love it ... Love It .... LOVE IT!