Monday, May 31, 2010

Memorial Day


Many of you may have had a nice relaxing Memorial Day at home or at a picnic. Not me. I was at work at 7am, shopped at my favorite thrift store (50% off sale!), made crab cake sandwiches and homemade sweet potato fries, and watched a marathon of the New Jersey Housewives. 





I do have a small shop update with some things I added today. Please check out the shop!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Just some last minute shots I took of my homemade red velvet cupcakes from Amber's bridal shower and the wedding gift I made for her. I wanted to post them sooner but I've been busy! I think nothing is more special than putting you're own personal touch on things.


Amber & Noah

My friends Amber and Noah were married yesterday in a wooded area of Annapolis near the Naval Academy. The weather was beautiful and we were right near the water.


The reception followed at O'Brien's in downtown Annapolis. We all had a blast and the appletinis and cupcakes didn't hurt either.


And as usual, a shot of what I wore...



Everything is vintage!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Trina Turk...for your home!

When I'm browsing the racks at Nordstrom, I see lots of beautiful things I will probably never be able to afford. One designer I always come across that I'm drawn to is Trina Turk. Her clothing is so colorful and vibrant and right up my alley. I've drooled over several dresses and shoes of hers that I wish I could own. While watching the Martha Stewart show today, I realized that she now has a line of home decor and its pretty amazing.




 And not to mention, Trina is pretty adorable herself...


Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Sunday in Downtown Silver Spring

I had a really fun filled weekend starting with a friends bachelorette party and ending with Handmade Mart in Silver Spring MD. Going to all the local craft shows, I've started to get to know the vendors and I recognize some familiar faces. Its such a great community to be a part of and hopefully one day, I will have a booth at ones of these shows. Until then, I love visiting all the tents and buying cute handmade things from my peers. Some vendors that have stood out to me are B-Kao and FuzzyInk. Brenda Kao makes the cutest dresses and tops I have seen in a while using vintage fabrics. I happened to buy a pretty green one which I wore today. FuzzyInk has an obsession with mustaches that cracks me up. They make fun screen printed tees and plush mustaches. 


While in Silver Spring, I also got to visit Cake Love, a pretty famous bakery in these parts. I tried their red velvet cupcake (of course) and the cream cheese frosting was amazing. 


I also tried my first falafel(?) which was actually pretty delicious. My friend, Gideon, always forces me to try new foods and I'm usually glad that I do afterward.

For a rainy and dreary day, I would say we made the most of it and had a really great time! 





Saturday, May 22, 2010

Adventures in Pound Cake

I've been on a major baking kick lately. I was determined to make my own pound cake so I bought a cake pan at the thrift store and found a tasty recipe for Chocolate Pound Cake from 'All Cakes Considered'. I found this book at work while on a break one day and the cover was so cute that I had to look inside. (Its true, I judge a book by its cover.) If you're an NPR fan, you might find this interesting but the recipes have been tested and approved by Melissa Gray, the producer of 'All Things Considered'. 

So late last night I attempted to make my pound cake. First of all, I had way too much batter and I overfilled my pan resulting in an oven mess! I somehow managed to save the cake and kept on baking it. I was so tired from cleaning out the oven that I fell asleep without getting it out the pan after 10 minutes of cooling like you're supposed to. Getting up this morning and wiggling a cake out of a pan for 5 minutes is not fun. So needless to say, the top layer stuck to the pan a bit. I'm hoping to cover it with powdered sugar or some soft of glaze or frosting. It doesn't taste terrible though so I guess it's not a complete failure.

In the meantime, I have a fun filled weekend ahead of me. A friend is having a bachelorette party and Handmade Mart in Silver Spring is tomorrow! Can't wait!



Wednesday, May 19, 2010

New Addition

Say hello to my newest additions on our 'random art wall'. Given to me by Mark's mom, these awesome peacock wall hangings date back to 1965. They were found in a relatives home and now belong to us! The peacock bodies are wooden and the rest is metal. The colors on the feathers are amazing! They are rather large but I managed to squeeze some room for them. These are the best kinds of presents!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Gotta have these!

I have an unhealthy obsession with chairs. Last year I was lucky enough to find a cheap pair of Eames chairs (my favorite!) at a local antique shopOf course they aren't in mint condition, but they're good enough for me and I can finally say that I own some Eames chairs!



So, coming across "The Modern Furniture Limited Edition Collectionon Miniatures.com was like a dream. These chairs are authentic reproductions of some of my favorite chairs from the 20th century...only they're miniature and fit for a dollhouse! They are made of high quality plastic and look just like the real things. I may not play with dollhouses anymore, but I want all of these to put on display in my house!!!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Never too late to Graduate!

What a fun weekend we had! Mark and I spent Saturday in PA for his dads graduation. His dad went back to school and got his Bachelors in Business with high distinction from Penn State. This is quite a feat, seeing that I dont think I have what it takes to go back to school and he was able to do it in his 50s. We got to go to the ceremony and had a fun party afterward with good food and good company. I had so much fun playing with my baby niece, Teagan. Shes getting so big already! I wish I could have spent more time with my family, but we will be going back up in a few weeks.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Late Night Crafting

Its 1:30 in the AM and I should be in bed. I had a full day at work and got home after 11. I should really be in bed. Instead I'm awake making things. What else is new? Tonight's project was hairclips and pretty brooches.

 These brooches are made of soft jersey cotton tshirts that I bought at the thrift store. Vintage sparkly buttons are in the centers and they are backed with a pin. Wahlaaa! A brooch!








These are the hairclips I made. The actual hairclip part has not been attached to the backs yet, maybe tomorrow. The flowers are made of felt and the centers are tiny black beads. I think they resemble poppies. I love poppies! And I can't wait to wear these in my hair.






I just noticed now that both projects used the same color palette. Totally a coincidence but maybe a good coincidence since I love these colors! I will try to get some sleep now. Tomorrow is thrift store Thursday and I need to be awake to sift through all those racks.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Shop Update!

Wow! Things have been busy around here. I've been working earlier shifts now I'm hoping this will help with more time for crafting and playing on etsy. Just wanted to give a quick shop update and show some new dresses added today. 

 In the meantime, I have a graduation ceremony to go to this weekend for my father-in-law in PA. Trying to decide what to wear for something like this is not an easy task. If the weather is nice, I will go with a cute vintage dress or a modern polkadot rockabilly inspired dress. Decisions, decisions! This means I will also be in PA this weekend to visit my parents, friends, and some favorite shopping spots. Hopefully I can squeeze it all into 2 days!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mothers Day!

Whether you are a doggie mama like me, or a baby mama, Happy Mothers Day! Today is a day to honor our moms and show how much we appreciate them. This should probably be done everyday, but why not give them an extra special day? I know lots of new mommies and I hope that they are enjoying themselves! I love you, Mom!

 My mom and I last Christmas.


My baby Cooper and I last year.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Squidfire's Art Mart

Today was Squidfire's Art Mart in the square at Fells Point in Baltimore. Squidfire itself is a company born from 2 guys who do awesome screenprinting on tshirts, sweatshirts, bags, and more. Their designs are so unique and fun! If you can't get to their shop in Hampden then you need to check out their website!

The Art Mart is an indie craft show that had over 50 vendors showing their works of art. We met some really nice people and enjoyed the beautiful weather. This was the first real craft show of the season and there are many to come! Here are some photos from our day.