I wouldn't call myself a
beginner when it comes to flea market shopping or vintage treasure hunting for
that matter as bargain shopping of any kind is enough to get me up and out the
door early on an otherwise sleepy Sunday morning well before the rest of the
world has a chance to even hit the snooze button. Shopping someone else’s once
loved items can be a bit scary (for many reason which I won’t get into)… but
there is nothing I love more than a GREAT vintage find. Trust me, it takes work
to find the right thing, but seeing your collected treasured come together to
create or complete a look that didn’t break the bank is a wonderful feeling. There
are few things I think you should know if you’re planning a vintage treasure hunt
of your own in the near future and these little “insider” tips will set you
down a path of enjoying the hunt just as much as I do!
Get There Early: The Early
Bird Gets the Worm or in our case gets the Antlers! If you get there when the
doors open, earlier if possible you’ve got a head start over the rest of the
vintage pickers and will get first dibs on the days treasures. Remember,
the early bird gets the worm!
Go Green: As in bring
cash. While it’s more and more these days you will come across vendor with a
means of accepting plastic but having cash can benefit you on many levels for
example when striking a deal. And don’t forget to bring a variety of bills,
lots of ones and fives.
Don’t Hesitate: If you see
something you love, buy it! If you don’t, chances are someone else will!
Prior Proper Planning: This
applies to a lot of things, from bringing your own sturdy bag for potential
finds to knowing what you plan to buy and driving a car that day if what you plan to buy might only fit in the flat bed of a truck. Its important to make a list so you don’t
forget what you’re looking for, but don’t be afraid to stray from your list.
You never know what you will come across at the flea market!
Take pride in breathing
new life into forgotten treasures and done be afraid get creative!
Its no secret I live for all things DIY so you can imagine my reaction when I found out the lovely Erica from P.S. I Made This would be hosting Cinco DIY Mayo I was all over it! Such a fun night! We made cocktails at a fresh juiced margarita station. We embellished cake servers. We knotted bracelets with the cobra stitch! It was a blast! Check out my recap of the night! I will be on the lookout for more DIY events involving crafting and cocktails in the future. I am so bummed I didn't pick up Erica's book (she could have signed it!) or even snap a pic with the talented gal... I was on serious sensory overload! Next time!
My finished projects and empty margarita glass!
Welcome Goodies!
More welcome goodies...
Work in progress
Thanks P.S, I Made This! Come back to LA again soon!
I love
holidays! Even if its a holiday that’s said to exist primarily for commercial
purposes, rather than to commemorate a significant religious or secular event! This
brings me to Valentine’s Day… It’s no secret that commercial companies have
taken the opportunity to capitalize on this holiday in particular, case and
point the very lack of hesitation to fill the shelves of our local Rite Aids Walgreen’s
etc. with red & pink heart shaped chocolates of all sizes. Historically Valentine’s
Day is actually deeply rooted and while doing a little research to inspire my
post, I came across a rather intriguing woman whose name dates significantly
further back than any Hallmark Brothers name does as far as Valentine’s Day
goes. This woman is Esther Howland. It was said that Howland was a lady unusual
for her time… I will spare you the history lesson for now, but to sum up Esther’s
accolades she was “The Mother of the American Valentine” At the age of 19 after having received an
intricate English Valentine from one of her fathers' business acquaintances (her
dad was a local stationer) Esther was inspired and felt confident that she was
capable of creating something greater than the one she had received. So after
persuading her father to order lace paper and other supplies from England and
New York City the samples she produced provoked such a positive response that
the advance sales exceeded more than anything she could make by herself! (check
out more on Ester here!)
Quite the creative entrepreneur if you ask me, she was
ahead of her time indeed! Her simple yet intricate cards started at a mere .05
cents; Esther was a true visionary whose designs made a lasting impact on the history of the Valentine. So while Hallmark may have taken over since the early days of the
Valentine there is no need to give into their scheme, I mean I’m sure we all remember
our days of simply gluing a doily onto a piece of heart-shaped construction paper and
handing it to that special someone (usually my mom & dad) and saying “Happy Valentine’s
Day” right!? While I have since graduated from the days of cut-and-paste {ok
maybe not entirely} if I’ve learned one thing in grade school it’s that Valentines
are for everyone—friends, family, and sweethearts alike. Hallmark victim or Esther Howland aficionado
my favorites are those handmade that come from the heart below are a few of my favorite!
Oh the Super Bowl… possibly the most celebrating sporting
event of the year! Football fan or not this is the one day where acceptable
party refreshments include the likes of potato chips, burgers, beer and anonymous
bowls of mystery dip… effortless entertaining if you ask me. But while most of
us are typically drawn to serving soiree clichés such as cheese dips and fried
foods due to their convenience why not mix it up and host a party your guests don’t
see coming! The Super Bowl or football for that matter isn’t typically a topic which
provides much discourse from my perspective, however parties on the other hand
and new ways to put your hostessing skills to the test… I'm all about it! (not
to mention being a CA native I figured I would show some love seeing as the San
Francisco 49ers are a stones throw away from my hometown) So even though I myself
will not be throwing a fancy fete, I have created a web
round up of what my perfect Super Bowl party would entail. Here’s to inspiring
you to shake up your next house party on game day!
Invitations:
No matter how big or small the party an artistically crafted invite is essential. It not only makes your bash more official, but gets potential guests excited about attending too! I am a big fan of the iPhone app Red Stamp. Without going out and spending $$$ on fancy invites you can hop right on iTunes, download the app, select one of there awesome invitation templates, create and send away. You can even send these sweet little invitations via text! Convenient right?! Above are a couple I mocked up to inspire you!
Maximize Your Space:
Seating isn't optional to include when hosting a party for a room full of football fans. I'm not suggesting clearing the sofa from your living room and moving in a set of stadium bleachers, but its important to maximize your space for optimal seating, especially if you don't have enough chairs to go around. Make room for everyone and get this done before your guests arrive to ensure all attendees will have a great view of the game {or the commercials and halftime show depending on what they are into more...}
Put It On Ice:
So important and often times forgotten... ICE! Nothing can turn an otherwise amazing Super Bowl Party stale than a ton of luke warm beer...or soda, agree?! Don't forget the ice and lots of it! And coozies are always fun too! {You can encourage your guests to bring their own in honor of their favorite team even if their particular team is not one of the two playing in the Super Bowl.} Think of the coozies as game day wine tags! This will also limit the amount of half full beer cans you will be cleaning up once everyone has gone home.
Game Day Food:
Any football fan knows that top notch game day food is a must when throwing a successful Super Bowl party and without it, frankly you don't have much of a Super Bowl party. With hot wings, potato chips and various other fried and finger foods being the go-to items to serve... this can make for a rough Monday morning especially when a;; being washed down with beer. Instead try serving a few of the items I have included below. (For more Super Bowl Party inspiration don't forget to check me out Pinterest)
Rather than take-out/delivery pizza which can get greasy and unhealthy at times why not serve mini pita pizzas! Easier on the waist line and will score a touchdown with your guests because they are just so darn cute!
If you know anything about me... you know a reserve a big piece of my stomach heart for spicy foods! So obviously when I came across these hot mamas I couldn't pass up the chance to include them!
Once you've sent out the invites, thought about the best ways to maximize game day seating, chosen your menu, and added buying ice to your to do list now its time to get creative! Whether you choose a specific team for guide the theme of your party or just football in general HWTM has plenty of game day printable freebies!
Added entertainment is also great element, think Super Bowl Bingo! You can even use M&M's in the specified team colors {and yes, personalized NFL M&M's exist!} How fun, especially for those who aren't so savvy on the football speak, this will give them something to banter and cheer about!
Be sure to check out my Super Bowl Party Pinterest board for more inspo! Let the countdown begin!
This might sound silly, but one of my favorite parts about the holidays is picking out the perfect gift wrap. There is just something about a present when it is wrapped up all pretty like and topped with a bow that makes whats inside seem so much more thoughtful! A gift from the heart is the best gift you can give... Gift tags, bakers twine, washi tape and pretty ribbons are so fun to get creative with this time of year! Here are some of my favorite paper essentials which will help make my holidays a wrap!
Halloween is always a tricky time of the year… Besides for the obvious reasons such as having to
figure out or decide upon what amazing party you will attend (what could possibly top last
years… see video below) but also the fact that I have
to decide on a costume in an effort to avoid questions such as “whatare you?" or “why
did you choose that costume” and at the same time attempting to avoid awkward
or offensive moments…
Last year, while the graveyard party was a success, my
first attempt as Sophia Grace was an epic fail and thus my last min reality tv Ah ha
moment to be a Dance Mom was thrown together as an attempted "costume" yet was also a fail. Clearly it provoked the above what… and
why… questions seeing as I meerly dressed in a sheer pink top (which I have definitely worn since), black leggings (which I frequently still wear) wearing a crown and carrying a microphone... Some Ah ha moment huh?! right...
While my post college goulie activities have been limited to
none over the past few years, I am looking forward to Halloween this year!With about 22 days left to figure out my
above concerns and I will not be going as Max from Where the Wild Things Are as
suggested by a brief and wildly inaccurate quiz I recently took on BuzzFeed… Max-For-Adults romper... Do NOT want!
My past years costumes have been a bit iffy as they were typically
thrown together and/or made/bought last min… This year I am planning on doing things different... the key word being planning and if it
goes off without a hitch I will consider throwing in the Halloween towel in an
effort to preserve good feelings about my future with this holiday… Below are a few of what I would like to call My Ghosts of Halloweens Past!
{Meew! Cira 1990}
{Half homemade Greek Goddess 2002}
{Care to guess this one... }
{If you happened to guess Mia Wallace of Pulp Fiction... din-ding-ding!}
{off with their heads! I'm not entirely sure this was Halloween... either way I went as my very own version of Alice in Wonderlands Queen of Hearts}
{I think the orange shorts say it all...}
What ever the night may bring I would like to put my money on topping last years... the venue doubtful... but the costume guaranteed!
I Scream, You Scream We All Scream for Popsicles! Ok LA holy heat wave we have been having! I actually even wore shorts to work yesterday... honestly i think for the first time in the 6 years i have worked here... It must be hot outside. Anyway, this heatwave has got me thinking a lot about ways to stay cool and what better way than a yummy healthy POPSICLE! So I have decided to do my own version of a "Popsicle Roundup" of some of my favorite DIY Popsicle recipes around the web in hopes to get creative this weekend and break one out! You may be asking yourself "Why would I want to make my own Popsicle?" Well let me answer that for you... Licking a cool storebought Popsicle on a hot day may seem harmless, especially since many brands say that their frozen treats are made with real fruit juice. But don’t be fooled by their claims to be a healthy treat; most popsicles have an extremely high sugar content and also contain artificial coloring dye, which is carcinogenic. Can you say EWWWW ?!!!! Not to mention that making your own Popsicles is waaaay cheaper and you can actually control the ingredients. It is amazingly difficult to find a Popsicle in the store made from just fruit or fruit juice.
And if you really want to get wild you can even go for the DIY Boozy version of the Popsicle (get silly now!) And yes, boozy pops are possible just see below in my DIY Popsicle Roundup! And remember peeps to observe the usual precautions during this heat wave drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun as much as possible eat a Popsicle and keep enjoyinh summer while it lasts!
