runway recap.

I loved Project Runway last night!

I am so so sooo happy it's back on. :)

Here are my thoughts for the first show:

I actually liked the girl that got kicked out, and felt sorry for her that it was her time to go. She was interesting- much more so than that Casanova nut! {Uh, hello?! His model looked like she had no clothes on!} But I do agree that the outfit she made was sort of cheap looking and it was styled very poorly. Pink bag? "Mohawk"-esque hair? Too much going on for sure.

If I were her, I would have made a garment that was a little more tailored, or a little less printed. And I would have styled it very simply. I think when you've got a color like that bright blue, you need to make your accessories very neutral- I love pairing brights with nude shoes, and a simple bag. I had fun with polyvore styling my own "runway" outfits. :)

And by far, I adored Gretchen's winning black dress. Adore. It was so cute, I seriously need that in my closet! :)
What did you think of the show?
Happy Friday!
xo!

excitement!

Project Runway's on tonite!!!

Pure excitement!!!!

I also am oh-so-obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance.

I just started watching it this year

and can't believe I have lived so long without this show!

I adore Kent and Lauren.

I have it taped from last night,

and can't wait to catch up on my shows, eek! :)

{PS.. How hot is Twitch? Love him!}

I am so looking forward to seeing Charlie St. Cloud.

I love looking forward to movies like this,

and I hope it lives up to my expectations!

Plus, Zac Efron is totally dreamy. :)

And...

I also can't wait for Eat Pray Love!

I gobbled up that book and hope the movie is just as moving!

I am now reading Elizabeth Gilbert's new book, Committed, which is so-far-so-fab!

Andrew and I are headed out this morning

to see a fantastic local concert!

Haven't heard of Hullabaloo? They rock.

Get a CD for your kids and you will actually enjoy listening to the kids music while driving them around, I promise. :)

And... shop excitement!!!

I am in love with these new dictionary cutouts

from the shop!

What is it about the star shape that is so darn cute?!

Perfect for Halloween or Christmas.

Versatile little suckers, aren't they? :)

Convo me if you need them in a specific color, too.

I love custom orders, yay!

What is exciting you these days?

TV shows?

Movies?

Anything? :)

Happy Thursday, my friends! xo!

shop love no. 11

Yum, yum, extra yum.
I love fabric.
I love clothing.
I love jewelry.
Roll all of these into one positively perfect etsy shop and I'm in heaaaaven!

1. fiber art blue t-shirt
2. big red bow tank top
3. passion- fiber art bib necklace
4. gypsy earrings - summer fruits

Visit Loveanddream now!
And drool over these items like I did. :)

Happy Tuesday!
What are your shop loves at the moment?
xo!

happy trees... a printable!

I love picnik.
I love what it can do and what I can make with it!
Like this funky & adorable printed card.

Save the file to your computer and print it out on a thick white cardstock.
I then cut it out and applied it to a chocolate brown postcard from here.
But feel free to be creative and use it how you'd like!
All set to send to someone special. :)

I am off to enjoy a summer day with Andrew... in a week, we will be finding out his first grade teacher and starting up school again. Hard to believe right now, so I am choosing to push that thought from my brain and continue in summer-relaxation-mode.
Happy creating
and happy Monday, my friends!
xo!

happy weekend!

I hope everyone enjoys a beautiful weekend!

Happy Pink Saturday!

xo!

{image source here}

where am i today?

I'm guest blogging over here today

to celebrate Christmas in July with Teresa!

Go visit- there is a snazzy holiday giveaway, as well!! :)

This lovely blogger will be guest posting later today as well!

You won't want to miss it!

And I'm also spending the morning at the beautiful Balboa Park,

since it is Andrew's last day of summer camp!

I'll be wandering around this gorgeous place...

So tough, right? :)

But...

How can summer already be closing in on us??

August 3rd is his first day of school

{gotta love year round school!}

so we've got 11 more good days of summer.

I'm off to enjoy it.

Happy weekend, friends!

xo!

shop love no. 10

I love illustrations.
I adore flipping through beautiful children's books
and soaking in the drawings.
And I love Etsy for being a place
where illustrators can be seen & appreciated.

That's why I flipped out when I discovered this shop!
I love, love, love these gorgeous and whimsical prints.
Take a peek!

1. beauty within print
2. life is beautiful print
3. remember the small things print
4. home is where the heart is print

Go visit this shop right away!
It is total happiness. :)

What are your shop loves at the moment?
Happy Thursday!
xo!

photo booth.

For their wedding, Chris and Kelly decided to have a photo booth available to all the guests to take pictures in. You took one of the copies home with you, and the second copy went into a guest book {scrapbook, really!} full of all the pictures from the whole night. The guests could write messages to the bride and groom on their page next to their picture. It was the cutest idea ever. Of course, Andrew thought the photo booth was made for him alone. We took way too many pictures.
Here are my faves... :)


Andrew & Mommy


My sister, Andrew, and me!


Andrew & Daddy! {The groom!}


Mommy, Andrew, & Daddy!


My dad {Papa} & Andrew! :)
{I love these. Classic!}


My mom {Ni-Ni!} and & Andrew! :)


Andrew and the groomsmen! :)


My sister Mallory, her boyfriend and Andrew!


Mallory and Andrew!


I adore these memories. :)
Happy Wednesday!
xo!

a wedding.

Most of you know I am a single mom. But what you probably don't know is that I am very good friends with Andrew's dad. His wedding was this past weekend and I am so happy to have shared in this special day for Chris and his beautiful {new wife!!} Kelly. I adore them both and am so happy for them! :) Kelly was a GORGEOUS bride and I was so proud of Andrew, who was the ring bearer. {Complete with the tux and all- so cute!} Stay tuned tomorrow for the photo-booth pictures from the wedding! I think it's safe to say Andrew had an amazing time taking limitless pictures of himself and all of our family haha!

Onto the photos of the wedding...













Congrats, Chris and Kelly!
July 17th, 2010
Temecula, California
xo!

christmas in july!

It's summer. It's hot outside.

But it's never too early to be planning for the holidays, right?! :)

There is a fantastic

Christmas in July

event taking place this week

at It's a Good Day!

There will be guest posts, giveaways, and goodies galore ALL week long!

I'll be guest posting on Friday,

but pop over today to check things out!

You will want to turn on some Christmas music,

I am sure of it!

And here are a couple other things

to get you in the {early} holiday spirit:

happy holiday bird cutouts!

I adore these colors. The bright green mixed in with the red and white seems so fresh! :)

christmas trees and pickup trucks happy gift tags!

Love, love, love this motif. So funky- I can't wait to tie these onto Christmas gifts!

There will be MORE items to come, but these are the first tastes of "holiday" in my shop so far and I am so excited about it! Now get yourself over to Teresa's blog and get in the holiday spirit!! :)

xo!

PS.

The wedding was fantastic this past weekend!

Andrew looked so adorable in the tux!

Photos tomorrow! :)

so proud. :)

This is a preview of what my child will look like tomorrow evening. :)

He is the official ring bearer in his dad's wedding tomorrow

and I couldn't be prouder.

And of course, it doesn't hurt that he looks so darn cute in a tux!

{he will be minus the mario brothers tshirt tomorrow!}

Lots of photos will have to be shared very soon!

Now I'm trying not to seriously melt in this heat,

so I'm going to sit in our luxurious inflatable pool.

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

xo!

today i'm loving...

Fans.

Summer has seriously hit southern California in the past few days,

and we live in a no-air-conditioning house.

So, let's just say that fans have become my new best friends. :)

That, and our inflatable pool.

Andrew and I sat in there for two hours in the hottest part of the day.

It was delightful!!

{image source here}


Doing the dishes.

Seriously!

It makes for a happy morning and a happy all-day-long to have a nice, shining sink.

Plus, a cute little dishtowel helps a little, right?

This one is from anthropologie

{i think! i had the image saved from weeks ago!}

and there are so many cute ones there to make your kitchen happy. :)

My fantastic new shoes!

These are amazing and they were nine bucks on sale!

I bought these, too.

I'm in love!

Comfy, easy for summer, and oh-so-cute. :)

What are you loving today?

xo!

a vintage atlas = love.

{vintage atlas pages found here}

Andrew adores maps.
He pours over the vintage atlas I bought him,
he is constantly drawing treasure maps for himself,
and he loves learning where places are located.

And now that we got a cute vintage globe as well,
it got me thinking...
I wanted to indulge his map-loving side,
and incorporate some of it into his bedroom.


I simply love the room above.
Isn't it perfection?!
I think the map hanging behind the bed is genius.
From a design standpoint, it looks amazing.
And from an educational standpoint, what could be better to add to your child's room? He will constantly be looking at it and learning, and it is so darn cute at the same time. :)


I also love this lampshade that is covered with a map!
Wouldn't it be great to cover one with vintage maps,
or possibly maps from where you live or where you have traveled?
Some place special to you or your child?

I will keep you all posted with my map-making progress.
Photos of Andrew's cozy little room are going to follow very soon as well!

PS.
If you'd like to enter a giveaway of mine,
I am being featured on Little Bit Funky today,
as I am a new sponsor over there!
If you've never been to Crystal's blog,
you are so missing out! :)
Happy Wednesday!
xo!

shop love no. 9

Since the blog is back on track,
Shop Love is finally back!
{did I just rhyme?}

Take a peek at these incredible handmade bracelets from Ponderandstitch on Etsy!

1. Triple strand cuff bracelet in vintage golden floral
2. "be still" embroidered cuff bracelet w/ vintage floral
3. Triple strand cuff bracelet in re-purposed vintage patchwork
4. Triple strand vintage feedsack cuff in chartreuse floral

Truly the most remarkably sweet & detailed bracelets.
These would make the perfect gift.
I'm making a mental note of this for the holidays. :)

Visit her shop and blog.
You'll love them! :)

What are your favorite shops at the moment?
xo! :)

lemon meringue bars.

Happy Monday, friends!
I am back this week with a fantastic recipe to share with all of you.
Like, so fantastic, I could not stop eating these. :)

I love anything lemon, especially in summer.
And if you happened to miss my mom's class a few nights ago,
this is one of the recipes I made for her.
They were easy, and if you aren't into the idea of making a lemon meringue pie,
these bars were the perfect alternative.

{And here is my caveat for you as well: Martha gets real exact with her measurements, which is probably why these turn out so well. But it is so annoying. I can't stand it. But, get over it like I did and make these. You'll love Martha again, even if her precise-ness is nauseating! :) }

Lemon Meringue Bars
{From Martha Stewart}

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
6 large eggs, plus 4 large egg whites
2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350. Make crust: Put butter, flour, confectioners sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and the salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
2. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Press batter evenly into baking sheet. Chill in freezer 10 minutes. Bake until golden, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Make filling: Whisk together whole eggs, 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, the lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons lemon zest. Pour over crust. Bake until filling is set, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Keep oven at 350.
4. Make meringue topping: Put egg whites and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
5. Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread meringue over filling, swirling to create soft peaks. Bake until meringue begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars. Bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 1 day.

PS.
Let me know if you try these
and fall deeply in love with them like I did. :)
Enjoy your Monday, xo! :)

catching up.

This week has been all about getting back to a routine here at my house. Andrew and I have gotten into a bad {and secretly I'm thinking, fabulous!} habit of sleeping in until after 8:30. Which means that Andrew is not adhering to his "going to bed before 8pm" routine, and instead stayed up until 11pm a few nights ago to watch "So You Think You Can Dance" with me. Yes, bad summer habits. I'm trying to recify it, believe me. I can't have my six-year old staying up until 11pm, no no no. :)

So, I feel like my blog has been playing catch up as well lately, and for that, I apologize. Next week I have big plans to make sure the blog and shop are back on track.
As well as our sleeping habits. :)

So here are a few catch-up random thoughts and news that have come up in the past few days.

Andrew lost another tooth!!
Both front teeth are gone,
and I must say, he looks SO darn cute. :)


I finally painted my wire basket from the thrift store!
I went with lime green and I adore it.
I just need to find the perfect space for it now. :)


Another thrift store find?
A gorgeous vintage globe, which I have been dying to find!
Five bucks! It's going in Andrew's bedroom.
More photos about this very soon. :)


A fun custom order from my mom!
She is hosting a decor and summer ideas class
entitled "Living Little" and the theme is
Seashells, Sand, and Lemonade!
So she wanted me to make a little favor for each guest,
and these bird & flower mix packs are now available in my shop as well. :)
They turned out adorable.


More random baking notes to add?

• I made these again a few nights ago. YUM. They are truly delicious!
  
• I am in the process of helping my mom out for her class, and I'm baking these. They are just about to come out of the oven and they smell delicious! :)
• I am now dying to make these. Not too bad on the waistline, and they look fantastic!

Hope you all are enjoying a fantastic week!
What are your random thoughts for this Friday?
xo! :)

"catty" :)

My child adores living things.
I am convinced he is going to grow up to be a successful scientist or zoologist. :)
He makes friends with the smallest of bugs and animals.
Enter in "Catty" the caterpillar.
Andrew found him on the petunias that we brought home,
and spent a good deal of time taking care of Catty and chatting with him.

I love that he takes such good care of little beings. :)
And I love summertime, when we can be outside,
exploring and playing all day long.
xo!

our trip in pictures.

Andrew & I took a fantastic trip up to Spokane, Washington to visit my grandparents. We had the best time. It was a chance to visit with family, see some beautiful places, and experience the country up north. We even got a little bit of rain while we were there! :)
{which, coming from Southern California, I loved!}
I thought I'd share some of the photos of the time we spent there.

We went over to Idaho to Silverwood theme park with my grandparents!


It is seriously beautiful there. Trees, grass, and it seems like we are out in the middle of the woods.


Essentially, we were! We took a three-mile train ride into the woods. We drove by buffalo, and there was a train robbery as well, which Andrew thought was fantastic! :)


The train was so old-fashioned and beautiful.


Andrew and I, being goofy. :)


And of course, we got very wet on the log river ride.
It made us laugh so hard, and is such a fun memory. :)


Then we made a trip over to visit my other grandma... Andrew calls her "Gi-Gi B"! :)


Downtown Spokane has a gorgeous waterfall area with bridges crisscrossing the river, and we rode a gondola ride that took us directly over the Spokane Falls here.


Andrew thought it was awesome. :) He wanted to walk over each and every bridge!


Then we took a trip out to the fish hatchery, as well.


It was incredible to see how these tiny little fish grow to these enormous five pound beasts. Andrew fed them a loaf of bread and they went nuts over it. At that moment, I was incredibly glad to be a vegetarian. :)


Andrew loved the name of the "cutthroat trout" and thought these guys were the bullies of all the fish. Maybe they are? :)


All in all, a wonderfully fun trip.
Washington is truly a gorgeous place in our country.
It was sad to say goodbye to family,
but it's also very nice to be home. :)
xo!