Survey Time!

I picked this up from Kaylah over at The Dainty Squid and since I have some free time, thought I would do my own...

1. Where is your cell phone:

Next to my right arm.

2. Your hair:

Still damp from my shower, unbrushed and some color of brown.

3. Your mother:

Is at work and hopefully having hip replacement surgery soon!

4. Your father:

Is my rock. He helps me find the balance in my life.

5. Your favorite food:

Hmmmmmmm this is a tough one. I am a lover of pizza, cheap Chinese food, Greek Food and, well, pretty much every other food. Right now, I'm totally craving chicken tortilla soup:

(credit A Recipe A Day)

6. Your dream from last night:

A recurring dream...with all of my friends...the Log Ride at Knott's Berry farm, but instead of riding the log through the entire thing you walk...there were different Disney themed rooms...then we got to the part where you ride the log down a big drop and one of my friend's and I get in the log together. On our way down the drop, she starts to fly out (like a kite) but I catch her. Then I woke up....

7. Your favorite drink:

8. Your dream/goal:
To move out of my Mom's, get married, start a family, live in an old house that has tons of character and charm.

9. What room are you in:

The office where I work.

10. What is your hobby:
Photography, sewing, cooking, watching movies, playing board/card games, bike rides

11. What is your fear:

Bridges that cross over big bodies of water (think the Bay Bridge in San Fran) and heights in general

(credit SF Photorama)

12. Where were you last night:

Went to dinner with Justin and Sue and Spaghetti Factory, took Justin to pick up his car, watched Paper Heart with Sue (it was really cute)

(Credit NetFlix)

13. Something you are not:

Filthy

14. Muffins:

Will never be as good as pie.

15. Wish list items:

Bullet Express

A new laptop


16. Where did you grow up:
Orange County, CA.

17. Last thing you did:

Types these words

18. What are you wearing:

A maroon sweater, jeans and brown shoes

19. Your TV:

Is at home and waiting to tune into The Middle tonight.

20. Your pets:

Oh Baxter, my Baxter

21. Your friends:

are all at work. I will most likely spend tomorrow night with them.

22. Your life:
Is fan-diddly-tastic!

23. Your mood:

Tired and fighting a cold.

24. Missing someone:

family far away that I haven't seen in years.

25. Vehicle:

Is in the shop because of freeway debris (see photo). Currently driving a black Dodge Charger that I have named Stealth since I feel like a mobster.

26. Something you’re not wearing:

Socks

27. Your favorite store:

Hmmmm M&L Fabrics in Buena Park or Target

28. Your favorite color:

Blue/Green/Brown

29. When’s the last time you laughed:

Last night

30. When’s the last time you cried:

Christmas Eve

31. Your best friend:

they are all working right now.

32. One place you go over and over:

Work :)

33. One person who emails me regularly:

Russel

34. Favorite place to eat:

Hmmmm probably Rutabaegorz

(Credit: Their website)

35. Where do you want to be in 6 years:

Married with a couple kids living in an old house with tons of character.

Now it's your turn!!!!

A Hoodie For Izabella

A couple years ago I made a popsicle hoodie for Izabella.

Being that she was just over 1 at the time, she has since grown out of it. So this holiday season I decided to make her a new one...with owls! It came out super cute and here's how to make one for the little one in your life if you are interested. These can be made for adults too!

Supplies:
+ 1 hoodie (I try to get it at least 1 size too big so it lasts longer)
+ 3/4 yard of fabric (1yd for adults)
+ Thread (matching or contrasting and as many colors as you like)
+ Sharpie or Chalk
+ Iron set on cotton
+ Scissors
+ Cookie Cutters (or something to trace in desired shape)
**Please note that this is shown with a size 4-6 hoodie.
***Click on the pictures for a bigger version

1. Fold your hoodie in half length wise and lay your fabric out flat. Lay hoodie on top of fabric. Trace around just the hoodie with about 1 inch extra fabric for seam. (I used a Sharpie so you can see my lines, but you can use whatever works for you). I also try to place the hoodie at least 2 inches from the cut edge.


2. Cut along the line you have created and follow all the way to end of the fabric. Stitch the top and backside of the hoodie leaving the front open.


3. Open the hood sewn hood and press all edges in approx. 1/2 an inch.


4. If there is a draw string in your hoodie, remove it at this time.

5. Line up center seam of created hood and hoodie's hood. Make sure the backside of your fabric is facing the hoodie so your fabric shows. Pin the created hood in place.

6. When you get to the flat/bottom of the hoodie you can either fold the extra fabric up or trim it so there is just a little folded under. Pin this as well (Sorry! I forgot to take a picture of this part)

7. Sew along the entire edge of the hoodie and the bottom. You will want to sew pretty close to the edge. You can do either a decorative stitch with 2 different thread colors, or a straight stitch with 1 color...the choice is yours!

8. With the remaining fabric you will need to cut out "patches". I'm not very good at free-handing these types of things so I use cookie cutters or simple shapes I find online. You will need to cut out 4 shapes for a kid's hoodie and 6 for an adult's. I try to line my shapes up so the patch is a little different and features the fabric well...I also make the one for the front of the hoodie a little different from the rest.

9. Pin 3 of the patches to the back of the hoodie. I like to stagger them and turn them in different directions.

10. Pin 1 patch on the front of the hoodie. I like to do the left side, right where the heart would be.


11. Last, sew around the edge of each patch. You can do the same color stitch and color combo as before or completely switch it up! For this one I chose the same color combo, but since I'm working with flannel I decided to go with a zigzag stitch to protect the edges from fraying as much.


12. Clip all of your extra threads at this time. You can also try to thread the hood's string back in at this time (it depends on how precise you were sewing your fabric into the hood)

13. You're done! I haven't given Izabella her hoodie yet but when I do, I'll be sure to post some adorable pictures of her wearing it for you guys to see.

I introduce to you...Mr. & Mrs. Lonie Fink

This past Saturday one of my best friends got married to one of my really good friends. To say these people were born to be together would be an understatement.

I've known Mahria for about 6 years and Lonie for about 3. The two of them met when I was asked to go to dinner for a friend's birthday. Being the girl that I am, I didn't want to go by myself so I asked (see begged and dragged) Mahria with me. The two of them pretty much made an instant connection and evidently Lonie called people after dinner and told them he had met the girl he was going to marry (I know, I know stop with the cheese).

The two of them dated for 3 years and 2, 3 or 4 days before tieing the knot this past weekend and I couldn't be happier for both of them. I wish both of you all the best in the world!

Vampire Weekend at Pappy and Harriet's

When the new boyfriend and I (more on him later) found out that one of our most liked bands, Vampire Weekend, was playing near Joshua Tree we decided to make a short day trip out of it and head to the concert. They played in a small off-the-beaten-path restaurant/venue called Pappy & Harriet's.

After researching Pappy & Harriet's a few days before the show I started getting excited. I love going to dive type places and this one seemed like it would be a lot of fun! We left around 3:30 and barely hit any traffic. We made a pit stop at Morongo on our way there, Justin won $50 and I won $40 (yay us!) and then were back on the road.

By the time we got to the windy, 2 way road that leads you to Pappy & Harriet's it was already dark. This made for an exciting drive since you literally are in the middle of no where and there aren't any lights but your headlights to guide you. It was so dark that arriving at Pappy and Harriet's felt like an oasis of light welcoming us in.

Before leaving home we had already decided that we would eat dinner and Pappy & Harriets (mainly because there wasn't much else around to choose from). This proved to be a great choice! This place should be on Diner's, Drive-In's and Dives. From the country saloon feel to the DELICIOUS hamburgers this place gets a A+ in my book. Their food prices were really reasonable and with beers being between $2-$4 and liquor between $3-$5 I don't see where you could really go wrong. All of their drinks are served in mason jars and the walls had old glass bottles built into them, which really helped add to the old saloon feel.

(The lighting is really dim so it was hard to get a good shot of the walls and other decor)

After eating we decided to walk around and check out the venue/restaurant some. There was an ADORABLE picnic area outside that had vines growing over it. I wish there had been better lighting so I could have taken a photo to share it with you. Since it was chilly and there wasn't much to see, we decided to head back inside. They were 3 pool tables and then I found the bathrooms! The doors to the bathroom had been painted to match the feel of Pappy and Harriet's...they even painted the stall doors!


The next thing we knew the first band was taking the stage so we headed in over to the stage are to catch them and get a good spot for Vampire Weekend. I don't remember what the opening band was called, but they were pretty good. Finally it was time for the main event...Vampire Weekend! The room filled up really fast and since we were upfront I could feel my claustrophobia setting in and I headed to the back (shortly followed by Justin). Vampire Weekend was really good. They played some older songs as well as some new one's and everybody was loving it. Since we had a 2 hour drive home we headed out as soon as they were done playing, but both know that we will be back the next time a band we like plays there.

If you ever find yourself in the Joshua Tree area, make sure you head to Pappy & Harriet's. Most nights they have live music and with the drinks the price they are, this place is a sure hit!

Silverado Country Fair

I found out about a country fair a few months ago from my next door neighbor Nick who has his own business selling different flavored teas and beautiful tea pots. It's set back in the Santa Ana Hills/Canyons in a town called Silverado and evidently this was their 39th year having the event. When I decided to sell at the event I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into, but upon arrival it soon became clear that Marie and I were in for a weekend of down home fun.

The people that attended the Silverado Country Fair were mainly locals or people from near by towns in the canyon. To say they were welcoming would be an understatement. Everyone was so happy, accepting and cheerful all weekend long it felt like we had escaped to a different land.

The event raises money for the community and the organizers, volunteers from the Community Center, went out of their way to give everything a country feel. There was a blacksmith making things on site, a pretend jail where you could have your friend "arrested" for $6 and a picture with their warrant printed out, rock stacking, a stage where local bands/musicians played bluegrass, western and country music, and various food eating contests were some of the highlights for us.

Here's some pictures from our weekend and I will definitely be going back next year!

My booth

A closer view of my new sign and plates

The corn and scarecrow in front of my booth were
VERY popular with the carnival goers

Saturday morning Marie notice a hummingbird who stopped by
and tried to "feed" off my fake flowers and bright colors.
Can you see him?

Rock stacking. The more you stack the more points you get.
The size and shape of each rock determines how many points it's worth.

Country Legend Rusty Richards
stopped by to preform Saturday morning

Saturday's Watermelon Eating Contest (she was 2nd)

Watermelon Eating Contest (she was 3rd)

Watermelon winners! The girl in blue won!



The blacksmith hard at work





One of his fantastic pieces

Sunday's Pie Eating Contest

This little girl was ADORABLE! She was sitting on her
Dad's lap and they were eating the pie together.

The guy on the top left ended up being the winner.

Through out the 2 days there was a raffle.
This is Wendy; she won the apron I donated.

Like I said, Marie and I had a great time at this country fair. If you are ever in the area, we definitely recommend a drive through the beautiful Santa Ana Hills/Canyons.