Looking backwards at some old photography of mine...

buttons and keys, some obsessions

 dunes

near those dunes

 burned pan close-up

A Cool Weather Tradition: Steamy Sippers

have ya missed me? these days when the weather gets chilled, i gets thrilled! why? because it means boots, scarves, hoodies, peacoats, and my favorite signature item - knee socks all get to come out to play with me once more. (seriously, i'm so much cuter in the cold months) also, cold outside means more cozy inside with fuzzy throws, smokey wood stove fires, and hot drinks!

the Huz and i adore us some hot drinks. for our nearly-daily talking times, we can be found flopped on the giant brown couch (when the kids go down for their afternoon naps) sippin' somethin' steamy and staring deeply into each other's eyes. (okay, maybe we're staring off into space due to sleep depravity, but we're still totally in love and connecting there exhausted on the couch.)

i thot i'd invite y'all to join us a bit here by sampling some of our fav steamin' sippers. these also would make good giftys for Christmas or for hostess gifts (yep, i still believe in proper party etiquette).

 

Orange Spiced Instant Tea Mix

We were given this for Christmas last year and used it almost twice a day it was so good! Good snacky pairing = snickerdoodle cookies.

1 c. Tang breakfast drink powder

1 c. instant tea powder

1 (3 oz.) envelope sugar sweetened lemonade mix

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tb. sugar

¼ tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Combine all ingredients. Store in a tightly covered container. Stir before using. To use, stir 1 tablespoon of the mix into 1 cup boiling or cold water. Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Update:
I made both of these this week with good success. The orange one needed a bit more flavor, so I added more cinnamon and orange. The chai was spicy and exotic and good, I wouldn't change a thing, it tasted like India, but it's not for the faint of heart. : )

Chai Tea

i haven't tried this exact recipe(UPDATE BELOW), so let me know if it's a disaster, but after having the real thing in India, i've been looking for that milky, spicy, soothing, wonderfulness in a cup, kinda taste. starbucks doesn't get it. they think chai tea is a cinnamon cookie in a cup. true chai is stronger and spicier, like it's native land. this recipe holds promise of delivering and doesn't contain nasty non-dairy chemically creamer. (oh, i'm sorry, are my opinions showing?)

Makes 18 servings (1 cup prepared tea each)

2 cups powdered dry milk

1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea mix

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon allspice

½ tsp white pepper

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1.In large bowl, stir all ingredients until blended.

2.In food processor, blend about 2 cups mixture at a time 30 to 45 seconds or until mixture looks like fine powder.

3.To serve, place 1/4 cup tea mixture in mug. Add 1 cup hot water; stir until dissolved.

Note: To make vanilla chai, add 1tsp vanilla extract to brown sugar and mix well. Allow to air dry completely before adding to recipe.

All A Gal Needs

i can't wait until Dre is old enough to "rescue" me. : )

and here's a little doodle i painted featuring that little man, Dre... ain't he a just squeezable?

Tattered Tee Tutorial

and now, y'all, an easy-peasy tshirt restyle. i got this t at Good Will for a couple bucks and liked the fabric, but not the plain, semi-unflattering fit, so, inspired by Pinterest ideas, i decided to rip 'er up - nicely. if you'd like to give it a try, follow the steps below. note: make sure the shirt you choose is made of a fabric that won't fray (like jersey cotton or fleece) - unless that is the look you want, of course.

1. draw the pattern you want. i chose to make dash marks with a washable marker and cut slits, but you could cut small circles or make Xs, just keep in mind that the holes will stretch with wear and wash, so cut them slightly smaller than you want them to look.

2. cut the slits/holes.

(i also chose to chop off one sleeve and the collar.)

3. giver 'er a tug to stretch out the holes.

4. show 'er off. that's it!

i realize now that with the color of the tank i wore underneath, i ended up looking rather like Baby Bop in these shots. i trust you all to make better choices than i.

Lamp Re-vamp

remember this wonky beauty from my thrift score post? yeah, well she's had a make-over... actually all i did was take off the pretty-but-so-unnecessary shade and suddenly, i fell madly in love. i knew when i heard this lamp call my name from the dingy floor of the store that we would be good friends, but i didn't know how cool of a friend i had made.

she's not for everyone, i know, but golly, when she's lit up, it's like something from a 20's train station - a warm, bewitching sorta glow. seriously, if i was a moth, i'd be smackin' my powdery little skull (do moths have skulls?) into this bright orb whenever somebody flicked it on. as it happens, i'm not a moth, but i do find myself staring at it all the time when it's on... hmm, even if it's on my computer screen....so.. pretty... priiiity. time to move on.

 right, so i now had this really fascinating shade with no lamp for it to hover over, and well, that just wasn't right, ya know? no problem tho, i just grabbed me an old lamp we've had and spray painted it "soot" black to suit the shade's styling... and tried 'er out. the bulb light was too harsh showing through so much of the wicker, so i lined the interior with brown mailing paper, my fav. (prolly not something Smokey the Bear would advise, but i tested it for a couple hours and no fire, so i figured...)

tada! now adam and i began testing objects around the house that could pass for finials (that's the top thingie that holds the shade on the lamp). first one we tried was too tall. adam calls this one the "pineapple."

the next one was sorta clownish.

and after a couple other rejects, we ended up going back to the pineapple and sawing off the bottom with a pipe saw. we likey. and there ya have it!



whaddya think? anybody tried somethin' like this before?

Restyled Combat Boots

recently, I found these light combat-style boots at khols for $7 (i know!) and loved how they contrasted with the mini dress i was wearing, but they were just a touch too blah for me.

so, using some vintage fabric from my ma-in-law, i glued on some fla-va. below: eva helping me decide on placement.

i really like where things were going, but we just weren't "there" yet...

i realized the flowery additions weren't blending well in their new rougher habitat, so out came an old bristle brush and everything got a good scrub to fray those edges. perfect imperfection.

 ahhh.... much better............. tigeress agrees. (i think eva left her on the table?)

coming along nicely! yes, yes, the laces are missing... during my "blending" session with the bristle brush...

... i tossed the laces into some coffee to make them less matchy-matchy and deepen the brown, giving them an aged look. yeeeeah, unfortunately this had no effect. (what the pooh, right?) so it was on to plan b.

i slapped some deep espresso paint onto them and let them dry half-way then risnsed 'em. and this time...

... i got that dirtied/aged look i wanted. it's kinda hard to see below, but, trust me, it's there.

i'm looking forward to fall weather so i can wear these with sweaters and my jean mini and one of my signiture looks : knee socks.

Ta-da!

Thrift Score: All for $10!

check it divas...

i got all you see here for only $10! mm, hmm, you read me right, $10 for this score! let's inventory, shall we?
2 brand new flannel snowflake pillow cases
6 vintage look-a-like tulip napkins
1 giant embroidery hoop
1 stuffed paper bag filled with craft supplies - hoops, fabric, thread, yarns, picture frames, foam, etc.
1 vintage floral platter
1 light bright game
1 pair open-toe garden clogs (they're hiding)
1 pair real leather cowboy boots for the huz
1 kitty cat park play set (i'll explain)
and 1 wonky adorable lamp

impressed? yeah, i was pretty thrilled ma'self. you see, my man gave me $10 to "go have fun" thrifting for the afternoon, and i took that and added to it my own $15 of fun money and began the hunt. (i adore thrifting) after 2 hours and $25 were spent, ("hey!" you say, "i thot you said $10 before." i did. quit interrupting and read on.) i had all the items listed above, plus another pair of authentic leather cowboy boots. i took them downtown to mike, an owner of one of our local vintage stores and sold 'em to him for $15. bam.

napkins, pillow cases,  garden clogs, and purty platter

sorry cat people, but i really hate dislike cats. however, if they come in a non-shedding, tiny form that has the ability to entertain my toddler on the long drive to the beach - i like cats.



the restyling of this kooky light will be coming up in a future post.

so there's ma thrift score, mamas. now, hear me this: this sport ain't for the faint-hearted, y'all. if you don't like hunting through mildewy posters for vintage art, scavenging amidst dusty fabric scraps for hand-made surprises, groping in bins of worn shoes for that muddy pair of boots at the bottom, fearlessly haggling down $1 or $20, and maybe even elbow-fighting for your spot digging through the bacteria-ridden children's toys (back-off, Nana! my little girl's scorin' that doctor's kit this round!), then stay home, pansies. but if you're up for the dirt, the disorder, the smells, meeting and being in close quarters with the 'salt of the earth,' taking risks on possibly-broken-beyond-repair and likely-to-never-get-that-stain-out "treasures," then saddle-up with me, girlfriends. 

those of you who know me well, know that i'm a total germaphobe. i won't eat something if there's a pin hole poke in the bag. i disinfect me keys, phone, remote controls, and steering wheel monthly...sometimes weekly. but when it comes to thrift store shoppin' - i'm a different woman. why? answer's simple, as you can see above, you can completely score! adam's boots were 50 cents, honnys! 50 cents! one day thrifting will be a sport, and when that day comes, you might wanna pick me for your team. i'm jus' sayin'...

Painterly

this year, in "moments of creative expression" i've been doing some painting, and i've liked it much more than i did in school. above are my works from college... can you tell how miserable i was in that class? kinda dark self-portrait there, and my mom hates that last one. the teacher said it "wasn't turning out well" and so i went be-zerk and painted killer butterflies all over it... and got my first good grade of the class...whatever. anyway, oil painting was the only art class i ever got low marks for (i know, braggy-braggertons here), so that's why it's been more than 5 years since i've had the courage to give it another try. sorta. these are acrylics below actually, but you get the point. nothing show-stopping in my opinion, but the folks i made them for were quite happy, so i am too. the first one, "sunken sydney," was for my brother, and the second one, "plum sahara" was for my sister-in-law.