Itty Bitty Baby Booties

Itty Bitty Baby Booties

It seems like its the summer of procreation in my circle of friends so I decided to try out this cute pattern for Itty Bitty Booties by Heather Bailey found here.


These brown ones are for Miss Chelsi and her little newcomer Brody! Hopefully Chelsea can keep it a secret before I can manage to make it out to meet Brody.



These little pinkies are for McCall's little girl Libby. Or Libbers as I like to call her. Guaranteed to make her run fast and jump high.



I think they turned out really cute and didn't take long at all. 1 hour start to finish for both pair. I love a good tutorial and I hope all of you do too. Can't wait to see you Libby and Brody!

Anyone wanna house/dog sit??

I just wanted to throw an offer if anyone is interested in taking a trip to Los Angeles any time soon or currently lives here and wants to get away from a roommate for a while. August 5-11 I will be staying in a different house to work on Big Brother and my apartment will be open and free to use. The only catch....you have to dog sit too. But we all know how adorable and loving and easygoing miss Penny is! Basically feed, water, throw away potty pads, throw a ball, give her kisses, show her my picture every night and keep the door locked when you leave. I mean look at that face! Let me know if your interested!

Tutorial: Candy Ribbon Rack

Candy Ribbon Rack

If your like me, you have a bunch of random spools of ribbon lying around the house. Don't tuck them away...Show em off with a ribbon rack. Here's what ya need.

• a shelf with hooks of some sort
• dowels (length according to said shelf with hooks : )
• Liquid Stitch fabric glue
• 2 - 6 inch pieces of ribon
• a rainbow of ribbon
  

I picked up this accordian rack from Goodwill on the cheap


I spruced it up with a nice coat of aqua paint.


Cut two 6 in pieces of ribbon, fold over one inch of ribbon on each side and tack down with liquid stitch. Let it dry overnight to make sure it will hold.

Thread the ribbon spools onto the dowel. Hang the tacked ribbon from the hook and insert the dowel into the lower end. You can adjust according to how low you want the ribbon to hand.


You can also make a multi-tiered rack by making another set of tacked ribbons and hanging a lower dowel from the upper dowel...get my drift : )


xoxo
Ali

Tutorial: Delightful Magnets

Blank fridge...oh NO! Tortured by magnets from tow truck companies? No more! With these delightful little magnets, your fridge will go from drab to fab in no time!

All you need is a few pieces of scrapbook paper, some blank magnets (pick them up at the hardware store on the cheap) an exact-o knife (or a circle cutter) and a self healing mat.

Choose some cutie paper and start cutting circles (or whatever shape of magnet you buy)


Drop a dot of hot glue on your little magnet and place the paper on top. As soon as i placed the paper, I stacked the magnets together to keep them smooth without a glue blob.

Last but not least.....DECORATE and ENJOY!!

Please not the pic of my dad acting a fool with a hamburger from the 70's.
Hi Dad!!!

Dear Penelope

Dear Penny,



I love you a whole lot.

Love,
Mom

p.s. stay on your side of the bed tonight...

My Apartment...so far

I LOVE seeing pics of other peoples houses so I thought I would share some of mine. Decorating this place has been a very slow process but I'm finally making some progress. Tomorrow I will be attempting to build a buffet and a custom desk...i'll let you know how it goes and post a tutorial.

Here's my bookcase. Reading is so dear and comfortable to me that I wanted it to feel eclectic. There is definitely a mix of classic literature and picture books. I like the tulle because I don't think of books as school...I think of them as escapes to different worlds so I think the mess of tulle is fitting.

I like how my camera accented Harry Potter. I'm steeling coming off my Potter Mania!

Here is my kitchen table area. The wall art is done by Shepard Fairey. He is one of my faves. I got these original signed prints a while back and then he was commissioned to do the Obama campaign art and he pretty much blew up. I love the way they look and more importantly what they stand for.

OBEY!

Here is another Fairey print, this time in my bedroom. I also have a facination for birds and it is definitely a reoccuring theme for me...hence the birdcage. The dresser is a family heirloom that I refinished and put on some cool hardware. This is one of my favorite pieces of furniture I own.

Yet again another Fairey print (I promise that this is the last) with a great message : ) The blank space will be a small table sooner or later.

This mirror is a great thrift find ($3) with a nice coat of glossy red paint. The candle holder was also a Goodwill treat and that is the origional color.

Aaah...the kitchen. A little birds on the wire theme going accross the cabinets. I also love the English propaganda poster. A motto I try to live by "keep calm and carry on"

All the little ducks in a row.

Hope you like! More to come when I get to workin!

I'm Having a Zach Attack!

I know what you're thinking...stop posting so much...To that I say...NO, NEVER.

Ladies and gentlemen born between 1980 and 1987 gather round and prepare to be amazed because you're life will never be the same.

Check it: http://www.hulu.com/watch/76560/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-saved-by-the-bell-reunion-update-3



SAVED BY THE BELL REUNION. Gather your banana clips and roll up those pant legs...this is what we have all been waiting for. Squeeeeeeeeeels!

This one is for Jodi

My lovely friend Jodi informed me that I am an idiot and forgot to link to the Butterbeer Recipe... here it is.

While I am on the subject I thought I would take a moment to maybe start a mini movement. I don't know how many of you follow twitter but they have #followingfridays where you post a tweet with your favorite tweeter so other people can get in on the action. Here is a list of my top 5 bloggers...most of them are crafty...some are just witty but I love them all. I would love to hear yours as well!

-this is in random order because I simply can't pick a favorite

1- Heather Bailey- She is a brilliant designer with a style I love! If you venture to her site you must check out her studio here.---I know...I have died and gone to heaven. She always has great things to talk about.

2- IS-LY by Melissa Esplin- She is a sister of a friend and I have been following her blog for about two years now and she inspires me all the time. Her little blog has grown from just pics of an art collection to a full blown feast of ideas. And although this has never been discussed...I did tell her sister that I was naming my first child Penelope before Melissa got prego...just sayin...and just kiddin. Check out my fave post here...leg warmers for baby....my ovaries are screaming!

3- Design Sponge- This blog is great for everything. Plus my blogger friend The Design Gal herself was just featured on this site here. Go Shannon! Too bad I live in an apartment or I would be all over these garden spheres...I think I would stencil or paint them...aaaah someday Ill have a yard and a handy man of my own.

4- Dooce- I have quite a but in common with this little lady and I like the way she tells it like it is. This blog is not for the faint of heart but I think she is ever-so-endearing and always makes me laugh. She has a section called "How to annoy me" and she voices all the little things that bug everyday. Needless to say, it's hilarious. Here's one of my faves.

5- All of you. I love reading everyone's blogs and hearing all you stories. Its like one big novel with all these different beautiful, interesting, unique characters. Keep up the good work.


Now...tell me who you follow and why you love them...

Happy Blogging!

Cheep Cheep!

What Can You Buy For $50

I had a conversation with a friend a couple of weeks ago about how $50 gets you nothing these days. So I gave myself a little challenge...What can I get for $50. The idea being that you get the most stuff possible. By the looks of it...I think I did a pretty good job.



The mod candle holder and candles, American Greats book, and Cork board were all found at Goodwill = $6.00

The spool of tulle, 5 bottles of paint, and light set were from Walmart = 18.00


The two huge picture frames were from Big Lots = $10.00

Fabric was from Walmart = $1.00

Andy Warhol book, smaller picture frame and magazine rack were also from Goodwill = $10.00



And last but not least! This cool gas pump drink station was from GoodWill for $5

That puts my grand total at $50.00 (i rounded the change to the nearest dollar)


Now I challenge YOU! What can you get for $50? Or $15 or $100. You set your own price and see what great finds you can come up with. I must say this was a mighty fun challenge!!

Good Luck and be sure to let me know how it goes!

Yum-O

I'm Trying to be a Daring Baker (baby steps)

Even though I just cook dinner for myself every night (who am I kidding...the taco bell drive through knows me by the sound of my voice) I try to have something a little more than just a frozen dinner. Here are some pics of my Italian feast. Homemade 4 Cheese Ravioli with store bought sauce, Caesar salad with fresh Parmesan, asiago bread with balsamic vinegar and of course a nice rich Merlot to round it all out. It was delicious. Here is the Ravioli Recipe!

Pasta Dough

2 lbs. flour
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. warm water

Make a well with 3/4 of the flour; add salt and eggs to the well and mix together slowly, adding water as necessary. Knead about 10 minutes; cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead again until very smooth. This dough is now ready to use: Ravioli, lasagna, fettuccine, cannelloni, etc

Ravioli

1 large carton ricotta
2 bunches spinach
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups cheese
2 egg whites
salt and pepper, to taste

To Make the Filling: Cook Spinach; squeeze out water and chop. Add other ingredients and blend together.

To add filling to the dough Roll out dough and cut in to whatever shape of ravioli you would like. Add a spoonful of filling and fold a piece of dough over the top.

Place the ravioli in a pot of boiling water when they rise to the surface they are cooked.

'Arry Potter

'Arry Potter

Of course I had to go see the Potter flick on opening day. I must say it was a blast. I love the feeling it brings out in me. Its just like being a kid again. I went to see it at the Arclight in Sherman Oaks (my favorite theater...they kick people out for texting and talking...Potter is an exception though) and much to my suprise they had the films actual costumes on display. The pic above you may recognize as miss Luna Lovegood's beginning outfit. She is my favorite character (besides Ron of course) and the one below is of the ever wise Professor Dumbledore. I must say it looks really grey in person but in the film it looks really green. hmph.



This book was the most emotional for me. I couldn't believe that Dumbledore was murdered...and at the hands of SNAPE! ooooo that snape. I know that these books are for children but I learn important lessons from them all the time. Lessons of friendship, honesty, drinking various types of beer (click here for an AMAZING butterbeer recipe (non alchoholic of course : ) but most of all lessons that the heart of life is Good. Even when things don't go our way perspective pulls us back and we see lifes intentions are greater than our minds can imagine.

Ill leave you with this weeks motto....WWDD- What Would Dumbledore Do!

THEIVERY!

Attack on the Car

So after a rough day I just wanted to come home and read harry potter. I got home about 8 and around 11 I remembered that I left my HP book in my car so I went down to my apartment garage and noticed that there had been some, not so attractive, car modifications.



Someone had smashed my passenger window with a screw driver and taken my navigation and ipod (which were hidden in the glove box) It seems like they were in and out. That kinda scares me because that means that someone knew where to find them and might be someone who lives in my building. It made for a really bad night.


Don't mind the super big gulp, water, gatoraide, and corn nuts...i think the theif put those there...

Holy Guacamole!

Holy Guacamole!!

Guacamole is a very personal thing. Some like it chunky some like it smooth some like it spicy and some like it mild. Heck, some people don't even like guacamole (obviously these people were exposed to some sort of taste debilitating radio active material as small children but that's another story altogether.) Guacamole is a major staple in my diet and many months ago I committed to finding MY perfect recipe...so here goes...

MY Perfect mole mole mole...

2 Avocados
1 Medium Tomato
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Small Shallot
2 T Jalapeno

1 Lime

Pretty easy from here...chop everything up and mix it all together. I like mine very smooth so I make sure everything is chopped very small and that I get all the lumps out of the avocado. You can vary everything to your taste. If you like it spicy add some more Jalapeno, if you like it chunky, do a medium chop on the tomato...etc..etc. After it is all mixed together I salt to taste and enjoy with some Trader Joe's Tortilla Chips. Aaaaah...Perfect for summer...or winter...or fall...or sundays...or midnight snacks...I could go on forever.

Shabby Apple

Shabby Apple

I know many of you will relate to my continuous quest to find clothes I love. I'm not really a shorts girl but I love to wear dresses. Often times I find they are a little too short for my taste but the search for the perfect dress shoppe is OVER!



One of my favorite blogs to follow is ISLY by Melissa. She always has the greatest style and she is amazing at all things crafty. I stumbled upon an entry today about a Utah based company that sells the CUTEST dresses! It's called Shabby Apple and you can find their website here. Also if you go to Melissa's website here you can find instructions on how to get a great discount. I love all of these because they all hit at the knee so you don't have to worry about acting like a lady. Plus for all of you who wear G's I think they all have sleeves.

PS... McCall- There is a dress called the Nantucket...I think I might just get it for the name : )

Happy Shopping Everyone!

Poor little Penelope : (

Penelope got spayed today... poor little thing. Everything went well and she is doing good. She is so funny hopped up on drugs. She just stands up and just stands there and then her head nods off. Here are some pics. Sorry for the stitches on...I hope your not grossed out!

Big Brother!!

So finally I can say that I have been working on Big Brother for the last few weeks. It has been so much fun but hard to keep so many secrets. That show is INTENSE! I have never watched it before but it was so hard keeping the contestants identities completely secret with all the paparazzi and spoilers and bloggers licking up every bit of information they get. It is such a strange feeling to get to know these people so well and then send them off to the house and it feels like you are losing your little babies. I know that I won't work in this industry forever because it is just too much and I definitely want a family someday but I think it has been such an interesting experiment to see this industry from the inside out. If anything it has made me love film and tv even more (i know not possible)


In some other news...Penelope gets spayed on Wednesday. I am so worried about it! This is a pic of what I wake up to everyday. She is still sticking her tongue out non-stop. Love her!


Cuters I know. And another Nelly note is that she is finally 100% potty trained! I am so proud of my little pup and am looking forward to puppy school and dog parks and beaches in the near future.

Love hearing all your updates and I hope you are all enjoying your summer. Ps I recommend everyone see a film called Food Inc. Seriously great film making!