AREAWARE

My favorite new "gadget". It's a modern cut wood block designed to neatly hold your iphone at night. Download the clock app and it charges at the same time. Perfect solution for an old house with an incredibly small number of outlets. Comes in colors too if natural wood isn't your thing. 


AREAWARE has lots of great things for kids and home. I'm a fan. 

Lately

1. Torrey Pines Reserve Field Trip 2. Magnetic mineral mining 

3. Making tiaras at girl's weekend 4. Croissant french toast

5. Celebrating at The Lincoln Room 6. Bear's TV disguise 

7. Smores in the backyard with grandma 8. Sod laying party

9. Handmade Revolution girls weekend in Julian 

Urban Online

Have you visited Urban Outfitters online shop? Yes, yes, and yes please. 

I just ordered the chevron and herringbone rugs in grey and they're just right. Thinking seriously about the orange ampersand and elephant rug. 

There's something for everyone. Why wouldn't you?

I Heart CA

You might have seen this project floating around Pinterest lately, but my friend Brooke actually made it. And I copied her. Don't you know all great things are "borrowed" from other creative minds? 


Super inexpensive but a bit time consuming, this is a very cool piece of art that anyone can make.  Here's the details on how to get one of your very own...


Supplies 


2 ft x 2 ft smooth plywood board (Lowe's) - other sizes available 
Brass (or other color) finishing or linoleum nails - 3 packages (Lowe's)
Craft paint in your color of choice (Michael's)
Crochet Thread in your color of choice (Michael's)
State of your choice, blown up to size just smaller than your board
Hammer
Paintbrush
Lint free cloth
Bowl for paint thinning


Directions


1. Wipe dust/dirt off your plywood. 


2. Mix craft paint with water to thin. Approx. 2/3 paint to 1/3 water. 


3. In sections, paint on your mixture, then quickly wipe excess with lint free cloth. Do entire board first, then a second coat if you want it a darker shade. (I liked one coat because it let the grain of the wood show through) Carefully dab paint on sides of board, and blot excess. 


4. Cut your state out carefully along the edges. After the paint is dry, double stick tape your state in place on your board. Cut out a heart and tape in place over your city's general location. 


5. Hammer your nails along the entire edge of your state, just outside your state cut out. Space them close together, but with enough space in between to run the string through. Hammer them in approx. 1/3 of the way up the nail. Pay attention to how many hits per nail you do so your nails will be uniform all the way around. Repeat around the heart when your state is complete. 


6. Tie your string securely around one nail on your board. Start randomly criss-crossing your string back and forth across your state and heart. Be sure to leave the heart space free of string inside. Keep the string near the top of the nail. This step takes quite a bit of time so be patient! You can decide how much of the board you want showing through your string pattern. When finished, securely tie your string on a nail and trim end. 


(Entire project took about 3 hours to make. This included Harrison "hammering" with his hammer after every nail :) 


Voila! You're finished with your masterpiece. Enjoy the accolades coming your way...

The Big Move

We're in! I've been unpacking, decorating, painting, and planting to my heart's content. It's been a busy few weeks but we're starting to feel settled. 

Here's a peek at what I've been up to. More coming soon...

Pop-Up Shop

Come join My Three Sons at the Pop-Up Shop! Tomorrow, 12-8pm. 710 13th St., Ste. 208 - Downtown San Diego. 


You'll love the vintage home decor from Glass Deer, Jennifer Rea jewelry, gorgeous flowers from Adorations, cuffs from Sara Crisci, treats from A Joy Forever, and lots more. 


Hope you can make it! 

Handmade Revolution Spring Show

When I wasn't packing for our move these last two weeks, I've been creating for the Handmade Revolution Spring Show! Come join me this Sunday from 11 - 5. There will be one-of-a-kind handmade treasures to buy, wine to drink and the MIHO food truck for lunch. (At the yellow house on B in Golden Hill)

Hope to see you there! 

Recently

Bubbles + Freckles

Spring Lonny Picks

Spring Lonny. Check it out here. 

Retro Finds

Found some pretty cool things for our new pad this weekend. 


I went back and forth about the yellow suitcase, but am so glad I didn't leave it behind. The vintage cameras are going to be a great addition to my collection. I've been looking for a quail family and fell in love with this sweet 60's pottery set. (Plus it was a steal for $14!) These awesome science textbooks are a fun nod to my past and in gorgeous colors. Finally, the 60's fondue set is the perfect color for our new kitchen. 


Cool. Retro Stuff. I heart it ALL. 

Weekend Update

It's that time again. The little league season has arrived. Sitting in the bleachers, cheering for every play, eating nachos and candy from the snack bar, meeting parents, chasing kids around the park...good times. 


This weekend also included lunch with the girls and antiquing in San Clemente (I'll post my finds later!), treasure hunting through this annual rummage sale, going to a lovely dinner with friends at Gingham, cheering John on in the San Diego 1/2 marathon, and cleaning out our attic in anticipation of our move. 


Ready for the week to start just so I can sit down...

Odds & Ends

found this on one of my new favorites 

I love Joanna's honesty about her depression. 


Beautiful, clean & open farmhouse. Love the nursery!


A beautiful outdoor baby shower.


My dream dinner. San Diego next please. 


Chalkboard labels are awesome. Thanks Martha. 


Saw this print on Design Mom. Love.

Great idea for babies. 


Don't you love this quote? Perfect for our current situation...we're moving! Again, I know :) Just down the street to South Park but that still means going through every square inch of our belongings. Three piles...toss, garage sale and keep :) 


I actually have an odd affinity for moving. Two reasons. 


1. I love starting fresh with less "stuff" 
2. I love decorating, so a blank slate always makes me happy. 


This house is much bigger, and they are doing a complete overhaul on it this month. Can't wait. 


This weekend is looking like a lovely one here. I'll be sure to get my troops out for some fun to counterbalance the chaos around the house. I'll be hitting this awesome annual yard sale, and we're all looking forward to the first Little League game of the year. Go Aztecs! 


Till next week. Happy Weekend!

Ciao Cupcake

There's nothing better than a fancy, loaded cupcake after a 5K. Linc and I treated ourself after Max and Jake's Big Race this weekend, and boy, were we glad we did. Ciao Cupcake did not disappoint. 

I was a bit nervous based on my previous cupcake truck experiences (too much fluffy frosting, not enough yummy cake), but we decided to give it a go. It helped that their menu boasted of winning on Cupcake Wars, but I still needed a taste test. We decided to go with the Salty Sweet and the seasonal Blood Orange Ricotta. Both excellent choices if I do say so myself. 

Personal favorite was the chocolate, peanut butter, salted caramel creation, Salty Sweet. It had just enough caramel drizzled over the most delicious italian buttercream frosting. The cake was perfectly done and just enough to balance out the frosting. Yum. Yum. Yum.

I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for another run-in with this organic mobile cupcakery. (did I just make that up?) Nicely done.

Weekend's Best Dish

This weekend was a fun and busy one. Dinners with new friends and old friends, play dates, and running in Max and Jake's Big Race. Good times. 

This Strawberry and Spinach Salad was one of my favorite dishes of the weekend. We added it to a meal with steak and corn on the cob, but would be great with just about anything. I used all fresh ingredients from the Golden Hill Farmer's market, which made it even better. 

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Serves 12 - (I usually cut this recipe in 1/2)

Candied Pecans 

2 tbs. unsalted butter 

2 c. pecan halves (or almonds)

1/4 cup sugar

Raspberry-Dijon Vinaigrette

1 tbs Dijon mustard

6 tbs honey

1/2 c. raspberry vinegar

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

4 bunches fresh spinach, stems discarded, rinsed and drained

or 4 bags baby spinach

2 pts. strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered lengthwise

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 lb. button mushrooms, stems trimmed and thinly sliced

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground black pepper

1 tsp poppy seeds (optional)

To make Candied Pecans, melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over med-low heat. Add the pecans and sprinkle with sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until pecans begin to brown and sugar becomes candied on the surface, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove pecans and scatter in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Cool, chop and set aside.

To make vinaigrette, whisk together the mustard, honey, vinegar and olive oil. 

Assemble salad by combining the spinach, strawberries, onion and mushrooms. Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates and scatter pecans and poppy seeds over the top.

New Outdoor Ikea

While Bear was jumping in the ball pit yesterday, I cruised the new outdoor selection at IKEA. Lots of things worth saving my pennies for. I especially love the Arholma sectional and Falster lounge. Clean lines, durable and in the budget.  Right up my alley.

Weekend Update

I love a weekend where you actually have enough time to get a little bored. In our family it usually takes a four day weekend to accomplish that. The following run-down is going to look busy, but there was plenty of time for the kids to bug each other and John and I to assess each other's faults and make comments on them. 

Friday was devoted to playing with friends and working on these chairs with Jessica and date night. John and I hit up the happy hour at Jayne's Gastropub (best one in SD in my humble opinion) and saw The Grey. The ultimate man's equivalent to a chick flick. (Spoiler alert: I skipped the Milk Duds which was a huge mistake because I really needed them during the wolf killing scenes. All 50 of them.) 

Saturday involved attending lots of kids sporting events and Sunday was all about doing the chores we'd been putting off until "spring". There were occasional bouts of "I'm bored" or "my stomach hurts" (as chores commenced). 

We finished off the marathon weekend with a family trip to the zoo. Apparently the rest of San Diego decided to do the same thing. Highlights included the most fantastic bag of kettle corn ever, animals with spring fever (Harrison, "Mom, those monkeys sure do like to hug!"), and a round trip skyfari ride over the zoo. 

Happy Tuesday!  

Wood Walls

My new favorite DIY home project is reclaimed wood walls. I'm itching to do one in our house, but might settle for a headboard in the meantime. I saw one as a kitchen backsplash in a rental house today and it was almost enough for me to pack up and move.

Looks great up against white walls and iron accessories. One or two color pieces in the room really stand out with wood as the backdrop. 

Would you cover up a wall with wood? Wood's the new brick wall...

Etsy shop, R & R Design Works...they'll come and do this for you!

Philadelphia Home on Apartment Therapy

Cucina Urbana in San Diego

Wood Wall Tutorial

Valentine's Cookies

You're gonna want to eat these. Every day. For the rest of your life. 

I'm not exaggerating, these are the best sugar cookies of all time. 

I don't know if it was the special pan, the recipe, or some valentine's magic, but these are life changing. 

Happy Valentine's Day! Here's the scoop: 

Heart cookie pan is Wiltons. I found mine at Joann's and I'm guessing they're on sale or about to be. I'll be picking up another one because there are only six cookies to a pan. They're large. 

Sugar Cookie Recipe (on the back of the Wilton's pan!)

1 cup (2 cubes) butter, softened

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp salt

Beat butter and sugar together until smooth. Add egg and extracts, beat until well blended. Mix flour and salt together. Add in batches to butter mixture until dough forms. Should easily form a ball. 

Spray cookie forms with baking spray. Push dough into cookie forms, 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. (I did 10 minutes and they were perfect. Gas oven) We decorated some with frosting for the kid's classes, but I liked them best plain with a glass of cold milk. 

(I had to do a 1 1/2 hour hot yoga class to burn off the large amount of dough and cookies I consumed while making them. Just a warning)

Give the people you love today a hug and a cookie :)

The Cons of Dog Ownership

I laughed so hard I almost peed myself when I saw this print. They're a lovely breed, but they have one pretty significant downside. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll contain himself if you come over for dinner :)

Odds & Ends

image via dandee designs

Cool Valentines for boys.

I'm hoping this edition means they're coming back for good!

Thanks for pointing me to these adorable Valentine printables Marta. 

I need to save up for one of these Polaboy frames. So cool. 

Gorgeous but inexpensive floor...right up my alley.

Prettiest first birthday ever. 

These stamped cups would be a stand out at any party.

So worth 3.5 minutes of your life. Watch this for a good belly laugh. 

Hope you're having a fabulous Saturday! We're off to kid's basketball games and meeting the YL college crew for dinner tonight. Enjoying my last few sips of coffee in my pajamas before the day begins. Happy Weekend!

January

It's been birthday central around here and everyone got a little spoiled this year. 

Lincoln got us started on the 5th with a family sushi night and his first slumber party complete with ice blocking and xbox marathon. 

John followed on the 31st with family dinner at Cucina Urbana. Best place for a nice birthday dinner ever! My new favorite restaurant. It was loud enough to not feel self conscious about our noisy family, the kids menu was as appetizing as the adults and the atmosphere is amazing. Highly recommend. 

John and I enjoyed a week in Orlando for Young Life's all staff conference. It was awesome. Time away together, fun with friends, Harry Potter world...yes. 

Because he wasn't feeling it on his 40th birthday last year, we decided to do John's 41st up in style. We took over the party room at Hive Sushi and then finished with dessert by Heaven Sent at our house after. I handed out "John Fav's" goodie bags complete with his favorite snacks from pre-triathalon days (hostess fruit pies and fig newtons), post-triathon (almonds and banana), and a few that have survived both stages (oatmeal raisin cookies and beer!). Such a fun night and 41's looking to be an even better year. :)

Ben brought up the rear on the birthday's this past week. He enjoyed a raging dance party at school (cake in the face), family dinner at Luigi's and a day at Disney. Happy 7th big boy! 

A great month. Blessed to have all of these boys in my life. Having a mani/pedi tomorrow to celebrate a little more. :)

Valentine Terrariums

Don't worry, you can't kill these. Literally, you could drop it off your balcony and the plant would still be alive. Perfect for busy women.


These are on display at Make Good right now if you're looking for the perfect, low-maintenance-but-still-alive gift for your sweetie. Custom orders available as well, $38. 

Succulents are my fav. 

Jedi'd

"Mom, now it would be so easy for me to beat the real Darth Vader." 

Wow, that's confidence. 

We finished off the Byard birthday season in style at Disneyland yesterday. Ben even got a "Happy Birthday, Ben!" from Mary Poppins in the parade. Super fun. 

I feel like I've got my life back today, but I'm minus one computer charger (thanks Theo, master chewer of cords) so I'll be back after a trip to the Mac store...

Happy Tuesday!

Game Changer

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."

Anne Lamott

New in the Shop | Kitchen Towels + Free Shipping!

Check out these new screen-printed cotton kitchen towels! Fun designs, quality towels, you can't go wrong. Buy them for yourself or give as gifts. 


Free shipping on all items in the shop this month!