Weekly Wrap-Up!

This weekend was a fun one, with a couple of yummy meals and the Patchwork Festival, like I mentioned on Saturday.  Lots of things to share!

Precap: Sights: Patchwork Festival, Eats: Blackmarket Bakery, Taco Asylum, Schooner or Later, Tavern


Friday

There was lots of work to be done, so by the time I finished, it was really late!  Luckily, everyone was still out and I met them at Blackmarket Bakery.

Don't you love the light fixtures?  The whisk one is my fave.  :)

Then, we went to Taco Asylum for a little bit of food.  Or at least I thought it was going to be a little!  First, a steak & potato taco.

And nachos with potato chips for the table.  Mmm!!!

Saturday

I planned to do some sewing, and I finally did!  I'll share soon.  :)

But first, we went to breakfast at Schooner or Later.  We hadn't been here before, even though it's relatively nearby.  It's been on the Food Network, and we ended up ordering all of the featured dishes: Crab & Avocado Benedict, the Belgian Waffle, "The Mess," and a couple of others too!

Sunday

I went to the Patchwork Festival with my guy, where there was TONS of food, creative inspiration, and gifts.  We sampled lots of food, took lots of pictures, and I even bought a unique graduation gift!

It was held in downtown Santa Ana, on a pretty street with lots of awesome restaurants and shops.

I fell in love with these hanging terrariums right away!

Here are a few of the pictures I snapped: 1) Pretty coasters, 2) A crate of books (on photography & home sewing), 3) The awesome crowd, and 4) Jewelry displays.

I love this display of jams & jellies on a ladder!

Lastly, I LOVED this lady's wares.  The simple bottles drew me in.

I thought they resembled the Starbucks Frappuccino bottles, and then I found out that I was right!  Check out the blue teapot to the right in the picture below...

The body of the teapot is cast from a Jello mold, the spout and handle are from an old coffeepot, the elephant is a plastic child's toy, and the feet are cast from perfume bottles.  Stunning!

She uses ordinary items like cracker trays, plastic cups, and toys to make incredible molds!  It turns out that the candy dishes near the bottom of the picture were plastic trays from snack cake packaging.  I'm definitely in love with her items, and I'm going to purchase a few of them soon!

Tuesday

The reason that I'm up late with this post, is because of the dinner I had at Tavern last night with my family and some old family friends.  Unfortunately, photos by candlelight can only be enhanced so much.  :(

I didn't want to be the weirdo who was taking pictures all night, so I only have a few:

1) Soft shell crab with succotash
2) Crisp duck with a black rice and rhubarb pilaf
3) The "Snickers" bar
4) Five more desserts, including Cherry Pie in a glass, Strawberry Rhubarb Buckle, Lemon meringue tart, milk & cookies, and another one I forgot...


Anyways, this weekend I'm headed to Vegas and I'm anticipating being a good girl.  I swear!

Anyone else have any fun plans coming up?

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Valentine's Dinner, Anthropologie, Deals & Patterns!

Finally a normal weekend!  It seems that as soon as I started these weekly wrap-ups, my life started to get more interesting!

Book events, celebrity run-ins (here and here), sporting events, concerts, trying out new sports, restaurants (1,2,3,4,5), warehouse sales, exploring around town, trips to New York and Nashville, planning a huge trip to Europe, and about a million donuts (1,2,3,4)!

Luckily, life is back to normal with just a few fun things along the way.  This week, the high points were Valentine's dinner with my man, shopping (Anthropologie, Off 5th, Banana Republic Factory), buying fun food items at Mitsuwa marketplace, cooking up three new recipes, pattern shopping, and getting a big chunk of travel planning done.

Wednesday

Valentine's Day was casual for my guy and me.  We decided that it is crazy to fight for a reservation at a fancy restaurant and be surrounded by tons of people who are doing the exact same thing, all in the name of a holiday that can tend to get out of control with decor, food, etc.  I'm not saying I'd turn away a pink cupcake though...

We went to Simmzy's, which I went to about a month ago for the first time.

To start we shared the Goat Cheese Tapas which doesn't look like much, but it was perfect!  Goat cheese with apricots and honey!  I'm in.  :)  I was majorly hungry and barely saved any for my guy, but then again he had his beer flight!

I got their Simmzy's Burger and added roasted Shiitakes.  So yummy!

The close-up shows off all the amazing goodies stuffed inside!

For dessert, we shared the apple pie donut which I ordered the first time around but he wanted to try.

Yep, just as good the second time around...  The slightly crunchy and tangy apples with the soft pillowy dough are perfect with the sweet vanilla ice cream.  The salty pistachios and salted caramel drizzle provide a perfect contrast to the whole thing!

And a complimentary chocolate covered strawberry for Valentine's Day.  Sweet!

Thursday - Friday

Finally a chance to catch up with my DVR!  I'm still behind on Downton Abbey so no spoilers please, and my guy is finally back on track with The Walking Dead so we could watch Sunday's episode together.  :)  And I don't care if it's passé, but I still love me some Project Runway.  A garden & hardware store challenge combined?  Awesome.

Saturday

I whipped out three recipes, as well as prepping the week's meals.  Busy, busy!  I'll blog about them later, but I made smitten kitchen's buttermilk roast chicken, Handle the Heat's Curried Red Lentil Soup, and modified a healthy banana bread recipe for some overripe bananas and leftover cream cheese frosting!

More travel planning and then early to bed.  I was pooped!

Sunday

First thing in the morning, I stopped by Anthropologie to return a gift.  I usually never return gifts, but I received the Sewing Basket apron below which wasn't my style.

It was $38, so I had time to poke around and find something new!  I was looking around when lo and behold, the same lace I used for my green lace UFO yesterday popped out at me!

 

In real life, it is a slightly darker shade of green, but exactly the same otherwise!

Then, I spotted a dress that slightly resembles the Colette Hazel in the front...

and has a surprise in the back!  I love the color, the fabric choice, and the back detail.  I'm not excited about the length, but otherwise this will be an inspiration piece soon.

A bit of inspiration for my upcoming trip.  :)

And then I found the apron I spotted a year ago sitting on the rack.  It was the last one, so I did an excited dance inside my head and got ready to exchange my present.

Then, I had a wonderful surprise.  It was on sale for $9.95, so I had $30 more to spend!  I could have easily bought something cute to wear or items for the kitchen, but I wisely put it away for the future.  It's burning a hole in my wallet as we speak!

I'm not even going to bore you with my purchases at Off 5th, just a winter hat and a French Connection dress both for 50% off and paid using a gift card.  Free!

Then, I met my man at the Banana Republic Factory Store.  Ironically, he walked out with nothing and I had a bag of goodies at the end.  :)

This dress was originally $140 and I got it for $20.99!  It fits perfectly because I actually found it in the petite section.

This dress was on sale for $10.47 from $109.99 in the factory store, so it was even more in the regular store!

Wrinkly (should have ironed it before photographing), but cute!

This textured skirt (which doesn't photograph well) was originally $64.99 at the factory store, and I scored it for $4.87!

Nubby, textured, and red!  Ooh la la!

Next, I headed to Mitsuwa marketplace to buy a couple of items.  I love a pickled cabbage salad, and these are the best!

Then, I bought a couple of fun items as well.  A package of strawberry Yan Yan for old time's sake (although I usually had Pocky growing up).

And a package of four fugetsu do mochigashi.  I forgot to snap a picture beforehand, but this package is pretty similar to what we got.  When people ask if I want mochi, this is what I want!  Not that ice-cream filled stuff.  It's okay, but this is so much better!

Credit

For dinner, we went out for sushi at our local place coincidentally.  The rest of my family had already decided, so it was an all Japanese cuisine kind of day!

Monday

We had the day off, so my friend and I planned a bit for our trip and actually booked our last accommodations!  Yes!

Then, we celebrated by heading off to Jo-Ann's for their Simplicity pattern sale.  I was initially just going to stay home or just help her out, but I couldn't resist a few cute ones!

*After writing this, I realized that I might sound like a Simplicity pitchwoman, but I'm really just sharing the patterns I loved and bought!*

I love the Peplum top from Simplicity 1699 and even when it goes out of style, it's still a classic silhouette that flatters me and I will continue to wear!

View E on Simplicity 1693 looks like such an easy top to wear in a 1960's-ish silhouette!

The flutter on the skirt of Simplicity 1697 is so pretty.  I'm not sure if it will be very flattering, but I'll give it a try!

Simplicity 1688 is such a simple dress, but going through my collection, I actually didn't have one similar to it!  I also have to give it to Cynthia Rowley for almost always having spot on fabrics and styling!

The full skirt, piping, and contrast welt pockets are just super sweet on Simplicity 1687!

Lastly, I bought Simplicity 2444 which I think has been out before, but didn't seem to notice.  Very retro-inspired and could do well with the right fabric!

Tuesday

I was going to catch up with my shows and catch my breath, but I spent nearly all of my free time yesterday putting together an awesome, awesome Excel spreadsheet for my travel budget and future travel expenses!  I will share it when I figure out the best way to do so because I'm sure someone will be able to benefit from it when planning a future vacation.  I know I will!

Does anyone have anything fun planned for this weekend?

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Travel Tip #1: Get a Travel Mascot!

I am loaded with tons of useful travel tips: how to pack for 4 weeks in a carry-on suitcase, traveling through security the fastest and easiest way, and how to save money on food.

This is not one of those tips!

I am all about planning and budgeting my trips beforehand, but once I'm on vacation, it's time to have fun.

Meet my travel mascot: Little Miss!

Leaning Tower of Pisa!

I think having a little travel buddy is fun for everyone, and I'm sure kids would love it!  My particular mascot is a Little Miss Late figurine I had when I was a kid from the Mr. Men / Little Miss series by Roger Hargreaves.  Honestly, I have no reason why I picked her, except that she was the smallest toy I had (no space in the suitcase), and she was a great selection!

Friends and family have brought her to several places as well in the last two years.  Here is a sampling of my photos with Little Miss and a few tips for picking your own travel mascot!

*Scroll down for a bonus picture of Little Miss and a couple of rock stars!*


Europe

Coliseum in Rome

Obelisk in Paris

The Louvre in Paris

1. Pick a figurine that stands up on its own.  Otherwise you'll have to hold it or drape it over items in the environment.

Place de la Concorde in Paris

Versailles Gardens

Ruins in Greece

2. Pick something colorful!  It'll stand out against brown or gray buildings easily.

Beach in Greece 

Dubrovnik, Croatia

3. Pick something small.  That way you can sneak it out easily (such as during serious music concerts in Vienna).  Also, a bulky or heavy item would make it much less convenient during your travels.

Music Hall in Vienna

Prague Castle

Astronomical Clock in Prague

Miscellaneous Countries

4. If you plan on loaning out your travel mascot, make sure you can wash easily (not a stuffed animal) because people will invariably put it on something a little fishy...

At the fish market in the Philippines!

Philippines

Buying ice cream in the Philippines

5. Also, make sure you have your travel buddy do the things that you do when you travel, like sleep on the plane!

 

Overlooking Bogota, Colombia

U.S.

6. Take pictures around events near home too!  They can be just as exciting.

At a Lakers game!

Long Beach Grand Prix

7. If necessary, bring something sturdy for the figurine to stand on if you can't find anything in the environment (my Kindle case works perfectly).

L.A. Farmer's Market!

8. Pictures next to signs are a cute way to keep track of everything!

Sampling Food Trucks

Poolside in Palm Springs

9. Since food can often be the most memorable part of a trip, make sure to take pictures!

Sausages & fries at Wurstkuche

10. Try different poses as well!  Maybe she had a bit too much to drink...

Lots of beer at Wurstkuche

Driving down Route 66

11. Take a good mix of outside and inside pictures.

Vegas, baby!

12. The pictures you take should be ones that you would want to be in yourself.  The one below was taken against the sun, and probably should have been retaken...

Downtown Nashville

About to eat the best biscuits ever in Nashville...

13. Play "find the mascot" if it's small.  It can be a fun game as well.  :)

At the MoMA in New York.

Overlooking Central Park in NY.

In the streets of New York.

14. Lastly, always keep your travel mascot handy.  You never know who she's going to meet!

Little Miss & The Black Keys!

I hope this is a fun tip for you with handy guidelines for picking your own mascot.  Anyone out there do something similar?

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