happy weekend ...

all i know is, that i am soooo glad it's the weekend.  this week has been cra-zy sauce.

here's to relaxing... (yeah right)

well, at least our costumes are ready.  my children are beyond obessed with pirates, so the choice was obvious.

i gathered items from thrift stores for the last few weeks for our costumes.  their costumes were super easy to put together.

ezra's costume
pants- thrift store, cut jagged at the bottom
white button up shirt-  thrift store, cut off the collar, and cut the arms jagged
black vest- from thrift store, replaced the black buttons with big gold ones from hobby lobby.
belt-  found a belt his size at a thrift store, then replaced the buckle with a gold one (also thrifted).
red bandana-  red fabric from hobby lobby
black knee high church socks- little girls section at wal-mart
converse shoes- nordstroms
clip on earring- ebay
daggar and pirate gun- honks dollar store
pirate jewelry- i made, and gold chains from thrift store
mustache-  the typical black halloween make-up kept coming off, so eventually i used black electrical tape, worked great!

norah's costume
dress-  the cutest pirate style dress, i found two years ago at a thrift store and couldn't resist buying it... it was perfect for her "pirate princess ensemble."
black boots- payless
red sash-  thrift store
white tights- wal-mart
gold necklace- thrift store
gold clip on earrings- ebay
daggar and pirate gun- honks dollar store

disturbing enough, i was able to find everything i needed for my costume in my own closet...?  is that bad?

we hope you have a great halloweek-end!

we'll be playing pirates!

a fall salad ...

fall is officially upon us, so why not embrace it fully?

i made a tasty fall salad this week with roasted pumpkin, gorgonzola cheese, pecans, and homemade champagne vinaigrette.  it was fall in a salad, and super tasty!

i am sharing my recipe for a quick and easy champagne vinaigrette over on the zupas blog.

click here.

{photo by me}

bijou market ...

this fall i will be participating in only one show, the bijou market!  (you can find armelle jewelry at the provo market only.)

if you aren't familiar with the bijou market, it is an amazing collection of handmade things, all by local artists.

i've been working on some new items that i am excited to show you!  and, they will all debut at the show!  and, for you out of towners, i hope to have all the new stuff up in my shop soon!
here's a tiny little peek (courtesy of my phone).

you won't want to miss it!  it will be a great chance to support local artists and get your holiday shopping done!

i hope to see you there!  (remember, my jewelry will only be at the provo show.)

bijou market provo 
friday and saturday, november 18th & 19th, 2011  friday 10am-8pm and saturday 10am - 6pm
historic southworth hall
116 west center street
provo, utah 84606

last minute halloween costume ...

with the new show on abc, pan am, i have a feeling we are going to see a lot of ladies in blue for halloween.

if you are still deciding on what you want to be for halloween.  this may be a great idea!

here are a few ways to put together your own pan am stewardess costume (including free downloads for the pins, hat, and bag!):

UNIFORM:

·         Blue Suit with a Jacket and Skirt  – The “Pan Am Blue” is close to a Royal Blue. Suits can be found at your local thrift store. If you’re handy, you can tailor your jacket to make it fit your ladylike figure and shorten the sleeves.  Similarly, the skirt length is acceptable just to your knee.

·          White Collared Shirt -   Spread the collar over the lapel of the suit jacket.

·         White Gloves -  Gloves should reach the middle of your arm. Opera length gloves are too long.  In a pinch, use shorter gloves, not longer ones.

·         Nylon Hosiery -  In the ‘60s, hosiery was not as sheer as today.  Emphasize that you’re wearing hosiery by wearing a less-sheer style.

·         Short-Heeled Black Pumps - The stewardesses of Pan Am were on their feet all day, so find a sensible, lower heel.

·         Pan Am Wings Lapel Pin - A pattern is available for you to download at http://cdn.media.abc.go.com/m/pdf/shows/pan-am/PA_Hat_.pdf.  Simply print it out, cut it carefully and attach it to a piece of heavy paper or thin cardboard (like that of a milk carton).  Then, affix a safety pin to this and wear your wing on the left side of your jacket (over your heart).

·         Pan Am Stewardess Cap -  A pattern to create your own paper cap is available for download at  http://cdn.media.abc.go.com/m/pdf/shows/pan-am/PA_Hat_.pdf.  There’s a pattern for the Pan Am cap pin provided as well.

·         Pan Am Flight Bag -  If you haven’t yet ordered your own bag, you can create your own by modifying a bowling bag (blue spray paint!) or other similar large bag.

HAIR & MAKE-UP:
         

·         Hair is worn up in the style of the 1960s above the shoulders.

·          Make-up is light, “daytime” make-up.  Make it authentic by wearing the official shade, “Persian Melon” by Revlon (shade 585).

(photo and content by abc.com)

good luck ladies!

do you have a halloween costume all ready to go?  what are you going to be?

{abc did not pay me to write this post, i just wanted to pass some last minute ideas your way!}

a halloween party ...

today, i am sharing a darling children's halloween party by whitney smith!

whitney threw this perfectly styled party for her young children and their little friends!

i'm in love with every last detail, down to the little chair covers, and the ghost milk bottles!  so, so cute!

be sure to check out more of the party here!

{all photos by whitney smith}

roasted pumpkin with herbs ...

it seems that sometimes we forget that pumpkins in the squash family and are delicious to eat.

roasted pumpkin is very tasty, and simple to make.

be sure to check out my latest zupas post, i am sharing a recipe for simple roasted pumpkin with herbs.

click here.

also, don't forget to roast your pumpkin seeds!  see how here.

{photos by me}

a simple wreath ...

if you've followed my blog for a while, you definitely have seen this simple mini pumpkin wreath (yes, they are real mini pumpkins) i made a few years back.

i'm sharing the tutorial again today over on the or so she says blog.  check it out.

alt design summit ...

.

original image from here.

so, let's talk about alt, or the altitude design summit, as they call it.

did you know it is coming up again in january?  already?  i seriously feel like i was just there, all big and pregnant too.

anyhow, alt is kind of like a big summer camp for all your favorite design bloggers.  really, everyone is there!  and, you get to hear some amazing speakers, party, and play some more.  what's not to like?

so, i hope to see you there!  you can still register here.

i'll be teaching one of the design camps on saturday january 21st from 3-5 p.m!

i am teaching a few jewelry design/making basics, and you get to go home with some tools, nice semi-precious stone earrings, and a pendant necklace... that you made!  cool right?

so, if you are registered for alt, hurry on over, because there are only a few spots available for my class.

are you going to alt?

white bean turkey chili ...

how is the weather where you are?

last week we got a taste of winter around these parts, and i immediately started cooking up soup to keep me warm.  i loooove soup season!  soup is so easy to make, and lasts a few meals at our house!  and, the best part is, my kids love soup too!  win, win!

on my zupas post today, i am sharing a great recipe for white bean turkey chili.  be sure to check it out here.
this would be a great option to bring to your many fall parties coming up!

{photo by me}

favorite children's books ...

we love books at our house!

every so often things get really quiet around the house, and i wonder what is going on.  only to find my children (in funny places) curled up reading books.

we have a lot of favorite books, but i thought i would share some of my children's favorite books at the moment.  you know, the ones they make you read over, and over, and over...

the david series (no david, david goes to school, david gets into trouble), by david shannon
bubba the cowboy prince, by helen ketteman - we love this book! so cute!
the snowy day, by anna milbourne (we also love the other snowy day book by ezra jack keates)
harold and the purple crayon, by crockett johnson
good night gorilla by peggy rathmann
giggle, giggle, quack, by doreen cronin
john, paul, george, and ben by lane smith - a funny book that also teaches history
the red balloon, by a lamorisse

also, speaking of children's books.

my talented cousin france, and her husband recently wrote and illustrated a book called "where is the sears tower."  it's a very cute book with a great message.  you can find it here.

so, what are your favorite children's books?

you say tomato ...

when i have an abundance of garden tomatoes i need to use up in a hurry, i always make this quick and easy tomato sauce.  it is the perfect base for spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, and i can even turn it in to a quick tomato soup!  the best part is that it freezes really well, so i can enjoy my garden tomatoes all winter long!

see how i make it over on my post for zupas, click here.

and, in case you missed my post last week.  check out my new favorite kitchen gadget that helps keep my foods from sticking  to the pan.

{photo by me}

goodies ...

thanks to my friend megan's post, i ran over to my local zurcher's party store, and picked my up some darling goodie bags. 

i snapped a few photos with my phone, so you could see that they have a pretty nice selection of cute paper bags, striped paper straws, and even a cute selection of bakers twine! (i picked up some black and white twine to add to the collection, i may have every color now, wink) 
i'm sure you can find all of this online on etsy, but sometimes it's nice to know you can pick some up at the drop of a hat, just because. 

happy monday!!
i'm hoping to share a few pics from our recent trip to california, one of these days..! 

{all photos by me, via my phone}