For the love of Bobs...

I'm not talking about a bunch of men named Bob here...I'm talking about the timeless and classic haircut. Do you love it as much as I do? I've pretty much had a bob all of my life. I know that when you all come to my funeral I will be laying in a cheap casket with a really great bob. Please make this come true. 

Here are some of my favorites.

How could you not love this! I even love the bangs, but I AM a bang person.

I would happily sport this bob as long as I can have the body to go with it.

Even Jen got her hair cut into a bob again...

It's a haircut for urban or suburban. If you have no idea what to do with your hair, get a bob! You will never regret it. How often do you look at pictures of people from 20 years ago with a classic bob and think their hair looks outdated? Never. It's a haircut that spans across many generations. 

I've been growing out my hair to give to Locks of Love and am well past the ten inches I need to get it cut. For some reason I can't part with my long hair just yet. Maybe I'm holding onto my youth? Wait, I never had long hair in my youth. My hair is longer than it's ever been. Soon enough, though, it will be a bob.

Stacy

Foodie Friday...yes, again!

I wanted to share a quick drink with you, before the summer is over, so today you are getting two recipes for the price of one. No that you pay to read this blog, but you know what I'm saying.

Last Fall I discovered this at Ikea. I knew I had to do something with it since pear flavored anything is my favorite! So I decided to make it as easy as possible. Hence, this is hardly a recipe, but more just something that you need to try at home when you're sitting outside in the heat.

I'm realizing it's hard to get a picture of a glass bottle. Sorry about that. I hope you didn't notice that my bottle of Absolut Pear is almost empty either. It's really not. That's just a weird reflection too. Umm, yes, let's just go with that explanation and leave it alone okay?

So all you do is mix a shot (or slightly more) of the Absolut Pear and the sparkling pear drink from Ikea. I won't even type the name of it because you know you can't pronounce it any better than I can! This beverage is like heaven in a glass. It's refreshing and light and I love it. If you don't like pear, you won't like this. It is slightly perfumey tasting. I love that. Also, if you don't have access to an Ikea, you can use any sparkling pear drink from the grocery store. I just happen to like this because it is less sweet.

Happy drinking!

Stacy

Foodie Friday

Our first Foodie Friday is going to be a recipe that I originally found here. It's exactly the recipe that I use, but I use basil instead of oregano. Either one would work. 

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

4 tomatoes, halved horizontally
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, or basil
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Top with parmesan, oregano, and salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until tomatoes are tender. I bake them for 15-20 until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

These are great served with a steak or chicken breast and about as easy as you can get. Tomatoes will be in season soon so you will have a new recipe to use for them!

For my next Foodie Friday I will have pictures of my own for a simple recipe you can make in the crockpot and eat for lunches and dinners for the week!

Stacy

Today's Etsy!

I'm really in love with my find today. I want to have about twelve kids PRONTO so that I can have one with 12 little pendants. However, that is not going to happen so I will leave that part to you. These might be a little more expensive than the things I would normally show you but well worth it!

Did your parents have one of these made of your profile when you were a kid? Mine did! I think they are some of the most charming little treasures to wear around your neck. I am going to order a necklace with four pendants. They will be of Curtis, Chloe, Sonny and Tinkerbell...my three cats and dog. Okay, call me crazy I won't do that. BUT if my husband were to go through the trouble I would wear it every single day! 

If you have already had 12 children, please email me ASAP. I will throw you a party at my house AND buy you one of these with twelve pendants!

Stacy

A Project for Later..

Well, today I am going to share with you a fun little project... a little something for any celebration depending on the colors you choose. Here is the sneak peak.. before I run off to work for the day!

Backyard Update.... Stain adds a bit of warmth...

Newly stained wonders of happiness. Stained to match the wood along the fence.

Pinterest Post. Creative Foody Ideas!

 Graduation Celebrations.. for the how-to click here.

 

 Halloween Celebrations... for the how-to click here.

Halloween Celebrations...Mummy Dogs....

Who doesn't want to celebrate with an owl! 

More creative wonders by Handmade Charlotte here.

Can you say no need for a celebration. Yum!
Find the recipe here.

 

 Again. Yummy! I could eat this whole thing... with some milk, of course.
More fun ideas found here.

Enjoy these little morsels! 

Alyssa

I might move...

Did you happen to see this house on apartment therapy?

Well, I'm CRAZY in love with leopard print everything. Every house needs some leopard print. A pillow, a rug, a chair, a sheet, a towel...SOMETHING! This house is in Chicago and I am going to need to go knock on their door and tell them that they are rockstars. Leopard print rockstars from heaven. No, I couldn't go this far, but I completely admire the people who did. If it were in my neighborhood I'd have to walk by it everyday. With my pet leopard. Just kidding. Do they have pet leopards? I want one.

What do you think? Cool or crazy?

Stacy

Urban Style

I thought I'd share some chic urban style to wear shopping, lunching, or barbecuing. Mix and match these simple pieces with other things you have in your wardrobe already...

You will find this tunic on Etsy for $40. It's one of those things that will never go out of style. It's just a cute retro-vintage sort of classic and the colors are so perfect for summer!

Pair the tunic with these slim leg jeans from Land's End. You can even roll the jeans up so you'll have a couple of wide cuffs...so cute! They are simple dark denim jeans and they cost $59.50. CHEAP for jeans and you can wear them all winter too. You'll be wearing them with some cute riding boots this winter!

Next let's throw on some comfy ballet flats in silver. These are from Nine West and they're on sale for $41.40. They still have a wide variety of sizes so get them quick if you want them. Nothing says comfort like ballet flats. I think they look great with jeans or skirts.

These earrings will go great with your new urban style and you'll be able to wear them with anything! They have gold (brass) and silver in them and we all know that a combination of the two means you can't go wrong. They are $24 and two and a half inches long. Go for big earrings!

These are just some ideas. Buy all of this for a great outfit or pick and choose things to buy and wear with what you already have. All of it will look urban and chic for a year or two...unless you live in New York where you are required to constantly update your style to look current. I think that in the midwest and other urban and suburban areas all of this stuff will look great for quite a while!

Remember to try different combinations of clothes in your own closet too. If you like how things look and it's comfortable there aren't many rules. Fashion these days is a great mix of fun vintage, crazy color schemes and hip new trends all thrown into one.

What's your favorite thing to wear these days? I'd love to hear!

Stacy

Today's Etsy!

Today's find is one that I'll be buying as soon as I paint my front door. I'll be getting it in white. Such an easy way to welcome people and add some whimsy to your door! Love it!

You can buy this in a multitude of different colors for $7! Yes, that is it! How can you resist?

Stacy

Back Yard update #367.. With a steal of a deal!

Yes.. the backyard is still under way... although we are getting closer! We now have stairs. Woot! Love them.. Love them.. Have I told you I love them? We also invested in an umbrella this weekend. We will soon have 2 because I ordered one from West Elm, but it hadn't arrived yet and it was hot, hot, hot yesterday. Now that we have the umbrella's we needed covers to protect them when they are not up.. and boy oh boy did I get a steal of a deal on these! (Note: the umbrella was a steal as well.. $26 with my discount at Pottery Barn and a $50 gift card I had. So happy! Love my deals!)

 Digging out for the ground work. 

 

 Hmm. What next?

 Yay!!!

 What I found while he was working.. a wasps nest at the back door! Eek! 

The boys (Eric & friend Ashley) enjoying the new stairs and watching the little white puffs float by.... I'll be honest. There were a few beers involved. A cape cod or two, some spiked lemonade and a margarita. Not totally sure who had what but those were our options that day!

 The new umbrella... It kept 6 people well protected from the sun... treats on the ottoman.... and fun to be had! It was cute. We moved all the blue chairs under  the umbrella and were huddled up together. Eating of course. Though with the new umbrella and my need to protect things.. I wanted to get a cover.. 

Can you sort of see that price in the blurry picture? $3.98! Thank you Target. 

 Fits Perfect! 

 Trouble.. watching the world go by. 

Only the garden to finish moving and we will be done! 

Alyssa

Vinaigrette - Every celebration and day needs a little Olive Oil & Vinegar!

Welcome to my neighborhood! I live near the 50th & Xerxes shopping area. There are so many fun places to stop and peruse in that little corner of heaven.

Vinaigrette is one of my favorites of this area. Vinaigrette is owned by the super cute couple, Richard & Sarah.  They opened almost 2 years ago and have been sharing with us fabulous olive oils, vinegars and recipes.

At Vinaigrette they provide you the opportunity to taste all of the olive oils and vinegars they bring in from around the world. It is so much fun to walk in there to mix and try their fused olive oils & vinegars. I think my favorite might be the Greek olive oil and raspberry balsamic vinegar.. then again there is the dill olive oil and 18 year aged balsamic vinegar.. oh and the Chardonnay vinegar .. oh and the pear infused vinegar... mmm.... I think you get the idea.  I could spend hours in there trying and mixing and trying and mixing. They have something for every recipe and for every celebration. Oh and..their little bottles make great hostess gifts. They also make up the most fabulous gifts boxes for other occasions.

They also carry a line of olive oil based beauty products. The hand cream is by far my favorite. I have it sitting right here on my desk.  Sarah recommended it to me for my daughters extremely dry hands during the winter. A few applications and the scalyness was gone! Amazing. The other fun find at this shop is the art, photography and pottery. They feature some fabulous artists in their shop. A must see.

Finally, if you need a place to host an event, they are even willing to share their space with you! The following photo is a shot of an event we hosted there about a year ago.

This is a must visit if you are in the neighborhood. If you can't make it to the shop and need something soon you can also shop online here. Need some recipe inspiration? Check out their recipe box here. Vinaigrette has so many wonderful things to offer that I hope you stop by soon to experience this little bit of heaven.  Their knowledge of olive oil and vinegar and the growers they work with is amazing. There is so much to learn as well! Check out there website at www.vinaigrettemn.com.

Enjoy & Find something to celebrate! 

Alyssa

Pinterest Post - Celebrations!

I hope you had a happy, fun and relaxing 4th of July celebration. We had a nice impromptu party that ended in a walk around the neighborhood visiting other friends. There are so many fun things to celebrate in life. So today, I thought  I would share some fun celebration ideas for the many other things we celebrate throughout the year. Enjoy!

 Anytime is the best time for a backyard celebration. Celebrate anything from being done for work to a beautiful day. Collect vintage table cloths & dishes, have the kids decorate white napkins with fabric markers and some candles and fun people and away you go! 

 We all see the typical triangle bunting.. and here is a cute take on this old tradition with a soft rounded edge. Fun patterns and colors to add to the ambiance of what you are celebrating.

 You can find out more at... Martha Stewart Weddings ..

Cute table scaping idea for a rustic celebration..

 The ever dreaded kids table... needs to be dreaded no more! Fun is to be had at this little table!

 You can find this and more here.

 PomPom bunting... Can you say love.. and yours for $20.00! 

Find it here.

 I finishing with this cake because I am in love with the pompom decoration and red cake plate! What fun is this!! The garland can be yours for $18... and the cake you must make! Find it here.

Enjoy your celebrations! 

Alyssa

Today's Etsy!

I promised myself that I would take the weekend off, but then I remembered these and decided I had to post them. I was glad I did since they are on sale for the holiday weekend! They are the cutest most whimsical things I have seen in a long time. I wonder if it would be overload if I had one in every room?

At $32.99 these are a splurge for most of us being that they hold tissue! I'll take one in Green and one in Aqua, thank you very much. 

Sayonara till Monday or Tuesday!

Stacy

Fourth of July Banner!

I try not to buy a lot of decorations because they usually end up ruined. I "forget" to put them away and they get wrinkled and smashed and I feel guilty for wasting the money on them. I won't lie here...I am still working on my organizational skills! We usually make birthday banners for each other out of a huge roll of white paper we have had for 20 years! I like that better anyway! 

This year I decided to make a 4th of July banner since I didn't want to buy one. I just went to the hardware store and stole some stuff instead! Works for me! Now let me explain...I made my banner out of paint sample cards. Technically those are free for the taking right? They probably don't expect that people would take 30 of them, but I did! I don't think they saw me taking that many so, in all honesty, I felt like I was being sneaky and bad. I got over that pretty quick and went to work.

Here's what I did, and it took me about ten minutes. I think it would be a fun kid project, but I'm not limiting it to just kids. I'm thinking about going and getting one sample of a whole bunch of colors and making one for a friend's birthday. These are easy and cute!

This is all you need! Some twine or string, a hole punch, and paint sample cards.

First I decided what order I wanted the colors in. Obviously this was easy...I just did red, white, blue, repeat! Notice I had a "helper" who wasn't such a big help. His "help" made this project take more time than it should have, but I don't mind.

I gathered up a bunch of cards and started punching my holes. Do two holes in each card. They hang better that way!

All of the holes were done and here's what they looked like. Nothing has to be perfect here, my friends! Don't stress yourself out over this! 

OKAY! The hardest part for me was finding an end on the string. Seriously?! I looked at it for a fifteen minutes. Finally, I gave up and cut my own end into the roll. I like to play by the rules so I wouldn't usually do that....oh, and it's my husband's roll of string. He won't mind!

So with the end cut I got stringing! EASY as pie. Once that's done you will need to decide how close together you want your paint cards to hang in the banner. I like this look or further apart. It's a matter of personal taste here. Not a big deal.

I decided to string mine a little further apart so with that done, I had my helper chew on the string a little bit. Sorry for the dark picture...I'm working on that.

Here's the done deal! I think it turned out great. I hung it in the house quick to show you what it looks like done. When it's not a hundred degrees I'm going to hang it out on the fence for the weekend!

Now head to the paint store and gather up some samples! DON'T tell them I sent you!

Have a fabulous holiday weekend! Hope you spend some time with family eating good food, drinking fun drinks, and enjoying the sunshine and beautiful weather!

Stacy

Twin City Tidbit... Government shut-down got you down?

Well. It is official. The wonderful State of Minnesota is shut-down. Can't go camping? Here are some ideas of what to do instead.

1. Camp in your own backyard. Run and get a fire pit (most likely on sale) and all the fixin's for s'mores. Do a little midnight walk around the neighborhood. Who knows you may even run into an urban raccoon.

2. Head out to one of the many fun lakes around town! Lake Minnetonka will most definitely be fun albeit it busy. Or you could go for a quieter out of the way lake. Perhaps look at a map, pick a lake, drive out there as an adventure. Who knows what you will find along the way.

3. Find a resort with an opening. I suggest doing this quick as many people have probably planned ahead aware of the potential shut-down. Check out Minnesota resorts here.

4. Check out the free entertainment on July 3 on the river: live music from local band Communist Daughter at 7 p.m., a screening of the movie Iron Man 2 at 9.15, both at Nicollet Island Pavilion. More info here.

5. Head to Delano. This city hosts the oldest and largest 4th of July celebration in the state. The events are too many to list. Find more information out here. This web page is solely for the weekend of the 4th! This just went high on my list of things to check out...

6. Sit at home and watch the entire seven seasons of The Golden Girls. Ha! Just making sure you are still reading.

7. Oh and we can't forget the fireworks.. For a listing of the fireworks shows in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas... click here.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Alyssa