pinterest picks: my lovely little wish list

The following images have been oo'ed at, lusted over, and "pinned" to my "Lovely Little Wish List" board on Pinterest for some time now. These pieces are merely things I want, dream about enjoying, drool over, and wish I could own so soooo bad. 

Until I have the money (and reason to indulge and satisfy a "want" of mine), they'll remain frozen in time on a cyberspace pin board. But hey, maybe a billionaire will read this post, take pity on me, and buy and ship me some of the goods. Only in my dreams...

High heel sandal with buckles - Zara

Rolling stamp - Etsy

Hexagon ring with champagne diamond by Satomi Kawakita - Catbird

"Electric Haze" iPhone case by Amy Sia - Society6

Roots active wear bra - TEEKI

River Mirror - Caryn Moberly

Self-watering grobal pot - Revival Home and Garden

Lime green knot bikini bottom - H&M

I heart CA necklace - Dogeared

pinterest picks: dreaming of summer

This was a gorgeous and good weekend spent outdoors! The weather was perfect - warm, sunny days and unbelievably warm, summer-like nights. I kept asking myself, "Is this for real? A July-like weekend in January?!" I was lucky enough to spend the weekend enjoying the beautiful weather outdoors, but a weekend wouldn't be a true weekend for me without a little bit of work. Before hitting the strand on my skateboard Saturday with my good friend Lidia, I coached soccer for a group of pee wee's with attention spans of like two seconds and major separation anxiety. Because of this, my coaching quickly became glorified babysitting exercising the use of a soccer field, soccer balls, pug goals, and stickers - A LOT of stickers (fancy scratch and sniff grape scented stickers I'd like to add!). Sunday I coached again in the morning (for older and more experienced kids this time - THANK THE HEAVENS!) then played in my own soccer game. We won 4-2, no big deal. 

I really enjoyed actively soaking up the sun this weekend and I hope the great weather carries over into the week! If not, I'll be dreaming of summer by looking at these images that remind me of a season fast approaching. 

all images via pinterest

How RAD does the art make that trailer look?! I WANT IT NOW!

ombre and tie dye inspiration

before doing my first crafternoon craft therapy session (post on this coming soon) using ombre and tie dye techniques, I needed some inspiration. I logged into my pinterest account and did two separate searches: 'ombre' and 'tie dye.'

below are the images I found under 'ombre'...

how totally gorgeous is that lightly ombre'd cream dress in the bottom right corner? i love the subtleness. me wanty it NOW!

i love the faded, dip-dyed look ombre exudes! its funky and different and adds a pop of color to otherwise ordinary objects and accessories. love the salmon color ombre job on those curtains!

and here are the images i found under 'tie dye''...

how playful and appetizing do those cupcakes look all jazzed up and tie-dyed?! i also love the batik-styled indigo tie-dye design in the bottom left corner. that takes some serious skill.

pillows, socks, hair, clothes, sharpie tie-dyed paper OH MY! super-duper, fantastical works of tie dye, no?!  these pictures make me want to tie-dye everything within reach. my cat better watch her back... 


i wish i lived in the 70s just so i could have experienced that groovy, flowers-in-your-hair, tie-dye explosion, all about love and feel good decade. then i could have worn tie-dye everyday and not get crazy looks from people! 

[all images via pinterest]

homemade halloween caramel popcorn

[image via pinterest]

there's nothing really "Halloween" about this vegan caramel popcorn besides the fact that i made it on Halloween and ate it out of Halloween treat bags! the recipe is super simple and easy to make, even the little kids i nanny for enjoyed helping me make it. i got the recipe from vegan cooking blog, Hell Yeah It's Vegan! I found on pinterest. i encourage you to check out this blog, even if you aren't a vegan. Claryn offers a variety of traditional/family recipes that she then "veganizes" into healthier and extra delicious vegan friendly food!

what you need:

• 3-4 quarts popped corn
• 1 c brown sugar
• ½ c vegan margarine (i used soy free Earth Balance)
• ¼ c corn syrup
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 brown paper grocery bag

do it:
1. Combine sugar, margarine, corn syrup, and salt in a covered microwavable dish. Bring to a boil, and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes. 
If you don’t have a clear glass dish and a microwave with a door that you can see through, you can check by pulling the dish out quickly: if it’s bubbling rapidly, it’s boiling; start timing the additional minutes now. If it’s not doing anything, microwave it a bit longer and check again (before starting the timer). Err on the side of boiling too long; this is a candy that everyone expects to be crunchy, and if it hasn’t boiled long enough, the caramel will never set as hard as you want. 
2. Once complete, remove dish from microwave and stir in baking soda; the mixture will darken. 
3. Put popped corn in brown grocery bag and pour mixture on top. Close bag tightly and shake to distribute caramel. 
4. Microwave entire bag for 1½ minutes. Shake again and cook for another 1½ minutes. 
5. Pour onto a clean cookie sheet to cool. Store in an air-tight container.


Easy peasy! Just POP, POUR, and SHAKE your way to yum caramel popcorn! Happy Halloween everyone! 

crafternoon craft therapy session [2]: black and gold chevron tray

Wednesday night I went over to my gal pal Alex Curry's house for our second craft therapy session! Alex scored some awesome crafts from Michael's to paint and decorate a wooden tissue box cover. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of her craft, but it was super duper rad and totally her style! Check out her blog here. She should be posting pics of it soon. Inspired by a post I found here on Pinterest, I decided to glamify (new word created by yours truly) an old tray I bought from Cost Plus eons ago (ok, not eons. maybe like 5 years ago when I was attending UC Santa Cruz). 

[all photos for one life in stills]

Materials: 

• Tray (laptop support tray, food tray, or any time of decorative tray. The tray I used had a japanese inspired design painted on it before I spray painted it black). 
• Krylon spray paint in black and metallic gold found here and here. 
• 1" blue painters tape found here.  

DO IT!: 

1. Spray paint the entire tray front and back with your first color (I used black). 
2. Let paint dry overnight! I didn't do this and the black paint came right off with the tape revealing the original design. In the end, I actually liked my oopsy because it gave the tray a vintage and used feel. :) 
3. Place painter's tape on the board in the design you desire (I opted for a chevron design). 
4. Spray paint your second color (I used metallic gold) over the exposed first color. You may want to do a second coat for a more finished look. Your choice, crafters! 
5. Let dry (approx. 30 minutes) then carefully pull the tape off to reveal your new, beautiful totally wicked tray!

There would not have been a successful craft therapy session without a delicious and nutritious gluten free and vegan friendly meal! We made spaghetti squash lasagna for dinner and vanilla flavored coconut milk yogurt with granola and fresh berries for dessert! Recipe and pictures coming soon! :)


Happy crafting you fine crafters!