scraped clean

I could buy a thousand kitchen gadgets. Seriously, 1000. Whenever I'm in one of those kitchen stores, I'm always saying "oohh I need that!" I have visions of me as an old lady digging through my accumulated crap to find some random tool that I use once a year. But this little tool is by far my favorite, it's so handy to get stubborn food spots out of pans that I'd otherwise be scrubbing at for 10 minutes!
btw, I didn't have to order it online either, just found it in one of those kitchen outlet stores.

pounce

Have you ever used the Pounce feature on Etsy? I did today, and this is what I found!

I think there's something universally likeable about fortune cookies, even if they taste bad or your fortune stinks, they're fun to look forward to. And I think these replicas are adorable. Especially because she will customize the fortune inside!

mirror, mirror, in my bag

I need a little compact mirror to keep in my school bag, especially on those long days. Many a day it would have come in handy when some of my lunch was stuck in my teeth! These little mirrors covered in silk fabric designs are too cute. And much more friendly to my budget than one of her handbags!

yummy

I thought I'd share my new method of cooking lately, via Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious. I had seen this recipe book in Costco a couple times, and then Stuart's cousin, Sarah, blogged about it and said her and her sister use it. So I decided to give it a try. All the recipes in here use some type of pureed vegetable that is undetectable as far as taste, so you can get your family to eat more vegetables without them knowing! It's really true, you can't taste them at all, if I wasn't the one making the food I wouldn't know it either. I haven't tried any of the desserts yet, I am little more wary of the taste of those. But now I have a handful of new recipe staples, and a little arsenal of pureed squash, broccoli, carrots, etc in the freezer!

snippet&ink

I love this blog, snippet & ink, where the author puts together gorgeous inspiration boards daily - yes, daily. Most of the boards are geared towards weddings, but I've gotten some great ideas for color combos and party decor that can be used for any event. Lately, my favorite color combos are gray/yellow and gray/green, so I pulled a few of her boards that involved them.

I'd add my new(er) shoes to the one above!

I think this one's my fav:

ahhh...

...is what the smell of this stuff makes me say. Stuart says I have a super-sniffer because I'm very smell oriented. Because of this, I'm constantly going through cleaners because I can't stand the smell of most of them. But this one is divine.

wall art

I like these motivational posters

wall decals

I have been seeing these things everywhere lately! I guess wall decals are the new wallpaper, and my favorite company that makes them is blik. I have the Iron Vines up in our bedroom,

and have been looking at some more to add to the new house. These things are super easy to put up, no glue or anything, just like a big sticker! My recent faves are...

Splatter in D minor (for my piano studio)


Me, Myshelf, and I


And for kids' rooms, everything from the Wee Gallery, especially their new Garden collection. Plus this Race Ya!

toms shoes

Buy good shoes for a good cause. For every pair of Toms Shoes you buy, they donate a pair to kids in need. And they look super comfy too! I'm thinking these for Carter...


And these for Adelynn...

the scoop

I hate scooping ice cream, so I think I need one of these! Cute little ice cream rounds. Easy. No sticky knuckles.

i'm addicted to...

Kozy Shack's Caramel Flan!

earthy

At Earth Shoes, where their motto is "burn more calories with every step," they have some interesting designs. My mom has this pair, which is actually one of my favorites as well.



I guess this company has been around since the 70s, and used to make just hippy-style shoes. But now they have a huge selection, with some really cute designs. You can still see some of the hippy influence there, especially in the sandals.

Anyway, Earth shoes are definitely a different experience in footwear. The sole is angled up towards your toes, just slightly, but enough that your weight is shifted back a bit, and they say you will have better posture and burn more calories because it's way more of a leg workout when wearing them. Even though we don't share the same size, I tried on my mom's and I could tell a difference. I saw some at Shoe Mill, so go take a look if you're interested! (Or you can just take a gander at my stylish mom if you see her!)

really?

Maybe it's just me, but are these Onion Goggles really necessary? My eyes aren't that sensitive to onions!

ribbon mobile

Wouldn't this be fun (and easy) to make?! It's meant to be a mobile, but I am envisioning it surrounding a ceiling light in a kid's room for a fun change.

white light

Saw these today from Luna Bazaar, who has an awesome paper lantern collection.

I love, love, love their selection of shaped eyelet lanterns, and think they all would look amazing hung low over tables, lit in groupings of three or so? At these prices, you can afford to get a bunch. You typically see paper lanterns in dorm rooms, or kids' rooms because of their affordability, but I think the eyelet brings something different, a little sophistication maybe?