Bandwagon

I know I’m really late to the bunting craze but I finally jumped on the bandwagon! It’s been on my to-do list for quite some time and with ANOTHER overcast/rainy weekend on my hands, I thought I would tackle this delightfully simple project. And seeing that Christmas is right around the corner, I opted for a holiday theme. I would post a tutorial, but there are already DOZENS out there. Such as this one here. Without much further ado, I present to you: my first attempt at bunting!

Hope you have a warm & safe Thanksgiving!

 

Rainy Day Recipes

It’s been a drizzly weekend over here in San Diego. Since this sunny town is built for clear skies, activities are minimal on days like these. So, I took the opportunity to jump in the kitchen and try a few new recipes! PS: I am a new fan of Budget Bytes. Affordable recipes with clear instructions AND step by step photos – YES PLEASE! So here was the weekend menu (which included LOTS of leftovers -YUM!)

Chicken noodle soup

Spicy picked carrots (taco shop style. Those familiar with Mexican food know exactly what I’m talkin about!)

Handmade caramels
pictured below is my caramel making station! I probably spent more time WRAPPING the caramels than actually making them!

Potato, zucchini, chicken sausage bake (there isn’t a recipe for this. Simply chop up all ingredients along with some garlic and onion, drizzle with olive oil & bake at 375*F for 90 min)

Frozen breakfast burritos

The last one is sheer genius. Ever get tired of cereal & oat meal for breakfast? Yeah, me too. But the thought of waking up early to whip up a batch of eggs and toast doesn’t sound too great either. Solution: make a batch of 6 breakfast burritos on a rainy Saturday & toss ‘em in the freezer to have on hand for those early mornings!

How about the rest of you? Any fun recipes to share?

Hope you all have a great week!

 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Last night I make a batch of my favorite cookies to make this time of year – chocolate chip pumpkin spice! I also must admit, it is one of the easiest recipes I’ve got. Consisting of only three ingredients – spice cake mix, 15oz can of pumpkin and a handful of chocolate chips – it is easy to whip together in no time. Simply mix all of the ingredients together, drop spoonfuls on a cookie sheet and pop in the oven at 350* for 20 minutes. Ta- Da!

Happy Autumn!

Click image to go to the original recipe at AllRecipes.com

 

New in the Shop: Button Pendants!

Autumn is almost here and I nearly jumping for joy. Not only is it my favorite season, bringing about change and candy corn, it means a bit of relaxation after a busy Summer. You can read more about my deep love for Autumn here, because I want to move on and tell you about all of the new stuff going on in the Pink Button Creations shop!

Button Pendants ! ! !

All of the newness of Back to School and anticipation of Autumn has inspired me to delve into my creativity and play around with some new ideas. As you know, I love love love buttons and am so excited to have a new way to wear them! Here, take a peek [click image to see full posting]:

Black and Pink Button Pendant - Hand sewn - One of a Kind

 

Button Pendant - White, Blue and Orange - Hand Sewn

 

Happy Tuesday!

 

Blackouts Stink [literally]

Yesterday morning it seemed like a good idea to skip a shower. Well, it wasn’t necessary a “good idea” but it was a preferable one as I lay snuggled in bed [c'mon, you've all done it too.... right?]. I justified it by promising myself that “I’ll take one tonight.” I finally rolled out of bed, masked the little bit of greasies in my hair and made my way to work. The day flies by and on the home stretch of the afternoon – less than two hours until it’s time to head home – and the power goes out. For all of San Diego. The two most painful offenders in my opinion: air conditioning and traffic lights. My four mile commute took over an hour and the house was at a toasty 82* when I got home. This is the part where I REALLY wish I took a shower that morning!

Alas, by 7:00pm both Graham and I were home safely and we enjoyed a little “indoor camping.” Candlelight, hodgepodge meals, and reading by flashlight. We also went for a walk through our neighborhood. It was great to see so many people disengaged from technology and chatting it up with their neighbors! It dawned on us that this is a glimpse of what San Diego used to look like before street lights. Crazy!

We opted to hop in bed early and therefore missed the power coming back on around 11:00pm. After a slightly chaotic end to yesterday, life is back to business as usual today. Oh, and I finally got that shower I was dreaming of!

How was your power outage experience? Share your story in the comments :)

Image & more information at: http://www.news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474980209353

 

New in the Shop: Recycled Bike Print Journal

Now that the wedding is all said and done and Graham and I can breath again [...and write a million thank you cards!] I’ve had a little bit of time to get some momentum back in Pink Button Creations! As I mentioned here I’ve given the shop a new look with a fresh banner and profile picture. As of yesterday I posted a fun new item! I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get enough of bicycles these days! Maybe it’s the lingering Summer heat that makes me what to hop on two wheels and peddle down to Viva Pops, my favorite local popsicle shop [the lavender lemonade is heaven]! I am also feeling super nostalgic about Back to School these days. I miss the excitement of putting together my class schedule, shopping for school supplies and re-connecting with friends to swap Summer vacation stories! Makes me want to go out and buy a lunch box, maybe something like this!! In the meantime, I think I will just eat popsicles and make the most of these San Diego Summer Days!

Click image to view full post in the PBC Etsy Shop

 

Summer Sweet Tooth

I don’t know what it is, but I have had the BIGGEST sweet tooth lately. Well, the truth is, I generally have a big sweet tooth most every day of the year. Frozen yogurt, black licorice, chocolate pudding, swedish fish…and to think it’s almost candy corn season – heaven! This afternoon while on a search for anything and everything BUTTON related, I came across this DIY candy tutorial and I am in LOVE! Aren’t these adorable?! If we weren’t flying up to Northern California this weekend to spend time with family I would be making a bee-line straight to the craft store to get started on these fun little gems.

What about you guys? Anyone else have a sweet tooth? What’s your favorite?

The full tutorial can be found on the Bake It Pretty site.