Spring Cleaning Sale!

Spring is finally here! Even though the freezing temperatures today may not reflect that. It's actually not bad news at all because I'm having a Spring Cleaning sale of all my knitted goods over at my Etsy shop. Everything is 30% off!

What are you most excited about for Spring?? For me, it's moving into my new house after I get back from my sister trip to New York. :) This year is shaping up to be quite nice.

Rosemary Pumpkin Hummus

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a Pumpkin & Apple potluck. I had wracked my brain trying to think of something original to make when I found out that nothing's very original anymore (thanks a lot, Pinterest!). But it was still an awesome idea and I went with it. Pumpkin Hummus. Need I say more? I bought tons of ingredients to make it but realized last minute that I overbooked myself that weekend and ended up not being able to go.

So I've been making small batches here and there, giving them away but for the most part, selfishly indulging it. I know you'd do the same.

I came across a few pumpkin hummus recipes - both savory and dessert types, but came to really enjoy this one I found here with just a couple of extra added ingredients.

Recipe:

• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (or more, depending on how much of a kick you want)
• juice of half a lemon
• extra virgin olive oil (depending on your preferred consistency)
• salt & pepper to taste

You could also add tahini like the traditional hummus. I forgot to grab some at the store, but it was still quite delicious without it. Just mix all the ingredients up in a food processor, except for the olive oil until it reaches a smooth consistency. Voila! 

I ate this batch up with some sesame and seaweed rice chips and it was perfection! I also added pumpkin seeds on top, which I left out in the pics. Oops! I am, by no means, a cook or even remotely savvy in the kitchen. So I'm quite proud of myself for even attempting this.

Let me know if you've tried this and how you like it. I'm thinking of adding it to the roster of Thanksgiving dishes I have yet to finalize. Yes, I'm in charge of ALL the sides this year. Lord knows I need all the help I can get. 

A Dia de Los Muertos Halloween

That title's kind of a mouthful, I know. I'm pretty bad at coming up with those things. Anywho, today is the actual day of Dia de Los Muertos, honoring friends and family who have since passed. I've always been fascinated with this kind of celebration. It parallels along the same line of how I view death as something you shouldn't fear because your life is a continuation afterwards. So going to Day of the Dead festivals and seeing beautifully painted altars with gifts and the like - to me, it's a joyous send-off.

Living Arts of Tulsa debuted a new wall displaying 16 Dia de Los Muertos murals tonight & it is mindblowingly awesome. I cannot wait to see it in person and actually explode from all the awesome.

via Living Art's FB

Here's the big let down, guys. I didn't go to the festival this year. Poor scheduling on my part, but I did paint my face last night for Halloween. My best friend and I planned on going to see STRFKR (take a listen. the name throws you off, i know) & she won tickets to them, anyway. You can't go to a Halloween show sans costume. So the easiest thing to do is throw on some crazy makeup - candy skull style.

We finished it off with hairpieces we got from Erin from her Sunshine & Carousels line. And they were perfect. I wish I had better pictures to do it justice, but you get the idea.

Can we just make it mandatory to dress up in costume every time you go to a show? It makes it a million times more enjoyable when I get to see a cow, an indian princess, the Joker, and a magical unicorn all in the same dancing circle. And I think I'm less upset if a guy in a penguin suit decided to cut in front of me (just sayin'..). I'm sorry I didn't creepily snap pictures of people in their costumes, but my description alone should otherwise convince you. Ah, it was such a fun time. I think dancing is my third favorite thing to do in life. I'm not exaggerating either.

Oh! I forgot to add my pumpkin carving to my last post. I carved my first pumpkin in my first year of marriage and haven't stopped the tradition since. It's my favorite. This year I got a little ambitious but it didn't turn out too bad. My first time attempting a relief technique. Can you guess who it is?

I hope you guys are recovering from your candy hangover.. I stayed away because I don't have much of a sweet tooth, anyway. Ooh, blasphemy on Halloween! ;)

Freezing at the Pumpkin Patch

My husband has never really been into Halloween, but he's still sweet enough to let me drag him into some festivities. Last week, we went to the pumpkin patch the day the temperature decided to freakishly drop to the 50's as a high. We were spoiled with a streak of perfect mid 70 degree weather, so of course we go when it's freezing out. Here are some snapshots from our 15 minute visit, red noses and all. Yikes..

I clearly am pretending it's not cold at all. I was too determined to find the perfect pumpkin. And the fact that I get distracted easily when an inflatable bounce house is in the vicinity helped too (no, I didn't go on it... this time).

Hope you guys had a fun Halloween last night!

Coast to Coast Challenge Recap

The last time I mentioned the Coast to Coast Challenge was in this post about wearing white after Labor Day. There have been so many challenges since and I try to participate in each one, twice a week. It's a really fun way to be inspired with your daily looks instead of just throwing on some sweats (don't get me wrong, there are plenty of days where I still do that). I love going through the Instagram hashtag feed (#coasttocoastchallenge) and seeing the many ways a challenge can be interpreted by each girl (and sometimes guy).

I've compiled the last 15 challenges here to show you my take on them.  Most of these weren't really challenges, per se, because my style has always been quite eclectic. If I like something, I do it. It just happens to be all over the place.

SOCK BUN

This was new for me, actually. But I conquered it. I'm still a little weirded out that there was a sock in my hair, though.

CAT EYES & TWIST

Cat eyes are my go-to liner, but this braiding business was a bit frustrating. After my fingers finally understood what to do, I was kind of obsessed with braiding my hair in all sorts of ways.

ANIMAL PRINTS

This was definitely one of my favorites.

FLORALS

Yeah, I tend to go a little overboard. I look like a Spring garden just exploded on me. I used the caption that I sometimes pretend I'm in an Urban Outfitters ad. Don't you sometimes?

STRIPES & SPECS

Technically, chevron stripes. Those high-waisted jumpers make my boobs look huge. Sorry, just being real. I like this illusion.

SCARVES

I'm definitely a headscarf kind of girl. Even in 100 degree weather. I just love not having to deal with my hair most days. I'm also a hat girl. So, you know... I'm lazy.

BLACK & WHITE

B&W is so versatile in any style. I immediately thought of this shirt I thrifted about a year ago and wanted to tackle the challenge with a 90's vibe. Obsessed with leather skirts this season, btw.

SWEET LACE & BRIGHTS

I think the general idea of "sweet lace" is if it's white or cream colored. I decided to go with my black lace shorts because well.. I'm a rebel. Hah. But really, I don't wear these shorts too often so I wanted to take it out of retirement for the day.

HIGH PONY

This was the night I had just experimented with dip-dyeing my hair. I liked it but was wanting a brighter pink. It faded nicely, though. I think bangles were included in this challenge too but my wrists are the size of an Ethiopian child's, so I don't usually wear them. & this high pony reminds me of Madonna...

THINK PINK

In honor of breast cancer awareness. Notice the fade from the dip-dye in my hair. That was my favorite shade. Doubly pink! Yeah!

TOPBUTTONS & BRIGHT LIPS

Easy-peasy. If I can button up a collar, I usually will.

PLAID

Oh, yes. Plaid. My husband's favorite color. ;)

MIDDLE PART & STATEMENT JEWELRY

I was out of town during this challenge and packed light. So of course to stay in the game, as I was out shopping, I tried on some necklaces for a photo op. Do what ya gotta do. Regretting not buying that necklace, btw.

BOOTS & BLAZERS

Just plain comfy. Welcoming tights into a new (colder) season. 

MIXED PRINTS

The latest in the challenge was to mix prints, which is something I do very often for interest in my outfits. Do you see that bird's nest of a pomp? Yeah, I'm starting to do that often too ever since I learned how for the fashion show last month. Can't help it.

I hope this makes you want to join in! It's really fun and I'm so glad Lindsey and Lauren came up with these great challenges to connect women everywhere around the world. You can read more on how it all started, their daily finds, and the many countries Coast to Coast Challenge have reached at their (fairly new) blog here.

Happy weekend! 

Goodbye farmers market, goodbye summer.

I know it has technically been Fall for about a month now, but summer, for me, isn't over till the farmers market says so. And today is the last day to enjoy it. I haven't been able to go as much as I would like to because I'm usually out of town shooting a wedding, but the weekends that I did get to go have been so fun and relaxing. I just love living blocks away from all the action, strolling out with coffee in hand, still in my jammies, just taking in the serene moments only early mornings can bring.

A couple months ago, I decided to snap some shots at the market for their photo contest. For some reason they never announced a winner. Maybe lack of entries, who knows? It was a fun project and now I have pictures of delicious produce and summertime memories.

One of my favorite things to do is gush over all the cute dogs that people bring to the market. I nudge my husband a little bit harder when I see something as cute as these pups! D'awww...

Indie Emporium Fashion Show

Photo from CDH

A couple weekends back, I got to walk in a fashion show at Indie Emporium. It's my most favorite crafty event and I always look forward to it each year. So I was really excited to be a part of it! It was my second time showcasing gorgeous hairpieces for my sweet pal, Erin. Her new bridal collection is stellar & since I'm in the wedding biz, I can't wait to tell my clients and their friends all about it. Browse through her shop here.

I even convinced a few of my friends to brave the catwalk with me. Kinda cute to see them all nervous, & wanting to hurl. Haha! Thanks, guys! ;) I also loved getting to meet some sweet ladies that I know from the interwebz via blogging, Instagram, Facebook, etc.

(photo from Erin)

Erin trying to situate the girls for a group photo. Always a little hectic with this many gals. I love looking at everyone's face. Haha! It definitely took some time to get a good one. ;)

I had such an amazing time! I wouldn't mind doing this every week, actually, as crazy and hectic as it was. And as an added bonus, Juliette Lewis was in town filming her new movie and dropped by Indie Emporium to shop and scope out the fashion show. So, you know... I was kinda geeking out about that because I think she's pretty awesome. I didn't get to meet her, though. She's got that elusive celebrity thing down.

Oh, and bonus #2 from that weekend, I was chosen to be in their very first Instagram gallery. I was pretty stoked about this too. C'mon, it's not a surprise how addicted I am with this app.  Who isn't, amirite? I was honored and thought it looked pretty rad in the bamboo shadow box from Hatchcraft. This particular picture was taken around Christmas last year, right before I painted the toy dinosaurs gold to hang them on my tree as ornaments. 

Ah, so fun! I kinda want to relive it. Afterwards, my gal pals and I went out for some late night cheese and grease at Andolini's. It was the bestttt.