Monday, November 14, 2011

Birthday weekend, part 1

I am officially on Wordpress! Come check out the first part of my birthday weekend story - go here to add the new blog to your reader feeds - thank you!

Thanksgiving Mantel

As you might have seen in my silly turkey garland post, our mantel has been de-Halloween-ed and is now ready for Thanksgiving. But last Thursday the boys and I made a little something to add up there.

I got the inspiration for this from pinterest, of course, but I decided to make this craft with stuff I had on hand.

I have been saving glass jars for the past few months, I'm trying to replace plastic food storage as much as I can, and I had a few pasta sauce jars that weren't all the same size but they worked in a group.

Then I added a band made of scrapbook paper, created the letters and border on Photoshop, and added some curling ribbon. The contents of the jars are dried out corn husks and stems from my backyard.

I think it looks nice atop my dark mantel:

As you can tell, my boys have started to pick off some of the poor turkeys' eyes and even one of the faces (look to the right end of the garland). As long as they don't eat them, I'm fine with it :D The dried sunflowers on the right are also from my backyard, we got tons of seeds, so yummy!

Hope you have a great Monday!




Tip Junkie handmade projects

Friday, November 11, 2011

Fashion Friday: Forty Favorites

Holy sh**, I'm turning forty tomorrow.
This is how one of my all time favorite characters responded to turning forty.
Edina turns forty
I am hoping I don't end up going to that extreme.

I thought I would share forty items I love and wear/use often.
Basics 1

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage - has two shades so you can custom blend the perfect shade for you.

MAC Studio Tech - Gives me flawless coverage and a polished finish in just a few swipes. My shade is NC42.

MAC Blot - This is a summer necessity for me, my skin gets very shiny and this is perfect.

MAC Brun - I don't like brow pencils so I use this shadow to fill in, and also I swipe it as eyeliner for every day.

Clinique Black Honey - This is a classic for a reason, it works for just about every skin tone. It deepens my natural lip color and gives it some gloss. Love it.

Wet n Wild Color Icon Black Eyeliner - I only wear this for going out, then swipe some Brun over it for more staying power.

basics 2


1 - Red ruffle flats from Target. OMG, how could I not? Gorgeous dark red patent, sweet ruffles, AND I got them for a deal with #4.

2 - I love these boots. They are just gorgeous and very uncomfortable. In some haze of pregnant madness, I decided to wear them to my first baby shower. When I had already gained 40 of the 50 lbs. I put on. I think they were full of blood by the time I took them off, I was in so much pain.

3 - I wear these most days. These are not the exact ones, but pretty close and very comfy.

4 - Leopard flats from Target. Like I mentioned at #1, I got them for a serious deal. They're $12.99 to begin with (all the Odell flats are) and then they had a BOGO 1/2 off. Hello. Two super cute pair of flats for $20? Not a question.

5 - My husband got me these, they were exactly what I wanted. No buckles, no chains, no funky shit, I just wanted a classic pair of black boots and he got them for me. Mwah, sweetie!

6 - Super comfy, super cute booties from Payless. Also got them at a sale.

7 - These are the coolest, they're called Pop Art, i.e. they have that outlined-in-black thing going. Good for errands, but not for a day at Disneyland. I found out the hard way.

8 - Again, these are not the ones I have. Mine were handcrafted to my measurements, ahem. My darling daddy used to run a leather supply company back in the old days and kept a lot of contacts. It seemed every "nude" pair out there matched my skin like a regular bandaid does, meaning NOT. This pair is the perfect color, perfect height, perfect everything. If ever you can have shoes custom made, seriously, do it.

9 - THESE are perfect for a day at Disneyland. Or three. We were there for 3 days and I wore them every other day. Skechers, I love you.

10 - These are like another pair of shoes my dad had made for me. Now, you ask, why on earth would I have such basic models made? Well, for one, I have really high arches and most shoes do not have good support. Also, if I was going to have custom made shoes, I wanted those to be the most trend-defying, classic, forever style shoes I could think of.

basics 3


1 - My "event" bag. Just about every wedding, cocktail party, etc. that I go to, I've got this with me.

2 & 3 - So this cracked me up. I bought a crossbody bag like #2, but from Target, for $14, loved it, wore it all summer, it was perfect, then I thought, I should get something similar but a bit bigger -- I met my mom for lunch and she had bought me a bag in the exact same color, the exact croc print, in a shape like #3.

4 - My winter bag is pretty much like this one.

5 - I love this bag, it's neutral but metallic, so it's a little dressier than a plain finish, roomy enough but not huge, just right.

6 - Finally, my beach bag. It's dirt cheap (Old Navy) and I don't care if it gets scratched, stepped on, whatever. I fill it up with snacks for the boys and throw it on the sand when we get there.

I have to say that although I sometimes do covet pricey handbags - the Chloe Marcie is a favorite, I love the shape and the embossed detailing - there is no way in hell I would ever get one, even if my budget changed overnight or I was given $1800 to spend. I have two small boys and two cats, I'm not particularly careful with my things, and it's just not my lifestyle. It COULD be my lifestyle if anyone wants to get it for me for my birthday ;D but I think the worry of it getting scratched or something would keep me forever freaking out.

basics 4

1 - I love this cardigan from LOFT. I got it and a purple one during a sale and I wear them all the time.

2 - This coat (well, the one from Tarjay that looks a lot like it) it such a knockout. I put it on and I stand taller, throw my shoulders back and get a kick in my step.

3 - This little top has quickly become a favorite. Old Navy, as 80% of my wardrobe is, light and breezy, throw a cardie and scarf on and I'm set for cooler days.

4 - See #3 ;D This top has sequins all over but I like the funky print and I wear it during the day. My dear friend K. loves it, too.

5 - I got 3 tops like this one, in taupe, black, and plum, and they get worn all the time. 3/4 sleeves, not tight but not oversized, the perfect everyday top.

6 - I remember that these chevron-striped tops (in blue and orange) sold out as soon as they arrived. I could never find them in the stores and waited for weeks until the website had them, then nabbed both colors. They're perfect for someone like me who hates horizontal stripes -- they have a strong graphic element but the Vs are much more flattering.

7 - These skinny jeans are very comfortable, not skin tight, and the length is perfect for heels. Old Navy, of course.

8 - An all-season pair of black pants.

9 - My favorite jeans of all time. Merona by Target has several styles that address various fit issues. These are well fitted so they do not gape in the back, enough stretch to make them flattering and the straight legs balance out my wide hips. The $25 tag is just right. I wish they had more colors, though!

basics 5

Can you tell I was into turquoise this year?

1 - Fun statement earrings, I prefer to pull my hair back when I wear them otherwise they get totally tangled up ;D

2 - Earrings from my hubby back when he was my new boyfriend. They're discrete enough to wear every day, which I love.

3 - My favorite scarf of all time. I've mentioned before that I wish I could go back and get the other two colorways they had, but lesson learned. It's larger than most scarves so I can (and have) put it over my hair when it's started to rain, but it's thin enough that it doesn't get bulky.

4 - Super fun pop of color, I got it on clearance at Old Navy.

5 - My engagement/wedding rings. I knew what I wanted and I'm happy I stuck to my guns. I wanted a princess-cut/square) diamond, I wanted a solitaire, and I wanted yellow gold. The sales chick wanted me to have a larger stone (which my then-fiance wanted as well), platinum, diamond band. Nope, nope, nope. I like yellow gold, I like plain bands, and I didn't want a big rock.

6 - This hat has gone with me on many outings and even on my first cruise, which we took last year. You can stick it into a bag, load tons of stuff on top and it still comes out perfect. I got it for like $9 at Target, I think.

7 - H&M has the best trendy jewelry/accessories, I got this for $4.99, and whenever I am in one of my all-black ensembles I can just pop it on, apply some red lippy et voila, outfit is perked right up.

8 - These earrings are so sweet, dainty and delicate, perfect for date night.

9 - I know, horrid pic. This is a bracelet I made with my current favorite colors - turquoise and olive green - and various little charms like an Eiffel tower, Fleur-de-lis, and a dinosaur because my boys love them.


So that was my list of 40 of my favorite items, as you can tell I don't really do designer gear, if anything on a pic is a designer item, it's because I couldn't find the actual item on polyvore. Most of my clothes and things are from Old Navy or Target. I do splurge on makeup, although my lipsticks are usually the cheap kind.

Hope you enjoyed this little trip through some of my favorites - next time I post I will be forty! And yeah, I wrote this to be posted on 11/11/11 at 11:11am ;D

Moving to Wordpress!

Today's regularly scheduled (ha) post is coming at - of course - 11:11am, but I just wanted to remind you guys that I'll be moving to Wordpress soon and here is the link to follow the new blog:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/wordpress/uqin

I'll be moving over in a few days!

Big post coming in a few hours ;D

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Thanksgiving Craft: Turkey Garland

I saw this cute place setting craft at my favorite paper store


and I'd been thinking of making a garland with my oldest, so I decided to make a variation of this cute turkey. I had all the materials except the eyes, so that was $1.99 spent.

First I punched out the body out of brown construction paper and cut tan triangles for the beaks:


Then my boy added googly eyes - we thought that would be a lot more fun! I asked him to go crazy coloring with oranges and reds on yellow paper, for the plumage.


Some of them looked silly, and my son said he wanted to make them all different because people are all different :D


Then we taped the turkeys onto orange curling ribbon:


Et voila! Here is our beautiful, fun, and very silly turkey garland!!!


I love walking into my house and seeing this fun garland that my son and I made together. He loves doing crafts with me and I am planning more Thanksgiving fun - hope you enjoyed our Turkey Garland!

Thursday Favorite ThingsVisit thecsiproject.comThe Shabby NestWeekend Bloggy Reading

Monday, November 7, 2011

Pinterest challenge - mason jar gifts!

First let me tell ya that I will be moving to Wordpress! Yay! And you know what? You can add this link to your reader feed: http://casadeberry.wordpress.com/feed/
I will be here for a few more weeks and I'll keep reminding y'all so all my sweet followers can, uh, follow me in my new online home.

Okay, NOW we continue our regularly scheduled post.

Yeah, I am a few days late, but seeing this challenge pop up in some of my favorite sites got my butt in gear. That, and the fact that the pears on the tree were finally turning a gorgeous golden yellow.

I got plenty of canning and packaging inspiration from Pinterest:

Source: tipnut.com via Amy on Pinterest



I would LOVE to have a pantry filled with canned goods!




These are ADORABLE all packaged up for Christmas!




Okay, seriously. WOW. If I ever manage half of this, I will be so proud of myself!




I started to think up ideas for the extra jars I had - scrubs would be great, don't you think?




How cute are these with their color-coordinated tags?


I was lucky that my mother-in-law came over to can pears with me because I sliced up my finger with a fruit corer and she had to take over - no worries, we cleaned the corer and threw away the pear I'd been working on - but we had a good morning, chatting as we processed the fruit, and me planning in my head how I'd package up the finished goods.

This is what we picked from the tree the night before, my oldest was a super helper:


Soaking in their Fruit Fresh so they'll keep their pretty color:


Cooking down - we did some in sugar and some in Splenda. We did lots of tasting and they were yummy!


The smaller jars in front are pear butter, so good!


I also made some sugar scrubs - there are lots of great recipes at Tip Junkie.

I chose to go with a simple label I made in Photoshop, some ribbon/yarn and bits of a Christmas (fake) branch we had from last year's decor.



While I don't have an entire pantry full of canned goods, I do have a couple of small shelves full of these, and they make me happy. Maybe next year I'll get many more tomatoes and I'll be able to can lots of yummy sauce!

Hope you enjoyed my Pinterest Challenge!

I'm topsy turvy tuesdays

Friday, November 4, 2011

Godzilla a finalist in SFGate's contest!

I just saw that the Godzilla costume my husband made for our youngest was one of the finalists in SFGate's Super Crafty Costume Contest!



Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!