Happy Weekend!

The weekend is here and its gonna be H-O-T if the last couple a days are any indication. I'm hoping to finish my update of this tiny jewel I scored at Goodwill. I've repaired the crack (there was a three inch crack in the back), and primed it. All I need to do is paint it the hot pink my kids picked out, and recover the seat in some Japanese fabric I bought over a year ago (so happy to finally use that fabric!) I'm so excited this little chair was only $2.99! The Liquid Nails I used to repair the crack was more than that! :) The chair is really small (it only sits up off the ground about eight inches) so I think maybe its supposed to be like a booster seat, but my little one loves it, and sat in the chair, inside the cart, at Goodwill the whole time we were there. I'll post "after" pics soon! Here's some things to do, inside, with your AC cranked:

• Freezer Paper Stencils for T-Shirts - wanted to try this for forever and we finally did last night, and it is crazy addicting fun. Can be as simple or as complicated as you want! Find a tutorial here.
• Small Magazine's new issue is up! See it here.
• Another great online mag, Parasol has their fourth issue up here. Awesome, inspirational art.
• And lastly, the kiddos and I are obsessed with this song and video (found via Dooce) The whole fam has been humming this song:

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo. (who made this video as a fan, not an official video by Grizzly Bear)

Enjoy your weekend!

A Sensible Princess Shoe

Almost a year and a half ago at Disneyland, my daughter lost a shoe. My dad took her into a store to get a new pair. She emerged with diamond and jewel encrusted, glittery "Little Mermaid" flip flops. They are the last shoes I would ever pick for her (I tend to gravitate towards the simple). But oh my goodness does she love those things. Diamonds are missing, her heel hangs off the edge, but she still wears those shoes more than any other. We had to drag her away from a pair of purple flats with a pink jewel the size of a half dollar on the top the other day. The girl is just drawn to the sparkle when it comes to shoes. And this is a little one who has never even seen a "princess" movie! I can only imagine what will happen once those come into play.

Looking around this week for some new fall shoes for my daughter I came across these beauties. I think I've finally found a shoe we both can love. I love that they are still tennies she can run around in, and she gets her all important sparkle. Oh, that sparkle. I love the red (like a tomboy Dorothy! Love!) but the pink and silver are equally as cute. (And they also make the pink and silver in a slip on version!)

Find them here.

From the Desk of A.J. - Afar Travel Magazine

*Image by Irene Suchocki (find it here)

The travel bug. It hits us all at different times in our lives. It also goes through many peaks and lows…usually heightened about 2 weeks after getting home from a vacation…exploration…worldly experience. Experience being the key word here.

My travel bug first hit me in my teens when I was “forced” at the time to take a cross country trip with the fam. We drove from the west cost to the east coast by way of the south (being a SoCal gal, NYC for the first time was a true adventure:) Then in my early twenties I took my first trip to Europe with my Aunt. Oh…the USA was great in my teens…but traveling through Europe for the first time was entering into a whole other world…and a much larger bug bit me…big time.

What I remember most about traveling is not the lovely scenery…or historical landmarks…or the beautiful tropical beaches, but the people and the journeys that were spontaneous and usually came about due to being “lost” in a different country and not being able to read the signs. Versailles…I remember the lady I met waiting for my Aunt outside of the ladies room. I talked to her, for what it seemed like, for hours. She, in her beautiful French accent proceeded to tell me the lesser known facts of the kings and queens who resided in the palace ( juicy and scandelous details:). Italy, I remember "tailgating" in front of the Uffizi with The Hubster at dawn with no one in site because we forgot to get reservations…but I had to see the Botticellis in person before I left Florence so I had to be the first person in line...and I was:). Getting off at the wrong station in Rouen but stumbling upon one of the oldest churches in Europe and seeing where Joan of Arc was executed. All these things…not on the “itinerary” but they are some of the moments that I have captured and put in my little scrapbook in my head for me to call upon from time to time.

The point of this long tale? Well…traveling is an experience…one that I love and share with my husband and friends and family members who are willing to enjoy with me. I love spontaneous adventures that bring me into the place where I am a visitor. Their grocery stores, little hole in the wall restaurants, bars, flea markets, anything that will add a page to my scrapbook and give me a travel bug bite to continue.

AFAR…amazing new mag that was founded by Greg Sullivan…king of spontaneous traveling. A sort of Anthony Bourdain (lurve, lurve him!!! Uhm…did I say that I lurved him?)…but not just all about the food and liquor. He has created a magazine that inspires you to think outside of the box when it comes to traveling. His writers not only travel to Paris to show you the sites…but become an “apprentice to a boulanger and learn the secret to a perfect baguette”. Work at a school…help out a village…learn and perfect the perfect way to serve up street food that beats the heck out of any fancy shmancy restaurant. This is the mag that will give you those ideas and resources that will make it happen.

So…I have a love of magazines…sad to say…a lot of my favorites usually don’t make it (RIP…Violet, Blueprint, Wondertime)…but this one has to. Inspiration to traveling in a whole new way will not only open our minds and hearts…it will make us all into “citizens of the world” as Brad and Angie always say. This bug bite…is a good one:)

Find Afar magazine here.

Great Blogs for Kiddie Activities

My love affair with the blog world really started from an internet search for a how-to (how to do what, I don't remember now!) But as I'm sure you'll agree one internet search begets another, and the same is true of blogs, one blog will mention another, which mentions another, and pretty soon you have seven windows open and a plethora of fantastic ideas. I was lucky enough to be raised by parents who love a good craft, and a grandma who had a project for us every time we came over. Several times I'll think, how in the world did Nana do that, or my dad do this, and the internet almost always holds the answer when I can't get ahold of the appropriate family member. I started a blog about our family awhile back to keep family and friends in touch with our daily lives, and since then I've been asked over and over where I get my ideas from. Some come from my childhood, some from my own overactive imagination, but its equally as likely to have come from a blog I've found. Today I thought I'd share a few of the sites I go to often for inspiration for activities with my little ones (and some of our favorite activities from those blogs!)

Pepper Paints

This newspaper hut is one of the first "internet" activities we attempted and the kid's loved it (what kid doesn't love a great indoor fort?)! Though it only lasts a few days, its always a hit (and a great rainy or scorching hot day activity)

Filth Wizardry

Found this blog, when someone else blogged about the "Squiddlies." I've been trying to get my reluctant four year old to try new food, and thought this was a fun way of showing him that trying new things can be fun (and yummy!) This is one of my absolute favorites blogs now. She always has fun, messy, creative things that we can do with stuff laying around the house (and she has a great sense of humor to boot).

Chasing Cheerios

Can't remember how I found this blog, but found the idea of freezing toys in ice (see above pic) for the kiddos to excavate here. I like that she has a lot of activities that my little one (who just turned three) can do and enjoys.

Now get out there and make some messes! :)

Tiny Whales

Browsing around etsy today and stumbled upon these booties! Bah! I have a huge soft spot for anything vaguely moccasin (in fact baby mocs were one of the first things I bought for my little ones) and these are just so cute I could die. And then I saw everything else in their shop and feel even more in love. They have adorable tees, with modern graphics. And they have belts! Have any of you tried to find your tot a belt?? Because they don't exist! And the few that I have seen were certainly are not as cute as these!

I want that belt for myself! And to make my crush totally complete, I see that Tiny Whales in based in Orange County, just like little love-struck me. Hey, Tiny Whales? Can we go steady?

Find Tiny Whales here.

From the Desk of A.J. - People Colors Crayons

So…when I was younger (who am I kidding…even now) I absolutely loved it when I got a new box of crayons. I remember taking them out and reading their names (carnation! periwinkle! chartreuse!) and putting them back in the box into their own little space.

I remember coloring in my books or my fav…blank construction paper (that’s the best…the first of many blank canvases!). I had the usual picture… almost always the same. I had my house (which I perfected with chimney, smoke rings, and 4 window paned windows), garden, lawn, sunshine, cloud, birds…and of course…people.

When I got to the people part…I was always stumped. What color? I tried the peachy/pinky color that was in the big box…too light or peach for that matter, I tried the tan…too tan. Brown…too brown. I, being a lighter/more olive than brown or tan or really any “normal” hue of skin, Mexican kid from SoCal with tons of FRECKLES to boot…had a hard time “finding my color”. I couldn’t just leave it white or tan or brown…because I had, still have, different colors in/on me…just not one you could find in a box.

Shopping a few weeks ago for PSD’s very own Petit Picasso…something caught my eye and I can not for the life of me wait until I get a pack of my very own to share with the boy wonder. People Color Crayons. A set of crayons (they come in pencils too) with a lovely selection of different skin tones…hello? Couldn’t we have thought of this in the 70’s???????

My little Mexican me from many moons ago would have ran home everyday from school and just colored people…forget the house and sun…maybe even the smoke rings…if I had these crayons or pencils…man I would have done some serious canvas/construction paper damage.

I can not help but flash forward to a day when I get to see my little dude laying on the floor…big pieces of construction paper sprawled out all over the place…and with that every color of the rainbow…the people rainbow of different shades and hues…one to fit every freckle, birthmark, and beautiful skin that is out there. All these colors in one box that I know he will cherish and probably want to use every single shade…to draw his ninjas with. Aaaaah…little Mexican me just got a big lump in her throat:)

Find People Color Crayons here.

File these under "someday, perhaps after I win that jackpot, prolly never" but I am head over heels in love with these tiny earrings. Since the babes were born, wearing dangly earrings became a dangerous habit, and now it just feels weird so I've stuck to studs mainly. But a good little earring is hard to find! Love that these would look just like diamonds and gold from a casual glance. Subtly subversive. love love love...

Spider earrings by Iwona Ludyga (find them here)

P.S. My four year old just walked up as I was previewing this post and said,

"Are those spiders?!" I said, "Yeah, spider earrings!" "Oh Mom, you gotta get dos!" he replied. Now I really really want them!! :)

From the Desk of A.J. - Hostess With The Mostess (.com)

* A 'B' themed Baby Shower! Tooo cute!

I know…don’t hate me…but I HAD to blog about this site…and yes…it has to do with party throwing. Don’t worry…I promise we are not turning into a 24/7 entertaining party throwing blog…but when you visit Hostess With The Mostess…you’ll understand the reason for my madness.

OK…now that little dude’s party is behind us…and I think I’m finally settling into him turning 1 (ok…giving up bottles, which means less Boppy feedings/cuddle time, which means intro-ing milk, forward facing car seat…and buying his first pair of big boy shoes…all within 2 weeks is waaaaaay too much to ask of a mama…I mean he’s alright with all of the changes…but the Hubster and I, that’s a different story). Anyway…babbling again…sorry…what I meant to say is…I’m on to the next party!!!

A cousin of mine just recently got engaged and my party partner in crime (hey sister) and I are helping out with the engagement party… of course. Searching high and low through the net I stumbled upon (don’t you love how much I stumble upon things?) Hostess With The Mostess, an online party resource. Here we go…

Created by a design guru in San Diego and queen of all parties….she has put together an incredible party site choc full of ideas, recipes, themes, you name it…its in there. The site is super simple to navigate…unlike a lot of other party sites I have been to. HWTM tags them as Entertaining 101 (simple basics tips for hostessing a party), Fab finds (great guide for party décor), Fab gifts (self explanatory), Recipe box, Yummy reads (great guide for cookbooks), Entertaining Reads (great book guide, well, for entertaining:). HWTM also features “in the spotlight” parties which has all 5 steps featured in pics and tips…sooooo inspiring!!! Intro, tabletop, party décor, on the menu, and favors. Unbelievable how beautiful and fun these parties are…and what’s great is you can go all out as in the pics..or scale it down to fit your needs and or budget. A lot of d.i.y. easy crafts too…we love that…makes it so much more personal & unique:)

Check it out and I promise, you will thank your lucky stars you have signed up to be a follower of our PSD blog…which just so happens to be written by some themed party lovin’ mamas:)

Check out Hostess with The Mostess here! So much lovely eye candy!

Clothkits

I saw designer Jane Foster's daughters' room on Ohdeedoh (so cute!) and followed the link to her website and just loved her work. On her site there is a link to the designs she did for a company called Clothkits and I totally fell in love with the stuff on there. Clothkits was a company that started in the seventies, and was just recently resurrected with all new designs. They sell kits to make clothes and toys for kids, and also some bags and accessories for adults. I love the vibrant, somewhat retro look to it all, and the more modern graphics (like on the dress above). And I love how super easy everything is, simply cut out the fabric (already printed in the shape of what you're making) and sew! Perfect for someone like me with limited sewing skills. It would also be a great gift/project for a older kiddo who is just getting started sewing.

Find Clothkits here and Jane Foster's site here.

Happy Weekend!

The weekend is finally here!! Isn't it amazing how some weeks fly by and other's seem to drrrraaag. I think it was the heat, but it felt like Friday might never come this week for me. I just can't function. :)

I do have a very important, super serious decision that I need your help with though! Our fridge is b-o-r-i-n-g me to death with its blah whiteness. Yes thats right, I expect more from my fridge than just safely housing my veggies. Why am I bored with my fridge? Because I saw this:

*From Daily Danny

Bah! I love! But then someone came up with whiteboard paint! And now I'm torn. Do I cover my fridge with chalkboard paint? Or whiteboard paint? Both have inherent messes to deal with, but with a family of doodlers, I know we'll all love it when its said and done. What's the lesser evil you think, chalk or whiteboard markers?? I think I like the look of the chalkboard paint (I'm leaning towards old school black) but I am unnaturally in love with my whiteboard calendar (really I'm obsessed) because it is so easy to change/update. Decisions decisions! Be a dear and throw your opinion out there. Have any of you used either of these paints?

A Cuter Disney Shirt

So here's a shocker for you: My kid's love Disneyland. Disney movies, yeah, they'll watch them. But their true love is Disneyland itself, the rides, the characters, everything about it. And since we're lucky enough to live very close, and be season pass holders, we go a lot. A LOT. My son eats lives and breathes it. So anything they can find that relate to good 'ol Disneyland gets them all in a tizzy. And, of course, you can find just about everything with a Mickey on it. Finding, cute, quality stuff? Not so easy. Which is why I love the Disney Couture line. Most of the shirts have a vintage feel, with a more modern cut (which suits my skinny minnys much better), and the graphics tend to be a little more sophisticated. I also love that they have shirts dedicated to Disneyland rides, versus only characters or movies. Admittedly, they are pricier than the eight dollar shirt you could get at the Disney store, but the quality is much higher. We have shirts that have been worn by both kiddos, and are still holding up well enough to be passed on again.

Disney Couture is sold all over the place (I've found it at Nordstroms too) but you can find a nice collection here.

From the Desk of A.J. - Decor by Color Blogs

So I don’t know about you…but sometimes I get obsessed with trying to find something that perfectly matches. By sometimes…I really mean all of the time.

It’s been a character flaw? Bonus? Whatev…of mine since I can remember. Poor mom had to have my sleeves cut off of my 8th grade graduation dress…and have them re-done just the way I wanted…because I saw it in Seventeen mag or something. I had to have mom…now Grandma spray paint the blue and white BIG numero uno piñata a few weeks ago camouflage (which btw…she did an AWESOME job) because it had to match the camo theme of little dude’s party. Anyway…I’m still and forever will be that girl that needs to find the “perfect match/detail”. Thanks heavens I got the mom that I did:)

Lo and behold…Décor by Color. Found it looking for…now I can’t even remember…but fell in love with it. Basically…it’s a blog about shopping (of course)…but BY COLOR!!!! So…if you're decorating…or trying to find that perfect gift for the friend that loves all things black and white…or pink and brown…or blue and green…or RED… or many other colors…this is the blog for you my friend.

You can look up or sign up for each individual blog…and they post their findings everyday. It’s a pretty broad range to boot…from house décor…to purses and appliances and more. Its super fun to cruise through and you can get some great ideas as well.

So…when I’m looking for that perfect little something for my house…or to wrap up…my perfect little bonus flaw will be oh so happy…color me happy:)

Find the blogs here.

The New Children's Museum in San Diego

*My pictures really don't do justice to how vibrant this place really is, but just the same, the top picture is of the shadow puppet area, bottom is the large tree that inhabits all three stories of the museum

The fam and I just got back from our weekend in San Diego and it was awesome, to say the least. We were only there three days, but we packed in a lot of fun (without it being totally overwhelming). Our second day there we visited the brand new (and aptly named) New Children's Museum in downtown. I was drawn to this museum for the kids because its not just a kid's space or an art space, its this fantastic combo of the two. Each exhibit is created by an artist with the kids in mind. So, for example, they had an exhibit by artist Felipe Duizaides called "What is essential is invisible to the eyes" and it is essentially a bounce house for the kids, in the shape of an anatomical heart. The kids climb in through an aorta and bounce around inside to their hearts content and from the exterior the heart seems to pulsate and pump like a real heart. Other exhibits include a real VW the kids can paint to their heart's content, a shadow puppet theater, a large room with dolphin videos projected onto the walls the kids could "swim" in, and so many more. They had workshops going on all day, including a race car derby, superhero workshop and a clay workshop. We only made it to one, "Tent City" where the kids climb up through a maze, on to a platform where they can create a "city" out of tarps and pipes. Our four year old loved that. (oh, and the workshops are all included with admission) My husband and I love going to art museums but have not had the chance to take the kids as much as we like (its hard to juggle nap times and driving times and anyone who has a toddler knows they need to be well fed and rested to muster the manners needed for a real art museum) and this was such an amazing place for all of us. We were given a membership by my mother-in-law (thanks again Nanny!) so we'll for sure be going back! If you are in San Diego I highly highly recommend it! Its my new favorite place.

Find directions and info on the New Children's Museum here.