Boutique Shopping

Coming May 6, Target is teaming up with 4 speciality shops, to run boutique-esque merchandise for 6 weeks, in "pop - up shops".  Target will be featuring items from Privet House (vintage shop from Connecticut), Cos Bar (body care from Aspen), The Candy Store (retro candy items from San Francisco), and Polka Dog Bakery (Boston).  I am super excited about the Privet House and Cos Bar.  Items that, those of us not local to these shops, don't get to experience on a day to day basis.  Prices are set to range from $1 to $159.99

Privet House - Embossed pitcher $24.99

Privet House - White washed baskets $34.99

Privet House - Wire tiered tray $29.99

Cos Bar - Blueberry white tea body products $6

The Candy Store - Nostalgic gift tub $9.99 featuring Candy Buttons, Pixy Stix, Razzles, Gum Necco Wafers, Bit-O-Honey, Candy Smarties, Tootsie Pops, Sugar Daddy’s, Red Hots, Goetze’s, & Caramel Creams

Guess you know where I will be May 6!

 

All photos and products - target.com

Wild Horses

I love these photos.  They so vividly capture the beauty of these majestic animals.  My friend Jillian has been talking about having a framed print of horses in her home, and these photos would all be perfect.  They are all so amazing and would really add to any room of the house.  

Horses are emotional, beautiful,  intelligent, strong, and yet such fragile animals.  Having grown up with horses as a part of my daily life in Eastern Oregon these photos just drew me in.  While these horses in the photos above are wild, the ones that I rode and love(d) so much were free and wild to me. 

I used to ride our paint Tawny almost daily as a young girl.  My mother, the original horse lover, taught me how to tack up the horses (put on the saddle, bridle, etc), groom them, ride them, respect them, and love them.   There was nothing better than riding Tawny every summer day.  We both loved trotting along, the smell of the grass, the sun beating down on us.  Even though I was a young girl, Tawny let me ride her, and was such a gentle and trustworthy girl.  Nothing could take me off the back of that horse...until one fateful day, as we raced under a tree, I was ripped off her back from branches clawing across my face.  A ride I had done almost daily, and I would always duck as low as I could as we raced under, pushing my face into her soft flowing hair on her neck.  But that day I was pulled off her back, thrown to the ground, knocked out, and never really got back on her.  She stood by me, as worried as my family, as my dad and mom raced to the back of the pasture to get me.  It was something I will never forget.  Partly because, everyday I see these scars on my face and neck, faded by the years, but reminding me of those moments. 

Tawny has passed now.  Her only offspring, Bud, stands alone in the back pasture of my parents home, loafing around and acting like the dog he thinks he is.  He was never really broken, but he is as sweet as they come. 

I am grateful for my experience with horses and knowing the love of them.  I thank my parents so much for providing me this part of my life.   Because of these experiences I will always love horses.  And like the wild horses in these photos, I like to picture Tawny running free in heaven, young, and wild.

1 / 2 / 3,4,5,6,7

Add this to my list of things to do....

COACHELLA 2012

Seeing the images, reading about, and watching video clips of Coachella 2012 makes me wish I would have been there to see it for myself.   I guess I didn't realize how major it was, and how many acts it draws.  My list of would not miss from this years line-up:  Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, Dr. Dre & Snoop (including hologram TuPac), Feist, Florance + the Machine, Gotye, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Mazzy Star, Santigold, The Black Keys, and The Shins.  There were SO MANY amazing acts.  I wouldn't even consider myself a music snob in the least, in fact, I readily admit that I just might have THE WORST taste in music, and even still...I want to go to this show!!  So...I am adding it to my list of things I want to do in life.  I just did a snippet of research and VIP tickets + transportation to the shows + hotel comes in around $700 -$1000.  Not totally unattainable.  Now who's with me?!

 Images via : 1 /  2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Back to basics.

Dr. Bonner's 18-in-1 hemp pure castile peppermint soap

 I recently read a very interesting article about Dr. Bonner on his  holistic and organic approach to making soap.  He is a VERY interesting character - I recommend even just looking him up on wikipedia and also researching this amazing company, now run by his grandsons.   Reading this article made me remember seeing this soap everywhere in Eugene, OR...the hippie-esque town where I lived for 4 years while attending university.  I would stop and read the crazy labels and think to myself, what the heck is this stuff?  

 The thing about this soap is that it is SO natural, that all of the ingredients are food grade, meaning you could literally EAT this soap and it wouldn't harm you.  Which got me thinking...maybe instead of washing my skin with chemicals and terrorizing it, perhaps I should approach washing my sensitive skin with just the basics.  So I started using this soap on my face, in the peppermint version (there are several types) with a natural loofah about 2 months ago.   And....it is clearing up....in a major way.  Very little breakouts, AND the scarring and marks left from years of inflamed pores, well...they are slowly fading away too.

While I understand my skin is fickle, after a few months of using something new, it goes right back to its old self, I am hoping that I have stumbled across the very miracle product I have been looking for all this time.  Spending HUNDREDS of dollars at department stores, attempting to find my saving grace, when this soap has been lingering on supermarket shelves, at a whopping $1 per oz.  I bought a 2 oz bottle for $2 over 2 months ago - and still have about another weeks worth of use left.  Still going strong, and still staying clear.

For those of you interested in trying it out, Fred Meyer aka Kroger sells little 2 oz bottles in their natural food/beauty department in peppermint and lavender.



Weekend obsessions.

I am obsessed with these Target heart shaped sunglasses I scored this weekend for $10. 

Another major Target score, 2 tubes of baby lips, one 'pink punch' (as seen above) and the other clear, on clearance for $2.58.  The pink one goes on a literal baby pink and is so awesome.  They have a few other colors that look equally gorgeous too!  These have a sheer color to them, and for under $3 are a major steal.  Go get one ladies.  The pink is definetly going into the make-up rotation and the clear, mosturizing one went to K, to keep those manly lips kissable!

Love, Love, LOVING these vintage t's from Old Navy.  I loved the heathered feel, they have such a great fit, and were on sale for $7.50 this weekend.  I picked this grey one up, a white, and a coral/red.   Perfect spring time basics to add to the wardrobe.

Why can't these be made in a women's size?   I am so in love with these sandals, but they are only made in little girls sizes.  This is  a time where having a midge foot, like my sisters size 5-6, would come in really handy.  I saw a girl rocking these on the cruise and have been aching for a pair of my own ever since.  Ugh.

So, yes, I did do some shopping this weekend.  BUT! I kept it to a minimum, only buying a few items and mostly just helping my bestie, and some other random people, pick things out for themselves.  I think I kept it under $40, which is pretty darn good in my book!  I am still working on becoming a reformed shopaholic, but I can slip off the wagon every now and then. :)



Make-up counter

So I had a reality check last week.  While shopping at M.A.C. on our lunch break, with my favorite co-workers/friends, we were discussing make-up and what we have/like, and I realized I might be at least 5x more high maintenance than these girls.  As you can see in the photo above, this is what it takes to just get me ready in the morning.  Confession time.  So....this is my 'everday' make-up selection.  This is what I keep out on the counter to get ready every morning...this isn't all of it.  I have BOXES of make-up stashed away.  While, OBVIOUSLY, I don't use everything in these bins, mentally I need it available to me for my daily make-up application.  Yes, I NEED 5 different primers, and 16 different blush colors.  Why?  Because I am an artist, and putting on make-up is fun, and I view it as an expression.  And without it...I couldn't transform myself from swamp monster to lady who lunches.  Because under all that sparkle and glitz, there is a WHOLE different animal...and it's not good.   I am not exaggerating.  Without all these tools and camouflage, underneath there is a 55 year old walmart shopper that looks sleep deprived, angry, and ready to smoke her next menthol, after she lights a match on her stubble.

Nutella Fudge Pops

K insisted we do a photo with a bite out of it.  He's so darn cute...

These Nutella fudge pops are sooooo good.  I have seen this recipe cycling through pinterest for a while now and put it on my list to make, because 1) it looked delicious and 2) much lower in calories/fat than ice cream.  I tracked down a good recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie.  There are a few versions with cream in them, which I am sure adds to the deliciousness, but as I was going for the lower fat version I had to find one without the sugar and cream. 

The 'ice cream' turns out very creamy, almost like soft serve.  It was too tempting not to eat right out of the food processor, but we also froze it, and made our own little fudge pops.  I will for sure make these again.  They totally satiated my ravenous 8 PM craving for dessert.

And...check out how easy this recipe is...

NUTELLA FUDGE POPS

3 frozen bananas

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/2c choc-hazelnut butter (Nutella)

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

tiny pinch salt

Blend all ingredients until super-smooth. (We used a food processor, and we thawed the bananas a tiny bit so they’d blend.) Eat as ice cream, or scoop into popsicle molds (or paper cups) and freeze for fudgsicles.

Deliciousness!!