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carpinteria, california
we realized the other day that we need to be taking more day trips while we’re able to (i only work two days a week and gideon is freelancing). so we got in the car and drove to this beach i saw that looked like it was straight out of cape cod. it did not disappoint.
it’s called santa clause beach in carpinteria which is just south of santa barbara. we spent a few hours on the beach which is lined with east coast fencing and a train track. a train going by you on the beach is a new experience for me.
then we stopped in for coronas and calamari next door at padaro beach grill. this place was so cute with little picnic tables and christmas lights.
we saw a sign for lake casitas on the freeway so after the beach we headed there. it was huge and gorgeous but a tad hot… it was 100 degrees that day so caused quite a lack of energy. we walked around and explored and played with sticks and ducks. they have campsites all around the lake so i’m now itching to camp there. camping always sounds so fun in theory and then when i’m sleeping in a tent i think “why am i doing this? i could be in my bed right now.”
i bought gideon this hat at a nearby market where they actually sold moonshine.
our last stop was to ojai which is near the lake. i’ve been to ojai a couple of times and love it. we planned on having an early dinner and walking into shops, but got there around 5:15 and apparently everything in ojai closes at 5. so we had ice cream and headed home.
we’re going to start taking little day trips more often because they’re cheap without paying for hotels and there are so many places i want to explore outside of LA. it’s super nice to leave to city too.
do you take day trips or are they too brief?
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almost makes mixtape ⋅ vol. 3
here’s a mix to get you through hump day. doesn’t it always mentally feel like a longer week when it’s shorter? for me it does.
+ we saw you’re next last week and i have been obsessed with the song that plays repeatedly through the movie. it’s looking for the magic by dwight twilley band. have you seen the movie? they chose the perfect song.
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diy leather camera strap
i read that the immediate sign of a non-photographer aka dork is using the camera strap that the camera comes with. well i don’t want to look like a dork. so i made myself one.
but the best news about this strap? it’s no sew and takes about 10 minutes to make. (it took me a lot longer to gather the materials)
for some reason, i really wanted to do gold hardware. in retrospect, i think silver would have looked just as good and even matched the camera better. i say this now, because it is REALLY hard to find small gold swivel hooks. i went to three stores and searched the internet for hours but ended up buying silver ones and rub n buffing them and then spraying with shellac. total waste of time. if you’re into gold, you’ll have to do the same thing probably. if you like silver, all of the hardware will be a breeze to find.
step one // attach the swivel hooks into the d-rings through the small slit.
step two // with your leather strip, determine the length you want your strap (i used the strap that came with the camera as a reference) trim to desired length, keeping an extra inch or two for folding over.
step three // fold the ends over the d-ring and try to crease as much as you can. once you like it, liquid stitch and try to not get too much on there like i did. OOPS.
step four // clip it with your two binder clips on either side and let dry for an hour.
step five // repeat on other side. once dry, attach the small keyrings to the camera. told you it was easy.
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payday wishlist
apparently this week i’m lusting after things you can wear and things you hang on the wall.
one . normally i wouldn’t be into hanging “bonjour” on my wall, but these wire script sculptures are so simple, i love them.
two . loving this roxbury necklace from need supply. it would look so good with a black tee + black jeans.
three . himoart is an etsy shop full of beautiful macrame wall hangings that aren’t out of my price range like usual!
four . what’s the deal with sheinside? i always see their cute cheap stuff but not sure how legit they are. man i like this dress. has anyone ordered stuff from there?
five . i really can’t think of a spot in my apartment that i don’t want to hang the gilt minimalist mirror.
six . this gold statement ring is so pretty and i like a lot of the rings on katia v’s etsy shop.have plans for the long weekend? we’re gonna go to the beach before it’s too late and try to see the world’s end.
+ happy labor day weekend!
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i link you
THIS WEEK
i think this 12 year old girl lillian powers is better at vine than anyone i’ve seen. sorry will sasso. (via gawker)
an artist paints with toxic sludge and toxic sludge turns out to look cooler than it did in robocop (via huffington post)
japanese tv show pranks are so mean. and so fun to watch. (via youtube)
a photographer blends photos of fathers and sons to show genetic similarities (via petapixel)
every saul bass movie poster ever made in one place (via film.com)
a mattress that makes it easier to cuddle … finally. (via npr)
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game night with homemade pictionary
we’ve started doing a game night twice a month with friends – and for our turn hosting, we chose pictionary as the game. then i looked in the closet and realized we didn’t own pictionary. OOPS.
since we had two large teams, we didn’t actually need a physical board. we just needed to draw somewhere big and we had everyone write clues down.
if you want to host a game night and play pictionary, it’s SUPER easy to DIY.using a large roll of paper and a dowel, i tied twine to either side of the paper to hang it. i then wrapped a sharpie in washi tape and hung it to the dowel using elastic cord.
i cut up printer paper and tossed the pieces into a bowl a long with a jar full of pens and we were ready to play.
we made a couple of appetizers.
these fig and brie bites are my new go – to snack. they’re super easy to make, look pretty, and taste so good.
i also made mini versions of my bruschetta recipe which surprisingly didn’t make a big mess.
(we also had guacamole and donuts)
oh and after all that … our team lost in sudden death.
[ the ice ice baby clue was drawn by gideon. see his illustration work here ]
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kitchen makeover on manhattan nest
i love daniel’s style and blog so much – but after recently buying an old fixer upper, i had no idea he could make the kitchen this good this fast. i am swooning over every element in this room!
check out the huge transformation.
he DIYed the butcher block counters (they’re not really functional to chop on but still look amaze), he did all the subway tiling himself, fixed the ceiling, and used cheap pegs as hardware to save money. oh man i want to own a house and not do anything nearly as good as this. check out the full process here.
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wood chairs
i’m really into natural wooden chairs right now. maybe sitting on wood isn’t the most comfortable thing to sit on – but it look real niiiice.
i’ve always loved and wanted the pioneer chair ( # 05 ) and have spent a year telling gideon it’s more comfortable than it looks i’m sure. fingers crossed.
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fried shrimp tacos
i am really really really into tacos. we eat tacos in our house a few times a week. sometimes a few times a day. i mean, we live near about 45 good taco places. and sometimes, we make tacos at home. and then SOMETIMES… i decide to share my absolute favorite taco recipe with you.
it takes a little time and a lot of mess to make these, you have to bread and pan fry the shrimp, make the cabbage slaw, and make the crema, but you will impress your taco enthusiast or just taco enjoying guests and i SWEAR it.
INGREDIENTS
for the crema & slaw
1 ripe avocado
1 cup crema
2 tsp. plus 2 tbs. fresh lime juice
1 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
2 cups shredded savoy cabbage or green leaf lettuce
1/2 cup diced english cucumber
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 serrano chili, seeded and minced
3 tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbs. minced onion
freshly ground pepper, to tastefor the shrimp
12-16 ounces peeled and deveined shrimp with tails removed
3/4 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp greek seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
canola oil for frying
flour tortillas
* 1 ripe limeAVOCADO CREMA
halve and pit the avocado and scoop the flesh into a food processor. add the crema, the 2 tsp. lime juice, 3/4 tsp. of the cumin and 1/4 tsp. of the salt. blend just until smooth. transfer the crema to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.CABBAGE SLAW
in a large bowl, combine the cabbage, cucumber, bell pepper, the 2 tbs. lime juice, 1 tbs. of the olive oil, the chili, cilantro, onion, the remaining 1/2 tsp. cumin and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt. stir to mix well. cover the slaw and refrigerate for 1 to 6 hours.SHRIMP TACOS
rinse the shrimp with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. mix the flour and spices together in a shallow bowl.in a second shallow bowl, beat the eggs. dredge the shrimp in the flour, then in the egg wash, then back into the flour and coat well. place on clean plate.
cook shrimp in batches on a hot skillet with oil over medium high heat. the shrimp take about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes per side.
cook tortillas straight on another burner on medium heat for about 30 – 45 seconds per side, carefully flipping with tongs.
once the shrimp are all cooked, assemble the tacos with 3 – 4 shrimp per tortilla and liberally add the slaw and crema.
* FINAL AND MOST IMPORTANT STEP : squeeze limes on top. i can’t stress this enough, but ANY item of mexican food you eat will be better when it’s covered in lime juice. whether it’s tacos, burritos or tortas – they all taste that much better when limed. my boyfriend taught me this and changed my life. do not forget the lime.
(adapted from honest cooking and williams sonoma)
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the blog got a makeover
yay! the blog got a new look and i’m very excited about it. a couple things still need fixing but i’m happy to report everything WORKS.
