Our Pottery Pieces Arrive

Remember when Gian and I went to that pottery class on Valentine's Day? Well we got the call and our pieces are finished! After the clay dried, glazed, dried again, polished, and dried one last time, here are our complete masterpieces! The orange glazed one looks kind of like an ashtray, and the blue/grey cup shape is just so small and cute! It's really neat to have something we made together in our home!

Drey $ Nicole

Long Beach Livin'

My life this week via smartphone photos:

1. Rest in Peace, MCA. 2. Look at that pretty boy

3. I've been getting real lucky with lamp bases lately!

4. A blueberry & oat bar after my first FITNESS BOXING training! 

5. Tiramasu for dessert 6. Espresso after an amazing Italian meal

7. Bent's been sleeping under the covers lately, head on the pillow real snug by mine. presh!

8. Shared sushi & coconut water dinner 9. Found another lamp beauty

Happy Cinco,

Drey $ Nicole

A New Couch

Thanks to a friendly neighbor remodeling their house, we have a new addition to our home this weekend! With a good remodel they've decided to get all new furniture, and this beauty became ours. Not only did they help us move it, they wouldn't even take a penny! It fits just perfect with all our vintage decor and hardwood floors, I must say. Lucky pickup!

Drey $ Nicole

Thrifting

Recently I picked up this amazing pea green cardigan by Robert Bruce, personally designed by Arnold Palmer. It's made of 50% alpaca and 50% wool, and it's in 100% beautiful condition. The 3t dress is made of a stretchy cotton/wool material. The front pockets and gold buttons on the collar are just adorable. Seeing the two together would sure make for a cute daddy/daughter outfit, don'tcha think?

Drey $ Nicole

And the best french fries award goes to...

Drumroll, please. CHAPPS! I have been coming here since I was a little girl and I've always gotten one of two things, chili cheese dog or a chili cheeseburger. (Can you tell I really love chili?!) You've got to get the best part of course, the fries. They leave the skin on them and season them to perfection. I can't even think of a place to compare them to because they're in their very own ballpark. Speaking of ballpark! Nolan Ryan comes here! They use his 100% pure angus beef, and since he's a local, they've got pictures of him everywhere stopping in and eating. That's neat!

Chili and fries,

Drey $ Nicole

Too Cute Tuesday

It's been a little cloudy in the LB the past few days, and it's got me wanting to stay cozied up with a hot drink. Today I picked up this too cute sweater for super cheap, and it still had the not so cheap tags on it. I love the contrast of the bright yellow string and beads against the two toned grey knit! The fabric is so soft it's silly! This is definitely my go-to piece for a cloudy starbucks run.

Drey $ Nicole

Easy Chalkboard DIY

A few weeks ago I found a plain wooden shelf out on the curb for the trash man. Originally I was going to use the wood to create a table top for something else, but my imagination got ahead of me. While working on another project for the wedding that called for chalkboard paint, I got a little carried away and wanted to paint it on everything in sight! The next day I found a stack of paint samples I stashed last time I was at home depot, and this boring shelf quickly transformed into a multi purpose message board. I thought we'd use the board to display at the entrance of the wedding ceremony and reception! Since we're trying to stay within a reasonable budget, it's a plus that all the supplies used for this project were free! (Apart from the chalkboard paint: $11 and plenty left for many more arts&crafts) While everyone in the world isn't planning a wedding, the board is a cute way to display other things too, like to-do's, grocery lists, sweet love notes, and chore duties! Here are the easy steps to creating your very own message board.

First you will need:

A sheet of wood, hot glue gun, paint sample strips, chalkboard paint, chalk

Start out with a clean, smooth piece of wood. Sand and prime if needed.

Paint the surface with a few coats of your chalkboard paint, and let it dry overnight. 

Lay your paint sample strips out with the color blending you like, and use your hot glue gun to hold them in place. Make sure to glue each strip down for a more polished look, because the layers of each strip will create flaps. You can stop here, or keep going for a few extra touches!

Add, remove, and switch out some special details for different occasions to get the most out of your board. The wedding is a bit of a ways away, so for now we're using our board as seen above.  When the day comes, were going to add these wooden pieces to display the date, and write "Giancarlo & Andrea Wedding" in cursive with colored chalk! You can place it on an easel or prop it against a wall. 

Have fun!

Drey $ Nicole