Hello! I know it’s been awhile, but I’m back with a handful of rave-worthy things.

First up, this song by Lucius was recently heard on an episode of New Girl and it was love at first listen. The song will be on their upcoming album and hasn’t been released yet. Buuut you can download it for free just by signing up to receive their newsletter. How awesome is that?! Take a listen, I’m sure you’ll be downloading your free copy in no time.

Sahale Snacks. Have you had these? They. Are. Delicious. I love “fancy snacks” and they have so many varieties and every single one is even more delicious than the last. Give ‘em a try.

Let’s talk flip flops. My days of buying the cheapies from Old Navy are long behind me. They just don’t cut it. I need a serious soft sole and the piece that goes in between my toes has to be fabric. The last few years I’ve been enjoying Reef flip flops and the time had come to buy a new pair. I had plans to get another Reef pair, but then I discovered the pure foot heaven that is Sanuk yoga mat flip flops. Also known as the best flip flops that ever were. The footbed is made from real yoga mats! And they have super cute colors. Bonus! You’re feet will thank you.

Bath & Body Works has a new line of candle fragrances. Almost too many to even decide. Seriously, I was struggling in the store. I finally settled on Tuscan Herbs. It makes my home smell so amazing and fresh. Perfect for this time of year.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Until next time….

The new album by The Airborne Toxic Event came out last week and I must say, I am thoroughly impressed.

I have a handful of songs from their previous albums, but this is their first album that I have enjoyed from start to finish. It feels so honest  and every track is worth it. I would suggest my favorites to start with, but, honestly, I love every single track.

Happy Listening!

Until next time….

During the warm months of the year, few activities are as gloriously wonderful as cruiser riding. The leisure, laid back feel of cruiser bikes makes my heart sing.

Curtis, myself, Alison and Paul each have a cruiser bike and we love to cruise around. We’ve even been in a parade.

Our cruising companions; Bluesy, Honey, Woody and Major.

Someday I aspire to have a whole row of cruiser bikes in my garage. One in every color.

With the approach of summer and the cruiser riding season I thought a little project was in order.

I started with a piece of hard board and a few pages from an old atlas.

Using Mod Podge and a sponge brush I glued down the maps to the hard board. Then did another coat of Mod Podge over the top.

Once the Mod Podge was dry I took a little red paint and watered it down. I painted the red on over the maps. And since it was nice and watery the maps show through. After the paint was dry I stuck the vinyl bicycle silhouette onto the board.

Now for the banner.

I wanted to draw the letters by hand (ok, actually tracing the letters, close enough.) so I started by finding the font I wanted and printing it out the size I wanted the letters to be.

I don’t have a light box so I went old school. I put the paper against a window and traced it onto my banner.

I first outlined the letters with a fine tip marker.

Then I filled in the letters with a colored pencil.

After stringing the letters on some bakers twine my banner was complete.

Every time I look at this it makes me want to hop on Bluesy and cruise around town.

Until next time….

We finally had some lovely spring weather this weekend so I’ve been listening to my

bring on the spring playlist today.

Take a listen, it’ll help you through your monday…. or any day for that matter.

Until next time…..

Vegetables. They kind of get the short end of the stick. Which is a shame because they’re so delicious.

Curt and I eat a lot of veggies and this is our favorite way to prepare them.

I’m telling ya, roasting is the way to go.

Start with whatever veggies you want. This is what we had in the fridge; peppers, onion, sweet potato, cucumber and garlic. I also added some cauliflower and mushrooms to the mix. I’m not a fan of cauliflower, but even it tastes good once roasted.

Also, just as a side-note, we’ve prepared brussel sprouts like this and they are absolutely delicious. Seriously. Brussel sprouts.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut, chop and peel all your veggies. A little tip for the garlic: microwave the garlic cloves for about 12 seconds and they almost slide right out of their skins.

And in case you don’t know, roasted garlic is like creamy heaven.

Creamy. Heaven.

In a bowl mix together:

3-4 Tbl olive oil

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp basil

1 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

Toss the veggies until evenly coated and spread onto a baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Sooo….. we were so excited to eat the veggies that I forgot to take a picture after they were roasted. But trust me, they are to die for. You’ll never go back to steaming vegetables again.

Until next time….

Enjoy some yummy spring eye candy.

Until next time….

I’ve made it known that I LOVE garlands! I love making them, I love hanging them, I love everything about them.

In an attempt to coax some warmer weather out of Mother Nature I decided to make a summer inspired photo garland.

You could use any photos you like for this project. Mine all came from Society6.

I love the vintage summer feel.

I put eyelets in the corners of my pics for some added durability.

Then I strung them onto some bakers twine.

I thought my turquoise ladder the perfect place for the summer photo garland.

Until next time….

Happy Earth Day!

Going green doesn’t mean you have to make drastic changes in your life. Each of us can make a difference just by altering a few small things in our everyday lives.

Here are 15 easy tips for a greener you:

1. Turn off lights when you leave a room.

2. Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store.

3. Buy a reusable water bottle and stop buying plastic disposable water bottles.

4. Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot.

5. Find new uses for old things.

6. Plant a garden.

7. Turn off your computer at night. (I really need to work on this.)

8. Buy products made from recycled materials.

9. Walk or ride a bike whenever you can.

10. Pay your bills online.

11. Lower the temperature on your hot water heater.

12. Unplug unused chargers and appliances.

13. Use cloth instead of paper to clean your kitchen.

14. Recycle, recycle, recycle.

15. Donate to – and shop at – thrift stores.

Try to pick out 2 or 3 of these that you’re not already doing and make an effort to do them this year. Let’s all do our part and help keep this planet beautiful.

Oh, and also, here are some lovely prints from Society6 for you to enjoy…

Planet Earth (Fauna)

Earth

Go Green

Earth Love

Earth Day

Earth

Watering (A Life Into Itself)

World Map

Earth

Planet Earth Pop Art

Until next time….

I’ve seen arrows popping up in design elements recently and I find myself thoroughly enjoying them.

So I thought I’d give it a go.

This is a wooden box lid. As I’ve stated before, I have a bunch of lids that I don’t use with the storage boxes so I use them in various crafty projects. But a canvas would work wonderfully for this project too.

First, I gave the lid a nice coat of white paint.

Then I pulled out the ol’ paint pen. I’ve mentioned before how much I love using paint pens.

Seriously. Love.

I’m thinking about doing a whole week of just paint pen projects. Interested?

I used an Elmer’s metallic gold paint pen for the arrows. The same gold I used for my paint pen ampersand last month.

I wanted the arrows to be “perfectly imperfect” so I decided to draw them by hand.

And I think they look exquisite.

I also used the paint pen around the edge of the box lid. It added the perfect finishing touch. This little project was such a joy, but I finished far too quickly.

Maybe I need a larger paint pen project…

Have a fantastic weekend!

Until next time….

Welcome to another weekly rave! I’ve got some goo-od stuff for you today!

Meet the last water bottle you will ever need. I have tried LOTS of different kinds of water bottles and every single one has the same flaws; condensation on the outside of the bottle and doesn’t keep water cold all day. These Hydro Flask bottles will keep your water cold ALL day long (even if left in the car) and zero condensation on the bottle. No more feeling like your purse had an accident. They have different sizes, colors and caps so you can personalize the bottle for your specific wants & needs.

If there were no ramifications for what we ate I would eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner. True story.  And this pineapple coconut ice cream from Haagen-Dazs would be a daily indulgence. It is to die for! Go buy some this weekend!

Curtis & I are big fans of the television show Castle. We love it! Well you can actually buy the Nikki Heat novels that Richard Castle “writes” in the show. Oh and the best part? They have real authors endorsing the books. How fun is that?! I just started this & it feels like I’m watching an episode of the show in my head. Any other Castle fans out there?

If you are a fan of curry then this is for you! Not only does this red curry sauce from Trader Joe’s make a super quick & easy meal, but it is also absolutely delicious!

 Happy Weekend!

Until next time….