A Big Thanks To Miss Washington......

So I have a lot of really talented friends. One of them, Jean-Marcus Strole, is an A-mazing photographer, who I have known for something like 9 years. We don't see each other all that often, but we keep in contact and when one of us needs a favor or has a job that the other would be perfect for a text is sent.

A few weeks ago Jean-Marcus contacted me to barrow some clothes from the company I work at, for the Miss Washington promo shoot he was doing. In the process of helping him pick something out he mentioned he needed a necklace for a blue background, and would I make one.

The blue he needed was not any blue it was old school Christmas light bulb blue, which if you are wondering is pretty hard to find. However, I succeeded in finding a hand blown in Italy glass bead.

So to conclude, I would like to thank Jean-Marcus for needing me to make a piece of jewelry for such a cool shoot and to Miss Washington Casandra Searles for making my necklace look so incredibly amazing.

Until next time.....

Perfect Fit, Supporting Starbucks and being very Fashionable!

I'm not going to lie, I pretty much am addicted to Starbucks, and for me it's local, you know Seattle and all. I not only greatly enjoy their coffee, but I like how they support the community and how they decided to help the economy/jobs with their $5 "Indivisible" bracelets.

What I didn't like about the bracelet is that it was too big, for my tiny wrist. I get it is supposed to be a double wrap, which I usually love, but it annoyed me that it didn't fit. So, as someone who can not leave well enough alone, I cut it in half, added a clasp and Tada awesomeness.

With bungee cord bracelets being so in right now, I'm not only supporting helping jobs, but also my bracelet fits better, and with other bracelets stacked with this I'm super in fashion.

Until next time....

DIY: Old Grocery Store Checkstand Lights made into a Side Table

I have a tendency to always have either a glass of water/cup of coffee while I am at home. I also have a tendency to place said beverages on the arm of the chair, thus leading to me usually knocking them over and spilling said beverage and breaking said glass, which as you can imagine angers Husband. Based on this chain reaction I realized a side table was what our living room was lacking.

Unfortunately, I am not someone who can just go out a buy a side table. No, I always feel I need to make it, sometimes much to Husband’s dismay.

So my youngest brother manages the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Beaverton, OR. Upon my last visit there he had just received a group of checkstand lights when New Seasons grocery stores decided to change their look. Good for me, I was able to pick up a set of four numbers. I figured stacked and topped these numbers would make fantastic side tables.

After a hint of paint, a few screws, some braces and one old Pottery Barn metal bulletin board…..table made, beverage/glass safe, Husband happy.

Until next time……  

 Before

I Know I'm not Hawaiian, but here is how I did Hawaiian Shrimp Scampi

As I mentioned last time I recently came back from my first time in Maui. When Husband and I are out of town we like to eat where the locals eat. So when we came across Geste Shrimp (Just Shrimp, get it? It's Hawaiian) and had their Hawaiian Shrimp Scampi I knew I had to figure out how to recreate this.

The Process for Recreating Hawaiian Shrimp Scampi in Seattle 

Step 1: Understand and remember that you am not Hawaiian

Step 2: Look up on the internet Hawaiian shrimp Scampi recipes and realize they all kind of suck

Step 3: You are not Hawaiian

After I came to terms with the above steps I took bits of a few internet recipes and came up with my own. I would like to preface with I do not really measure because I was taught to cook from my Italian great grandmother and she measured with a pinch, a handful and some, so please take that into advisement. 

Britt's Hawaiian Shrimp Truck Scampi 

1 1/2 pounds of shrimp still in shell 

3 full cloves of garlic (yeah you heard me 3) 

1/4 white wine (and some for drinking while you cook so get something good) 

1 tablespoon Paprika (sure that amount sounds good) 

1 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper

1 teaspoon Salt 

4 and some table spoons butter (yep and some, really that's up to you) 

1. Split, clean and devain the shrimp, but leave their legs and shells on, it will enhance the flavor and that's how it was served to me so that is how it will be served to you. 

2. Marinate shrimp in 1 clove of minced garlic, wine, bunch of shakes of paprika or the tablespoon if you need a measurement, pepper and salt. I let them sit for about an hour. Shrimp don't need a ton of time to gain flavor. 

3. When your shrimp have swam around in the wine, paprika mixture for about an hour. In a large frying type pan, I used my cast iron, melt butter on medium and mix with the other two minced garlic cloves. It's going to smell amazing and it's good for you to be around that much garlic...at least that's what my grandma always would say.  

4. When garlic is a bit translucent add the shrimp and their marinade to the butter and garlic. Mix those little guys into the butter. Yes, the garlic will get stuck in their shells you want that. Cook until pink, hey look at that you did it.

If you want to be really amazing add this Hawaiian macaroni salad and a scoop of white rice (don't ask me that's how they serve it) now eat with your hands and pretend you are in Maui.   

Until next time....

Maui and Maybelline

I just got back from a 8 day stay in Maui. My first time in Hawaii and I loved it. Maui is so sunny, laid back and I believe one of the only areas where working in the service industry is the norm. I hiked, I ate, drank Mai Tais, read and tanned, oh yes I tanned.

Previously to leaving for Maui, Husband and I made a pilgrimage to City Target. Now, I am usually a NARS makeup girl through and through, but I didn't want to sweat off all my NARS face makeup in Maui and yet still wanted to wear face makeup, at least to balance out my color. So, while at Target I figured why not try some of this BB cream I have heard so much about. All the other brands were out of very light, so I settled on the Dream Fresh BB Cream by Maybelline, this was not my favorite brand so I was extremely doubtful, but for something like $5 I figured I would live.

Day one in Maui and I try my Maybelline, and can I just say WOW! It was awesome it felt nice, has sunscreen, my face did not dry out and it has great coverage and look. I wore it the whole time and was so happy with it's performance.

I usually get my makeup colors updated twice a year at the NARS counter, but this year instead of getting new face makeup I'm just going to continue with my  Maybelline....who knew?

Until next time.....

P.s. Please do not tire of my stories of Maui I have a Shrimp truck recipe to share and a story about my inspiration for my new living room color. 

A Smashed Penny Necklace for your Thoughts

When I travel I like to pick up some sort of souvenir from each stop. However I am not a tchotchkes person, as I mentioned before no cat statues for me. Based on both of those facts and not loving tee-shirts with location names, I started collecting smashed pennies.

They are easy to collect and super cheap, at $.51 a piece. However, as I have collected them for sometime now, it recently occurred to me that I should do something with them. So as someone who makes jewelry I figured make them into a necklace.

For the sake of getting re-pinned on Pintrest I am displaying it on my old man pug the distinguished Thelonious Monk, however a better picture is below. Check it out you could make one too.

Until next time....

*Side note, tchotchkes is a very hard word to spell #justsaying

Don't they make a Happy....Naked Couple!

Tiny Project Alert:

As I said yesterday, I collect things. So when I was in Portland and saw this Venus d' Milo statue I knew I had to have her. I figured she would be perfect with my statue of David my parents got me in Italy. The only problem with Venus was, her head and her body were not connected and she is made of cement, which someone decided would look nice spray painted gold, as you can see below they were wrong.

After a number of tries and a waste of more bonding materials than I would have liked, Venus's head and body finally became one and with a little sanding and a few coats of white stray paint Venus was presentable enough to united with her new love David. Don't they make a happy.....naked couple?

Until next time....