DIY | New Years Feather Garland

I’ve never been more excited to start a new year. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of wonderful stuff happened this year, like launching this blog and so many new babies born this year amongst my friends.. but it has been a tough one. I try to stay positive and not get into the messy details of my life on here, so let’s just say that I am praying for a less eventful one next time around lol.

Bring it 2013!

I decided to make a few decorations due to the fact that I have little to none for this particular holiday! This one took me about 10 minutes to complete and it turned out really cute and just how I planned!

Go ahead, get your glitter on girl!

All you have to do is paint the spines of the feathers with a similar colored acrylic paint (try not to get the tips because the tend to stick together, if you do just use an eyelash brush to untangle them while they are still wet.) Then just sprinkle the painted area with a similar colored glitter (or white.) Let dry for at least 30-60 minutes then tie each feather in random distances onto a thin white thread. There ya go, all done!

Happy New Year’s Eve, Loves! I hope you have as many high hopes as I do for the 2013! 

See ya next year!

Copyright © 2011-2013, SewCal Mama all rights reserved. Reproduction any content without prior written consent from SewCal Mama is prohibited.

Recipe | Chocolate Chip Muffins

Saturdays are not only great days to take a big breather after the long week (phew!), but also good times to bake something yummy to enjoy over recorded episodes of The Real House Wives. One of my favorite treats to enjoy when I'm in need of food therapy is a chocolate chip muffin. I just love the way gooey chocolate tastes when paired with baked muffins - yummy! Doesn't the thought of it just get you? Without further ado, here is an adapted recipe that I always stay true to when baking muffins...

(Makes 12-18)
Ingredients
-2 cups all purpose flour
-1/3 cup white sugar
-1/3 cup light brown sugar
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-2/3 cup milk
-1/2 cup butter (melted and cooled)
-2 eggs (lightly beaten)
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 (11 1/2 ounce) package milk chocolate chips
-1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)

Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 12 muffin cups. In a large bowl, mix together flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. In another bowl, stir together eggs, milk, butter and vanilla until well blended. Make a well in the center of the mixture, then pour the milk mixture into the well and stir until combined.
3. Spoon batter into muffin cups and place on a baking tray. Place the tray into the oven and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes; enjoy!

DIY | Fondue Recipe

One of my all time favorite desserts is pretzels dipped into warm chocolate fondue. Here's an easy way you can whip up a quick batch without all the hassle required in traditional fondue...

You will need:

-Frosting

-Milk

-Ice Cream

1) Pour 1 scoop of ice cream (I like using Vanilla Bean) and one teaspoon of milk into a medium sized bowl. Mix well.

2) Gradually, add one cup of frosting into the mixture. Stir until formula is thick.

3) Over a medium flame, heat the fondue for about 2 minutes or until it becomes a paste.

Enjoy!

[Photo Source;1]

Laguna Hills + Burbank Trip

We took a little trip to Orange County over the weekend. It was such a nice little vacation in such a gorgeous place. We spent the first day in Laguna Hills, visiting family and attending the annual Christmas party, before dinner we took the kiddos to Beckenham Park to let them run around a play after the long car ride. We spent the next day exploring the city and enjoying a day of leisure in Burbank. We even got to see Walt Disney Studios, which happens to house my son’s all time favorite mouse; Mickey! The fence was lined with Mickey Mouse Heads, it was so neat! On the way home we had a bit of traffic and some weird weather but it turned out to be a great weekend!

Merry Christmas- from my family to yours!

Copyright © 2011-2013, SewCal Mama all rights reserved. Reproduction any content without prior written consent from SewCal Mama is prohibited.

Snapshots | Christmas Spirit

I’ve been so busy the last few weeks I totally forgot to share my November Snapshots as well as send out Christmas cards.. Ooops! Due to the lack of snapshot love on here lately, I decided to double up this month and also share a glimpse into of all of our pre-holiday family festivities.

This holiday season has been a fun one so far. Daniel already caved in and gave me one of my gifts early! I’m an ass, I know… Haha. One of us usually ends up telling the other one their gift, last year it was me. Unexpected family traditions, gotta love em!  

Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa from a box? Yes, please. What could be more delicious than sippin’ on one of those while enjoying the holidays…?

Maybe one of these yummy homemade Peppermint White Hot Chocolates? Get the recipe here.

Both kiddos loved seeing Santa; Zoey was soft spoken and shy as always.. She explained to Santa that she wanted a Baby Alive, not just the regular kind though, the Doctor kind.. It was so sweet because he went on to tell her how she could be an amazing Doctor one day, maybe even a pediatrician. Then it was Liam’s turn, it was his first time meeting Santa and he adored the man, he sat and talked to Santa like he had known him for years and ever since, he can spot the dude from a mile away and yells, “Santa!” This year’s Circle Park Santa rocked! :D

I love this picture and though the equality is not the greatest, it is dear to my heart because Zoey is wearing my old cowboy boots from when I was 7. She treasures them and it just melts my heart when I see her running around in them. What an honor to have such a beautiful niece.

My beautiful ornaments from Nicola, they came all the way from Scotland! Aren’t they awesome? They fit in great with my other decorations too. Thanks Nicola!

Tree decorating was in full swing; Christmas music and all. We decided to put our tree in the den this year in hopes of keeping it out of Liam’s war path, but he still manages to sneak off with an ornament or two ;)

We will be heading out of town for the weekend to mingle with family at our annual family Christmas party. Wishing you and yours a very happy and safe weekend!

Peppermint White Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate is one of my many guilty pleasures. I don’t think I’ve ever had a cup that I didn’t like, I don’t discriminate. This time of year you can usually find me at my nearest Starbucks waiting in line for a Peppermint Mocha but not today.. No, sir. I am sipping on something delicious though ;) One of my all time favorite seasonal drinks; a peppermint white hot chocolate. It’s the bomb.com- seriously. And the light pink color makes it all the better.

Here is the quick and easy recipe, enjoy!

 

Peppermint White Hot Chocolate

Yield: 1 serving ( Serving Size: 2 cups )

My Recipe File

 

Ingredients

• 2 cup(s) Whole Milk
• 1 whole(s) Candy Cane crushed
• 1/4 cup(s) White Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) Pure Peppermint Extract
• 1 teaspoon(s) Light Corn Syrup
• 2 tablespoon(s) Whipped Cream

 

Preparation

1. Set aside one tablespoon crushed candy cane. In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium-low heat. Stir in candy cane, stirring until completely dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in white chocolate chips and peppermint extract, continue to stir until chocolate chips are dissolved. Coat rim of glass with corn syrup and sprinkle on the candy cane that was set aside earlier. Top with whipped cream and enjoy!

 

 

Copyright © 2011-2013, SewCal Mama all rights reserved. Reproduction any content without prior written consent from SewCal Mama is prohibited.

Mini Style Files | Jaron

This little dude has got to be one of the most stylish little guys I have ever met. I just couldn’t get enough of his little fedora and cool kicks. Isn’t he adorable!? He belongs to a couple of my really close friends and I had the honor of taking his pictures last weekend. And you know I just had to share his handsomeness with all of you!

Enjoy!

FEDORA: The Children’s Place (Similar) – HENLEY: 77Kids by AE (Similar) –VEST: Diapers.com (Similar) – JEANS: Lands End (Similar) – SHOES: Vans

Submit a mini style file shot of your own stylish little one by sending me an email at sewcalmama@yahoo.com.

Copyright © 2011-2013, SewCal Mama all rights reserved. Reproduction any content without prior written consent from SewCal Mama is prohibited.

Ipsy Review + Giveaway | December

Lately, I haven’t had the time to go out and shop for makeup.. so when I was introduced to the world of subscription boxes I was awestruck. Over the last 4 months I’ve been subscribed to Ipsy and Birchbox both are only $10 a month.. I posted all about my first (August) Birchbox package here.

If your thinking of trying out a subby box for yourself, I would suggest either; they are both a great choice! The only real difference I found between the two is that Ipsy had a brief survey to help me personalize my makeup style.

After 4 packages; I now can say I am the proud owner of a fully stocked makeup drawer and the best part is; the new and different things I’ve received are things that I would never pick out myself but here I am, falling in love with most of the products.

One of my favorite things about Ipsy is that you get a new and adorable makeup bag with each subscription and no two bags are ever the same. Awesome, I know. So now that I’ve given you the lowdown, Check out this month’s subby box and let me know what you think.

[Urban Decay- 24-7 Glide-On Eye Pencil]

[Mai Couture- Highlighter Paper]

[Be A Bombshell- Hot Mess Lip Gloss]

[NYX- Loose Pearl Eye Shadow]

[Mirabella- Prime for Face & Eyes]

True happiness is giving it away. <3

 

For your chance to win a free month’s subscription to Ipsy, leave a comment with your favorite brand of makeup below.

 

Giveaway ends on December 25th 2012

Hello, Monday.

 

Hello & happy Monday!

I had a fantastic weekend; we took the little ones to see Santa and I even got somewhat caught up on my Christmas shopping (yay me!) and to top it off, I had the honor of taking my friends’ son’s pictures on Saturday after a morning of strolling through the swap meet with LiamBear. It was hands down one of my favorite weekends EVER.

P.S. What did you do over the weekend? Leave a comment to reply

BlogCrush | Paisley Boulevard

 

Inspiration from other blogs and bloggers is such a huge part of why I started SewCal Mama in the first place. BlogCrush is just a little way to share my love of other blogs with my readers.

My first BlogCrush is Paisley Boulevard.

There are some blogs that I literally can’t stop reading…This is one of those. Colleen is a crafty and witty mommy blogger, which is why I knew she had to be my first BlogCrush! This chick is seriously amazing, she is a DIYer, designer and vintage shop owner. Triple threat, right!??!?

Check out the interview as well as some of her posts and DIY projects below.

 

The Interview:

What advice would you give to aspiring bloggers that are just starting up?

Just write. Find your voice, don't be afraid to experiment and see what you enjoy blogging about most! I have dabbled in lots of different things, and I don't know that I will ever be someone who has a "niche", but I'm ok with that. My niche is not having a niche. ;) Be patient. No matter the pace, if you keep at it, you will grow.

When writing a post, Where do you feel most inspired to write at? And do you have a writing routine?

I have no routine at all! I sit and write whenever I have a free moment. At night while everyone is winding down, sometimes while the kids are at school. I never have a post in mind if I'm just writing, I just start clacking away and see what comes out. It's never usually where I started going, but that's my process. If I'm feeling stuck, I look through photos, surf tumblr. Tumblr is fantastic. So much inspiration, there are a lot of creative people sharing there.

Which do you prefer, coffee, cappuccino, or tea? Any why?

I love them all! I can't start the day without coffee, but I love tea in the afternoon and at night. Herbal, flavored...I don't discriminate.

How would you describe your writing style?

I don't know! Casual, the way I speak. I think I am mostly a very conversational writer, except for the occasional poetic ramble. I don't know where that comes from, but occasionally that side of me makes an appearance. And then I fall in love with those posts. It feels amazing to create something beautiful with words. Happy sigh inducing.

Describe yourself in a few words.

eclectic, shy, thoughtful

Favorite Quote:

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted" -John Lennon

 

Posts I love:

What You Know, What You Don’t

Coffee

Yes Man

 

Yummy Recipes:

DIY Coconut Coffee Scrub

DIY Hot Apple Pie Body Scrub

Almost Pumpkin Hot Chocolate Recipe

 

I hope you enjoyed the first BlogCrush! I had so much fun getting to know one of my favorite bloggers a little better. Check back in soon for another BlogCrush!