Music of the Moment

My Husband and I both have a love for great music. One of the things that first attracted me to him when we first met was that he had admitted that he was collecting vinyl and 8-tracks. On top of that, we both liked the same bands-not all of them mind you, but 90% of them.
So...I wanted to share with you some of the tasty treats we've found recently:

1) Blakroc- A super duper talented mix of folks who have collaborated with the equally talented Black Keys to put out a Rap-Rock album. Have no fear, it's nothing like anything you've ever heard. Why isn't this on the radio?!

2) Broken Bells By now you've heard of them. Super hunk James Mercer and the darling Danger Mouse rock it out together on one sweet sweet album. You'll have to take my word for it.

3) Phosphoresent His "To Willie" is a tribute to one my favorite men: Mr. Willie Nelson. From one bearded man to another, Phosphoresent does a brilliant job capturing the essence of Williness in his lovely little album. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.


Lastly, may I suggest that if you love music, I mean really LOVE music, and have a turntable; purchase the Vinyl first and then enjoy the free MP3 download card that comes with most albums these days.
Support your local record store too! My favorite 2 favorite spots to buy music in Portland are Everyday Music and Music Millenium (where the Mister and I stopped in on our first date).

Happy Friday!

Man oh man, I am the happiest little girl in town now that it is Friday!
Tonight is girls night (yeah!) but I'll have to be somewhat good. Tomorrow I have a ton of work to do in relation to the shop since I have about 50 pieces to merchandise. If you are looking for a few pieces to update your wardrobe for Spring/Summer, they are a comin'!
Cheers!
Stacy

Sale!

Everything in the shop is on sale for today only! I've picked up tons of new beads and thus, new designs are in the making. In order to make room for the newbies, I've put on a sale. Buy one item, get the other 50% off! This includes EVERYTHING in the store.

The Tax Man

Whenever I hear that phrase, I think of Maggie Gyllenhaal screaming that in "Stranger Than Fiction".
I couldn't help but think of that scene last night as I prepared to file our taxes.

Gnipmac

Cazzam

Hope you enjoy the tax related finds from Etsy!
Enjoy the week ahead,
Stacy

Happy Weekend!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! The Mister and I have quite the list of things to do this weekend. I'm most looking forward to having breakfast with my Dad on Sunday. We both think breakfast is the best meal of the day-even if it is dinner time. As a kid, I used to go to breakfast with him and put the cream and sugar in his coffee and order French Toast with stawberries and whipped cream. Yum!
What's your favorite food? What ever you enjoy the most, wouldn't it be better if it were served on one of these bad boys:

Colorful Enamel Bowls from BohemianVintage1

Gorgeous Slant Bowl from Slumptown

Super Fun Milkglass Cups from ModishVintage

Pretty Poppy Plate from Whitney Smith

                                       

The Big 30

30 days left until we go on vacation! Whaaaaat!!? That's right! The Mister and I are ditching this rain and heading to sunny and majestic Maui!
I'll be turning 30 before we leave and I think that I have found the perfect birthday dress to take with me:

I love the blue color, and how comfy it looks...I already have the perfect sandals to match too! I could go nuts in this Etsy Shop . I love all of the hues and textures. Le sigh.
Gaia Conceptions specializes in eco-friendly line of perfect, easy to wear and custom pieces. She sews each one by hand according to your measurements!
Have you been to Maui? I'd love to hear your recommendations for spots to check out.
In the meantime, I think I should get this amazing sweater to keep me warm until we leave:

Polka Inspiration

Here's another lovely colorful purse that I found on Etsy last week from Ika Bags who has a lovely collection of colorful, sturdy and chic handbags. I love the simple, clean lines and the great colorful dots up against the white canvas. So fun!

Happy Monday and have a great week!

Time Flies...

Is it me, or did this week just fly by? Not complaining...I love a good and quick work week.
Speaking of time...I still need to list some of the new spring things in the shop. I've been spending much too much of my time perusing the internets this week. One of my finds is from the talented Chronology on Etsy.
I love the use of color and geometry. I have this thing for polka dots and color...

Have a fabulous weekend!

Latest Addiction

Let me introduce you to my main squeeze of the moment-Kombucha. You may have already met, but this drink is new to me! Recently when the Mister was sick, I purchased him a big glass bottle of it and made him drink it. I always assumed it would like like hay. Boy was I wrong! It's freaking delicious!!
I've quit drinking caffinated coffee and made the move to tea, so this is now my treat!
My favorite flavor is the Asian Pear & Ginger. Try it and let me know what you think!

Want to know more about the Kombucha before you try?
Check it out here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombucha

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Hello Friends,
This year I have signed up to walk in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and I’m hoping you’ll support me. I know that there are a lot of breast cancer events out there, but Making Strides speaks to me because funds raised enable the American Cancer Society to help people stay well and get well from breast cancer, find cures, and empower people to fight back today. With your help, we can save lives.


They say that every donation makes a difference, and it really is true. I know that times are tighter than normal for many of us, but if you can spare even $5, it truly will make a difference. If everyone walking in Making Strides this year were able to raise just $5 more, we would raise an additional $3 million to fight breast cancer. Imagine what an incredible difference we could make together!

To support me in my efforts, please visit my personal page. If you’re going to be in town, I’d love for you to join my team and walk with me. If not, please support my efforts with a donation of whatever amount you can spare.
As a little extra inspiration, I thought you might like to know a few of the ways your donation will help the American Cancer Society save lives every day:
More people in our community will have the information and tools they need to help prevent breast cancer or find it early.

More people with breast cancer will have a place to turn around the clock to help them through every step of their cancer journey whether it’s a free ride to treatment, a place to stay, or just talking to someone who has "been there."

More progress will be made toward finding breast cancer’s causes and cures. The American Cancer Society has played a role in nearly every major breast cancer breakthrough of the last century, which have led to the discovery of lifesaving breast cancer treatments like Tamoxifen and Herceptin. You will help us find more.

More women like our own mothers, daughters, sisters, and grandmothers will have access to lifesaving mammograms and treatment they need.

Each of us has our own reasons for caring about the fight against breast cancer … whatever your reasons, I hope you’ll choose to make a difference by signing up to walk with me or making a donation online to support my effort. I’m so grateful to have great people like you in my life who care about breast cancer! Together we will make a difference, make history, and make strides.
Sincerely,
Stacy

Cadbury Creme Eggs. Gone Wrong.

I was looking for a photo to post to show you the delicious goodness that is the Cadbury Creme Egg and I stubbled upon a recipe to turn my favorite candy into a cupcake! Dear Gawd. Wrong on so many levels.
 I'm so in love with this candy that I have given it up for Lent and I am not even Catholic. I'm straight up addicted.  Here's the recipe:

Cadbury Creme Egg Muffins


2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
12 mini Cadbury creme eggs (not full size)



Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, melted butter and vanilla until smooth. Whisk in milk.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Evenly distribute muffin batter into prepared pan. Place 1 mini Cadbury creme egg in the center of each muffin. You can use a small knife to pull a bit of batter over the top of the mufin, if you like.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, until the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed and the edges are a light gold.

Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Makes 12.