Homemade Mitten Ornaments

     Every Christmas for the last 20 years, my fiance's family organizes a homemade ornament exchange. And every year, I scramble to come up with a fun, creative and inexpensive ornament just weeks before the exchange. This year, my inspiration came from mitten shaped gift tags from Target. Using the gift tag as my guide, I created my very own mittens which I embellished the with colorful pom pom trim, sequins and sparkly gems.


To make your own mitten ornaments you will need the following:

 

Spool of pom pom trim
Spool of black satin or sheer ribbon
Spool of decorative trim
Assorted Craft Gems & Sequins
9"x12" Felt Square
Hot Glue
Scissors
Colorful thread
Sewing Machine

Mitten Template

 



1) Fold the longest side of the felt square in half
2) Pin the mitten template to your felt square. Cut around the mitten, making sure to cut through both layers. Once you are done cutting out the template, you should be left with two pieces (a front and back)

*Keep in mind one felt square will make 3 mittens, or one and half pairs of mittens.

  3) Pin the two pieces together and carefully sew around the edges - make sure to leave the bottom opening untouched.




4) Measure your pom pom and trim against the length of the mitten's opening, add a quarter inch to each end for safety and cut accordingly.

5) Using a hot glue gun, glue the pom pom & trim to opening of your mitten. *Note: you only need to decorate one side of your mitten.
6) Embellish each mitten by gluing sequins and gems to the center in any design you'd like.
7) Cut a 6" piece of black satin ribbon. Carefully dab hot glue on one end of the ribbon. Tuck the glued end of the ribbon a half inch into the mitten's opening. Make sure to tuck the ribbon opposite the thumb end. Repeat on the other side.

HAPPY CRAFTING!

Holiday Party Recipe: Sausage Strata

 
  You know it's the week before Christmas when you start getting piles of invitations to holiday parties. And if you're like me, you never arrive empty handed. Whether you're hosting or attending a holiday party, this Sausage Strata recipe is simple, savory, and best of all it can be prepared the night before.
   
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of ground sausage
6 slices of bread cut into medium sized cubes
2 cups of shredded jack cheese
6 eggs
2 cups of milk
1 cup of fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook sausage in a medium size skillet until evenly brown

2. Place cubed bread, cooled sausage, basil and cheese in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

3. Layer mixture in a rectangular casserole pan.
4. In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat together eggs, milk and salt and pour over bread mixture.
5. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Please note this dish can be refrigerated the night before you plan to bake it.
6. Preheat over to 350 degrees F
7. Bake for 45 minutes. You will know dish is ready by inserting a knife into the middle of it. When the knife comes out clean, it's ready to removed from the oven.
8. Let stand for 10 minute before serving. Enjoy!

Addams Family Dinner

    One of the great things about having a birthday in October, is that I can have a costume party and feel comfortable knowing my guests won't be hard pressed to find a costume store, especially in LA where there is practically one on every block.  Last year we celebrated with a Hitchcocktail Party, and this year we decided to keep the theme more open so that people could dress however they liked. A girl scout, a devil, a Gatsby girl, a princess, and a bat, were just a few of the people in attendance.

 
     We feasted on quite a spread (pork loin, apple-cornbread stuffing, and bacon-wrapped dates to name a few), yet the biggest hit of the night was definitely the Lemon-Rosemary cupcakes. The recipe, which was given to me by my future mother-in-law, can be found below.

Lemon-Rosemary Cupcakes

One Small Packet of Lemon Pudding

1 Cup of Plain Yogurt
1/2 cup of Warm Water

1/2 Cup of Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons of Melted Butter

1 Box of Lemon Cake

2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

4 Eggs

1) Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well
2) Fill each baking cup 1/2 way with batter
3) Bake according to the instructions on the Cake Box

4) Enjoy!

     This recipe can be made with any cake or pudding mix combo, and can be made as a standard cake or bundt cake.

Sunday Funday: Halloween Party Preparations

Bizarre Vintage Photos I Found Online

With only six days left until my Halloween soiree, I'm scrambling to put together the final decorations before my guests arrive. I made a much dreaded trip to Michael's for spiderwebs, black glitter and craft glue for my glittery skull and bones project. The party gods were definitely on my side considering that most of their Halloween decor was long gone, yet I managed to find all the items I was looking for. I found wonderful photos online (featured to the right) that I plan to put in place of our hung family photos. Tune in next week for more photos.

Sunday Funday: Sunny San Diego and the Chargers!

     I'm not usually one for gambling but when I found out my co-workers were puting together a survivor football league, I couldn't resist especially since my other half (Sean) is an avid football fan. Before Sean, I had no interest in sports whatsoever, with the exception of tennis. Nearly six years later, my interest in sports hasn't increased much but I have managed to attend at least one major sporting event (i.e. hockey, baseball, and basketball) with the exception of football. Yesterday marked my first NFL game and it was amazing, not only because the Chargers won but also because their victory ensured I got to survive another week in the Body of Proof survivor football league. The pre-game entertainment was just as exciting as the game itself. Minutes before the game, colorfully dressed men, women and children danced to a LIVE mariachi band. Even though I have no loyalty to any team in particular, I'm really looking forward to my next game!

Sunday Funday: DIY Terrariums

     If you've ever been to  the Rose Bowl flea market in Pasadena, you know what amazing treasures are waiting to be found. Today Whitney and I roamed the vendor filled parking lot with hundreds of other treasure seekers looking for glassware to re-purpose for our afternoon craft project: succulent filled terrariums. Whitney chose a clear glass globe lamp and two hand-painted rocks glasses, and I chose a hurricane vase and centerpiece bowl. We were lucky enough to come across a vendor who had a variety of colorful mini succulents for $1.00 each.

     We filled each terrarium with cactus soil and stone/sea glass to ensure proper drainage.

Left: Whitney's Lamp Terrarium, Right: My Bowl Terrarium

       The cherry on top of our craft day was certainly the housemade gelato/sorbetto at Pazzo Gelato.

      Until next time...

Weekend Fun with Alanna

Many of my friends are opposed to Los Angeles, including my bestie since the 6th grade Alanna, which is why I planned extra hard to make sure she enjoyed her two day getaway to sunny So-Cal. We spent Saturday morning catching up on life and working our thighs at Runyon Canyon, a first for me since I moved here in 2009. Though the trail was very crowded, the view from the top is memorable, even through the summer smog. Post hike, we spent the afternoon painting (her owls and me a scene from The Little Prince), gorged on sushi and Sapporo at Kama, and finished the night with hookah and baclava at Gypsy Cafe while taking in the tail end of Glee the 3D Concert movie red carpet from our table. The cherry on top was definitely spent Sunday afternoon on the last day of Art in the Streets exhibit at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, an exhibit dedicated to the colorful world of graffiti and street art. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend playing hooky to catch it on its last day.

A Luxe Reunion!

It's been quite a while since my last post as my new job has been taking up a large portion of my time. However, it's important to make time for reconnecting with old friends which is why I hosted a dinner party for my former Luxe colleagues. Though I forgot to take pictures of all the fun, I did remember to take pre-party photos of my table setting. We feasted on braised short ribs, sweet potatoes and broccolini, and Sex on Sour pie courtesy of the ultra fabulous Wendy Krueger. I look forward to our next fiesta which will be hosted at Javier and Tim's humble abode...

TV Dinner

     Sean and I spent our Saturday night in and enjoyed dinner and the Discovery Channel. We and feasted on  salmon with homemade mango-cucumber salsa and watched the BBC's Human Planet, the follow up series to Planet Earth that focuses on remote societies in various environments. From the compressor divers in the Philippines to the cattle herder in Mali, Human Planet is loaded with men and women who push their bodies to unimaginable limits in order to survive. You can find clips of each episode on the Discovery Channel website: http://dsc.discovery.com/search/results.html?focus=video&query=Human+Planet

 Salmon with Mango-Cucumber Salsa

• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, seeded and diced
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely
    diced
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/8 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 cup chopped green onions, green portion only
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 salmon fillets, each 6 oz.

In a large nonreactive bowl, stir together the mango, cucumber, garlic, lime juice, cumin, green onions, bell pepper, cayenne pepper, cilantro, the 2 Tbs. olive oil, salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until ready to use.

Prepare a hot fire in a grill or saute in a medium sized frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Season the salmon fillets with salt and black pepper and brush both sides with olive oil. Arrange the salmon, skin side down, on the grill and cook until the skin is crisp and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Using tongs, carefully turn the salmon over and continue cooking until it is opaque throughout and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes more, or until done to your liking.

Birthday Brunch with Wendy

I recently quit my job in the hospitality industry to pursue my passion for entertainment production. And though I was excited to leave, the hardest part was most certainly leaving behind my beloved friend and mentor, Wendy. Today we held a belated birthday celebration in her honor and feasted on an egg casserole with fresh basil, Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and Monterey Jack cheese, and lemon-ricotta pancakes with raspberry sauce. Cheers to Wendy and here's to hoping I have the pleasure of working with her again.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking powder and 1/8 tsp. of the salt over the ricotta mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.

In another large bowl, using a whisk, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining 1/8 tsp. salt and continue beating until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites.

Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Spray the griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the pancakes are golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a warmed plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 12 to 14 pancakes.

LACMA Welcomes Barbie

My First Barbie otherwise known as Barbie and the Rockers made her debut in 1986

When the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced that Barbie would  become a part of their permanent collection in the fall, the inner child in me was thrilled. I've always held a special place in my heart for Barbie.  I adored her for years and was the last girl I know to trade her in for boys and makeup. I even went so far as to ostracize little girls who dismembered Barbie's parts or chopped her luscious locks. Though I had every Barbie accessory and playset a little girl could ever need, from the dream kitchen set to the dream yacht, I always longed for a Barbie dream house and not the pink and one white Mattel released in the nineties.  And so begins my journey to construct the dream house I always wanted but never received. With the help of my mother-in-law and fellow Barbie enthusiast, I shall post my progress along the way, beginning with the lovely package I received today...

For information on Barbie's new home at the LACMA, visit http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/04/entertainment/la-et-barbie-goes-to-lacma-20110204