Penny Jewels

 A Disneyland enthusiast friend asked me if I could make some jewelry out of Disneyland pressed pennies as a gift for his mom. These are what I came up with! It was such a fun project, and such a fun way to show off your souvenirs! 

Hand painted gold penny mounted on a beautiful piece of Rosewood.
Sealed with cleat coat and suspended from a gold chain.

Hand painted gold Micky and Minnie pennies, small hole drilled and accented with faux pearls.

Hand painted penny, two small holes drilled then suspended from a gold chain with small orange beads.

Happily Ever After

Hey guess what? I got married. It was amazing. We made a lot of the things ourselves, we incorporated our love of Disneyland, food and all things fun and festive. Our fabulous photographer, D.Lillian Photography, made this cute little blog post about it. Seriously, go look. She's amazing and I am obsessed. <3

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

It's almost fall, lets get in the spirit with this healthy and hearty homemade soup!

View the recipe here!

Stitch FIx

    So there's this dress that I'm obsessed with. I call it my Q-bert dress. I have to stop myself from wearing it too often. I love it, everything about it. This lil baby was picked out for me and delivered to my home. How, you say? Stitch Fix. It's this cool new online shopping service, you input all of your sizing info, go through sample outfits, selecting what you like best, then they send you 5 items to try on at home. You have 3 days to try everything on with all of your own things, your own pants, your own shoes, sweaters, etc. to see if actually will wear the items. You then send back your remaining items (or all of the items) in the prepaid package, then rate your 'fix' online. 

   I'm very honest with my ratings and I'm very picky with what I choose to keep. I've received seven 'fixes' so far and have only purchased three things. But like I said about the dress above, the things I have purchased I am crazy about and have not seen available anywhere else. I really love this business concept and I love the idea of getting to see your new clothes with all of your own things, cause, lets be honest, we've all bought things that just hang in the closet with the tags still on. 

   Give it a try, I think you'll love it! Ps....use this link to sign up, because as each member shares, they get rewards :)

Wine, Cheese & Bread Faire 2013

Save the date! For a measly $20 you can enjoy a festival of cheeses...and wines...and breads. What could be better? Check it out at oldsugarmill.com.

Big Boy Blue

Cheese Dreams    <----- click here!

My new favorite Blue Cheese!

Click here or "Cheese Dreams" above to read the review.

Estero Gold

Cheese Dreams    <----- click here!

Golden and delicious! One of our favorites from the cheese fest!

Click here or "Cheese Dreams" above to read the review.

Cheese Fest!

    Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending the 7th annual Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma California. It was everything I had always dreamed of. Endless samples of hundreds of cheeses, beers, wines, crackers, dips, olive oil, ice cream, and bread. For about three hours we made our way through the vendors, sampling everything we could get our hands on. We were like kids in a candy store.
   There were many varieties of cheese represented but an overwhelming amount of sheep's milk cheeses. It could be a rising trend in artisan cheese making or just that there are many sheep farms in the region. Either way, there was no shortage of sheep's milk cheeses available to try. Another thing I noticed was the variety in Bleu Cheeses. I have a deep love of Bleu cheese, so naturally I was drawn to those vendors. The difference in taste was so much more than I had expected. I guess I have never tried different kinds back to back like that before. Some were so mild, like a seven year aged Bleu, where the color permeated the entire cheese, making it almost grey and much more solid in texture, and some were so tangy and salty, like the Big Boy Blue from Willapa Hills (which I ended up buying).
   All in all, everything was delicious, everyone was kind and generous (like the pours from Lagunitas! They really filled your cup). I cannot wait till next year. And don't worry, we'll be doing a review of all the delectable goodies we brought home :)

Our group! Adam ,Shaun, me, my dad (and my mom taking the photo)

Shaun and I taking a break

Delicious pizza break!

Horseradish and cheddar spread by Fiscalini

Potter's Crackers

Big Boy Blue by Willapa Cheese

Cowgirl Creamery's cute set up

Winters Cheeses

Springhill's variety of cheese samples

Valley Ford Cheese's award winning "reserve"

Achadinha's beautifully aged cheese wheels 

The cheeses Adam took home with him.

The cheeses Shaun and I took home.

Our favorite wine of the event! Navarro's Pinot Noir!

Ewephoria

Cheese Dreams    <----- click here!

Sweet and Punny! Sheep's milk cheese for dessert please!

Click here or "Cheese Dreams" above to read the review.

Artisan Cheese Festival

   I am so excited for this weekends Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma, California. Three days of cheeses, wines and beers. I will be there on Sunday to enjoy the Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace. There will be over 70 artisan cheesemakers, wineries, breweries and more with tons of samples! Plus chef demos, author book signings, recipe tips, and more. Tickets are available here and can purchased based on the day. 

   I will be taking tons of pictures and tons of notes. A review will definitely be coming!

Hopscotch

Cheese Dreams    <----- click here!

Beer soaked Cheddar cheese? Yes please!

Click here or "Cheese Dreams" above to read the review.

Pesto Gouda

Cheese Dreams    <----- click here!

Pesto in cheese form! 

Click here or "Cheese Dreams" above to read the review.

Irish Whiskey Cheddar

Cheese Dreams    <----- click here!

A Whiskey soaked cheddar made the old fashioned way at 

Cahill's Cheese Farm in Ireland.

Click here or "Cheese Dreams" above to read the review.

Humboldt Fog

Cheese Dreams     <---- click here!

The beautiful signature cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre.

Click here or "Cheese Dreams" above to read the review.

L'abbaye Saulnois

Cheese Dreams   <----click here!

A delicate cow's milk cheese, washed in Brandy, from the north of France.

Click here or "Cheese Dreams" above to read the review.

Red Hawk

Cheese Dreams    <--- click here!

Cowgirl Creamery's award winning Triple Cream.

Read review here or by clicking on "cheese dreams" above.

Testun Di Grotto

Cheese Dreams   <----click here!

A mild, cave-aged cheese from Italy.

Click here or "cheese dreams" above to read the description.

Pecorino Moliterno Al Tartuf

Cheese Dreams    <----click here!

A bold, truffled sheep's milk cheese from Italy.

Click here or "cheese dreams" above to read the description.

Toma

Cheese Dreams   <---- click here!

A delicious all purpose cheese by Point Reyes Cheese Company.

Click here or "cheese dreams" above to read the review.

Crazy Cat Lady

 Ok let's talk about something real here for a second. I love cats. Cats are awesome. I have two, and I adore my lil nuggets to death. I also have absolutely no problem in wearing cats on me at all times. I also thoroughly enjoy meowing every song I hear but that's a story for another day <3

Meow