Travel Wardrobe Update

Several of you have asked so I thought I’d give you a travel wardrobe update.  A follow up to my Travel Wardrobe post I did before my trip to London/Paris.

I am not a light packer so I was very proud of myself when my suitcase only weighed 30 lbs.   That was on the way to Europe – we won’t talk about how much it weighed on the way home and the fact that we had to buy another suitcase in London in order to get all our things home.  Cali had accumulated quite a few things during her 7 week stay and I picked up a few of my own!

I was very happy with the clothes I took.  I ended up wearing everything except for the white sweater (so white isn’t the best choice for traveling).  Before leaving, thanks to the advice of one of you, I took out the periwinkle sweater, scarf and grey t-shirt.  I didn’t miss them.  I also took out the tennis shoes which I now wish I had taken because the brown shoes I took didn’t turn out to be as comfortable as I thought they were.  I wore the black Josef Seibel shoes every day – they were wonderful and super comfortable – no blisters!   I am glad I took the dressier heels which are also super comfortable.  They are Sofft brand.  I wore those in the evening when we would dress up a bit to go to the theater. I could even run on the cobblestones in them when we were late for the show.

I wore the jeans and skirts during the day and then the dressier black pants at night with the heels. I took two dressier tops which went with the black pants that I wore in the evenings. Good choice.

Cardigans were definitely the way to go.  Most days they were all I needed but it was easy to throw my trench coat on over them on the days I needed a little more warmth.

I am so glad I took the leggings to go under the skirt.  The weather was coolish and with all the climbing in and out of trains, subways, boats etc. we did I was much more comfortable with my legs covered under the skirt. Cali even borrowed them once to wear under her dress. I am very glad I took the two skirts and wore them a lot.  Europeans do tend to dress up more then Americans.

I felt right in style with my various striped shirts.  EVERYONE was wearing stripes.  If you are headed to Europe this summer be sure and take a few striped shirts.

I am also glad I took scarves.  They are a great way to change up an outfit and again EVERYONE was wearing scarves.  I think I wore one everyday and even picked up a few more while I was there (6 to be exact!)

Here are a few photos of a few of the outfits I wore while in Europe.

Arriving in Paddington Station:  Pink sweater, gray and white striped t-shirt, ankle length jeans and pink floral scarf.  I also took a black trench coat.

A day trip out to Cambridge: Another striped t-shirt, black skirt, leggings and red  sweater.  I loved wearing the lacy, cream colored scarf I picked up at Portobello Road Market the day before.

We spent the day touring around London: skinny jeans, cream t-shirt, brown cardigan and brown/pink floral scarf.

A beautiful day in the Cotswalds:  yellow/brown floral skirt, cream t-shirt, brown cardigan and cream scarf.

The Eiffel Tour and Paris: I cuffed my skinny jeans, yet another striped t-shirt.  You can’t go to Paris this summer and not wear stripes. It was a little cool so I wore my khaki green jacket.

A stop on the Isle de Louis for some amazing ice cream from Berthillion.  I picked up a pretty new scarf in a little boutique while in Paris and had to wear it! ( We got rained on in Paris thus the bad hair!)

A morning at Versailles – the Hall of Mirrors:  Grey and black striped t-shirt, jean jacket, black skirt with leggings and of course that cream, lace scarf again!

There you have it – my travel wardrobe.  More photos of my trip and info coming soon – I promise.

I am ready to go back NOW- can’t wait to start planning my next trip.  Hopefully I won’t have to wait another 50 years to go back!!

Read Full Post »

French Crepes {the real thing}

Of course one of the top things on my “What to do while in Paris” list was to eat a real French crepe.

Well, that wasn’t too hard.  In fact, I ate numerous French crepes.  There are crepe stands on every corner.  As we made our way over to Notre Dame we decided we needed a little snack so we picked up a crepe.

It was so fun to watch the crepe maker and he loved having his picture taken.  We chose a Nutella and banana crepe (I picked the bananas out!)

He had two crepe makers going at one time.  I want one of these at home!

He had this handy little tool to spread the batter nice and thin.  After it cooked on one side, he flipped it over onto his second crepe maker.

While that first one finished cooking he started a second one – talk about efficient!  Did I mention he loved having his photo taken, he kept smiling and posing for me.

After both sides were done he flipped the crepe over in half and started adding the filling.  Nutella – yum!!!

Then he added the bananas….for Cali.

They fold it up nice and pretty….

and wrap it in paper and serve!

Then we enjoyed – yum!!

Read Full Post »

Finding 50 } Days 169-175

June 21 – Day 169

Tessa and I are off to church girl’s camp.  I am one of the craft ladies along with my friend Nanette.  Don’t we look cute in our craft lady aprons I made for us.  Nothing beats a pretty apron!

June 22 – Day 170

Pretty colorful buttons waiting to be used in one of the crafts.

June 23 – Day 171

I loved how pretty the life jackets looked all hanging in a row.

June 24 – Day 174

Lots of pretty paper waiting to be turned into decorative clothes pins.

June 25 – Day 173

Pretty and peaceful.

June 26 – Day 174

Home from camp, rested, clean and ready for our Saturday morning trip to the Farmer’s Market.  We brought home some new potatoes, green beans, strawberries and raspberries.

Can potatoes be pretty?

June 27 – Day 175

Pretty in purple

What pretty did you find this week?

Read Full Post »

Party Guest: Garden Baby Shower

Today’s party guest is Ashley of Little Miss Momma .

Ashley hosted an amazing  baby shower for a dear friend who was expecting a little boy.  Ashley says that this shower  was an extra fun one to plan for because the guest list was for a dozen lovely ladies {rather than 30}, so she was able to spend some extra time on the details–she even used real plates (a girl after my own heart!)

She chose a “spring time” theme in turquoise, lime green, orange and yellow.

So let me introduce Ashley and have her tell you all about her beautiful baby shower.  Almost makes me want to have another baby (not) but I am stealing some of her ideas for a baby shower I am helping host this summer.

Here’s Ashley:

I chose a “spring time” theme in turquoise, lime green, orange and yellow.

I made these Pom Poms using a tutorial from Leanne at Organize and Decorate Everything. I love them so much–I wish I could leave them up all year round {and maybe I will, lol}.

To stay within the “garden/backyard” theme I bought a 12 pack of mason jars at my local grocery store and used them for cups. I used extra large malt straws purchased from Michael’s.

I made this banner using scrapbook paper and pre-cut letters that come in a pack {also available at Michael’s}. I glue gunned each paper flag down on to a long strand of turquoise ribbon.

Here was my nifty little party favor. I made these earrings using this tutorial.

The theme was “Cute as a Button”.

I glue gunned this trim around vases from the dollar store.

I learned how to make these pinwheels from Gillian at All the Small Things.

I threw some of the pinwheels in with my flower arrangements.

Yummy Spring time cupcakes.

Summer salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds and a sweet honey vinaigrette dressing.

Homemade chicken salad sandwiches on croissants.

Most of my decorations and favors were used with supplies from the Dollar Tree and the sale section at Michael’s {and I’m not just saying that}. If you want to know where I purchased anything specific leave me a comment over at my blog and I will get back to you.

All in all, one rather awesome baby shower!

Read Full Post »

Finding 50 } Days 162-168

Where do I begin?!

I am home for a brief 40 hours before I head out to our church Girls Camp for the week early Monday morning where I am helping with the crafts.  Thank goodness for melatonin which is amazing.  I have not had any jet lag at all!

Cali and I had an amazing time in London and Paris and I can’t wait to share it all with you. We were surrounded by pretty on a daily, hourly basis.  But for right now I will just tease you with a few photos of all the amazing pretty we saw this last week.  I took hundreds and hundreds, okay, thousands and thousands of photos and I have a lot of deleting and editing to do but again that will have to wait.

Here you go – enjoy!!

June 14 – Day 162

A train ride out to Cambridge – an amazing town.  Full of so much incredible history and beauty.  We enjoyed a city tour, Evensong at King’s College Chapel and a punting boat ride down the Cam.  I felt smarter just for visiting!!  It was fun to see where Clark had gone to school last summer and met a few of his friends.

June 15 – Day 163

A tour of London  including  the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Parliament and a tour of Westminster Abbey – amazing!

June 16 – Day 164

A tour to the Cotswolds.   I loved our day in the Cotswolds and felt like I was truly in England.  Can I move here?  Please!

June 17 – Day 165

A trip to Camden Market and Boroughs Market brought a little more shopping.  We had visited Portobello Market earlier in the week.  I fell in love with the antique book seleers.

We ended our time in London with tea at The Orangery at Kensington Palace.  It was lovely and the perfect way to end our time in London.

June 18 – Day 166

Paris is so pretty!!

June 19 – Day 167

The Eiffel Tower is huge!  The view from the top spectacular! ‘

We also took a ride on the Seine River one night to see all the amazing lights.

June 20  – Day 168

The morning at Versailles.  King Louis XIV knew pretty!

I hope you enjoyed a taste of my pretty week – can’t wait to share more!

Read Full Post »

Ponachos

Are you wondering what Ponachos are?  Well, so was I.

A few weeks ago I was in Utah to see my boys and attend a conference.  I also got to spend some time with my friend Carol.  We met 20 years ago by chance.  A chance meeting that came to be a huge blessing in my life as she introduced me to Creative Memories and became my upline when I signed up to be a consultant.  Carol was the best thing to happen to me in regards to my business.  She was an amazing upline and has become an even better friend.  Even though she is no longer with the company we have remained friends and I truly cherish the time I get to spend with her when I am in Utah.

We were on a dinner break for the conference we were attending but neither of us were super hungry as we had enjoyed a delicious lunch at one of my favorite Utah spots, Cafe Rio! But we knew we needed to eat something or we wouldn’t make it through the evening session of meetings.  We decided we needed some good appetizers.  We were limited in our time so we decided to go to Mimi’s Cafe which was close by.

One of the newest items on their menu was Ponachos.  We were both intrigued by the name.  They are nachos made with potato chips.  We couldn’t resist, so we ordered them.  They were good but the whole time we were eating them we were discussing how we could make them better.

First, we didn’t like that they used cheese sauce (yuck!) and decided that grated monterey jack and cheddar would be much better.

Second, they needed more bacon.  I think we could only find about 3 small pieces of crumbled bacon on the whole plate!

So with that in mind I decided I could make them better at home.

We grilled some burgers the other week and I thought Ponachos would be the perfect compliment.

Mimi’s Cafe had used barbequed Kettle chips which were great but I decided to use the Sea Salt variety instead.  I added the grated cheese as we discussed and tons more bacon!   I added some chopped tomato and green onions and then just popped them into the microwave for a few minutes.

They were so much better than the original version!!

What else do you think  would be good on Ponachos?  You could also experiment with the type and flavor of chip you use.  The possibilities are endless.  If you experiment let me know what you end up with!

AuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• A plate full of potato chips. I used Sea Salt Kettle chips but use your favorite brand and flavor.
• Grated cheese – Monterrey jack and cheddar or use a Mexican blend variety
• Chopped tomatoes green onions and cooked bacon.

Instructions

• Pile on the cheese and the toppings and then cook in the microwave for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted

Read Full Post »

Party Guest: Bollywood Bling Party

I am so excited to share this amazing party with you. One of my blog readers, Birdie of Bird Crafts, created this amazing party. She and her husband were celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary and she went all out!

An amazing amount of thought, time and effort went into this event. Birdie lives in the south of France (yes I said France) ans she had  planned to hold outdoors but as Mother Nature has a tendency to do she decided to do her own thing – instead of sunshine she brought a windy and gray day instead,

Birdie was flexible though and set up indoors instead. Here is Birdie. I’ll let her tell you all about the party. The hubs is not big on desserts and with the Indian theme, we didn’t want any cakes. Instead, we filled the table with Indian-style sweets – Fit for a Maharajah!! 🙂

Some of the sweets I made myself, like the blue Indian “truffles” (I made them up..) and the gulab jamun, and shall share the recipes with you in due course. Others more elaborate sweets such as the oriental petit fours below, I bought from our local oriental shop.

I also made mango Laassi, which is kinda of an Indian take on a milk-shake – I was very refreshing and quite thick, with real chunks of mangoes. I served them in little coloured cups I bought at a French version of the pound or dollar shop. This orange “alien-looking” thing is called Jalebi and it’s an Indian sweet made by dropping swirls of batter into hot oil. It’s coloured with safforn but waaaay tooo complicated to make, so I bought ready-made. It’s very sugary, but stays crispy on the outside and very traditional in Indian dessert tables.

And because this was a family affair, we had conventional sweets (although the colours were quite Bollywood!) for the children. We also provided scoops so they could take some home in the little party boxes and favor bags I designed for the occasion.

In addition to the party favor sweets, I also made some Spicy Mango chutney for the adults – We also had some on the day, so I liked the idea of the guest taking some home to enjoy the party a little longer!

Because we were indoors, I had to display the party food and some of the party décor on small tables which I placed all around the room. By the entrance which leads to our courtyard, I placed a well wishes tree – I say tree…It was a couple of branches I sprayed silver. I then decorated the branches with some small paper flower similar to the coloured paper pom-poms above the desserts table.

The “wishes” were small round cards in the same design of the party theme with a picture of myself and the hubs. Our guests were then encouraged to leave well wishes or “word of wisdom” hehe and hang them on the tree. This makes for nice memento of the day for us… And more party favors (bangles, papier maché elephant and watercolours for the children, Indian tea personalised with the celebration date, scented candles and soap for the adults) were displayed in clear bags and small kitsch boxes I found at the oriental store for just €1 each! The boxes looked as though they were made for this occasion, in the party colours and even had a blue elephant on them!

These party favors were displayed also by the entrance inside a small wheel-barrow decorated in the colours of the party. A small plaque read “Oriental Delights” to which I attached a silk blue ribbon.

By the wishes tree, I place a “wishing well” with floating candles and rose petals – It looked like an offering to the “gods”….Very Indian! 🙂

I also used some inexpensive metal photo holders to clip the food plaques. They tied in really well with the “bling” party décor! 🙂

Oh, one thing I used that made all the difference, were pieces of mirrors (I had those at home, but you can get them cut to your specifications at a DIY shop) as trays and plates to hold the food on the table. This allowed more light to be reflected and looked really stunning with candles on them too – And off course I had to have birds everywhere!! hehe

More candles completed the scene. In fact there were candles everywhere and they really helped to set the party mood and looked fab in the evening!

For the candles holders I used empty glass yoghurt pots, and glued a strip of coloured ribbon around with a big, fat rhinestone in the middle for extra Indian bling. 🙂 The flowers of choice were bright, pink gerberas in glass carafes filled with coloured sweets. But you could also use coloured sand, pebbles…

Oh, and to complete the party scene I also designed a blue elephant cut-out that I displayed around the tables – It looked so cool and was a talking point with children and adults alike!

That’s all for today folks, hope you’ve enjoyed the tour hehehe. The complete Bollywood Bling Party Collection is now available at my Etsy shop! Wasn’t that amazing!! Be sure and visit Birdie over at her blog for more info and recipes.

Read Full Post »

Finding 50 {Days 155-161}

I hear the rain has stopped in Portland and it was a beautiful weekend for Rose Festival.  The weather is great here in London too.  One good thing about all the rain we have had recently is that it has made our roses go crazy!

June 7-Day 155

Look at these roses – they are going absolutely crazy growing over our pergola!! There are hundreds of them!!

June 8 – Day 156

One of my favorite little corners of the garden. Especially this time of year when the fragrant Japanese Snowdrop tree is blooming. Smells so good!

June 9 – Day 157

Pretty Penstemon in a pot.

June 10 – Day 158

Love this unique peony.  I only wish peony season lasted longer.  One of my favorite flowers!

June 11 – Day 159

Thankfully there were some pretty tulips to look at during my 7 hour layover in Amsterdam!

June 12 – Day 160

My first view of England!

June 13 – Day 161

Our first stop was the village of Windsor and I am not there 5 minutes and look what I found!

I have taken so many pretty pictures here in London – can’t wait to share them with you when I get home!!

Read Full Post »

Travel Wardrobe

I have spent the last few months worrying about what clothes I was going to take on my European Adventure.  To be totally honest I have been worrying about it since January when I received my ticket for my birthday!!  Clothes are kind of important to me and I stress over them.  I need to be sure I am prepared for whatever or wherever I may go, I want to look good and cute and fit everything into one suitcase (that’s the real challenge).

Since Cali has been in London I have used her bed as my wardrobe display.  I have had clothes spread all over her bed for weeks now.  I got lots of great advice from people on what to pack. Everyone told me to pack light.  Packing light is not something I am use to but I knew I had to so I would  have room in my suitcase to bring things home.

So I thought some of you might enjoy seeing what I ended up with.  I think I did o.k. and I’m sure I probably have too much but oh well…..at least it all fits in my suitcase.

I am a cardigan girl so I am bringing a few (7 to be exact) of those.  I figure layers are good…

and a bunch of t-shirts to wear under the cardigans…. I’ve kind of got a thing for stripes going on but they wear those alot in Paris, don’t they??

And then for bottoms I am taking two comfy, knit skirts…

I can dress the black one up for night time when we go to the theater etc.  I am taking 4 pairs of pants (wearing one of them!)  I am taking my black  and dark blue skinny jeans, a pair of denim cropped pants and my great knit black ankle length pants that go with everything, don’t wrinkle and are so comfortable.

I am not taking much jewelry, just my basic necklace I wear everyday. It goes with everything.  To jazz up the basic t-shirts I am taking I am bringing along a few scarves and a black pashmina to keep me warm on the plane.  A couple of belts too!

For shoes I got it down to four pairs, which includes the pair I will be wearing.  They are all super comfortable and they are well broken in.  I was told that no one in Europe wears running style shoes so I am taking a cute pair of Simple sneakers that I think will work and not look too touristy.

Some pretty basic pieces but everything can be mixed and matched.  Here’s a few of the outfits I put together.

I also threw in a pair of black cropped leggings I can wear under the skirts if it is cold or windy.

and a little dressier look.

The other thing I am taking is my denim jacket and one other jacket.  Between the two of them they go with everything else I am taking.  I will wear the green one on the plane.

A few more top combos that will go with my jeans or black pants.  Lots of options.

And here is what I will on the plane there and back.

Well, what do you think?  Too much or just right??

Read Full Post »

Finding 50 {Days 148-154}

Have I mentioned we are having a lot of rain?  Well we are!  In fact, I think we have had ran every day for over 20 days straight.  And I don’t mean sprinkles – I mean RAIN!

My garden is turning into a swamp and everyone is joking about needing to build an ark.  It may not be a joke if it doesn’t let up pretty soon.  We did have one break this week – Saturday was a gorgeous, sunny day and we made the most of it here in Portland.

I am on the countdown for my trip to London and Paris – only four more days and I’ll be on my way.  I’ve got lots to do before I leave but I hope you will enjoy some of my pretty photos of the week – taken in between downpours!  I can’t wait to bring you some pretty from London next week!!!!

May 31 – Day 148

The campanula are blooming in the garden.  They are so soft and delicate.

June 1 – Day 149

Most places June means summer, but not here!  We are still deep into the rains of Spring.  Praying for some sun soon.  Despite the rain the Farmer’s Market season is in full swing.  I don’t even like radishes but I couldn’t resist the amazing color of these!!

June 2 – Day 150

The same thing goes for beets – yuck!  But they sure are pretty.

June 3 – Day 151

I spent some time this week helping get things ready for Tessa’s senior pictures.  She wanted a vintage look and feel to her photos.  As I scoured the vintage stores for something for her to wear I discovered that their idea of vintage clothing is clothing from the 1970’s and 1980’s.  I found things that I use to own that are now considered vintage.  Here’s just a peek at one of the photos.  Of course I had to take pictures of the photographer taking pictures!  My friend Meg took the photos and I can’t wait to see them – she is an amazing photographer that has a gift for capturing the feel and spirit of a young  woman.  Thank you Meg!!

June 4 – Day 152

Eggs fresh from the farm are so pretty.  Look at all the amazing colors they come in!!

June 5 – Day 153

Some anniversary flowers a day early.  We celebrated 29 years of marriage this weekend.

June 6 – Day 154

I had planned to spend some time in the garden this morning with my camera but I woke up to pouring rain once again so instead I made bread.  Nothing prettier than a pan of bread that raised and is ready to go into the oven.  Recipe will be coming soon!

I’d love to hear about your pretty this week and send me a picture of it!!

Read Full Post »