Here's looking at me kid

WARDROBE | What I Wore to the WMC Fest

What does one wear to a creative conference where you want to impress your peers with your good style, without looking like you're trying to impress anyone with your good style. I'm thinking.... an outfit that's simultaneously fun, interesting, but nothing that will really stand-out. Geez Louise! That's a lot to think about. And so, I just grabbed my most comfortable and favorite maternity shirt, some simple black maternity pants, and a pair of comfortable shoes for walking around all weekend. Do I look like a designer? Because I sort of felt like a poser.

Most everyone else at Cleveland's WMC Fest was wearing their graphic tees that they had either designed themselves or purchased from some mutually admired designer whom I probably should know about but don't. My own little designer homage was the two little buttons from Tad Carpenter. Since when have I ever added flair to my ensembles? Well, since Tad started giving them away. And now is when I stop talking about Mr. Carpenter, before I start to appear all fangirlish. (Also, it doesn't count as being fangirl when you tell your husband he would've liked meeting him too!)

O U T F I T   D E T A I L S :

shirt: Kamiann on Etsy | slacks: thrifted | bag: thrifted | shoes: thrifted
photos by Catherine Bules and myself

Outfit to Scrabook: Fancy Country Girl

It's time to bring back one of my favorite blog features! It's been way too long since I've scrapbooked or done much creatively just for kicks and giggles. When I saw the femininely disheveled look of this outfit from Vanessa Jackman's streetstyle fashion blog, I thought it would be great inspiration for a scrapbook page. Here we go again!

  
To mimic the disheveled appearance of the outfit, I hand made a lot of details, by painting elements I had hand cut out of white cardstock. As a backdrop for my photos, I simply peeled the back off of a flap from a USPS flatrate box. Piercing the white journaling spots with a hole punch was a way to translate the pierced leather cowboy boots into another scrapbooking element. Stitching, paint splatters, and jagged lace create a backdrop similar to the pretty vintage dress from the photo.

With a lot of leftover materials and a little bit of paint, the transformation from outfit to scrapbook page was simple, easy, and fun!

An Anniversary Outting: Milk & Honey Ice Cream

Would you believe I pulled a total dude move on our anniversary? There I was, standing in my in-laws kitchen talking about how excited I was to be attending the Weapons of Mass Creation Fest, when my darling husband said, "What a minute... do you know next weekend's our anniversary?"

Uhhhhh....

Oops! And boy was I embarassed to have my mother and father-in-law witness my fumble! Good thing Phil's such an understanding man! So, I packed my bags for a weekend with friends and creatives in Cleveland, leaving Phil behind to a kitchen full of dirty dishes, clothes tossed around the bed (I'm a last minute packer, and a bit of a manic one at that!). Happy 5th anniversary, hunny! Well, at least we had a romantic date at our favorite ice cream shop before I left.

The Snack Files | Cheesy Quinoa Dippers

It's easy to get lost looking at tempting desserts and bacon-laced appetizers while browsing food on Pinterest. But recently I found this Cheesy Quinoa Bites recipe from Becky of So Very Blessed, and thought, finally! A healthy snack that I can customize and enjoy many different ways.

My adaptation of Becky's recipe results in an Italian style quinoa nugget, a perfectly savory snack when dipped in marinara sauce. Next time, I think I will try making a Mediterranean style quinoa nugget by substituting feta cheese in place of the provolone and mozarella, switching curry spices for the Italian seasonings I used this time, and tahini sauce instead of marinara. The wheels are turning!

I N G R E D I E N T S :

• 3 C cooked Quinoa
• 1.5 C Carrots, shredded (I did mine in a food processor)
• 1.5 C Cheese (I used a mix of mozarella and provolone)
• 3 Large Eggs
• 3 Green Onions, chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 3 T Corn Starch
• Seasoning to taste (I used salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings)
• Dipping Sauce of choice (I used Newman's Own marinara)

M E T H O D :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine all ingredients, except for your dipping sauce, and scoop out into a non-stick or greased muffin tin, filling each section half way. Using a spoon, press down the nuggets, especially around the edged, to avoid burning on any part of the batter that is sticking up. Bake for 20 minutes, and serve hot.

Makes approximately 1.5 dozen nuggets.