10.29.2012

DIY Jellyfish Costume


Shortly after I joined Pinterest, I began a costume board.  It's kind of funny because I've never been much of a homemade costume girl.  I mean, I love them, but I was always too afraid to make one of my own.  

I especially love the ones that make you slap your head and ask, "why didn't I think of that??"  

That's exactly what happened with this pin*.  It's so cute and so simple that for months it's been the cover for my Pinterest costume board in the hope that one of my daughters would want to be a jellyfish for Halloween.  

(* I take great pride in crediting the original source for the pins that I mention on the blog.  For the life of me I have not been able to find the source for this one.  If you know whose it is, please let me know.)

After about a month of indecisiveness and more flip-flopping than a political candidate, my little one  finally came around to the whole jellyfish idea.  (I promise I didn't force the issue... much..  ;)

Today we put the costume together using:
  • a clear, child-sized umbrella
  • wired ribbon
  • curling ribbon
  • Black and white construction paper
  • iridescent jewel stickers
  • Bling on a [string]
  • 22" glow sticks


We made the eyes from the construction paper, covered the whole thing with jewel stickers & bling, and taped the ribbons to the bottom.  This will be the costume's "day look," for her school party, etc.

(In case you're wondering, in this picture the umbrella is sitting in a vase which is perched on a stool.)  

At night I will be taping pink & purple glow sticks to the metal frame to create the look of a glowing jellyfish...


Here we have my daughter modeling the costume along with the white tutu and jellyfish shirt that she will be rocking on the 31st.  
I'll have one more costume to share with you this week, but in the meantime,

Happy Halloween, everyone!




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10.27.2012

Happy Birthday, Mom!


Happy Birthday to my mama...


...who makes me a beautiful homemade cake every year on my birthday.

Always chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  (Per my request.)

I am so happy to return the favor!


Cake recipe pinned here.  Original source found here.  (I highly recommend it.)

Decoration inspiration pinned here.  Original source found here.
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10.24.2012

E-A-T

After my last post a number of folks wanted to know why I didn't buy anything at the Rose Bowl Flea Market.  Rest assured, friends, I did not leave empty handed; I just thought I'd wait a bit to reveal my purchases.

Admittedly, most of the things I bought were small items to use in different craft projects.  (Case in point: the $1 upholstery samples that I framed here.)  Today's offering is no exception.

As you might remember, the flea market was filled with old signs.  (Seen here and here.)  There were also lots of booths selling individual letters.  One seller told me that he got them from a demo company that dismantled old buildings.  (I was sure I had taken pictures but I can't seem to find them so maybe not.)  Since I had just finished doing my own letter project, I wasn't planning to purchase any more but then these little fellows caught my eye:



Aren't they pretty?  They're about six inches tall and made out of some sort wood (or perhaps really sturdy cardboard) that's been covered with a thin layer of something mettalic (ish).

They were only a fifty cents apiece so I decided to grab three for my kitchen.

A few days later I bought some of these "ceramic block" magnets at Lowe's.  There were lots of magnets to choose from.  I picked these because they're skinny and I thought they would fit well on the back of the letters.

 So I got home, flipped them over...

...and discovered that, yes indeed, the magnets fit perfectly on the back.  (I attached them with hot glue.)

And here they are in their new home on the side of my fridge.  (The front is not magnetic which can be both a blessing and a curse.)

My husband suggested that after dinner we rearrange them like this...

To which I suggested that we move to England.  (So we could arrange them like this...)

Yeah.. it's a laugh a minute around here...  ;)
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10.21.2012

A Stroll Through the Rose Bowl Flea Market

A week ago today I was happily strolling through the massive Rose Bowl Flea Market.

(A dream come true for a thrift store loving gal like myself.)

On Thursday I revealed my first purchase and the resulting project.

Today I'd like to take you on a tour of some other things that caught my eye.

(I love a post where the pictures do most of the talking.)



I'm always attracted to vintage dishes and this gorgeous collection of Fiestaware certainly drew me in:

The same vendor also had a huge collection of vintage Fire King mugs.  I always keep my  eyes out for those in the thrift store since some sell for a pretty penny.

How great is this CatherineHolm lotus bowl?  I love that it was displayed on a funky mid century modern table.


This display of vintage glassware was to die for.  I think I might have spotted some Georges Briard pieces which is always fun for me since my sister spent several years designing for him.


File this next shot under regrets.  I was in *love* with these vintage carboys.  (As was my sister-in-law.)  I reallly wanted one and even had the money in my hand but I just couldn't justify $125 for a bottle.  (Well, I probably could have, but the thought of my husband's face if I brought home a $125 bottle--an empty $125 bottle!--was more than I could bear.)


The same vendor had these lovelies... also $125 a pop.  (And how great is the cabinet behind them?)


These guys were more my speed, ranging from about $2-$5 apiece...


These were also fun...


And these old windows caught my eye.  They seemed like the kind of thing that Karianne at Thistlewood Farms would buy and use in her gorgeous old farmhouse.  (In my California tract house?  Not so much...)

People love vintage suitcases and I saw them at numerous booths.  I'm pretty sure my Nonni (grandmother) had the round one on the bottom.  She called it a "valise."


I almost bought the black box with the "36" on it...

Vintage wooden crates were everywhere.  Don't you just love the colors on those top two?

...I meant to go back for this swiss cheese box but forgot.

I can't remember what this basket was originally used for.  It was huge and would look great on a table filled with fruit.  

Can't remember what these were but they sure were cool...

I loved this basket full of glass doorknobs.  I could see displaying a similar collection on a shelf or table.

I thought this collection was...unusual...

...until I spotted this.  (I guess baskets full of hands are all the rage at the flea market.)

How excited was I to spot Beyonce the Giant Metal Chicken hanging out with all of her giant metal friends?

Speaking of animals, I thought this was beautiful in a Georgia O'Keefe kind of way (though I don't exactly want it in my house).

I absolutely LOVED this vintage hardware display.  I could see using it as a huge jewelry box.  (It was sold.)

Same thing with this rotating metal display.  I was picturing it for shoes.  My sister-in-law breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that it had been sold.  I don't think she wanted me putting it in her SUV ;)

Wouldn't this flat file be a great place to store your kids' old artwork?

And I could see using this as a potting bench.  (If I were actually a person who "pots" and not a person who kills...)

And if I weren't a plant killer, I would totally embrace the idea of a card-catalog-as-planter.  (Especially since I just picked up my own card catalog...) 

Vintage signs and letters were everywhere.  This one was huuuuge.  (I'm wondering if it was from this place.)

I kept looking for signs that would be relevant to me but none jumped out.

I had to include this picture.  Who in their right mind would want one of these?!?!

And since I couldn't end on that note, I thought I'd end the tour here.  I was especially curious about the conversation with B.F. Skinner.  Hopefully someone with an old film projector bought it and will enlighten us all.    

Speaking of film reels, I saw a number of these (it was (practically) LA, after all).  It would be fun to hang a few on the wall of a media room.  (If I had a media room.)

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10.18.2012

Easy Art (and a Facebook Plug)



If you're a fan of `a casarella's Facebook page you probably know that I went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market this past Sunday.   (And if you're not a Facebook fan, I'd love it if you'd become one.  You can find my FB page here.)

Anyway, the flea market was amazing and will definitely require its own post.  It's going to take me a few days to digest the whole thing, though, so that post will have to wait.  (That's really code for, "I took 500 pictures and need to sort through them all...)

Anyhoo, I did manage to do a small flea market inspired project that I can share with you today.

It started at a booth that had a table full of these:


What are they, you ask?  Good question.  Originally they were some sort of fabric samples.  My best guess is upholstery but I could be waay off.  Anyway, the moment I saw them I envisioned them as framed art.  Each one was only a dollar so I found two that I liked and went on my way.  (Of course in hindsight I wish I'd gotten more but, oh well...)

These were the two I picked.  I just love the colors.  They remind me of the ocean:

I could tell they were fabric samples by the holes in the top...

 ...and the labels on the back.

The project itself was pretty simple.  I picked up a couple of Ribba frames from IKEA... 

 ...and popped the fabric inside.

My only dilemma?

Should the stripes be vertical...

...horizontal...

...or should I do one of each?

I'm leaning towards two horizontal since you can see more of the colors that way.  I'd love your input if you'd like to leave a comment. You could even leave it on my Facebook page!  (Oh I am shameless...)

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