National Donut Day!

National Donut Day just passed. Boy, did we celebrate! Hope you enjoyed your cheat day.

DIY Pom Pom Rug

Once upon a time I used to make little DIY videos and tutorials...but it's been ages. I decided to get right back to it. So I created a little DIY video on how to make your very own POM POM Carpet.

Need:

-Yarn in any color(s) you want

-Good cutting scissors

-Non-Slip Mat (the mats that go under your rug for safety. I got mine at Walmart.)

Steps:

1) Start off by wrapping the yarn about 70 times around your finger excluding your thumb. 

2) After wrapping 70 times, take that wrapped section off your fingers and place on the table. 

3) Cut the end of the yarn. 

4) Cut another piece of yarn, about 8 inches in length.

5) Take that cut piece of yarn and use it to secure the wrapped up chunk of yarn...tying it directly in the middle.

6) Cut around the loops and start shaping the pom pom of yarn into a nice circle in the desired size you want. 

7) With the two end of the securing piece of yarn...tie them around a section of the mat. Start off on the edge and continue tying pom poms as close as possible so there isn't any exposed pieces of the mat when done. 

8) Enjoy! 

Sun Studio

  

The one place I have had on my bucket list has been the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Well, last month I was finally able to mark that off my bucket list. My husband and I made it out to Memphis during Spring Break. First on the "to-do list" was Sun Studios. My musical heroes all recorded there, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf , B.B. King and so many more. If these walls could talk! Boy! 

I instantly felt a strong presence in the recording area of the studio...you instantly knew the importance of where you were standing, all the way down to the tape markers that Elvis used to mark where he would need to stand during recording. I mean this is the real birth place of Rock-and-Roll...the first known recording of a Rock and Roll song happened there with Jackie Brenston's and Ike Turner's "Rocket 88."

You first enter through the old restaurant that was next door to the studios, which is now incorporated with the studio museum. For only $14, you can have a guided tour through the studio, which is a steal of a price to stand where all the greats recorded. We received a special added treat when my hubby, Al, got to pretend to be Elvis during a little mock-jam our tour guide provided...my husband was ecstatic to say the least.  Our tour guide was upbeat, enthusiastic and just gave us all a memorable experience. 

You get to have a front row seat to all the rock-n-roll memorabilia pertaining to the greats that walked through those doors. We got to see everything from Elvis' high school year book to Marion's desk where she worked on the greatest record deal contracts in rock-n-roll history. 

Book Review : "As Old as Time : A Twisted Tale"

With all the Beauty and the Beast hype I have been able to snag more movie memorabilia, collectibles and books. There was one book in particular inspired by this great classic that sparked my interest. "As Old as Time" by Liz Braswell is part of an amazing "Twisted Tale" series where the classic tales are a bit twisted...a "what-if" scenario to many of our classic Disney favorites. I have already read the Twisted Tale about Aladdin, and that was such a great read. In this particular twisted-tale, the twist is "What if Belle's mother cursed the Beast?" I KNOOOOW! I was to eager to dive into the book to hear this version of my favorite Disney classic. I grew up in the early 90s...so Beauty and the Beast was the Disney movie hit of our time.

Liz Braswell starts off jumpy...moving from one character's perspective to another, as well as jumping to two time periods, with each and every chapter moving back and forth. That style always throws me off and many times I loose interest because it's too choppy. I stuck with the story because it was something I desperately needed to know. The character perspective you hear from is first Rosalind, Belle's mother, and Belle herself. The one neat thing was that I felt like the other side to the story was finally being uncovered to you as far as her mother, because Belle's story is word by word the story we knew from the animated classic.  So the jumping from characters and time periods stops before mid-way through the book, which was a nice change of pace. We learn that Belle's mother was an enchantress, but the town labels her automatically a dangerous Witch. This leads to her "disappearance" we suspected as kids, but never knew exactly why or where she ended up.

The book itself has some dark sides to it, which I actually found interesting. There was a sense of reality to the story because of the dynamics between the town and others they find "odd" or "different." The asylum we remember hearing about as kids in the movie is finally unveiled to the readers, and we get a sense of what is going on inside and WHO they have captured there. I will not ruin it for you...but the ending...WOW! The ending is truly a side-swipe and completely different from the classic, but I wasn't unhappy with the ending. If you have a teen, the ending will be a true lesson in compassion, morals, and what it really means to love each other for what is on the inside...maybe many adults could benefit with that life lesson in the end, huh?

Beauty and the Beast

Everyone has their favorite Disney Princess and mine has always been Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I was kid when it came out and at the time I was a total book worm...so she spoke to me! The feeling hasn't change. So when I heard they were making a live action remake of the classic I was both skeptical and excited all at the same time. When you are a die-hard fan of something and it gets updated or change...you have a mini freak out but you hope they do it justice.

If you've followed my Instagram or Etsy shop you know I love to sew, even though I am pretty basic with it. I recently visited my mom and she had, along with many other childhood memories, a few of my bedsheets from when I was a kid, from Mickey to Dr. Seuss...but the cherry on top was my Beauty and the Beast bed sheets and tea cup curtains. Ideas just raced around in my head so I knew I had to take them home and whip up an outfit with them. And what perfect timing as well! I made a full circle skirt with the fabric and matched it up with a pink Lauren Top by Pinup Girl Clothing (pinupgirlclothing.com) for the opening night of the movie. It was a hit! 

The movie was beautifully made and the cast did an amazing job at bringing to life our favorite characters from the film we all fell in love with so many years ago. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it but I just want to say that I loved Emma Watson as Hermione in Harry Potter...not as Belle. Optimism is Belle's key trait and none of that was conveyed to me through Emma Watson. I felt as if she was holding back in her character...as if I knew she had it in her but it wasn't there for the movie. The support cast was quite phenomenon though...from Gaston to Lumiere. They all did an amazing job and the entire look of the film was beautiful. 

All in all, I highly recommend seeing this masterpiece. It will have you singing the lyrics to all those songs you can't deny knowing by heart. ;)

Museum Mice

The hubby and I had a weekend filled with local museums. We visited two local gems...the San Bernardino County Museum and The Lincoln Shrine Memorial, both in Redlands, California.
I was decked out in an awesome planet/outer-space print dress by Retrolicious. I was the lucky winner of their recent Instagram contests. I was so excited since I never win anything...especially not a dress I have been drooling over for some time now. (Review on this dress coming later!)

We first headed down to the San Bernardino County Museum. There was a Mid-Century Modern Architecture exhibit we wanted to see and it was well worth it. The museum is snuggled in Redlands, located next to the gorgeous Victorian home known as the Edwards Mansion. The museum features quaint exhibits ranging from local history to dinosaurs!

The second museum we ventured to was the Lincoln Shrine museum in Redlands. This museum was a true hidden gem for me. I must have driven past that museum numerous times and never gave it a second thought. There is also an adjacent library on the premises. Perfect for me, right? The Lincoln Shrine building gives the illusion of an observatory with it's distinctive dome at the front center of the museum. The location is small but packs in quite a bit of history pertaining all to the Civil War and Lincoln. Both the hubby and I are history buffs...so this detour in our day was a true treat. I recommend it to anyone in the area. You won't be sorry!

Double Trouble!

My best friend, Emily, and I recently hit up the sites at Palm Springs...but in matching colors of course. We couldn't wait to sport our favorite retro labels, from Vixen by Micheline Pitt to Banned Apparel. Here we are in front of the gorgeous grass wall in the Riviera Hotel and Spa. Fun! Fun! Fun!

I am wearing a Red Sabrina top by Pinup Girl Clothing and black trousers by Banned Apparel.
Emily is wearing a Red Powder Puff Top by Vixen by Micheline Pitt.