The Happy Home

The Halloween Mantel

10/02/2012

It’s been a little while since I updated any sort of decor in my house, but one of the most neglected areas has been the mantel. This is basically how it has looked for the past… six months?

Generally speaking, our house is decorated in shades of cool blue, white, and green. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t like “hot” colors– reds and oranges and yellows mess with my eyesight (I have weird vision problems), but this actually turns into an issue once the fall rolls around. How can you decorate for Halloween if you don’t like the color orange?

I’ve been cycling out the same props on the mantel for over a year now, and this Halloween decor is no exception. I’ve probably invested about $40-50 total in props that have been getting me through the year no problem. Almost everything on the mantel below is from Ikea!

Using two mismatching Ikea frames (one is a Fjallsta, one is a Virserum), I printed out two black-on-white Halloween images using free Photoshop shapes. The spindly tree I like particularly, because it matches the tree stickers that are up in the living room as well.

The willow branches are available year-round from Ikea for about $5, as is the set of white candles on the right. The three tapers are from Ikea too– we picked those up from the Christmas tent last year, I think. The snuffer is from Cost Plus, and was purchased for about $7-10.

The starburst clock is vintage, a piece David picked up on eBay long before we lived together. It never really moves, and somehow fits every holiday. This mantle so far reminds me of, like, Mad Men meets American Horror Story. Like if someone decided they needed to make a mod Haunted House.

I was thinking that this mantle was a little bare, so I dug around in the garage and found some decor from last year’s haunted house:

The giant cardboard spider didn’t cost us a thing– and totally completes this Halloween Mantel.

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The LA County Fair

09/30/2012

The number one thing I forget while living in LA is just how damn BIG California actually is. Believe it or not, LA county is just about the same size as the state I grew up in– Connecticut is itty-bitty, and LA is just so, so big.

David and I ventured out to Pomona (about an hour east on the 10, one of the last cities in LA county before you hit San Bernardino county) for the LA county fair this past weekend. We braved the heat (it must have been close to 100*) and crowds (the entire state was there, I think) to enjoy some down-home awesomeness.

Naturally, this is where we went first. It was all about textile art. Lots of felting projects. Adorable. If I had any use for wool, I would have bought some. But I am not a textile art-person. I’m all thumbs when it comes to that stuff.

David humored me.

We also caught the first blacksmithing demo of the day. This gent was really entertaining, and made a cute leaf-shaped charm while dealing with 1100* iron. I can’t even take a cake out of the oven without burning myself, so I decided I wouldn’t make a very good blacksmith.

The absolute HIGHLIGHT of the day was the Animal barn. There were fewer animals on display for this particular fair than there usually is at the agricultural fair that I used to go to as a kid. It appears as though the LA county fair was more for rides and food than furry beings. That’s ok, though. Because the animals were all calm and well cared for. Particularly this gnarly-cute goat.

They were doing shearing demonstrations, so a few unlucky goats and sheep had to stay furry.

This pig had more personality than most of the people I meet in life. He woke up from a nap, had a snack from mom, then beelined it for the mud wallow. Happily snortsing the entire time. It was PAINFULLY cute, but PAINFULLY weird to walk out of the barn only to be met with a stand selling chocolate-covered bacon. #Macabre.

The pig races were also sponsored by Ralph’s, with banners saying “Bring home the Bacon!” throughout the barn. And yes, all spectators got a coupon for a free pound of bacon. Dudes… that’s really sick.

We avoided most of the fair food (as most of it is meat based and in poor taste, let’s be honest), but we indulged in sharing a funnel cake. After we got one with just powdered sugar, we saw they had a red velvet version. Why? Why did we not see that sign sooner?!

Our last stop was our dorkiest– we went to a demonstration about drought-tolerant plants and how to propagate succulents and cactus. It was, strangely, the most LA thing about the day! Learning how to make gardens that use less water is a remarkably hippy-dippy concept that is only being embraced by the strangest of us here in Los Angeles. David and I are planning a massive succulent garden in our Future House– it was super cool to learn how to make cuttings and propagate our own garden.

Do you go to your county fair? What’s the highlight for you?

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not dead

09/26/2012

promise.

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Paso.

09/23/2012

I was one of the very lucky few who got to experience an absolutely STUNNING wedding this weekend in the Central Coast California town of Paso Robles. (Pass-oh Roh-bulls. Despite the fact that every town in California has a Spanish name, nothing is pronounced correctly.)

Because all of our friends would be heading up for the shindig, our usual dog sitters wouldn’t be available. Thanks to HomeAway.com, I found a fabulous guest house on a horse farm that welcomed our pooches, and wasn’t that far from the wedding location in the nearby town of Atascadero.

Seriously– it is an unbelievably beautiful area. All the horse ranches, cattle ranches– even llamas! Most of California is this sort of desert-y hill territory– if you’ve only ever seen LA, you’re really missing out.

Even Margo was having fun. This is fluffydog concentrating VERY hard on a nearby rabbit.

The perfect morning walk.

Our friends also put on one HELL of a wedding. It was a blast– filled with great food, lots of love, and all the adorable touches you really want in a wedding. Have you ever been to a wedding where you can tell the couple is trying really hard not to yell, “THIS IS SO AWESOME!!”? This was that kind of wedding.

My handsome fiance.

The reception site was at the top of a hill, with beautiful mature trees shading us from the sun. Breathtaking.

But not as gorgeous as the bride.

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An Update from The By-Gone Bee

09/16/2012

After taking a LONG hiatus from the etsy shop, there are a few new items! I think we’ve really found our aesthetic, too. How adorable are some of those Pyrex dishes?

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Work Clothes.

09/11/2012

So, I don’t often talk fashion on this here blog, though clothing is something that I’ve been very interested in since… forever. Generally speaking, I don’t like talking about clothing because whenever I talk about being hard to fit, it kind of spawns a talk about body image that I’m never keen on having.

The American women’s clothing industry blows. No one can actually fit into mass-produced clothes. It sucks.

What’s Your Favorite Color?….Blue and Brown by archimedes16 featuring distressed jeans

But, I have a conundrum. For the past three years, I’ve been working in an office in which jeans and t shirs were a-ok. In fact, tees and yoga pants pretty much sufficed 90% of the time. Now that I work in a real office? I have five outfits that work. I’ve been cycling through them. And my guess is that my new co-workers are wondering why I keep wearing the same thing over and over again.

Untitled #219 by yjmunson featuring elizabeth and james blazer

I friggin’ love the above outfit– but who can afford a $360 blazer?

Here’s the thing, though, again– why are nice office clothes so BORING? There’s no such thing as “young” office clothes! I’m not super girlie, so dressing like a kindergarten teacher is a bit out of the question; but I also don’t have big boobs, so a lot of clothing makes me look kind of masculine. The hazards of being tall and relatively flat-chested.

In an ideal world, I could actually afford the clothes at J.Crew, as I think they have the best “somewhere in the middle” clothes; but holy crap, did their clothes get expensive in the last few years. Land’s End Canvas is also a good bet for me….

Autumn Cranberry by kateanfinson featuring essie nailpolish

Can you guys suggest any good (moderately priced) stores to check out for young, professional clothing?

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#MeatlessMonday: Vegan Chili for Football Sunday

09/09/2012

So, hi. Clearly you’ve noticed by now that I’ve been intermittantly posting and Tweeting over the last few weeks. It’s such a weird experience changing jobs!

But– while I have a new commute and new co-workers and a whole new slew of things I have to learn how to do– some things are staying the same. Namely– football season is here, and David still makes a mean pot of chili. But, well, vegan.

Last week was so busy, I think I ate one singular home made meal all week. Bought lunch every day and I think we only had a non-delivery or restaurant dinner once all week. Not only is that SUPER expensive, but I feel weird. Kind of run down. I really prefer home-made food.

So, for football (and leftovers) all week I get to have this amazing vegan chili. You cant beat David’s dedication to a full flavored veggie chili. He’s really detailed about it, and when cooked for an hour or more on the stove, the result will be a meal you probably won’t miss the meat from.

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb sliced crimini mushrooms
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons each cumin, Cayenne powder, chili powder (or to taste)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 16 ounce can of corn (drained)
2 16 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
1 16 ounce can black beans (drained)
1 16 ounce can pinto beans (drained)

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, warm the olive oil and heat. Toss in the onions and garlic and stir, cooking until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft.
When dicing the jalapenos, you can get more flavor out of them if you sprinkle them in kosher salt and press out the juice with the flat of your knife. This is completely optional. Once the jalapenos are properly chopped, add to your pot.
Add the spices and stir to combine. Then, add the corn, tomatoes, and beans.
Stir to combine, cover, and let cook for at least an hour. The longer everything simmers, the more “melded” the flavors will be!
Serve in a bowl– you definitely don’t need rice, but a bit of sour cream (vegan works, too) will calm some of the spice.