here is a view of downtown, seen from the cemetery. It really is that small and yet somehow the line was out the door at every pie shop on the block!
driving on the windy roads you get a vista of mountains, hills and the desert in the distance. I was so taken by the burnt trees from the somewhat recent San Diego fires, especially this one. Hollowed out by fire but still standing, I find this absolutely beautiful!
I picked these cool antique cups up at a shop on the main street. I'm told they are over 100 years old...guess I have some research to do.
We wandered into this store off the main drag, filled with wall to wall yarn of every color and combination imagineable. 
Coasters are a great hostess gift and I love that these are made from maps, especially ones from vacations and important places. Click here for instructions.
Not your everyday gift, but for a man who seems to have everything this is the perfect practical gift. Instructions here.
What girl doesn't like to receive jewelry? These fancy necklaces seem vintage and delicate but are super easy to make and perfect for Mom or your best friend (or both). Instructions.
'Tis the season for candles, and lots of them! I love these candles poured into vintage teacups. Mismatched cups are easy to find at flea markets and second hand stores. Grab yourself a block of soy or natural beeswax to make sure your gifts are non-toxic. Instructions
These soaps are great gifts, but also perfect to have in a guest bathroom this holiday. Instructions.
While scouring the Long Beach Antique Market last weekend, I cam across this cool metal basket that was the perfect size to hold my floor plans and rolls of trace and graph paper. To check out the market for yourself, visit http://www.longbeachantiquemarket.com
This sounds delicious, simple and it's pretty cute (the perfect combo). Recipe is from the October issue of Southern Living.
recipe from House Beautiful
from Sunset Magazine. Click here for the recipe
French Toast Bread Pudding! This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe from a recent issue of House Beautiful. I'll be serving this with fresh squeezed orange juice mimosas. Yum.
In other knit pillow news, if you prefer that classic cable knit sweater look ~which I fall in love with every year about this time~ there are plenty of surprisingly simple patterns out there to create the sweater pillow of your dreams. I found this one at the AOK Corral. It comes with fairly descript directions and a beginners guide for those of us who are pretty fresh to the knitting world (I've actually known how to for years, but never graduated beyond the very long scarf project).
First, I had my husband resize it a bit to make it better for a nightstand. He sawed about 5 inches off of the legs. Next step was the oh-so-fun process of sanding. When I got to the tabletop I made the discovery that existing wood looked pretty cool, with deep grain and block edges. So I changed the plan a bit and decided to keep what was already there.
After sanding I painted it white using a non-toxic flat furniture paint. This took several coats since I was still going over black in some areas. Tip: using a paint pad instead of a brush gives a more even coat without brushstrokes. It takes a bit of time to get in the groove but it's worth it. I did use a brush to get into the smaller areas though.
Happy Reading!
Here is the (unassuming) mirror in its originial state.
All taped off and ready to go
Followed by a coat of white paint brushed on then wiped off. D and I did this twice, okay he did this part.
And here is the final result. The mirror is on the wall in the master bedroom. While we were at it I painted a small side table for a nightstand. I'll post pictures when the room is more together.
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