Handmade Headbands

This year, I made a few headbands to give as Christmas presents to some friends. I think I made about ten of them, and (as with all cute homemade crafty things) was semi-reluctant to part with them. I meant to take a picture of each of them individually, but I feel like the holidays happened so fast this year, and I didn't have much spare time. I did manage to get these shots of the bands I gave my Gazette co-workers, though:

Jen,



Sara,



Amy loves feathers, so I covered hers,


Just an example of a fairly simple craft project, if you're the artsy type. Just beware of the glue gun- it bites! :x

-Blythe

On my iTunes: the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack featuring Karen O. and the Kids

Currently loving: Vintage Bakeshop

Here are some things that I'm loving right now (in a purely platonic but highly enraptured way):

1. Alfred Hitchcock films, namely Notorious, my favorite of his flicks which I watched last night. The film is gripping, romantic, tragic, twisted. It pulls at about every emotion the psyche has to offer. Ingrid Bergman shines in the film as a woman torn between victim and heroine. She practically outshines the handsome Cary Grant who plays alongside her in the film. Fun fact about the film and Hitchcock's hobby of pushing social boundaries: The legendary kiss between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in Notorious, an on-again off-again necking that lasts for the duration of practically a whole scene, was designed to skirt the Hayes Code that restricted kisses to no more than three seconds each in film productions. Below is the old trailer for the movie.

2. Meat Pies. My doctor's office is located in Los Alamitos right next to a gem of a dining destination called The Pasty Kitchen. Don't judge the concept of meat pies before tasting; Or at least call to the stand a British witness before passing judgment. These pies are delicious flaky croissant-like rolls filled with either chicken or beef, and potatoes and veggies. It's as authentically English as The Queen of England. My favorite description of the Kitchen's meat pies is by an OC Weekly reviewer: "a dish riddled with mystery meat and wrapped in a tasty enigma." The Pasty Kicthen: 3641 Katella Ave, Los Alamitos, CA 90720. (562) 431-9747

3. Vintage Bakeshop! Tawnya Zebrowski of Rancho Santa Margarita is a baking enthusiast and devotee to the mastery of the perfect cupcake. "Vintage Bakeshop is my little company that evolved from a long line of baking enthusiasts," says Tawnya. "Some of my fondest childhood memories are in the kitchen watching intently while my grandmother turned flour and sugar into a masterpiece." Talk about legit. All natural baking really is a lost art in an age of Little Debbie Cakes (I'm the first sucker for the delicious Sugar, Corn Syrup and Enriched Bleached Flour that make up this heavenly morsel, but my body is saying, "please no more!").

Vintage Bakeshop specializes in gourmet cupcake mix favors. Tawnya's mixes are individually handmade with the finest ingredients available. You can choose from delicious flavors like Red Velvet (made with Nielsen-Massey Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla and just a hint of cocoa), champagne, chocolate mint, ginger spice and the classic vanilla and chocolate.

The best part, you can get the mixes presented as custom gift favors for any occasion. Gift Favors include Gift Boxes, Baking Mix and a custom designed label! They're such a cute and delicious idea for birthday favors, wedding or show favors, or corporate gifts.

Tawnya has sent us a gift basket of handmade rice crispy treats before. They were so delicious I had to have three 5"x5" sweet and savory mallow squares. In one hour. I'm warning you from experience, proceed toward these desserts with caution.

Tawnya shares recipes with The Gazette readers each month. This month, unfortunately a typo mixed up her delicious recipe into something that would be very buttery. So below you'll find the CORRECT recipe for Super Easy Low Fat Fruit Cobbler.

Super Easy Low Fat Fruit Cobbler
The holidays may be over, but you can still have dessert!

Ingredients:
½ Cup Flour
½ Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Skim Milk
1 Tablespoon Butter or Butter Substitute (cut into small pieces)
2 Cups Fruit (fresh, frozen or canned)

Preheat oven to 350°. Pour fruit into a 9 inch pie plate. Combine remaining ingredients (except butter) in a small bowl and pour over fruit. Dot with butter or butter substitute (optional). Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Visit Tawnya online at www.VintageBakeshop.com or check out her blog www.StylishGiving.com.

-Jen

On my iPod: "Love" from Disney's Robin Hood (did you hear this song playing in the background at one point in Fantastic Mr. Fox? What a delightful throwback).

Local Artist: The New Limb

The OC Music Awards are just around the corner! Showcases of the nominated artists will be taking place all over this great county of ours at The Gypsy Lounge, The Continental Room, The Gypsy Den, OC Tavern, Chain Reaction, District Tustin Legacy, and The Detroit Bar and here's the best part - they're all FREE! That's right, you can see some of the best musical talent Orange County has to offer for the grand sum of zero dollars.

One of the bands you'll want to look for this year is The New Limb (check them out here) from Costa Mesa. Last year they were nominated for Best Live Band and made it to the final round, so this could be their year! Their live show has been the object of praise of many a reviewer and writer. Check out these reviews:

"...When they unite, there are fireworks. If only you could have a band be president, then I would vote for The New Limb." - Ashley Eliot, Host/DJ of KUCI 88.9 FM's Press Pass Music

"No two New Limb shows are quite the same—as they illustrated with their five Detroit Bar-residency shows this past June. They bring this joie de vivre no matter the venue, whether they're busking for puzzled passersby at the OC Super Fair or at a packed House of Blues." - OC Weekly's Best of OC 2009 Issue

[A humorous poster for their recent December residency at The Gypsy Lounge]

The band lives together in a house in Costa Mesa which might explain how they blend perfectly together  in the way only the greatest of family bands like the Jackson 5, Kings of Leon, The Avett Brothers and Oasis do. The band includes Joey Chavez on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Adam Chavez on drums and vocals, Lauren Salamone on keys and vocals, and Dan Perez on lead guitar and vocals. The band is working on their first full-length album in said house as we speak [holds breath in anticipation] that is due out in March.

Needless to say, you won't want to miss their Tues Feb 16th showcase show at The Gypsy Lounge with fellow OC rockers Duress (HB), Dusty Rhodes and the River Band (Fullerton), Stereofix (CM) and The Color Turning (Santa Ana). The show starts at 7:30 and is 21+ (sorry kids).

This years OC Music Awards winners will be decided by a board of music journalists, radio djs, promoters, venue owners, booking agents, and industry pros involved in the local OC music scene. Nominated bands are judged according to musicianship (talent), originality, song composition, stage presence, crowd participation, and overall performance. The nominees for each award category will be announced on Feb 1st. The winners for the Best Live Acoustic and Best Live Band categories will be anounced at their finals on Feb 23rd and 27th while the rest of the category winners will be announced at the Awards night at The Grove on March 6th. To cast your vote for your favorite Orange County bands for the People's Choice Award, visit the OC Music Awards site here.  Best of luck to The New Limb!

- Amy
On my iPod right now: The New Limb's "Autumn Leaves"

Dressember Recap

or What I learned from a month of wearing only dresses:

1) Dressing up makes me feel good. The sort of "ready for life" good. I felt prepared for any professional or social occasion. I'll admit that my apparel was not as well suited for manual labor and/or domestic activities. Luckily, men exist for toilet repair (a necessary task at my residence last month), and I don't do chores (kidding. sort of).


2) Dresses are comfortable. I'm not the skin-tight-dress sort of wearing lass, so I found my flowy frocks quite freeing (and poetically inspiring, apparently).


3) Dresses are easy. It's a whole outfit, in one piece. What could be easier than that? Other one-piece outfits include: jumpsuits, rompers, leotards, and moo moos- all of which are arguably less fashionable than most dresses. I could even throw in overalls for good measure, but those aren't exactly on the hot list of fashion right now. Or ever, for that matter.


4) Dresses are warm enough for California Decembers. A dress + tights + a cardigan or light coat was my standby recipe for warmth during my month of dresses. I found it to be a satisfactory checklist.

5) Dresses are cute. Turns out most heterosexual men think dresses are attractive on women. My boyfriend loved my month of dresses, which kind of makes me a good girlfriend by default, don't you think?

Now, to be fair, I'll address the drawbacks of a month-long dress-sesh by discussing:

1) Pants are functional. Remember the manual labor and domestic duties I mentioned above? Well, in pants, you got it covered (literally). Need to fix a toilet? You're good to go. Provided you know how to fix a toilet.
Beyond plunging with gusto, I do not.

2) Pants are stress-free. Not that dresses are stressful, but you certainly don't have to worry about how you're sitting or whether your legs are crossed when you're wearing pants. That makes for a carefree day, if you ask me.

3) Pants are unisex. Guys have been buying girl pants lately, and I've known girls who buy mens' pants for years. If you're into equal opportunity, unity of the sexes, or tight/baggy jeans, this perk is on your side.

4) Pants give you another option. I'll admit it: I got tired of wearing dresses. I missed having the option of wearing pants if I wanted to. According to my boyfriend, I always had the option of wearing pants, but I disagree; when a girl makes a public declaration in the blogosphere that she intends to wear only dresses for a month, she does not have the option to wear pants, even on the sly. And I didn't. I promise.
You're going to have to take my word for it.

-Blythe

On my iTunes: The Zombies

Pasadena Tournament of Roses

Last week, between planning New Year's resolutions, I had the opportunity to participate in the 121st Rose Parade. I didn't park a camper in the Rose Bowl parking lot, nor did I have a job as glamorous as Stephanie Edwards and Bob Eubanks on KTLA's live broadcast of the 2010 Tournament of Roses, but I did volunteer (at my own risk) getting glue and parsley flakes on my shoes and in my hair (true story). Good thing I do my own laundry. With my grubbies on, I joined a brigade of students and community volunteers to help build the Cal Poly Universities 2010 Rose Float entry. It is the only float that is built and completely operated by students from both Cal Poly campuses: Pomona and San Luis Obispo.

This year they played off of the tournament's theme "A Cut Above The Rest" to create their theme "Jungle Cuts," which cleverly depicts various jungle animals receiving or giving haircuts. Their efforts earned them the Bob Hope Humor Trophy, which is given to the entry that is "most comical and amusing." A giraffe with a Marge Simpson-esque beehive, a lion wearing curlers, a zebra donning a purple and green Mohawk, and monkeys with scissors...yes, I would agree that it is quite amusing. The float design is a yearlong project that incorporates Cal Poly's "learn by doing" philosophy. Engineering students create the structure. Agriculture students plant seeds. All of the student's hard work is put into every part of these beautiful floral floats. You can read all about Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's 2009 efforts in building the 2010 float here. This blog is written by Gazette writer Gracy Wilkins, member of the Rose Float Club, a student at SLO, and my dear, sweet sister who invited me along for this adventure. Some of her photos from "Deco Week," the week before New Year's Day that is dedicated to decorating the floats with dried and fresh materials, are posted below.

At Deco Week the student leaders assign tasks to volunteers. If you are over 16, they allow you to climb up on the scaffolding (I am, and I did) for some of the trickier tasks (it is seriously hard to keep your balance and work above your head), such as gluing parsley flakes on the underside of a tree branch or placing fresh orchids into the tree canopy. 

Cal Poly grew some of its own flowers this year, like marigolds, which were planted on campus. The flowers were then pressed and dried to create the material used on the giraffe's body (I glued these on too).

This hanging monkey is covered with oatmeal (his hands and belly) and redwood bark. Our first task was to peel apart the bark so it could be gathered into little bunches that were then applied individually onto the monkey's body. No detail is overlooked! See the intricacy below in the head of the snake that helped display the Cal Poly Universities' signage. It is made with marigolds and dried oranges.

With a humor trophy in hand, Cal Poly Universties is also KTLA's 2010 Viewer's Choice Award winner. They won with 20, 788 votes.

Float decorating is the largest craft project I have ever attempted, and even though at the end of the day I did have to scrape and scrub glue off my Vans, I would highly recommend the experience to a friend. You can get in on the fun next year; it only takes a $1 donation and the gift of your time to be a part of something unique and handmade. Cheers to 2010!

- Sara
Listening to "Wild World" by Cat Stevens