Sunday, May 30, 2010

ten things i think you should know about ten inspiring people i know.

i’ve been reading again…{something other than fashion and décor mags}….i’ve been reading insightful, inspiring, motivating books, in search of fire

{you know that feeling that you feel when you’re on the right path and nothing can slow you down}.

f i r e.

every once and awhile, i read a book, hear a quote, watch a show, or take a long walk and listen to my heart…and then, if i’m lucky, a fire is lit…i feel new, inspired, motivated, excited…i love that feeling. it propels me into creativity, jotting down ideas, goals, thoughts and plans. the results of such actions are always amazing…i’m a true believer in knowing what you want and going for it…

live in love not in fear” i tell myself when i’m in this blissful mode.

after awhile, the fire starts to die down a bit and needs attention…more fuel…

this week i rec’d a message from a friend...it was just a quick, FYI, type of message…but, it was exactly what i was searching for…it was a sign. a sign to kick up the fire again…more about that later…

so, as i am currently deep in study, rekindling the fire…i thought it would be fun to find out what some of my favorite, creative friends have to say about their inspiration, their motivation, their fire, so to speak…

starting next week...ten things i think you should know about ten inspiring women i know. i'm going to ask them to share a little bit about themselves and what inspires them…somewhere along the way, i’ll share what inspires me and hope that i’ll hear from some of you, i’d love to keep the fire going and continue this project with another ten, and another ten…as a community that thrives on inspiration and connections, i hope that this is just the beginning...

Friday, May 28, 2010

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

feather. children. love.







couldn't resist sharing this new etsy seller from australia.


i want one!
i want to run down the beach wearing nothing
but a sheer, cotton dress, a ton of jewelry
and one of these gorgeous headpieces.
i want one!

Friday, May 21, 2010

a peace of cake.

this idea literally came to me
overnight.
yesterday, while shopping,
i found out that it was
Buddha's birthday.
i saw this beautiful, happy, green Buddha
{only $6.99} and couldn't resist him.
i brought him home
and baked a cake. happy birthday buddha!

i photographed my happy,
green man with some peonies,
and then sat him by my end table
for good luck.

last night, i looked at the Buddha,
sitting pretty next to a stack of fashion mags.
then went to bed with a smile on my face.
i dreamt that i opened a new etsy boutique,
one filled with color and love,
{i know, i know, sounds just like tenthings.},
but this shop would be filled with
home/studio decor.
simple,
happy,
visual,
peace-rated
art.

so here it is...my new etsy boutique.
sweetly named...

lotus flower.

bloom.

petals.

good charlotte.

hula girl in an aqua sky.

buddha love.

i have many more
sweets {photos} to add...
hope you'll visit me soon at
a peace of cake on etsy.


the blessings of summer.

shop update.
a few new things arrived
in the shop today.

this lovely piece of softest-ever turquoise suede
with gilded seahorse bohemian, wrap bracelet
is part of my new collection of blessing bracelets,
the idea is to say a few positive affirmations
as you gently wrap the soft leather boho-style
around your wrist
{i like them in addition to many bangles and friendship bracelets, the more the merrier},
or ankle {brightly painted toes, of course},
letting the lovely, little seahorse
remind you of the blessings of summer.


dangling feminely against
your neck with each turn of your head.
these indian rubies and turquoise jade drops
are for summer date nights.

oversized leaves in gold look gorgeous on.
they are simple, elegant. boho chic.

another new favorite.
i am really falling hard for all things moroccan.
including my new collection of marrakesh inspired
earrings and necklaces.
coming soon in other juicy colors.

Monday, May 17, 2010

to go with tea.

i am a bakin' fool...i love to bake...
it's creative and it's a little somethin' i do to spread the love.
thought i'd share my current favorite with you...
think of it as a little love comin' your way...


Easy Carrot Cake

1 cup flour

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

1/4 teaspoon plus 1 pinch salt

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream {1/4 cup for cake, ¼ cup for frosting}

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup loosely packed shredded carrots

1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened


Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a 6-cup nonstick Bundt pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup sour cream, the oil, egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the carrots, pineapple and walnuts. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes, then invert onto the rack, remove the pan and let cool completely.

Using a wooden spoon, beat the confectioners’ sugar and butter until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 pinch salt. Drizzle the frosting on top of the cake and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Notes: Sooo easy, you can substitute shredded zucchini for the pineapple and pistachios for the walnuts for a different type of cake.

Also, it doesn't rise, so to me, it's more like a breakfast or tea cake, not a pretty carrot cake, but delicious! I made it three times with the same bag of chopped walnuts, can of crushed pineapple. I bought two bags of carrots. Used 1 1/2 for three cakes and added the rest of the carrots to a salad.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

in a moroccan mood.

moroccan mood
polyvore set
by guest contributing editor
mikaela.




i'm in a moroccan mood.
with summer fast approaching
i can't get enough of rich, luxe colors
and ethnic architectural details.




all jewelry available at tenthings.
and inspired by
a love for all things marrakesh
or is it marrakech?
Inspiration for 5/15/10





Friday, May 14, 2010

what a week...

what a week!
i am truly lucky to have
many wholesale orders.
these, plus my etsy shops,
keep me really busy, but also
keep me from spending
a lot of time blogging and tweeting.
i miss my friends, but
i am grateful for what keeps me busy
and i believe that what you truly want
and what you ask for,
you will receive
i asked and i received.

it was a busy week, it flew by.
by friday i was ready for some fun.
i spent the day with my daughter {yes, i let her ditch school}
and we shopped at marshall's, joann's fabrics and target
{see below for some of my bargains},
we ate indian food and had many laughs.

on friday night we drove to the coast,
boys surfed
we drove around and took some photos. more laughs.
we happened upon this roxy event
at surfride surfshop in solana beach.

it was a small event,
but they had cookies that looked like their ad.
i love cookies! these were cool!


kids loved them, too, despite the funny faces.

i have been making little inspirational
notes every night about some creative ideas
i have for upcoming projects.
flowers are still very much in my mind.
i saw this unusual jagged edged rose
last night.
never seen one quite like this before.
have you?



and this cool house is in solana beach.
it was like a yoga paradise.
i wanted to move in.
i've been getting back into my yoga practice
and feeling the 'yoga' vibe.

i love these yoga wraps from world market.
they look great as a scarf and also as a
bikini coverup. they were only $10 each!

these sandals were $13


and this adorable ruffled bikini was only $15
and it actually looked pretty cute,
now i just need a fake tan
and a few more months of running...
maybe late july, i can sport this baby.

this is where the boys went out.
seaside, cardiff. friday night.



my mother's day beach towel.
and some cool rocks.
i love the colors of the ocean.

in addition to blooms,
i'm also very inspired by hand-dyed, tie-dye,
especially aqua marine colors,
but also feeling luscious summer fruit colors
like tangerine and raspberry.
i finally decided to get started on a project
that i've been wanting to work on for some time.
bought the prettiest fabric
and fabric dyes yesterday.
goldfish orange and flamingo pink.
and hand dyed today.

here the t-shirts are tied and ready to be dyed.

update:

ok, so flamingo pink is really pink.
still experimenting,
actually want a lighter, more tie-dyed effect.
but, i still like the way they turned out.
photos to be added tomorrow.