Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I would love to know what you decided to dress up as in the comments! Andrew and I went as Suzy and Sam from Moonrise Kingdom! It was a fun costume and mooooost people knew who we were. We didn't take many pictures, but here's what I've got:

Dora the Explorer, Raoul Duke from Fear and Loathing, Suzy Bishop and Sam Shakusky (note Swedish Chef behind us! He was with Honeydew and Beaker, and we also saw a really great Dexter and Mugatu from Zoolander. 

We got extra points for dressing up at trivia! We did not win, so we needed the boost! Another team dressed as the cast of Clue, which was a fun idea! They just didn't have very good costumes.

I already know what I want to be next year! What were you/what clever costumes did you see?

Tuesday Treasures #7

I wanted to share some great Etsy finds in one of my most favorite shades - mustard yellow! Such a gorgeous color, it just speaks to me! 

I love Fletcher Fox by Sleepy King. All these little guys in her shop have the BEST facial expressions! I love them.

I could definitely find some use for this beautiful mustard infinity scarf from moonsun, especially with this insane Michigan hurricane weather! I just want to stay warm, dry, and comfy!

My boyfriend loves to sport bowties and I think this one is top-notch!  Fox and Brie makes the niftiest ties and handkerchiefs. Style up your boyfriend!

I love this giant bag from Cozibag! I carry so much stuff that no bag is really big enough, but this one seems like it might do the trick.

Isn't this snail pillow from LauraFrisk adorable? I think it would look great on the vintage chair we have in our living room. 

So many great things on Etsy! What is your favorite color to wear or decorate with? Also, if Hurricane Sandy has affected you, I hope you and yours are safe and well. It even affected us here in Michigan, what a wild storm! Goodnight!

Game 4 // Go Tigers!

This has been such a frustrating series! Nevermind the part where we can't hit much, that's our own fault I guess, but San Francisco has been touched by the hand of God! Ball hitting the corner of the base, three HRs in three at bats, and safe, safe, safe all the time! Anyway, I made cupcakes today for the game that's happening now. Here are a few pictures!

Yes, those are skull sprinkles. Happy Halloween! And GO TIGERS!!!

World Series // Game 2!

Oh my! The Tigers sure had a tough go-of-it in San Francisco last night, but we can't be tooooo discouraged! Even though I love San Francisco, my heart is in Detroit, and we haven't won the World Series since before I was born! Yeesh. Anyway, I've shared The Mitten State's neat t-shirts with you before, but I wanted to share this limited edition shirt to celebrate the Tigers being in the World Series.

So, who's gonna win tonight? I believe in you, Tigers! If you want to check out this shirt and others, click on the Mitten State's ad on the right side of the page!

Michigan Alpaca Fest 2012!

Last year, Andrew and I saw an advertisement for "Alpaca Fest." We hyped up the event for weeks, not fully understanding what it was, but determined to attend. Although no one else ended up accompanying us, we went and had an amazing time. Odds are, we know more about alpacas than you. We got to pet alpacas, learn about the two different breeds, see them get judged, and it was all free!

This year I had just assumed that they would move the show elsewhere since it's for the state of Michigan, but thank goodness I saw a tweet that led to a google search where I found that Alpaca Fest was this weekend! I would have been so upset if we had missed it! Anyway, we roped our friend Gaby into joining. She seemed hesitant, but she loved it like we knew she would. And here is what we saw:

 Keepin' cool.

Alpacas are judged on the density, color, and luster of their fur among other factors. Behavior is not one of them.

Rosie and me!

Sophia and Gaby 

Rosie and Andrew. Aw.

I also grabbed some literature on alpacas that I will relay to you to share my wealth of knowledge: 

"Alpacas are members of the Camelid family and are native to South America. Their fiber is very soft and is used to make yarn. Adults reach an average height of 36" and an average weight of 100 to 175 pounds. They have one baby a year that weighs about 15 to 20 pounds at birth. Alpacas come in many shades of brown and tan as well as white, gray and black. There are two species of alpacas, the suri and the huacaya."

The suri are the ones with dreadlocks and the huacaya are the ones you see more of, without dreadlocks. They are all super soft and adorable! I can't wait to start an alpaca farm one day! Or at least live in a house with a backyard so I can own a couple of my own.

And what did you do today?

Spotlight on (and discount for) Three Little Cats Shop

Today I am featuring an Etsy shop from one of my favorite countries, Italia! Francesca's shop is called Three Little Cats Shop and she has lovely hand-painted trinket boxes as well as brooches, cross-stitch patterns, and necklaces. I fell in love with the owls and cats, so Francesca let me feature her! She is offering my readers 10% off with the coupon code LLORYS10, so take advantage of that! Below are a couple of my favorite items from her shop and a little about Francesca!

"My name's Francesca; I'm 21 years old, and I live in Tuscany, Italy. I love art and the handmade world. I enjoy a lot doing handmade stuff that I create in my free time. I have always had a passion for crafts since I was a child. Creativity is a big and magic world to me, making me feel nice. I like to always try something new, new techniques, new things... I love to learn and experiment, creating unique ooak (one of a kind) stuff. My biggest inspirations are animals; I also always try to have an artistic vision of everything that happens in my life. I can't live without my imagination, it makes all things better!

I currently work as a graphic designer. My love is not limited just to traditional handmade stuff; I'm also a digital art lover! In fact, I create custom graphic designs and digital cross stitch patterns. I also have a passion for photomanipulations. I'm known as "DeadLulu" on Deviantart. I have an independent short movie productions company with my boyfriend, the Frozen Lake Movie Productions. My boyfriend is my life. We are two loving birds. : )

What I love: art, crafts, cinema, music, cooking... And I LOOOOOVE cats! =3"

Aw, two loving birds. I like that. Thanks, Francesca! Keep up the adorable arts and crafts!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I had been waiting for what seems like a year to see "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," and luckily, it did not disappoint. I think the author of the book, who also wrote the screenplay, directed, and produced had to have majorly helped, but man, I was on the verge of tears the entire time. It was so sweet and the actors fit the characters so well. I'm glad they had Emma Watson playing Sam because I doubt it would have ever made the theatres in Grand Rapids if they didn't have a big name star. Ezra Miller was SUCH a great Patrick. It's hard to believe he played a psycho killing teenager in "We Need To Talk About Kevin." Wayyyy different characters! Anyway, I would definitely definitely recommend this movie. They couldn't have done a better job with it. If you are a music lover, ever considered yourself an outcast, have ever been through a traumatic experience, or were popular and need a reality check, see this movie. And read the book! I need to reread it now!

Happy Caturday :3

Regina Spektor

I'm so excited because tonight Andrew and I get to officially celebrate our two year anniversary. It was actually two months ago, but my gift to him was a ticket to see Regina Spektor tonight! I've always been aware of her, but never listened much until I met him. Plus, we haven't been to a concert in a while. Have any of you ever seen her live? This should be a great start to the week!

Time for some java so I can stay awake for the show!

Berkley Illustration

Today I am loving these animal portrait prints from Berkley Illustration. They are featured on Fab.com for the next couple of days - $26 a print (11x14)! They have everything in the food chain spectrum from chipmunks to T-Rex. This bat really freaks me out, but it's so spot on that I had to show you. Here are a few more of my favorites. (Photos borrowed from their feature on fab.com)

Happy weekend! I am at my parents' house because my wonderful father turns 50 on Monday! I love spending time with them and my cats. My mom and I are going shopping today, I can't wait! What are your weekend plans? 

Sleepwalk With Me

I don't understand why limited release usually means NYC or LA. There are so many movies I've had to wait so long to see because of this! Luckily, the UICA in Grand Rapids is currently showing Mike Birbiglia's "Sleepwalk With Me." I had heard something about the movie on NPR the other day, but a couple of my Birbiglia loving friends invited me to see it with them the other night. Lauren Ambrose was wonderful in this, first of all. Mike Birbiglia was great as well, as were his parents in the film. It got a little depressing in the middle, but everyone had their own happy ending. I also loved how they depicted his dreams. Wouldn't you love to make a movie of your wildest dreams?

By the way, if anyone knows, please point me in the direction of the soundtrack!!! I loved the music but my web searching skills got me nowhere. I'd recommend seeing this! Has anyone else seen it? What did you think?

What's up for your Saturday? I'm going thrifting! There are so many places to do that around here, so I'm researching right now. Hopefully I will have some great finds to show and tell about later on.

3 Easy Vegetarian Dinners

I think I set a new record, because I have made myself and Andrew dinner THREE nights in a row! I am just now regretting not take photos, because I want to share my simple vegetarian meals with you, but I will do my best to share them anyway. FYI, the average time (besides oven preheating) for these meals is just 15 minutes! Each meal serves two and costs about $5 total.

Night 1

I had a coupon for any frozen item from Alexia, and it happened to be on sale! Woo! Anyway, I sauteed this up and added some red pepper and spinach to bulk it up, since I used this as a main dish and not a side. The oil is included in the package and it only takes about 12 minutes, like the package says. Before I put it in the bowl to serve, I added some goat cheese at the bottom and then stirred that together with my veggies. It was delicious, easy, affordable, and pretty healthy!

Night 2

Andrew and I love these MorningStar Mushroom Lover's Burgers. I had a coupon for these too, huzzah! Anyway, they do not take long to make at all on the stove. Just a few minutes on each side, but do not forget to add some swiss cheese when you have a couple minutes to go. I served it on a bun with spicy mustard, spinach, onion, and tomatoes. I also baked some Ore Ida crinkle fries and cut up a Honeycrisp apple for sides. We had coffee for dessert. Andrew said it was the best meal he'd had in a long time! (The fries took much longer than the veggie burger, so keep that in mind if you make this!)

Night 3

I don't know why I have never bought this pizza crust mix before, because you just have to add water. Thanks, Betty! We have bought the premade crusts before, but this is so much cheaper and tastes way more homemade! All you need to do is combine the mix and water, let it sit for five minutes, and then spread it on your pizza pan and add the toppings. I added tomato sauce (didn't have any pizza sauce but this worked just fine), minced garlic, fresh basil leaves, tomato, Italian shredded cheese, and goat cheese, yum! I thought it turned out really well and Andrew was 3-3, loving this as well.

I feel so accomplished and like we saved so much money! We tend to go out too much because we don't have time or we're too hungry and we'll spend anywhere between $10 and $20 even for takeout! So crazy. What are your favorite quick vegetarian meals? I'd love to know because I need more ideas! 

What I Wore // ArtPrize

I worked all weekend, which was a bummer, but Andrew and I made a little time to walk around ArtPrize before the Top 10 voting was closed. This is right by the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. What do you think about the Top 10 announcement? I'm not sure who to vote for!

Top: Francesca's Collection (it buttons up the back - I love it!)

Watch and Bangle: Kate Spade New York

Ankle Pants: J. Crew

Sandals: H&M

Giveaway // October Native

**Update: The winner of the giveaway is Elise from Black Ant Beads. Thank you everyone for entering, and keep Beckie's shop in mind for Christmas gifts!!**

I can't think of a more perfect way to start off the beautiful month of October than with a giveaway! Beckie from October Native (how appropriate) is giving one of my readers a gorgeous button ring that she has created. Beckie's etsy shop is full of vintage and handmade items that were inspired by her grandfather's travels around the world. She has lots of treasures! This forest green button ring can be yours if you leave a comment telling me which item you like the most in her shop! There are a lot of other ways to win below!

First, a bit about Beckie!

"I am from Florida, born and raised, and I currently live in St. Petersburg. I was just blessed to be able to move into a house with my husband and cute little choweenie puppy, which is ever so peaceful compared to apartment living! I work part time as a companion for those with disabilities and I am a full time volunteer as a team leader for a non profit called Young Life Capernaum - a club for those with special needs. In the midst of all this I get to indulge in my crafty and eclectic obsessions with my etsy shop!

I started collecting vintage when I was a kid. My grandpa was a big traveler, going all over the world and bringing back amazing unique items. I loved to go to antique shops as a kid and look for notes in old books, imagining who those people were. I have always been fascinated by the fact that those notes were written by ordinary people, and that maybe one day my scribbles could have an impact on someone in the future. I love the timelessness that vintage items hold. I also love crafting - that excitement and challenge of working on a project and coming to the point when you've finished and it looks amazing! The feeling never gets old.

My shop stands out because I have vintage items that will have a new life, and I also have items that I have worked hard on bringing to life through my crafting. My shop's tagline is "Bringing Fragments in Time to Life."

Now onto the giveaway! Good luck everyone: )
(GFC refers to Google Friend Connect and that is located under the ads on the right side of my blog!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway