Thursday, December 31, 2009

Noon Years Eve - Pretend Kids on a whole new level


Tomorrow I will be working at Kidspace Children's Museum Pasadena for their annual Noon Year's Eve. Since kids are usually in bed by the time it strikes 12am, they miss out on all the celebrating fun. Kidspace thought a great way to get the youngsters involved would be to celebrate at noon. So, from 9:30 to 2pm I will be making glittery glasses and noise makers and toasting kids with sparkling cider while balloons fall all around us. Sounds like tons of fun. And I am totally nervous.
I have been so baby crazy obsessed lately I thought it would be a good idea to cool my jets by volunteering to work with kids. Maybe by over saturating myself in tiny people I will be able to hit my biological snooze button. This may have a reverse effect considering I will be making crafts with kids all day.
Oh boy. My lil'bit of social anxiety is kicking in. Wish me luck.

My first Gingerbread Haus

This Christmas was my first time ever making a gingerbread house. I have always wanted to make a house out of cookies. I love cookies and I love houses. Luckily my mom does all these cooking challenges and this month was to make a gingerbread house. Sweet!
So I got to spend an entire day being a little girl again. Not just any little girl but my mom's little girl. It was awesome. I thought I was just going to show up to pre-made walls and a roof, slap some frosting and dots on and call it a day after maybe 2 hours. No. Foolish me. I showed up to fresh made gingerbread dough ready to roll out and cut AFTER I design my architectural masterpiece. To be honest there was a moment when i wished my mom had just made it already but getting to start at (almost) the begining was pretty awesome. No short cuts here.
We each designed our structure. Baked and glued we sat down to dining room table covered in colorful bowls filled with all sorts of candies and edible sparkles. Martha Stewart's got nothin' on my mom. My mom is the OG Craft Master.
Our Gingerbread house day became exactly that - a day. 12 full hours. Potsch laughs that I would ever expect anything else. You see when my mom and I get together there is no such thing as time or priorities. She is my best friend, truely.
I could not dream of a better gingerbread house experience. Thanks ma.


This cool little tudor is my mom's. I love the little open door and wreath above it. and how neat is her photo? So bright and yummy.


I went for a mid-century single level family house. Ha! My favorite part, besides the tiny car in the car port is that my fancy house quickly turned white trash when my candycane car port poles were too short. I had to add little gingerbread cinder blocks to keep the roof up.


Beware of the yellow snow.

Did you do any fun holiday crafts? tell me about it.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Care Package Brilliance!

I love, more than life it self, care packages. Sometimes I think I moved away to Chicago to go to college at 25 just so my mom would send me care packages. She did and what was in them (though great) did not matter cause the feeling I got from getting my box of love was the greatest! Now I live about 20 minutes away from my mom and she still find ways to give me care packages - sometimes they even come in the mail.
Point is - I found Victor Sizemore and his lovely photography blog. And even better I found his Xmas care packages and personalized Grooms men infused bourbon boxes! What?!?!?! It seems I have found my care package soul mate. Victor even has gorgeous labels for everything. God organization AND creativity has got to be the sexiest combination!!

Victor makes a themed box and then personalizes it for his family and friends every xmas. I am thinking about facebooking him so i can get on the list. hehe


How kickass are these groomsmen gifts? I always find groomsmen gifts to feel so forced. I mean how many guys really carry around an engraved flask with a cigar attached? But these...Let's just say I am trying to talk Potsch into letting me wear the tux on our big day. I also think these infused bourbon boxes would be great anytime gifts. wink wink. My bithday is january 8th.
I love the drink names and that there is a cool drink recipe. The whole thing feels so prohibition.

Vic Chestnutt

I just recently discovered the haunting Americana music styling of Vic Chestnutt. I also found out he passed away on December 24th at 45 years old.
If you don't know him check him out. and if you already have closed your eyes and felt the goose bumps then do it again.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Curves in all the right places

I am a stylish big girl. Most of the time I love it but I ain't gonna lie, some of the time it can get a bit hard. Finding trendy fashions is definitely a time consuming out of the box thinking adventure for us ladies of size. Sometimes I dream about starting a clothing / life style line for us "chubbettes" but I have a few things to get done before that happens.
I was watching "Say yes to the Dress" (marathon every fri night) and the episode was focused on plus size girls and how hard it is for them to find modern wedding dress styles to fit them. Ofcourse the episode ends with all these women finding dresses and they were all happy and that is great but I was still left with the bitter taste of "settling". I stress so much about finding a wedding dress because I don't want to have an emotional breakdown every time I fall in love with a dress just to struggle and sweat and not get it over my hips. It makes me ache just to think about it. So much so that I have yet to venture out to any wedding dress shops. Sure I have the whole day planned and Potsch even has his suit already but I might just show up in one of those African MooMoo's they randomly sell so many of at Ross.
This post is a bit of a ramble and not at all what I was meaning to say but I definitely want to get this out. I think there are plenty of ladies out there that feel like this. We are smart, stylish and edgy, with out being goth or medieval, we have a definite eye for fashion and the only thing that makes us any different from the rest is that we have a few more inches. Unless I am mistaken can't these dress makers just add a bit more fabric? When I picture my wedding day I image myself to be gorgeous and breathtaking and just as deserving of these feeling as any other woman.
I have seen some of the fashion industry embracing us Plus' a bit more. I get a huge look of shock every time I find a new Cool and Hip plus size division of a store. When I was in London a few years back all the cool shops carried their regular clothes in plus sizes. It was the first time I bought a fashion belt for myself. It felt amazing to be so trendy. Sounds lame maybe but it really was a huge turning point for me.
My last point is this - Us Ladies of size have style. We have money. We are gorgeous and very sexy. And we want to feel that way. So, retailer, give it up. It is time you stop ignoring the Power House.

My dancin' shoes

Christmas is almost here. I have all my gifts wrapped and under the tree. Now it's is time to think about me. What will I be wearing for New Years?! To be honest I had not even thought about New Years until I saw these shoes. They just look like the most perfect way to start a year. Stylish. Classy. And pennies conscious. ($22.80!!)
If you are looking for something a little more fem and a lot more sparkle may I suggest these, also $22.80 and also come in gold. There is a lovely 1950's stripper feel to these that is very tasty.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

It helps to familarize yourself with the culture

A few of my friends are taking off for European holiday adventures. I am totally jealous! P and Me wanted so badly to meet up with them in Munich and maybe spend New Years in Paris. Oh what a dream come true. Alas we shall be in the states and will have to schedule our worldly rendezvous for a later date.
But I do want to send my pals off with some cultural information.
I have learned that people, all over, really like when you at least try to speak their language. So this is for Nicole who has been studying French and a little visual recognition can only help.


And for Margaret, who loves the eighties no matter what decade we have reached, a little German Pop.


Are you doing anything fun for the holidays?

Monday, December 14, 2009

I have missed you and I made you this (sorta)

Hello Holiday Hobnobbers,
These Holiday times have put me into quite a spin. Besides the usual family/gift stress, this is also Potsch and My first Honey B business holiday season. We have been screening and printing and sewing like crazy! We have also been approached by a couple event planners who would like to have our Market Totes as part of their shindigs! So exciting!
We are also working a big huge (I'm not pregnant) life move and I can't wait to tell you more about it soon. Keep your fingers crossed for us. We are at the breaking point right now.
So in the midst of all that we still have our family and friends to love and adore with holiday gifts...which need to get shipped out.
I have never had to ship out my gifts really. Either my extended family came out to visit or I went there or I just piggy backed on my mom's shipping. I know, smooth, cheap Daughter. Well not anymore. This year everyone is staying where they are and the gifts will be coming to them. Sounds easy, I thought. Not the case. You need to be so F-ing on top of things. You need to buy all the gifts. Wrap all the gift. In our case, make most of the gifts. get all the addresses and all the boxes ready so you only have to make one trip to the Post Office. phew. We were supposed to do that Saturday. We pushed it to Monday (today) and still barely made it by the 5pm cut off.
But here is why - Though I blame Potsch for us not making it on Saturday the truth is I would have been the problem just like I turned out to be today.
You see I can't just let anything go (besides grammar and spelling). I need to have everything presentable and cool. So what did I decide to do at the last freaking minute? Design custom labels. What?! Poor Potsch stood in the door way of our office staring at me with bewilderment drenching him. "What are you doing?!" Just printing out labels, I said.

First i made stickers for the actual gift, which I was quite happy about. And then I made shipping labels. I wanted to make return address labels but Potsch put down the kibosh.

All in all, happy ending...so far. Let's just hope the packages arrive in time.




I figured why not take my moment of psycho Martha Stewart and pass it on so that I can maybe help you save yourself from going down that scary path.
I am pretty sure you can just drag and drop. If that doesn't work email me and I can send you the file. lvkm(@)mac.com


PS- you can get that font and a ton of others for free at Dafont. The one I used is called fontdinerdotcom_sparkely.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Pull it in and Suck it up

I am very thankful for spanks. They have come in handy when I needed to smooth it out and sometimes when I just wasn't up for holding all in for the day. But I do wish there was something more sexy about the look of them. The idea of spanks is not new. Us ladies have been utilizing the wonders of elastic illusion for ages. the difference is that back in the day we paid a bit more attention to details. Our girdles and stirrups were not things to be ashamed of but rather to entice with. Men used to fantasize about what we had under our clothes hoping it was something lacy and tight. I believe they enjoyed the thought of what lengths we would go to to look good for them. Now, the thought of what is under there ain't much to think. When we take our clothes off, even our wedding dresses sometimes, we look like we have been wrapped in ace bandages.
I know there is gorgeous lingerie out there but it is expensive and usually serves no purpose except to get it off while you "get it on".
I want the bells and whistles of the past. Who's with me?

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Dear Santa by Santa Clause

Dear Santa by Santa Clause,
I have been pretty good this year and I really feel like I deserve to have my first Marc by Marc Jacobs bag. I asked for the Totally Turnlock Teri in Spinach last year and I did not get it. Granted I don't know if anyone got that bag because i only saw it once in person and I never found it online. So, I am not mad at you Santa I am mad at the bag makers though I am glad the bag makers did not make a ton of my Spinach Terri so I am not haunted by every fashionable lady carrying my bag that I did not get. Anyway, my point Santa is that I have made some adjustments to make what I want a little easier for you to get.
I thought that the spinach turnlock series was gone from my world completely but today in a moment of hope I went searcing and I found it!!! Sadly I did not find the Terri Bag at all. So, here is what I have come up with:
I would gladly accept the following- Totally Turnlock Faridah in Spinach

Also, Totally Turnlock Percy Cross Body in Spinach

Or Totally Turnlock Key Pouch in Spinach

And if you just feel like spinach is too racey I am giving you a more conservative and still desirable option. The Patent Sia Cross Body Bag in black

beside that,Santa, I think i am good. I will spout out about a bunch of other things i want but really you know where my heart is and always has been - with dear sweet wonderful Marc Jacobs.
So much Love and cookies,
Khali

What did I ever do?

Mark Weaver makes me cry


I have fallen in love yet again. This is pure obsessive elated love. Mark Weaver and his amazing magical prints blow my mind. So beautiful. I love the colors and the seamless collage. You can buy some of his screen prints and I am thinking that will be yet another xmas gift to myself. hehehe



Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Pretend French Kids

When I was little my mother was a bit obsessed with making me a french girl. She would cut my bangs very short while the rest of my hair was uber long. She would taking shopping at high end European kid store and let me pick out a pair of shiny patten leather slip-on's. I even went to a french private school for 1st and 2nd grade.
I have always found her obsession a bit odd until today when I happened upon Petits Bonheurs. Now, you better believe my kids are gonna be french - okay maybe a little German but still European.
These gorgeous petit poi are to die for.







The site is in French but that does not stop me from staring at all the gorgeous photos.

Happy Holiday gift ideas - Friendship rising

I just finished reading a great post on ShowFood Chef about her $84 Amish Friendship bread. Definitely worth the read. (A quick sum up of what Amish Friendship Bread is - basically a cooking chain letter with out death and bad luck. Does not cost $84 usually unless you are Show Food Chef.)
And it got me thinking - what a great money saving holiday gift! You could wrap your starter all pretty and print out the instruction all stylish and worthy of framing and maybe even add an extra ingredient for the getter to add later like chocolate chips or raisins or nuts. Get the Recipe and instructions here. I am definitely going to do this!


As for wrapping you could do something like this (above) or use a Reusable Honey B gift bag for $4 if you mention this post when ordering.

Happy Honey B Holiday!!!

They are here and ready to make the holidays Eco-Easy and prettier for you!

Honey B reusable Gift Bags.

According to earth911 "As much fun as wrapping paper can be, it is also a wasteful part of gift-giving. As much as half of the 85 million tons of paper products Americans consume every year goes toward packaging, wrapping and decorating goods. Also, wrapping paper and shopping bags alone account for about 4 million tons of trash annually in the U.S."
and
"Consumers can save big when it comes to dollars, and the planet, if they reduce their consumption of this non-recyclable material. According to Eco-Chick.com, if every American family wrapped just three presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields."

Because Honey B hates to waste and loves to look good, we have crafted these stunning reusable gift bags to avoid wasteful wrapping paper. They come in various sizes to fit various size gifts- from bottles of wine to coffee table books to large stuffed animals.

(Xlarge bag not pictured)

Some come with a clear window so you can insert your to/from label, whereas others let you add your own tag. Both options allow you to use the bags over and over again. All bags are sealed off with a bright satin ribbon.


These bags are sure to brighten and stylize your eco-friendly holidays and year round celebrations.

Honey B Reusable Gift Bags are gifts in themselves. Order yours today! All sizes $6! Customize sizing available too.

also available at Flock Shop in Chinatown L.A.

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