joslyn of simply lovely! she said:
“i’m most proud of my husband’s most recent b-day party…it was a milestone party and he had just begun woodworking, so we made handmade invitations using wood grain for the background, used wood veneer to make tons of hurricanes for candles and asked all the guests to bring him a piece of wood found or bought that he could craft something from. All our family members pitched in for the band saw and we served German food and red velvet cake (his favorites)…it was pretty swell if i do say so myself.”
sounds pretty amazing huh?! thanks to dlb for helping pick the winner. I think you won him over with tools being involved. :) thanks to everyone for their great stories. it was hard to pick just one.
{joslyn, email me your info and I’ll send out a special valentine’s day set of cards which are available in my shop!}
• guiltless shopping
• manicured nails
• syrah and french onion soup
• finally hanging out with Jess
• receiving her awesome gift – it’s in a frame, I’ll photo it later today
• laying in bed while dlb made pancakes
• stumptown coffee
• antique shopping
• digging for more skeleton keys, and still wanting that giant one
• the photobooth
• thai food and a belgium strong ale
• once
• chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing
• grayson and super natural cooking
• going to bed, satisfied that I had the best birthday in awhile
thanks to those who wished me a happy birthday!
ok, since I’ve been tagged by three of you lovely bloggers, I thought what better day to do it than on my birthday, so… here goes:
01. I don’t pay attention very well sometimes, and it gets me into trouble.
02. I’m mildly obsessed with Google. when I need the answer to something, I Google it. when I hear a song I like, but don’t know who it’s by, I pick out some lyrics and Google them. I’ve even Googled my name.
03. regardless of the situation, the first thing I do whenever I get home from work is change into a comfy pair of pants and a t-shirt.
04. I’m so vain. if there is a mirror, I can’t help but look at my self in it. even reflections in windows. and I do think that song is about me.
05. I generally “look” at magazines. rarely do I “read” them.
06. I love to cook but I hate to clean. sometimes I literally have to plow into cleaning. I get myself worked up for it, and usually end up cleaning the whole kitchen or bathroom. I don’t like vacuuming though. dlb does it.
07. I really really really really really really really really really really want to learn how to sew.
08. I once was de-shelling and de-veining shrimp and one still had the head on. I couldn’t step into the kitchen until dlb got rid of it. all the way through dinner, I couldn’t stop thinking about those ugly antenna. so, needless to say, I’m a little squeamish.
happy birthday to me!
so, I’m tagging Jess because you know you want to do it, Tiff because you could use a little sunshine, Pia Jane, because happy birthday to you too!, Rachel, Courtney, Sarah, and Amy. go for it ladies!
I’m looking forward to:
manicured hands.
a glass of wine with a friend.
I’m treating myself to:
a new little dress or something. yay!
I’m tasting:
the most delightful tarts made by my boss.
I want to read about:
grayson and lynne.
I’d really like:
to sign up for this garden party swap.
to have a garden like hers.
I can’t wait:
to see what he’s got in store for me.
{I hope it’s tiny icing covered cakes!}
{image from gee nicole}
I always have enjoyed wrapping presents, and had quite a good time decorating my Christmas packages this year with ribbon, bows, berries, and little birds. I’m such a sucker for ribbon. I get trapped in the ribbon aisle at the craft store, and dlb always says, come on Alyson, let’s go, while I ponder which colors I need and which ones I want. I could have spools and spools of ribbon, and do nothing with it. I like to look at it. and it makes for a pretty package.
{from broadway paper}
I’ve been on the hunt for a new pair of casual canvas shoes to go with my everyday attire that I can wear with socks. my Golas have seen better days, so I decided that one of the ways I’d spend some of my birthday money would be to buy new shoes.
I got a little off task.
and I found these.
I’d love to snatch these up for my hopefully-soon-to-be-sunny-and-warm-outside attire.
birthday parties are always fun. cake, presents, decorations, and memories. I always enjoy a theme party when everyone dresses up and wears funny hats or makeup. some of my parties included dressing up like pirates and dancing with our pirate booty on, singing into a karaoke machine {I think Love Shack was sang at least 5 times}, or a makeup artist, who outfit us tiny 4 year olds with dresses and makeup built for tiny southern belles.
so I’m curious, what has been your favorite birthday party? tell me about a smashing party you threw for your sister, a custom shaped cake you had designed, or the biggest surprise party, that fooled even your hard to surprise mother. post your comments by tomorrow, 5:00 pm PST and the winner, chosen at random, will receive a special set of Valentine Cards which are now available in my shop!
{image from martha stewart}
while browsing through my reader this morning, I stopped immediately when I saw these taffy-looking things from Milk and Cookies roll across my screen. in her post titled “cake without the bake”, Jen writes about these delightful looking Filipino treats called polvoron, which are little toasted wheat cakes compressed using a polvoron press! they consist of flour, powdered milk, sugar and melted butter. the chocolate version has hot chocolate milk powder! since my Dad lives in the Philippines, I emailed him to see if he’s ever heard of these taste looking treats, and to get a first hand account on whether they really do taste as good as they look. I’ll let you know what he says.
as anything sweet and original always sparks my interest for birthday treats, these would be a great alternative for a gift. a touch of handmade goodness right from the kitchen is always special. maybe for my pasalubong next time you come to the states, right Daddy?
{image from milk and cookies, recipe here}
last weekend, dlb and I went to Pix Pastisserie. I’ve been wanting to visit this little pasty shop ever since Chelsea first mentioned it to me waaaaay back when I first moved here. after a delicious Milk Stout at Roots Organic Brewery, we decided we were in the mood for something sweet, and I suggested Pix because it’s open late! I adore the floral decor in the interior and the quaint, semi-romantic setting. Pix has lots of tiny treats, chocolates, and home made ice cream. we tasted the Ambrosia chocolate, Incognito lemon cheesecake – which was amazing, and despite the cold, a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
birthday bonus – add a chocolate Happy Birthday plaque to any custom order!
