Travel in Style

We're moving and random pictures

2012-02-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

We as in the Sangria household. With the arrival of Lil Cinnamon we have outgrown our current home. If you are a personal friend and reading this we are only moving about 5 minutes away, not across the country as some have already asked. And because of this move it has left very little time for creating. Mostly just purging of things. Right now I'm purging my kitchen of food that I want to use up and not move and I'm also using this time to just play around with my new (3 months old now) camera. This past summer I went a little nuts buying berries and freezing them for winter use. So I made a lemon and blueberry loaf cake courtesy of Martha Stewart.

Umm, whoopsie? haha. I guess I didn't use enough flour on the bottom. Good thing it was just for Mr. Sangria and myself. Depite the look it tasted wonderful. But I don't think I'll make this again anytime soon. There were just too many steps in this recipe and lately I'm more of an instant gratification kind of girl.

I also made some brownies for a Super Bowl party that we attended. I have some hard core NY Giants fan friends. It's always fun going to Super Bowl parties when people are legit fans, not just "well I choose this team just because" type of fans. They go nuts. We have an amazing group of friends and they are pretty much split between former New Yorkers and former Boston residents. Sadly we cannot mix these friends during Super Bowl games. Mr. Sangria is an Eagles fan as he grew up in Philly but since the in laws live in NY now we got to attend the NY fan screening. But back to the brownies, another thing to remove from the kitchen. I'm not sure how the box got into my kitchen as I'm pretty crazy about not using boxed brownies. Oh well. With the large amounts of alchol consumed no one noticed. Who am I kidding, no one cared.

Have you heard about Pinterst? Of course you have. Well I stumbled across this pin and decided to take on this challenge. I'm not going to bore you with every picture this month but just because I think it's fun here are a few.

10am (as well as 8am and usually 3pm)

Dinner - pepperchini tortellini salad.

Cheers,

Cinnamon Sangria

2012-02-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday I ran the Tinkerbell 1/2 Marathon at Disneyland. It was a lot of fun. My first race post Lil Cinnamon. 30 friends ran for a friends 30th birthday. Most of them dressed up as Tinkerbell. We all had a blast. It wasn't anywhere close to my best time but considering we stopped to have many pictures taken and I've only been back in the running game for a month now I'm happy. And I have new bling to add to my collection. Tinkerbell spins - it's more fun than it looks.

Next race is the Hollywood Half Marathon in April.

Cheers!

A week in mobile pictures

2012-01-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

Our orchid finally died. So sad. I meant to take a picture of it when it had one sad flower bloom left on it but never got around to it. I received it as a gift after Lil Cinnamon was born and it was so beautiful. I kept it alive for 4.5 months which is about 4x as long as I've ever kept an orchid alive. They just hate me, not sure why. I've heard overwatering is what kills them. Next time I promise to ignore completely any plant that is given to me.

I'm in "training" for a half marathon next weekend. Disney's Tinkerbell Half Marathon. I say "training" because I only started running again 2 weeks ago after taking an entire year off. I exercised throughout my pregnancy but didn't do any running as it made me incredibly winded. I can take a year off and get back into the grove in 3 week right? Probably not. As long as I'm not the last person to finish I'm ok with whatever my time is. I run around this lake and it's so peaceful and beautiful.

Last Monday Mr. Sangria, Lil Cinnamon, and myself went to the Staples Center for the LA Clippers vs the NJ Knicks. Or maybe it was the Nets? Not sure. One of my friends had box tickets and invited all of the babies and families from our "Mom and Me" class. By far the cutest box there. It was great to go but I didn't watch 1 minute of that game. Mr. Sangria could not believe we had such great tickets and no one but himself and another dad watched the game. We were too busy gabbing to be bothered with sports.

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

2012 already?!?

2012-01-04T09:09:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012 Everyone!

I hope your holidays were filled with cheer.

Now that Lil Cinnamon is a bit older (4 months now – wow times flies) I’m getting a little bit more time to do things. She naps longer and sleeps through the night, well most nights. Fingers crossed it stays this way!

Also Mr. Sangria had 2.5 weeks off at the end of December as his company was closed for the holidays. That gave me tons of time to get my house organized and such. So I’m starting 2012 off with a clean slate, almost. There is still some hoarding/clutter going on in the Sangria household as I can’t quit cold turkey! But at least now most of my time won't be devoted to organizing.

I’m normally not one for making New Year’s resolutions. I find them a little hokey. But call me hokey this year. By golly, I’m keeping this place clutter free and I’m doing something creative more often. I should clairify that my house is not dirty, you can eat off the floors, the problem is clutter and mail. I curse the credit card companies that send me pre-approval letters on a daily basis. I have a huge shredding stack that gets larger and larger.

Back to the point of this post. Mr. Sangria bought me a necklace back in November that I wear daily. It has Lil Cinnamon's initial and a diamond. Love it! But it’s a wonder that necklace hasn’t been snapped off my neck by now. It’s only a matter of time as we’ve had some close calls already. It’s small and dainty but sometimes something else is needed. So I made this scarf. It’s great for year round wear. Summer or winter. As this 83 degree heat we are having today has me confused as to what season we are in. Lil Cinnamon can grab and pull all she wants and she won’t break it. I think it will look great with jeans and a t-shirt.

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

Thanksgiving

2011-11-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

Lil Cinnamon is taking up a lot more time than I had imagined so I haven't done anything creative in quite a while. (Don't take that as me complaining because I couldn't be happier being at her beck and call 24 hours a day.) We finally got her sleeping longer stretches throughout the night so I'm starting to feel like myself again. A special shout out to Mr. Sangria for helping me get her to sleep. Let's just say he was consoling two crying ladies in our house this weekend.

Anyway the holidays are upon us. I can't believe it! I'm not ready! Not that I have anything that I need to be ready for. We are pretty low key around here.

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Love it! It's about being with friends and family and not stressed out about presents, etc. Which is why it burns me up that they are already playing Christmas music on the radio and every other commercial on TV is a holiday one. Even in the day of DVRs I still watch the occasional commercial when I can't reach for the remote while feeding Lil Cinnamon.

RESPECT THE TURKEY!! - coming from a vegetarian. :)
So in honor of my favorite holiday I thought I'd share some Thanksgiving/fall love.

All images taken from Pinterest.

Candy Corn Anyone?

2011-10-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

How about if it looked like this?

Honestly I wasn't going to dress up Lil Cinnamon for Halloween. I figured she will only be 8 weeks and quite frankly she's still a little blobby so what's the point. That was the sleep deprived me. Once I had my usual 8 cups of coffee the regular me kicked in and realized I would regret it forever if I didn't dress her up in something. And really aren't babies the cutest when they are dressed up? I 100% believe it's perfectly acceptable to dress your baby up in something with ears for no reason at all. Hoodies with bear ears, bunny ears on a bathrobe, etc.
But I don't have time to come up with an elaborate costume. A friend sent me a picture of a baby dressed as a candy corn and I knew that's what I had to make.
Because it was so easy I thought I'd share how I made it with you in case you want to do the same. It took a little over an hour and cost around $15 if that. Easy peasy.

First I bought 1/2 yard each of yellow, orange, and white fleece. I chose fleece because you don't have to finish the cut edges. You won't need that much white fleece but I always buy more just to be on the safe side.
Also I purchased an invisible zipper. A 14 inch zipper should do the trick.

Depending on the height of your purchased fleece you might be able to cut it in half which I did. Then I sewed the yellow and orange fleece together lengthwise.
I folded the sewn piece over in half and place a sleep sack that I had over it and traced. If you don't have a sleep sack you can just freestyle this drawing. It doesn't have to be perfect, just try to make it look like the bottom of a candy corn.

Take one piece and cut a slit about 12" long for a 14" zipper. This isn't an exact science, just make sure your zipper is longer than the slit.
A lot of people are intimidated by invisible zippers but you don't have to be. And explaining how to install it is much harder than actually doing it. **Please note that you'll need an invisible zipper foot for your sewing machine. If you have one you probably already know how to install one. If not don't worry, you can use a regular zipper or buttons, ties, etc. Get creative.

Open the zipper and place it on the left garment piece, on the outside of the fabric, with the wrong side of the zipper facing up. I lined up the zipper tape with the edge of the slit. Place the lefthand groove of the zipper foot over the coils of the zipper and sew.

Next, you will sew the other half of the zipper to your fabric. Line up the top of the zipper and top of your fabric, just opposite as before. Make sure the end of the zipper tape matches the cut side of the fabric. Again as a reminder, you should be looking at the outside of your garment but looking at the wrong side of the zipper.

Turn the zipper into the fabric and zip up. If you need more detailed instructions there are countless Youtube videos. Check them out!

Then place the front and back side of the body together with the wrong sides facing out. Sew around the body with a 1/4" seam allowance making sure to not sew the arm and neck holes together like I almost did! Turn inside out and you are done with the body. Easy wasn't it?

Lastly all we have to do is make the hat.
Measure your child’s head and add one inch to that. For my costume, that was 15″+1=16″. Then cut the fleece with that measurement for the width. I used 7" for the how tall it should be. Fold the cut piece in half and sew along the short side.

Now measure the width of the hat (not counting the seam) and divide that by four. For me, that was 8″ / 4 = 2″. Put a pin this distance from the left and another one this distance from the right. Then I placed a pin 2 inchs up on the sides. On each side, sew a row of stitches from the top pin down to the side pin.

Pick the hat up and squish the top end so that the gap opens up. Pull the top and bottom flaps so that the gap is closed, and you have what looks like a cross shape. There should be no hole in the top anymore. Put some pins in to hold it in place.

Sew a row of stitches on each new flap, going from the center of the top down to the same point on the other seams (1 1/4" up from the bottom)

Trim the excess and you should have a nice pointed beanie shape. Flip it inside out and your hat is done!

As tempting as it is, don't eat this candy corn!
Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Cheers!

Latest Creation

2011-10-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

I have been away from creating things for over the past month. It is because I've made the best thing ever. A new person!
My sweet baby girl was born Sept 1, 2011.

1 very short month later she now looks like this.

It's hard to believe I could love somone as much as I love her. Even at 2am!!!

Blueberry Jam

2011-07-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

Being 8+ months pregnant in the dead of summer has left me with ZERO energy. I've done very little of anything productive as of late. But yesterday I did manage to make some blueberry jam. I love a leisurely breakfast with Mr. Sangria on the weekends. Usually we read the paper, have coffee and some pastry for breakfast, and catch up on The Soup. Jams are relatively easy to make but they get such a big reaction. Mr. Sangria thinks I've spent hours in the kitchen making him something. Clearly that's never the case. I proceed to tell him how great I am and then ask how many of his friends wives make homemade jams on a regular basis (we have a freezer full of strawberry and apricot jams). The answer is none and I make him feel like he is so lucky and therefore should do something nice for me. Like take me to dinner. It's really a win-win situation.

I came across this jam recipe in a recent issue of Real Simple magazine. I love that it doesn't require any canning equipment because canning equipment is a pain in the (--------) to use. Blueberries are in peak season now so I've stocked up. And best of all - there are only 4 ingredients. When you use fresh ingredients you don't need a lot of other additives.

Blueberry Jam

Hands on time: 5 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Makes 3 cups (which I've broken down to 5 seperate containers for future use)

Ingredients:

5 cups blueberries (I used organic)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Mash with a potato masher or wood spoon until the berries have released their juices.

Cook over medium-high head, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to containers and refrigerate for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 1 year.

TIP: This recipe can also be made with two 10-ounce bags of frozen blueberries instead of fresh. Cook the frozen berries for 2 to 3 minutes before mashing, then reduce the total cooking time to 15 to 17 minutes.

Now I need to beg Mr. Sangria to stop at the store on his way home from work to get some good bread to slather this deliciousness over tomorrow morning.

Ruffle Embelished Cuff Bracelet

2011-07-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post I'm busy "cleaning" out some of my closets and actually using items before going out to buy more. I came across a bag of ribbons that I've had for over a year. Some were purchased and others I've collected from various other objects. I save all the ribbons that are on gift boxes, as I never know when they could come in handy.

I decided to make an easy Ruffle Embelished Cuff Bracelet. I didn't use every item shown above but they were all great for inspiration. The only item I had to purchase was the button which I got on sale from Joann's.

Baby Cinnamon Sangria making a cameo - you can't really see her as her baby bump is shy.

Not bad for taking scraps and turning them into glamour.

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

Cleaning leads to procrastination which leads to crafting

2011-07-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

I'm supposed to be cleaning out a closet for Baby Sangria to make room for all of her clothes (she's got more clothes than I do at this point). Her closet is currently my craft/cleaning/don't know where to put stuff closet. So I've been slowly cleaning it out to make room for her. I'm not one for cleaing, it's just not my thing. Don't get me wrong, I love cleanliness but it's clutter that is my downfall. I have lots of ~~stuff~~ treasures that I think, "oh, one day I can use this." So I don't really get rid of things. This also makes me a future prospect for the show "Hoarders". In 20 years when you see me on that show you can say you knew me back when I was a Hoarder to Be.

Anyway, in my "cleaning" I came across some beads that I have had for quite a while. It's been on my to-do list to make this necklace, bracelet, earring set for quite a while. And this past weekend was the perfect weekend to do it. Why clean when you can craft right? I love this set because it's grey, silver, and white which pretty much goes with anything. It can be worn day or night which is a plus in my book.

Stay tuned for more "cleaning" posts in the next few weeks!

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

Diaper Clutches

2011-06-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a while since I've last posted. I've been busy making items however I'm not very good with bringing out the camera most days. Today I forced myself to take advantage of this beautiful So. Cal sunshine and take pictues of items that I do have handy.

Today I wanted to share some diaper clutches that I recently made. Big diaper bags scare me, I don't understand them. I suppose this comes from not having a baby - yet, just a few short months to go! But I can't picture myself taking a huge bag with me everywhere I go. Yes I know one need diapers, perhaps a change of clothes, snacks, etc. for longer adventures but just for running quick errands I imagine these clutches will be more my style. Just fill them with wipes and a few diapers and run to the store. Easy and stylish!

Items will be listed in the shop next week when I re-open it. If you see something you like before then please contact me at: hello@cinnamonsangria.com

**Items shown may differ from items listed in shop due to a few events I have in the upcoming week.**

Baby Shower Gifts

2011-02-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I had 14 friends who were pregnant so I’ve been busy making baby gifts. A few of these babies have joined the world and I quit keeping count of how many are still or newly pregnant. A few years ago I felt like I was going to weddings every weekend. Now it’s baby showers.

A good friend of mine is having her shower in the next few weeks and I wanted to make her something that I hope that she will find useful. A changing pad and diaper clutch for on the go. She has chosen to not find out the gender so I made this gender neutral.

The changing pad is reversible. Either chocolate or white, whatever she decides. A thin layer of batting in between the two fabrics keeps this soft for baby. The diaper and wipe clutch has no batting as I wanted to keep it light and let it fold easily when not in use. It should easily carry 2 diapers and a travel wipe holder. Or an extra onsie in case a change is needed. This is a perfect gift for those times when a busy mom (or dad) doesn’t want to lug the entire diaper bag around. The diaper and wipe holder is not reversible but I made 1 white on the outside/chocolate on the inside and 1 chocolate on the outside/white on the inside.

I also made her 5 burp cloths. I just used leftover fabric and terry cloth that I had on hand. I figure if you are going on have a burp cloth on your shoulder for 18 hours a day it might as well look good, right?

I had enough fabric left over that I made another set (changing pad and diaper/wipe case). This is the last of the fabric and I probably won’t be making any more (for the shop anyway) so if you like it get it while it’s still here. http://www.etsy.com/shop/cinnamonsangria

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

New Items

2011-02-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

It has been quite a while since I've had the opportunity to blog. The holidays were a busy time for us with a few trips to New York to visit Mr. Sangria's family. Then of course the holidays themselves and I had good intentions to restart blogging after the new year but again life happened. But I'm back. I've been busy these last few days making these evening clutches.

As of now the pink, white, and purple are listed on Etsy. The red and grey will be listed hopefully by tomorrow along with a few other new items.
These retail for $20 each. They make an excellent evening clutch. I also use mine everyday to organize my lipstick, keys, mints, smaller items in my larger everyday purse.

More colors to come shortly. Stay tuned!

Visit my etsy shop at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/cinnamonsangria

Cheers!
Cinnamon Sangria

Makeup Bag and bags and bags and bags

2010-11-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Confession. I'm a bit of a ~~hoarder~~ collector. I cannot stand to get rid of things away because just as soon as I do I know I will need them.

Last week a girlfriend of mine was collecting items (clothes, wallets, toiletries, costume jewelry, etc) to take to a women's shelter. She mentioned they were putting together toiletry bags and I knew I could donate mine. See I did find a use for it, therefore justifiying my keep them for as long as I did (years in some cases).

But donating these left me without my own so I needed to make one. I'm not one to carry all of my makeup around with me. Just really powder & lipstick. And when I travel that's all I wear as well. So a small bag made from scraps was in order.

This is just the perfect size for me. And such a great use of my leftover fabric. I think I need to make some more of these for great stocking stuffer gifts.

I Would Walk 500 Miles...OR

2010-10-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

I would run 26.2 miles! And I did! I interrupt this blog to brag a ~~little~~ lot about running the Nike Women's Marathon on Sunday, October 17, 2010. This was my second full marathon of the year (the first being the Los Angeles Marathon in March 2010). It was a great experience of running through the city. We had clear views of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, the famous San Francisco hills, and COLD rain. I was honored to continue running with Team in Training (TNT) which is a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I lost my mother to Acute Lymphcyctic Leukemia in 1998 so being a part of this team means so much to me. Nike partnered with TNT as the sole charity and over $13 million was raised just from this year's race for blood cancer research and support. What an amazing feeling to not only run 26.2 miles but to do it in raising awareness for such a great cause!

On the side of the Niketown building was every participants name. The last I heard there were over 20,000 participants. I've run the LA marathon and a few half marathons throughout the year and I have to tell you running with 18,000 (let's pretend that 2,000 were men because there were a few) was such a joy. We are so polite to one another. In past races people will push you out of the way, at Nike, it was more like, "excuse me, passing you on the left." haha. I couldn't help but notice the manners.

The yellow bag I have distinguishes that I was part of the full marathon group. I carried it around town the day before as a badge of honor! 1 year ago I could barely run 3 miles and now I've run 2 full marathons. I think I've earned the right to brag a bit.

Mr. Sangria was in charge of the camera the day of the marathon and sadly he didn't get any really good pictures. I will let him off the hook because it was raining and miserable outside and not really picture worthy. But I did take pictures of the map if you are familiar with San Francisco you can see the course above. Also check out those hills in the bottom left corner. Miles 7-10 and 12-17 were no joke, especially miles 6-7!!!! And what's that you see, a Tiffany box (upside down - whoopsie)?

Why yes, that is a Tiffany necklace. Instead of the traditional medals Nike Women's Marathon partners with Tiffany & Co and the medal is a Tiffany Necklace. And the best part? The finish line is a red carpet and the necklace is presented to us by San Francisco Firemen dressed in tuexdos. Yep, not kidding! There were a lot of women racing to that finish line. :)

This year the them was "I Run To Be....." you finish the sentence, heathy, an inspiration, motivated, strong, powerful, etc.
Also Ghirardelli Chocolate sponsored a mile and gave us chocolates along the route. Delish! Chocolate, Tiffany necklaces, firemen if you are into that (I'm happily married, thank you very much). What a great even! I hope to be able to run it again!

TNT is a great organization and I highly recommend it. If you would like more information please email me at: hello@cinnamonsangria.com or go to http://www.teamintraining.org/

San Francisco Firemen in tuxedos!

FYI, the above picture is not mine and was not taken by Laura Morton via http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2010/10/17/BAMF1FU1CR.DTL&object=%2Fc%2Fpictures%2F2010%2F10%2F17%2Fmn-marathon18_ph_0502412545.jpg

Hard Shell or Soft Shell?

2010-10-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

Lobsters, which do you prefer? Hard Shell or Soft Shell? I don't really care but in Maine locals definately have their preference. I prefer whichever is quickest and easiest for Mr. Sangria to serve. I have a "thing" about having my hands dirty. I just cannot stand it. So I'm not one to put on a lobster bib and crack open a lobster. I'll either order it "lazy man" style or just have Mr. Sangria do it for me. His parents secretly roll their eyes. And during our recent trip in August I found out my sister in law actually worked on a lobster boat in college to help pay for her education. So she is also quite the pro at cracking open lobsters and can do it quite skillfully.

While in Maine we had lobster ever day. Delish! Did you know that in the 1930's (don't quote me on the exact decade) prisoners of Maine actually held a revolt/protest against the government stating that they were fed too much lobster and it was unfair. Back then lobster wasn't as fancy schmany as it is today. Can you imagine? haha, oh how times have changed.

So in Maine I found the most precious fabric store and came upon this lobster print. I knew instantly that I would make napkins for my mother in law for the holidays. I even bought enough to make myself some. Happy early holidays to me!

Yes, you read correctly, I wrote holidays! They will be here before you know it. Extra bonus points for me for getting at least 1 gift out of the way already. Now if I can just keep this momentum going I'll have all of my holiday presents done in no time!
What are you making for others this holiday season?

Cheers!
Cinnamon Sangria

2010-10-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

I made this nursing cover early in the summer for a friend who had her princess in August. They live in San Diego and unfortunately I don't travel to San Diego that often so I haven't met her yet. :(

I hope they are enjoying it! Note to self, go to San Diego more often!!

This really is a cute nursing cover, despite the pictures. I guess next time I'm going to have to model it myself as it looks much better on a human than a branch.

I think we all go through moments in life where it seems like everyone we know is getting married and you go to what seems like a wedding each weekend. I'm now at the point where everyone I know is having babies. Which makes me extremely happy! Everyone who knows me knows I love babies! Babies are good people. At last count I think I personally have 11 pregnant friends.

So I'm extremly busy with making baby gifts lately. Stay tuned for more items. I'm going to wait until after each shower and/or baby arrival to share as I don't want to ruin any surprises.

Oh and if you are pregnant and a friend of mine one of your gifts will be a nursing cover. I just can't help myself.

Mad Men or James Bond, you choose

2010-09-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

I made this tuxedo bib back in August for a friend's baby. The little guys aunt got married and he needed to look his best for the occasion, not that he needed any help. He's one cutie patootie! It reminds me of a baby James Bond or Don Draper - in a good way.

As much as I love children I'm not venturing into making children's items. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately depending on my mood) there is a proposed law that anything made for children has to undergo strick testing (fireproofing the material, etc) - this will be a huge financial burden to small entrepreneurs. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the safety of children but this seems like a LOT of unnecessary red tape that I'm not interested in jumping through. However if the mood strikes you go ahead and Google CPSIA for more information. If you are interested in these types of bibs I highly recommend Etsy.com. Or you could make your own if you're feeling adventerous, they are really easy!

When I got married my nephew was 8 months old and he was so cute. As I was creating my wedding album there was at one point more pictures of him than my husband. Not that my husband isn't cute but his cheeks aren't so squishy and he didn't have rolls of baby fat all over him. Don't you just love that? Eventually I did reorangize it and my husband is the most pictured male in the album, by 1 picture. :)

I wonder if this little guys aunt will have the same problem that I did with her pictures. My guess is yes.

Happy Fall!

2010-09-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog Friends! And happy fall. I cannot believe summer is over.

I was very lucky to travel a lot during this summer which is why I haven't posted in almost 3 months. Yikes! Mr Sangria and I traveld in June to Oxford, England, London & Paris (see previous posts). Then in July we headed to the Eastern Shore of Maryland for a family wedding and afterwards I flew south to Virginia & Tennessee to visit family and friends and to resouthernize myself. It had been over 2 years since I had been home and I had a blast. I made a promise to myself that that trip would occur yearly. And in August we spent a week in Maine eating way to much lobster!

In the little time that we had between trips I caught a cold, (I'm the only person I know who gets colds in the summer instead of the winter), painted our bedroom - I wish I had a before/after picture but sadly I don't. One of my upcoming projects is a new headboard so perhaps you'll get an "after" shot once that's completed. And I trained for my next full marathon that is happening in 3 short weeks.

With all the traveling a did manage to squeeze in a little craftiness here and there. More nursing covers, napkins, and a baby tuxedo bib which is insanely cute, and other odds and ends that are slipping my mind right now.

But summer over and fall is here. Fall is my favorite season. I think it's the Back to School feeling about getting structured again. We do have a few fall trips planned as well. Life is good, I'm not complaining.

Cheers!
Cinnamon Sangria

I see London, I see France...

2010-06-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

Mr. Sangria and I are back from a lovely trip to Europe (Oxford, London, and Paris). We had a blast - it was a belated anniversary present to ourselves. This was my first time to Oxford and London. The start of our journey took us to Oxford, England. Mr. Sangria spent a year studying abroad at Oxford University so we went back to visit. It brought back many fond memories for him. We even got to stay in the professors's dorms at the school. He showed me the lay of the land and of course his favorite pubs that are still going strong. The buildings are amazing and to think that this school has been open for hundreds of years is hard to wrap my head around.

Then we were off to London. We did all of the touristy things one does when visiting a city for the first time (my first time, not Mr. Sangria's. He played tour guide).

We saw Big Ben.

Parliment

Buckingham Palace - if we are being honest not nearly as beautiful as I thought it would be. But still something fun to see. Who knew the royals only occupy 13 rooms in this massive building? I couldn't get to a spot where I could get a picture of the entire building but trust me, it's huge.

We also went to the British Library, the British Museum, did a Pub Tour in Chelsea, saw the Victoria & Albert Museum, had a very fun time on a bike tour of the city, and of course went shopping and had to visit Harrods. Harrods was a blast, the food area is like none other. However it was insanely crowded so we didn't stay long. One of the joys of living in a big city is that I have access to all of the stuff that they sell so I didn't feel the need to go shopping for too long.

And then we were off to Paris. Both Mr. Sangria and I have been to Paris before so this was a different trip. We met up with Mr. Sangria's parents who were also visiting Paris. We did almost nothing touristy which was different than our visit to London. We mostly strolled and ate. And boy did we eat. I think I'm 50 pounds heavier coming back. But it was worth every delicious morsel.

Notre Dame. I think this was the only touristy thing we did as we went inside (the line moved fast and entry was free).

Did I mention we ate well? Glorious cheese!

A picture of my home. How did this end up in this batch of pictures? Or perhaps it's the Rodin Museum.

We also went to the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition at the Petit Palais. Beautiful work. Unfortunately I coulnd't take pictures but they had hundreds of designs on display. The workmanship was imbeccible. We sat in parks, we visited with is parents and other friends, went to an antique flea market, shopped and we ate endless croissants, nutella crepes, and drank cafe au laits. I'm a happy girl. I hope you enjoyed my recap. Where are you going this summer?

Cheers,

Cinnamon Sangria

Explanation of MIAness

2010-06-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

Hello friends. I have been busy busy busy around these parts. I do have lots of sewing related items to share shortly. I'm in the middle of finishing up a custom order of shoe covers as bridesmaids gifts along with some make-up bags. A great gift if I do say so myself. I will post pictures of these shortly so stay tuned.

Although this is a week late Mr. Sangria and I ran the San Diego Rock N Roll 1/2 marathon. We had a blast! This was his first race and he did so well. If we are being honest he did better than me and he kept me going when all I really wanted to do was just walk. And it was great seeing 3 of my friends in San Diego who live there. Hello C, C, & Y!!! C & Y even volunteered at the start line of the marathon so it was great seeing them at 6am for a pre-run greeting.

I have decided that San Diego is cool, the people of San Diego are cool, and felt cool for being there.

Look at our medals. One of these days I will clean my house and show you our medal wall.

Unfortunately it will be a little while before I get the chance to post again. Mr. Sangria and I are headed on a little vacation shortly and I have to get the previously mentioned shoe bags and make up bags done beforehand. Our trip will be oh so fun and I promise you'll be very jealous. But I promise to take a ton of pictures and share when we get back.

Happy Anniversary!

2010-05-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you."

Happy Anniversary to my best friend! I love you!

xoxo

In the Kitchen

2010-05-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was spent not sewing. Hard to believe but it does happen. Instead I was in the kitchen. It's strawberry season out here in Southern California. I'm assuming it's probably strawberry season all over the country as well. Is it? Every year during strawberry season you'll find me in the kitchen. On Saturday I made strawberry ice cream with my Kitchen Aid mixer ice cream attachment - best. thing. ever. Of course I didn't think to take any pictures. :( But it's ok since I think you know what ice cream looks like. I also made strawberry shortcake and freezer strawberry jam. Delish! Tonight or tomorrow night I'm going to make strawberry muffins with what's left over. I'm on strawberry overload.

Sunday I took a canning/preserving class with a girlfriend of mine. We made red wine jelly, orange & onion marmalade (can't imagine what that tastes like but I'm looking forward to trying it), and apricot jam. I didn't take pictures during the class as I don't think strangers like having their picture taken, I know I certainly don't. So you'll have to settle for the finished product. I think I'm going to have to invest in canning equipment and start canning/preserving everything in site this time of year. I'll be known as the lady who cans. In the south we call it "puttin up." You put up tomatoes, put up beans, put up jams, etc. I remember my grandmother had a whole wall of her basement filled of her canned goodness growing up. It's a lot of work but so worth it. The finished product is much better tasting and heathier than the canned super market products. And don't you just crave tomatoes during the winter? I know I do.

Last night I made banana bread. Fact. I hate bananas. Despise them. Both the texture and the taste. But every single week at the supermarket I buy them because I know they are good for me. I think they are so easy and portable, I can just stick one in my bag and have it as a snack. And I never do it. Just can't bring myself to eat them. I do however love banana bread. It must be all the sugar and bready goodness.

So to tie this all together into something that I've sewn here are some aprons from my stash. Truthfully this first one is from a pre-made pattern from Joann's Fabrics. It was a fun, easy, and quick project.

This one I made myself. This cherry fabric never seems to go away huh? I'm not a big cherry fan either which I know may seem surprising because you see this same fabric in every other post.

This last one either my Grandmother or Great-Grandmother made by hand. It's my absolute favorite. I have no idea how old it is. 50-60 years maybe? Possibly even older. I love to think about her in her kitchen making food for her family. I can tell there is a lot of love in this apron.

Perfect hand embroidery

The stitching is just as clean on the back as it is on the front. That is skill.

Did you see that pool in the background of these shots? That's where I will be this weekend, with a cocktail in hand. Welcome summer!

Interested in the banana bread recipe? I know we all have one but I came across this one about 10 years ago and is easily my favorite. And it's oh so easy to make.

3 ripe bananas

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup melted butter (no salt)

1 tsp baking soda

dash salt

Preheat oven to 325. Mash bananas with a fork. Stir in remaining ingredients in the order given. Pour into buttered loaf pan. Bake 1 hour (or until cake tester/knife comes out clean).

In my opinion nuts are not allowed in banana bread but if you want you could add 3/4 cup chopped nuts. Eww.

This recipe freezes well and truthfully the best way to serve it is cold with cream cheese slathered on top (or even a cream cheese sandwich).

And lastly, because this post couldn't get any longer right? I love Scrabble so I decided to post the topics in the future with Scrabble letters. Because there is only 1 J I took the liberty of using my blank for the 2nd jelly in this topic. So there.

Cheers,

Cinnamon Sangria

Latest Projects

2010-05-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

I am a member of the American Sewing Guild. I love it. We meet once a month and just sew and gab. Sewing can be a little lonely so it's nice to get out and mingle with others, see what they're sewing and get inspired, and meet new friends. I'm fairly new with this organization but sew far sew good. :) The meeting is only 1 1/2 hours long so it's great for quick projects. We also sew for charity. The current project are drawstring bags that will be filled with toiletries and other items for our soldiers in Iraq. I hear that the soilders take the bags and fill them with candy and trinkets and give them to the Iraqi children. I imagine that these children who are living in war zones don't get treats too often. What a wonderful thing! Thank you to our soldiers! These took me no time at all - 20 minutes each maybe. I'll be making many more of these. If you are a sewer please consider making these. Contact me and I will give you the instructions and sizing specifications. It's a great project no matter what your sewing skill is. Disclosure - this is not my pattern and it belongs to the American Sewing Guild.

At our meeting this past week we made napkins. It was a perfect project because napkins have been on my to-do list for almost forever. They are so easy to make but other projects always seem to take priority. I love to cook and have guests over at least once or twice a week. I loathe paper napkins, cloth napkins are much more elegant and also eco friendly which we all love. The napkins I currently have are beige and a bit stained so it was time for new napkins. I love this fabric - it reminds me of summer which makes me happy. I think these would make great gifts and have decided to go on a napkin making frenzy. I'm planning on making linen napkins next with embroidered cherries. Cute huh? Of course I will post pictures. And yes I know I have a few photographer friends who are reading this (waving hi to A, C, & M!) please don't judge my photography skills. I know they are terrible, I'm working on it, just be patient. I have a whole new level of respect for you.

Perfectly mitered corners. Very professional and a fraction of what they would cost at department stores.

I love them. What do you think?
Who wants to come over for dinner?

Cheers,
Cinnamon Sangria

A New Ruffled T-shirt

2010-05-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Cinnamon Sangria and I hate to spend money on clothing when I know I can make it myself. :) As mentioned before I'm making a lot of my summer wardrobe. Below is a shirt that I saw on J-Crew's website. It's fresh and summery and well, it's just a cotton t-shirt. I don't remember how much it cost but I knew it was more than I was going to spend for a t-shirt. And I knew I could make it in no time.

Off to Target to buy 2 t-shirts and well $100 more of STUFF cause you know you can't leave that store with less than $100 spent. Right?

1 Friday night, 2 t-shirts, and 1 hour later. I've got a new top for Saturday lunch with girlfriends. Not bad if I do say so myself. This shirt will definately be joining me on my travels this summer. I'm going to make one in white next as I think I could dress that up with bright jewelry. Clearly this one has sleeves and the original J-Crew one doesn't. Maybe I'll make the white one sleeveless. Also I bought the t-shirts that are 95% cotton and 5% spandex. Big mistake as I had to sew down the ruffles as they were curling up too much. Next time, 100% cotton only. Live and learn. I still love it. I hope you do too.

Shoe Covers!

2010-05-03T23:24:00.000-07:00

This is the product that started it all. I was at the gym in the locker room and didn't know what to do with my shoes. I'm a bit of a germapobe and the idea of having my shoes which have walked on who knows what all day long against my clothes gave me the creeps. I knew that I could make a shoe bag to toss my shoes in, then my clothes would be clean and I'd be happy. So I did just that, made shoe bags. A few ladies at my gym saw them, thought that they were a great idea, bought a few and I thought, "hmmm...." and Cinnamon Sangria was born.

These are also perfect for traveling. Whenever I'm packing I never know what to do with my shoes. I don't want them on my clean clothes. Instead of using pastic bags - which we all knows kills the earth (boo!) why not use these which are much more earth friendly.

All bags are fully lined and reversable. There are quite a few more colors to come, these are just a few.

All are machine washable and 100% cotton.

And they are also the perfect handbag cover as well.

1 piece shoe cover approximately 15" high x 11" wide

2 piece shoe cover approximatley 15" high x 8" wide

The larger shoe cover holds two shoes or you can choose to get two to prevent shoes from scratching against one another.

1 piece shoe cover $25.00

2 piece shoe cover $35.00

Product can be purchased either by emailing me at: hello@cinnamonsangria.com or at: http://www.cinnamonsangria.etsy.com/

10% off all purchases done through email.

Don't forget Mother's Day is right around the corner!

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

Shopping, Sewing, & Scarves

2010-04-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited for summer. The husband and I have a great vacation filled summer ahead of us (Europe, Chesapeake Bay for a family wedding/reunion, and the coast of Maine). Unfortunatley I have no clothes for these trips so I decided to go shopping recently. The thing is ever since I started to sew I haven't been able to shop. The ability to make your own clothes is both a blessing and a curse. On my recent shopping trip I decided:

1. Clothes that I like are overpriced and I know I can make them fit better and reflect my own style at a fraction of the cost.

2. Clothes that are reasonably priced are poorly made or made with synthetic fibers (yes, I'm a fabric snob).

3. I will make my entire summer wardrobe myself.

I'm not exactly sure when I think I'm going to find the time to create a new wardrobe. Oh well, sleep is for the weak. And I envy the weak.

So stay tuned for a few pictures of this endeavor. Plus a new product is coming next week, maybe even this weekend which is the product that made me start Cinnamon Sangria.

In the meantime check out this scarf. Everytime I see scarves I think of NYC. I love scarves and I love NYC so it's a perfect match and a happy thought. My inlaws live in NYC and everytime I go during the winter months I'm always borrowing scarves from my mother in law. Perhaps I'll make more for my NYC travels. I think the flowers add a bit of feminity so the grey isn't so drab. This one shown is flannel and oh so soft!

Luggage Handle Covers

2010-04-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

I hope that everyone recovered from Tax Day. And maybe if you were lucky you even got a refund. In my youthful days when I received a tax refund I immediately planned my next vacation with that money. Yes, I know I should have been saving it but those were my youthful, carefree days and that’s beside the point. The point of this post is VACATION! Because I have to tie this together somehow don’t I?

Over the weekend I made these luggage handle covers. I had in my head to make them since we landed from our trip to New Zealand in January. For pretty pictures to make you jealous look here.

The idea for this came to me when the husband and I sat at the luggage carousel for what seemed like forever. And after a 14-hour flight anything more than 5 minutes is forever. Our luggage was on 2 carousels. I went to one and picked up one bag and the husband waited at the other. And waited. And waited. And waited. Have you noticed that 95% of the bags are black? Even though our bags have red ribbing on them they were flipped over and he didn’t see them. We were the last people there before he decided to flip the luggage over and see that it was ours. At that point I knew I’d never fly again without some sort of luggage identifier. Now I’ve seen people tie ribbon or use duct tape but I think it should be done in style. And that is how the luggage handle cover came about. **Note this is not my invention. I wish it were but it’s not and I don’t know who to give credit to. So if you are reading this and you invented these, thank you. **

These will also work perfectly for carry on bags too. I always get a little nervous that someone will be in a rush and grab my bag before I can get to it. I like the window seat so I’m usually the last person out of my isle. With this luggage handle cover my bag is sure to not be mistakenly grabbed by anxious hands!

And lastly because flying/traveling is so stressful with all the rules, regulations and FEES (that’s another post) isn’t it nice to look at something pretty?

NOTE! This fabric (probably) won’t be a part of the regular Cinnamon Sangria line so if you like them snatch them up now. Just email me at: hello@cinnamonsangria.com

$6 for 1, $11 for 2, $15 for 3 (you get the point right?). Want more? Email me for special pricing. You can purchase by either emailing me or visiting my Etsy store. http://www.cinnamonsangria.etsy.com/ Items will be up this week. I have a few multiples of each color available.

Covers are machine washable, lay flat to dry. Sizes are approximately 5.25" tall x 5.75 high (normal size variations may occur).

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

Hidden Jewelry Hangers

2010-04-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

I actually made these a few months ago. I love them because they are perfect little hiding spots. Inside of these hangers is a small pocket for storing jewelry or any other small item of value to you. I have a lot of jewelry sitting in a jewelry box drawer and even shoe boxes. Most of it is tangled up and I can never find what I need, or I forget that I even have a perfect piece of jewelry for a certain outfit. Now I can put the jewelry in these hangers and put the article of clothing that I plan on wearing with it on the hanger. I always know where my jewelry is and it's not tangled up.

Second idea: do you have a piece of jewelry that is irreplaceable. Perhaps your grandmother's necklace? Where do you think theives to first when the break into homes? Your jewelry box or shoe boxes of course. These hangers are the perfect hiding place!

Size of hanger:

17" wide x 11.75" high (from top to bottom of hanger)

Hidden inside pocket

6.5" wide x 5" high

These items are in limited quantities. One they are gone, they're gone and more than likely won't be replaced. $10 each plus $2 shipping and handling. You can email me at: hello@cinnamonsangria.com with your color choice.

2010-04-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Passover & Happy Easter!

Do anything fun over the holiday weekend? We celebrate both holidays in my household. And this year we celebrated by spring cleaning! Who knew curtains needed to be washed regularly? Certainly not the husband but I educated him on that this past weekend. We also cleaned windows, laundry, baked, and sewed. And we are nowhere near done but I'm on a mission and we will continue this fun adventure next weekend and every weekend until I'm satisfied or have to start over again.

For all of my hard work the Easter Bunny (I know it's the husband) did manage to make sure he left a Easter basket. I should have taken a picture of it before I dove head first in the chocolate goodness but take my word for it, it was pretty!

I did manage to clean my sewing stash this weekend (as well as add to it with beautiful new fabrics which will be showcased in a later post). In cleaning this stash I decided that I had just enough of this fabric to make a nursing cover. Cute huh? I don't have children of my own which is why you don't see an actual person or baby in the below pictures but take my word for it ok. I've decided that most of my fabric is girly so this is one of the few that is good for boys. There is even a pocket where the label is to put wipes or pacifiers or whatever moms need.

As mentioned previously the website is being worked on however if you are interested in purchasing this cover please feel free to contact me below in the comment section or email me at: hello@cinnamonsangria.com

Cheers!

Where does the time go?

2010-03-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have been hard at work, just haven't had much blogging time. I've been putting the final touches on some products and dreaming of more to come. I met with my photographer friend and she took some gorgeous pictures (see below for a sneak peek - more to come within the next few days!). Oh and I ran a marathon. Yep 26.2 miles. Exhausting and exhilarating at the same time (a little bragging if you don't mind). So with all the things that come with starting a new business, training for a marathon, having family in town to watch said marathon (because they had to see it to believe it), I'm in need of a break!!! But life goes on and the world doesn't wait so I will return to my regular hectic schedule.

So exciting to see my name in print and on products!!

A New Logo!

2010-02-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

A new logo! Yippie! My friend Cathy is a graphic genius. I asked her to create a logo and explained to her in about 3 sentences what vibe I was looking for. Those three sentences were not complete sentences, mostly ramblings but she got what I was looking for. This is perfect! Now if I can figure out how to add this as a header. Hmmm, I have a feeling this could take a while as you know I'm tech challenged. It's ok, it will give me something to do tonite while the husband watches Lost (which I've never seen). - see I do ramble.

Check out Cathy's website at: http://www.loveatfirstinvite.com/

And her blog: http://www.loveinvites.typepad.com/

And in my last post I mentioned that I needed to find a photographer to take pictures. Check that one off the list! I'm going to go visit a friend later this month who is a fantastic photographer who will be taking pro pics for me. I LOVE having talented friends! And now that I have my logo I've sent it to get labels made for all of my products, so official looking huh? And I'm also knee deep in government paperwork filling out all the necessary documents to become legal. It's great checking things off my to-do list.

Once I receive my labels I'll post a few sneak peak pictures for you.

Exciting Announcements

2010-01-27T20:00:00.001-08:00

There are still some things to iron out (no pun intended) but I'm officially launching Cinnamon Sangria as a business! I'm thrilled beyond words! All of the exhausting legalities are being worked out. Uggh, why does the government have to drown us in paperwork?

I have a friend who is helping build my website and logo (ok she's really doing ALL of it). I can't wait to see the final results! It's all I think about.

Of course there will be purses and a few other fun things! I've got to get a photographer to take better pictures as you know I'm not the best at picture taking and I want to present my items in the best possible way. I'm positive I'll be blogging more often because I'll have better pictures.

In the meantime until I have my online "Open House" I've been making items to stock my shelves and did I mention the paperwork? I can't remember the last time I was so busy but I'm not complaining.

Stay tuned for more exciting information. I'll be sharing more and more as things work themselves out.

Happy Belated New Year!

2010-01-19T18:48:00.001-08:00

Happy Belated New Year! First off I can't believe it's been since October since I've posted. That's completely unacceptable. I haven't fallen off the of Earth I've just been busy with life. I have crafted since we last visited but not as much as I would have liked. But it's a New Year and time for fresh new beginnings. I don't really like New Year's resolutions but this year I have 2.

1. Spend more time on my business which includes updating this blog on a regular basis
2. Floss daily. :)

One of the reasons I've been MIA is because I've been traveling. The husband and I spent the holidays and New Year's in New Zealand. It was an amazing trip! I have about 400 pictures to go through. I picked a few to share with you below. I wanted to share all 400 but somehow I figured you couldn't sit and go through that many pictures. We saw a little bit of everything. The country has 4 million people and 40 million sheep, I think I saw every single one of them. They are so cute. We went to a lavendar farm, I wish I had a better picture. There was a little cottage there that sold all things lavendar, soaps, satchets, etc.
We went to a Glacier Mountain and went to a lake that was made from glacier water and icebergs. You'll see below how big they are. They are white and clean when they first appear but then over time dirt gets on them and they look like rocks, but they are 100% ice!

Off to go floss!

xo,

Cinnamon Sangria

Another Purse

2009-10-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

I made this purse a few weeks ago and finally got around to having a picture of it taken. It's Amy Butler's Swing Bag. And Amy Butler fabric. See the previous post for more pictures of different purses with this fabric. I had extra fabric so I figured I'd make another bag because I gave the ones away that I previously made.

The bow can also be used as a belt. Double duty, I love it! I'm going to make a ton of these belts. I feel like they can add a little something to a weekend outfit with jeans.

The weather has finally changed here and I can soon bring out warm winter projects. I can't wait to share what else I've been making!

Purses!

2009-09-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

I made these first three purses over a year ago as hostess gifts for my bridal showever. I think they are so cute and fun. So cute and fun that I made the bottom two for myself!

The top three are all made with Amy Butler fabric. I think she has some of the best fabrics on the market. Finding these pictures made me remember that I had stashed away some extra fabric so my current project is being made of this exact fabric. The bottom two are made from fabric that I found in NYC last Thanksgiving. Everytime I carry them I always think of that trip.

Although you can't tell from the picture each purse has 4 metal feet for it to stand on so the bottoms don't get dirty and also each has a snap closure and inside pocket to keep all of my little treasures safe.

A Warm Welcome!

2009-09-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Welcome to my blog and thank you for visiting. I've decided to start this blog as a way to show my latest creative endeavors. Mostly sewing but from time to time I have a few other crafty tricks up my sleeve. I'm so glad you dropped by for a visit. Please feel free to comment on any post.
In the next few days I'll be re-working this blog and have more information up. Stay tuned, until then.....

Do something creative every day!
xo,
CinnamonSangria