Navy Friday

Happy Wedding Day, William and Kate! 

Happy Friday to everyone else!  See you Monday!

DIY 5 Minute Summer Scarf

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I need a few more summer scarves (an oxymoron, I know, but I love the look) to add to my repertoire.  I love the circle scarves at American Apparel but decided to make my own.  They're beyond easy to make. 

I bought a yard of jersey fabric at Mood for $12.  (And can I just say that I have so much more respect for the contestants on Project Runway... I have no idea how they select their fabrics so quickly.  I was in Mood for an hour and a half trying to pick out fabric for just one scarf!)  This piece of fabric was large enough so that I could cut it in half lengthwise and make two scarves out of it.

There is no need to hem the sides of the jersey fabric because it doesn't fray.  Although you certainly could if you wanted a more finished look.

Next fold the fabric in half and line up the open edges.

Pin the edges together.

Zip the pinned together edges through your sewing machine with the zig zag stitch.  (I was testing on a different piece of fabric in these next few pics... sorry I don't have pics of the original.)

For the life of me, I still can't sew in a straight line.  But this is a simple project and perfection is not necessary.  It will be bunched up and wrapped around so you won't even see the seam. Trim off the excess fabric.

Here's the seam line flipped right side out.  See?  Looks fine, crooked seam and all.

And here is the finished scarf!  It literally took about 5 minutes to make and looks so chic.  You can wear it looped once...

or looped twice.  It's lightweight, comfy and is the perfect spring/summer accessory for any outfit. 

Birthday Treats

Last week was my brother's birthday so I made some tasty treats and dropped them off at his office so he could share them with his co-workers.  I decided to go the savory route instead of sweet so I made my famous Bacon Crisps and Parmesan Rosemary Icebox Crackers topped with melted Gorgonzola crumbles.  Yum!

Would you prefer a box of savory treats instead of cupcakes for your birthday?  Personally I always choose salty over sweet...if there was a salt lick for humans I would have one.  Weird, I know. 

Navy Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  See you Monday!

Cuteness

Some cuteness to brighten your day! (Goodness, I just can't get enough of Pinterest!)

Source: tumblr.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

Source: goodbyetoyesterday.me via Navy Bean on Pinterest

Source: tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

Source: dogs.icanhascheezburger.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

Source: buzzfeed.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

Source: ffffound.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

Source: supermarkethq.com via Navy Bean on Pinterest

Shopping in the City: Muji

Today I thought we'd go on a tour of another one of my favorite stores, Muji.  Muji is a Japanese retail store that sells a variety of items from clothes, to furniture to office supplies.  It's a combination of Ikea and The Container Store with a sparse, minimalistic Japanese aesthetic. 

Muji has several locations throughout the city, today I visited their Chelsea store.

My favorite part of Muji is the paper and office supply section.  I love the neutral notepads and pencil cases and all of the Japanese designed office tchotchkes. 

Rainbow of pens.

 

Notepads in every size imaginable.

Containers galore.  See what I mean about it being one part Container Store?

I'm pretty sure these are the toothbrushes that set designers use in magazine bathroom photoshoots.  They're simple and neutral. (You never see pink Colgate toothbrushes in those photos!)

Minimalist bathroom supplies.

I'm kind of obsessed with these Ultrasonic Aroma Diffusers.  They're kind of like a mini humidifier that scents the room and is also a night light.  Cool.

Shrink wrapped t-shirts.

Love these striped slippers.

City map handkerchiefs.

 

Cute cardboard animals.

Panorama skyline cards.

Finally, alarm clocks that aren't tacky.

Canvas tote bags.

Fun ice cube trays in letters and shapes.

Classic white dinnerware.

As you can see, Muji has an eclectic mix of products and it's fun to peruse through them all. 

Muji:

The New York Times Building 

620 8th Avenue (40th Street)
New York, NY 10018

16 W 19th Street 

(Between 5th and 6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011

455 Broadway 

(Between Grand and Howard Streets)
New York, NY 10013

Store Hours:
Mon-Sat 11-9
Sun 11-8

Receipt Holders

Since today is Tax Day, I thought I'd do a somewhat related post.  My problem is that I can't handle all the receipts that accumulate around the apartment.  We either have piles and piles of them or they magically disappear without a trace.  In my effort to be more organized and efficient, I thought I'd look for a receipt holder similar to the restaurant check spindles.

I found this one via Apartment Therapy that also doubles as a coin holder.

 Here is a gorgeous vintage receipt holder found on ebay. 

 Another vintage find found on Etsy, but unfortunately sold. 

Not having any luck on Etsy today.  I love this unique hanging receipt holder but again, already sold.

Or should I just go with the restaurant check spindle? These look the scariest to me but they're also the cheapest.

Or should I forgo the spike idea all together and go with a replica of a vintage wall receipt holder?

Wait... I think I've found it!  How cute is this mouse receipt holder?!  I'm sold!

So how do you keep track of all your receipts?  Do you keep them in your wallet?  In a shoe box?  Are they crumpled up in the bottom of your purse?  Do you throw them out all together?  I'd love to hear your organizational tips!

Navy Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  See you Monday!

April is National Grilled Cheese Month

Those of you following my Twitter will know that I recently found out that April is National Grilled Cheese Month! (via my friend Jessica from Nutritioulicious.)  I'm one of the biggest grilled cheese fans out there so I thought this definitely was entitled to a full post.  So here we go:


You can try my favorite recipe for the Best Grilled Cheese. Ever.  Or check out these other great recipes:

Double Cheddar with Tomato Jam grilled cheese.  Yum.

This Green Goddess Grilled Cheese by Panini Happy looks scrumptious with all it's herb-y goodness.

Pioneer Woman swears by her grilled cheese.

And of course, you can't forget the tomato soup.  This one by Smitten Kitchen looks delicious.


If you're in LA, you can celebrate by attending the Grilled Cheese Invitational.  (Seriously, could this could be my all time favorite food festival theme... wish I lived in LA!)  Or you can visit The Commodore which was voted best grilled cheese by New York Magazine for 2011.  Whether you make at home or enjoy out, make sure you celebrate grilled cheese this month.  Happy eating!