lace-trim shorts & cauliflower crust pizza

This DIY is pretty simple - taking some plain jean shorts and adding a little accessory to it. :)

supplies:

2 feet lace/trim

cut off shorts

scissors

needle and thread

pins

Cut the lace into two pieces that will be used as the trim to your shorts.

Pin lace onto the shorts and sew with needle and thread.



Yay! :)

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

2 cups of cauliflower

2 eggs

1 cup of almond meal 

1 tbsp coconut oil

1. Preheat oven 450 degrees 

2. Steam cauliflower until soft and mash in food processor or with a fork into small pieces

2. Combine eggs, coconut oil, and almond meal with mash cauliflower 

3. Form pizza shape and bake in oven for 12-14 mins or  until edges are brown

Take the pizza crust out and add your desire pizza toppings (I mixed 2 tbsp of Italian seasoning into the tomato sauce then add bacon, mushrooms, and two eggs on top) then bake for another 5-10 mins. 

Sorry no picture of this yummy pizza. =/

Thanks for joining me today! :)

<3, phu

Tart to Dye For

This might be the tastiest thing I've made in a really long time. I shared it with the Mushroom Lady, and she actually ate it... ALL! Usually, she asks a bunch of questions, takes a few bites, and hides it somewhere in her van, I'm sure to dispose of later. I'll definitely be making this one again... and sharing with the Mushroom Lady.

Caramelized Onion & Cauliflower Tart

I followed this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but used a pre-made shell.

I suggest pre-baking the shell a bit before adding the innards to avoid a soggy bottom.

Crochet Dress Turned Ombre Skirt

A while back, I bought a crochet dress that shrunk in the wash... or maybe it was just a tunic to begin with? (That's how long it's been since I wore it.) So I decided to update it with some dye, a pair of scissors, and a hidden zipper. No tutorial for this one, guys. My mom would cry if she saw how messy my sew job was. This is definitely a project to revisit.

DIY: tulle skirt

there's this scene of Friends, S2E1, where Rachel is waiting at the airport for Ross to return from China, and she sees him deplane with Julie.  well there's this wrap around skirt that she's wearing, that i have always been in love with!  that scene inspired me for this DIY project and dresses/skirts that are much too short.

i probably have a handful of dresses that i don't want to get rid of b/c who knows, maybe i'll be going to vegas to, or to a club!  they're still in good condition, and could be appropriate for other occasions if they were just a tad bit longer.

so i went to Joann's, picked up about 10 yards of tulle, 5 yards in platinum, and 5 yards in black, and 2 yards of a silver ribbon.

i left the tulle folded in half, the way it comes on the bolt, then folded the tulle width wise and cut down the length, creating 2 panels of platinum tulle.  i did the same with the black tulle.  line up the tulle, in alternating colors (if you decide to use multiple colors). the top of the skirt will be the tulle that is still folded, the way it was on the bolt (you should have 4, b/c we didn't cut this fold), and the bottom portion of the skirt will have 8 layers. i hope that made sense.

pardon my binder clip, i didn't have any straight pins available

taking a sewing needle and thread and make a straight stitch across the width of the tulle, i started the stitch approx 2 inces away from the top.  once that is done, i put the skirt, with the needle still hanging from the thread around my waist, and scrunched up the tulle, until i had my desired skirt width.  i then closed the stitch.  i didn't want the skirt to close completely, but to still open up gently in the middle front, so you can see the dress underneath depending on how you move.

next to add the ribbon, this was a little more difficult then i thought it was, b/c of the scrunching, but i used a simple stitch to sew my ribbon on to the tulle, right over the straight stich. leave enough of the ends to tie your skirt off.  lastly even out your bottom hem, by just taking some scissors to it.

 and i was finally done! this project probably takes about 30-60mins depending on your skills.  it actually took me a lot longer b/c of trial and error, and b/c i had to pull apart the tulle a couple of times.  however, i'm happy that i didn't give up.

thanks for stopping by! if i've inspired you, share your creation! :)

if you have any questions about the tulle skirt, feel free to leave a comment.

<3 roe [a roesy life]

Purple Lace Cut Out Back T-shirt & Paleo Asparagus Pesto Sauce

My white tee has become over sized and not worn much so I decided to spice it up a bit by adding purple lace to the back.

You will need: a t-shirt, scissors, 1 inch lace/trim, needle, and thread

Lay your shirt flat and cut about 3 inch sections on back of your shirt

Wrap each lace around each section and sew with needle and thread.

The finish product:

Paleo Asparagus Pesto Sauce

bunch of asparagus
12 tbsp olive oil
8 tbsp chopped walnuts
salt and pepper for taste

1. Chop asparagus (remove white ends)
2. Bring water to boil and add in asparagus. Cook for about 2 mins. Remove from heat and cool the asparagus with ice cold water to stop asparagus from cooking.
3. Blend asparagus, olive oil, and walnuts in blender. Add salt and pepper for taste.

I put some of the pesto sauce over some baked salmon. Yum!

P.S. Thank you so much for reading our blog. Happy 1st birthday to our baby F.L.A.N! :)

<3, phu

A Bowl of Rice and a Cup of Tea

My style of cooking consists of digging through the fridge/pantry and throwing everything together. So fried rice is a go-to, all-in-one meal at my place. This time I made fried rice with bacon, shiitake, asparagus, and garlic.

 

Some Tips:

• Day-old rice is best (it's not as moist so it won't get mushy on you)
• Sautee everything separately since they cook at different speeds
• Preheat the rice and fry with sesame oil and/or peanut oil
• Add oyster sauce and soy sauce in conservative amounts to taste
• Add a little chili oil at the end for a subtle kick or pickled veggies for a refreshing bite
• Try white pepper instead of black
• Pack the finished fried rice in a bowl, place a plate on top, flip it over, and top with a fried egg for a pretty presentation

My D.I.Y. approach is similar to my cooking style in that I rummage through accumulated odds and ends, throw something together, and hope it's palatable. As I was walking through SF Chinatown one rainy afternoon, I stumbled upon a little shop of crocheted oddities and various christening paraphernalia. I picked up two cotton doilies for $2.50. They sat in my fabric scrap bin until last night, when I realized I had been wearing the same blue, raw-edge sweater from Urban Outfitters for the last six years! Time for an update.

Instructions:

1. Tea/coffee dye the doilies - This works best on 100% cotton or silk
• Place the items in a small cup (like I did in my My Dear Darling mug)
• Add multiple tea bags or satchels of coffee grinds wrapped in cheese cloth - Tea stains more orange and coffee stains more brown
• Cover with boiling water and leave until satisfied with color
• Rinse in cold water and dry
• Note: The finished product will dry lighter
2. Use pins to hold the doilies in place and sew by hand or on the machine (I just ran a simple stitch around each doily but let the scalloped edge creep into the neckline)
3. Turn inside out and carefully cut away the sleeve to show a little bit of skin

What do you think? The manfriend was afraid I might look like a 1920's football player, but he approved of the finished project ;)

<3 C

DIY: t-shirt to dolman top

i've been feeling super burned out lately.  maybe i need a vacation from vacation.  this past weekend, i finally had a weekend of nothing, i mean no birthdays, baby showers, weddings, dinners.  it was really all about me, and it felt good.  so i used this time to clean up, do loads of laundry, and catch up on crafting.

i got this Warriors t-shirt back in 2008-2009 season.. when I went to the opening game with the homies! for the past 6 years it's served as a great sleeping tee, but i thought it was time i refashioned and let this shirt hit the streets.

i found this great and easy tutorial from the beautiful and talented, Laura, over at Trash to Couture.

With some snips here...

Blue Dots: Cut and then sew together
Red dots: Sew only
sorry it's difficult to see.. note to self for later posts

and some running through a sewing machine here, and cutting off the excess side fabric after you sewed up the red dots...

i got this new casual shirt that i can wear in public and represent.

Perfect time since they are now playoff bound!!

Hope you all enjoyed this tutorial! i can't wait to do more.

thanks for reading!

<3 roe [a roesy life]

California Love

Although my journey in life has taken me to Chicago for the time being, California will always be home and of course, I will always love California. I will probably always use the word "hella" and have much love for the bay. (Go Giants! Go Sharks! Go Warriors! Go Niners!) D showed us this project a long time ago and I've always wanted to make one. Wintery cold days are perfect for craft days and I finally was able to get the chance to make this California Love String Art and decorate my place. :)

Material:
wooden board
pins (cut pins short enough to pin into board, the pins I used were thin enough that I didn't have to use wire cutters)
pliers (used to bend the pins short enough to be pinned into the board)
cut out of state
string
hammer
pencil
scissors

1. Print out the state to the size that will fit your board and cut. Trace the state onto your board.
2. Draw a heart over the city desire
3. Hammer in each pin leaving a little space in between (some parts of the wood was soft enough to just push in the pins with my hands)
4. Take the string and tie a knot or two around a pin. Next, loop it around one of the heart pins to the next outline pin (I had a hard time stringing so I would suggest going to the link I provided that gives the instructions on how to string). Keeping looping the strings until done.

I used yarn on my first trial and didn't like how it turned out so got some string instead. It's been awhile since I've been able to craft and have missed it. Time to think of my next DIY project. :)

<3, phu