Posted on | September 15, 2011 | 15 Comments
the other night we went to a bbq to celebrate a good friend’s birthday. Barham wanted everyone to bring their own version of a slider and we could have a gourmet slider-off. well, it wasn’t a competition (but it so totally was). kids, dogs, wine, champagne in cans (it exists! and comes with a straw attached! there is a god!) and many delicious sliders. i’m still thinking about a few of them…
oh snaps!
i didn’t take any photos of the sliders because i was way too busy ingesting them. Scot and i made beef sliders with feta and garlic in the patty, then topped them with garlic mayo, an olive tapenade we made with kalamata olives and a thin slice of cucumber. holler!
Holly and Doug made 2 different kinds (again, not a competition but it was clear they were totes in competition with each other). Holly’s was a beef burger with gouda, a slice of green apple and some honey mustard. i’m not a fan of fruit and meat together (i know, i know) but this was delish. Doug’s burger was also beef, with tomato, lox and cream cheese. that was amazing.
Bree and Barham’s burger was glorious – a lamb burger, wrapped in prosciutto (before cooking), topped with arugula and tomato. drool.
the whole evening was awesome, full of good friends, clearly delicious food and enjoying the nice evening weather before Fall officially pushes us all indoors. happy birthday Barham!
next up: taqueria style taco-off. BRING IT.
Category: extreme happiness,
friends,
fud,
just plain cute,
nugget,
other peoples babies,
Scot,
the haps,
Uncategorized,
wine,
winning
Posted on | September 3, 2011 | 10 Comments
top: Anthropologie // skirt: Ross // belt: Urban Outfitters // shoes: Kenzie // earrings: F21 // bracelet: Zulugrass
Helllooooo! It’s Chelsey The Paper Mama! Mandy needed a day off… and I was MORE than happy to take over, errr, watch over her blog while she relaxes today. 
I like it over here… nice and cozy…. but, I thought some wine would come with a guest post over at the Haps?!? Hmmm… next time…
Anyway, look at me go! Steppin’ Out on a Monday night! Yeah! My sister and her fiance are in town… which means we have been out and about more than usual. My sis lives in New Zealand the majority of the year and is only here for a month… so, we need to live it up while she’s here! We wandered over to a lovely pizza joint and enjoyed the Vegetarian’s Nightmare pizza! Well… I mostly chased Ruari everywhere. She’s at that age… BUT, it was a lovely night out that I very much enjoyed!
Thank you Mandy and Miss Harper for having me! And… if you’re ever in my bloggy neighborhood, be sure to stop by and say hi at The Paper Mama!
Snag the Code Here:
Posted on | August 24, 2011 | 11 Comments
have you guys seen the little box to the left hand side that says Bluum yet? if not, i wanted to jump in here real quick and let you know what it’s all about. Bluum is launching next month and in a nutshell it’s a subscription in which you get a monthly delivery of handpicked samples (deluxe sizes and occasional full sizes) of beauty and baby products.
i so wish something like this had been around when i got pregnant with Harper. there are so many products out there, and many of the newer baby ones that i would want to use are pretty expensive to “try”. a box full of goodies delivered to my doorstep so i can try and see my favorites before i buy a big one? that would have ruled.
next month i’ll have a post with an interview on how Bluum is getting started and why, but i just wanted to let you guys know about it beforehand since they are launching so soon. you can sign up now for your invite so you’ll know when it’s time to subscribe. i know lots of you are expecting and/or have little ones, and i thought a lot of you would love it! i’m sorry, but anything coming in the mail for ME that isn’t a bill is something to get really excited about. amirite?
my first Bluum box is on it’s way to me, so i will let you guys know what i think next month. i’m sure smelling baby products won’t make the ovaries twitch whatsoever. yeah…
request your invite here.
follow Nicole (total sweetheart!) on her pregnancy journey at the Bluum blog here.
Posted on | June 22, 2011 | 5 Comments
today the very lovely Annie from The Friendly Fox is here to share a simple and adorable DIY with you guys. Annie has the cutest little bub named Jacob – you’ll meet him below – and two amazing vintage shops. The Friendly Fox for us and Tiny Fox Vintage for the littles – so cute! check out her blog and shops, and enjoy her post below. thanks Annie!
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Hello, Harper’s Friends! Annie here, from The Friendly Fox, guest posting for Mandy while she takes a little break. I must say, a break from the computer and all internet-related things can be a truly refreshing thing! Here’s hoping it’s that and more for Mandy!
Last week, as my four month old Jacob slept, I changed our pillow cases from solid colors to some polka dot ones. When Jacob woke up the next morning (in our bed, where he sleeps), he FREAKED OUT over the dots! It was the silliest thing to watch-he was clawing and batting at the pillowcases and tried to climb up them. With the biggest smile on his face, he grabbed one of the pillows hugged it and licked it for about ten minutes. Everytime he saw those dots, he’d smile like a maniac. Since I can’t walk around carrying a pillow in one hand and Jacob in the other arm, I gave him the little drawstring bag the sheets came in. It made him so happy, and I realized that- while very endearing- my kid dragging around a fabric bag is a bit sad. And apparently babies shouldn’t play with bags. So I set out to make him a couple of little toys. Now, I am NOT good at sewing by any means. Though I took a few classes and can handle the basics, sewing a straight line is sometimes a challenge and I was up for it.
I decided on two simple shapes: the letter J and an arrow. Both of these have long skinny sections that he can wrap his little fingers around easily, and they have small sections that can be easily shoved in his mouth.
1. I found the shapes I wanted, blew them up in Photoshop, and printed them out. I pinned them to the fabric and cut 1/4″ bigger than the paper, to allow for the seam.
2. I sewed 1/4″ from the edge of the fabric, using the guides on my machine. Leave an unstitched area for the stuffing.
3. Instead of using stuffing, I filled these with uncooked rice. I figured the rice would feel good on Jacob’s gums when he starts teething soon, and they could be thrown in the freezer to help ease the pain. Also I was lazy and didn’t feel like going to the fabric store for batting. **If you are filling these with rice instead of stuffing, please please make sure your stitches are tight enough that the rice won’t get through them when your little one is gnawing away! You don’t want them choking on uncooked rice!!
4. Stitch the opening up super well. Maybe you are like me and don’t quite know the proper way to do that neatly so you try to play it off like you totally meant to have the stitches cross like that.
5. Give them to your chubby baby to play with! I sewed these while Jacob napped, and he was so excited about them when he woke up. They have become one of his favorite things to chew on and wave around!
I’m definitely inspired to try my hand at a few more toys for Jacob. These types of projects are great if you’re a beginner like me, because they don’t have to be perfect- just made with love. Your baby will never know the difference if you had to sew the arrow three times because they came out wonky the first two. 
xoxo,
Annie, from The Friendly Fox
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