Project Pinterest 2013 :: Roasted Tomato Soup

Well folks, here it is.  My first Pinterest project of 2013 and if they continue as good as this one, you may be seeing several projects a month rather than the one that I definitely committed myself to.  =)

So it has been rather freezing in Southern California recently.  (I admit that I may be exaggerating slightly but given my Hawaiian roots, you can't blame me.)  =P  And that has put me in the mood for soup.  Pinterest to the rescue!  And I just happened to stumble across this pin (by the way, the blog where I found this recipe has lots of other great recipes!):

Roasted Tomato Soup

The recipe is so incredibly simple for a creamy soup recipe with ingredients you are likely to always have in the house.  So I decided to make it.  I did make a few tweaks that I will make note of as I share my pics with you all.

Sauteing veggies to soften.

Almost finished product.

Mom and kiddo's helping with a little parmesan cheese on the top and I have to have Tabasco in my soup.  =)

I ended up doubling the recipe (I like to have left overs for lunches).  And I made my own chicken stock.  But part of the reason that I loved this recipe is that they had the genius idea to roast canned tomatoes in the oven for an additional dimension of flavor to the recipe.  It turned out to be super easy.  NOTE: If you like a tomato-y soup, add more tomatoes.  I ended up adding an extra can of tomatoes and blending them like the rest of the soup is.  The extra can really helped make the tomatoes and not just the rest of the vegetables taste-able...yes, I know that is not really a word.  =P

Anyway, point is, the soup was good!  The hubby ate it, the kid ate it, and I enjoyed it too.  Try it - I approve of this recipe.  =)  Now I'm off to find my next Pinterest project!

Have a beautiful day!

another new year...

This post is a little late but I am just saying I was thinking about things a little more.  =P

A lot of bloggers pick a word for their year.  I like the idea but I know for myself, I need something a little more concrete.  So what I am going to do is pick a word and put an action with it.  Ironically, my word is action.

Action:

the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim

I know that a problem I have is that I talk about doing things but then I only get a fraction of them done.  I have justified this in the past as being "the way I am".  But I have been convicted recently that this is not a very God-honoring way to live.  He does every single thing that He has ever said or promised He would do. As His child, I should be striving to live like He is.  So this year, I am resolving to act.

Besides endeavoring to be more deliberate about the things I accomplish this year, I am setting myself a personal goal.  I love Pinterest (I mean, who doesn't?) and get sucked in for hours at all the great recipes and crafty ideas that can be found there.  So for 2013, I am going to do at least ONE Pinterest project per month!  It might be a recipe, it might be a craft.  Either way, I will share my endeavors with you here on the blog.

action via Etsy

2013 already promises me another baby, a trip back to Hawaii, and lots of time for God to work in my life.  And I am praying that I will be ready for it all.  =)

Have a beautiful day!

Style Me Pretty & Destination Weddings!

A few months ago, I had the pleasure to contribute some jewelry to a beautiful wedding photo shoot that was going to take place in my beloved Hawaii.  It got my creative juices flowing in a lot of ways and I loved being able to do some custom pieces for a stylized situation that was elegant and unique.

Anyway, long story short.  That photo shoot was featured on Style Me Pretty's Destination Wedding blog today!  Rebecca Arthurs is an amazing photographer who did a fantastic job capturing the day (also, Hawaii being such a small place, I found out later on that she was the photographer for a friend's wedding!).  Let me put it this way.  If I had to do my wedding over again, I would probably do whatever was necessary to have Rebecca be my photographer and get all these amazing vendors to help me with my wedding.  =)

Check the full post and all the photos at Style Me Pretty!  Or visit Rebecca's blog!

Hope you enjoy it and have a beautiful day!

Some of the things on my wishlist...

A friend on Facebook commented this week that she kept adding to her wishlist as she was shopping for other people.  So these are some of the things I am adding to my list as I am doing my shopping for everyone else.  =)

1) Baking supplies:  I realized as I was trying to do some baking recently that I don't have some essentials.  Things like pastry brushes, a pastry cutter, or even a second cookie sheet (do you know how hard it is to bake cookies with only one cookie sheet?!).  

Pastry Brushes @ Sur La Table

2) New baby bag to accommodate two kiddos:  I was on a coffee date with some moms from church and their little ones and saw this in a shop and kind of loved the bag.

Wistful Weekender by Petunia Pickle Bottoms

3) Cute stuff for the house: I think house decorating must be a live long task because I feel like I am still working on it all.  But you know what, that's ok because I keep finding cute stuff that I want.  =)

For my office by dearmoonbeams via Etsy (if you are still shopping for Christmas gifts too, check out her shop.  Megan is a good friend who makes adorable things!)

Air plants for our bedroom by PetitBeast

What is on your wishlist?  Any other ideas for me or did I help you think about your list?!

Have a beautiful day!

Thanksgiving is done, now for Christmas!

Did anyone else's Thanksgiving seem to fly by?  And now that that holiday is gone, we are racing at breakneck speed towards Christmas!!!

some of the new earrings going up in the shop today!

my Santa Barbara inspired necklace

And to help some of you with your Christmas shopping, Sense and Sensibility Designs is still running our Black Friday - Cyber Monday sale!  You can get 40% off your entire purchase with coupon code "BLACKFRIDAY"!  There are some new items in the store as well as some old favorites.  Check it out and keep an eye out for more deals as we get closer to Christmas!

Have a beautiful day and snag some good deals today!