Last night we had a "date night" to make up for missing last week. I wanted to go to a movie, so of course we went to Bravo Farms in Tulare first. I got the Tomato Basil Pizza, with Pesto and a bit of Balsamic dressings as the sauce. I told them extra basil. I LOVE basil! The crust is super thin and really crispy!
Yesterday was my 30th birthday party! I can't believe it! I have a feeling this will be my favorite decade! ;) I'm so thankful that so many of my friends and family could make it!
We had White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes, Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars, Cinnamon Crunch Popcorn, and Homemade Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream. 
I finally got to use my cart at a party! Favors were on top, and gifts went on the bottom! The "30" was actually "BO" because they don't sell giant cardboard numbers. I cut off part of the B to make it a 3. I then glued moss to the front of them. 
I saw a game on pinterest where kids toss hula hoops over balloons...well, all of our balloons flew away one by one! 
Wonderful friends.
My mother in law.
My brother in law.
Emma and Cami by the kids "table".
More family and friends...
My sister and mother in law worked so hard so that I didn't have to do anything. Seriously, it was my favorite birthday ever. I had a PERFECT time.
The girls on the tractor, haha.
Family :)
Everyone went home with a jar of homemade strawberry jam.
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I designed this with my Silhouette software and printed it out, then backed it with a piece of strawberry scrapbook paper. 
I LOVE my blue ball jar collection. I HAD to use them in some way for the party. 
I was super blessed by a generous dear friend who is an antique dealer and shares my love of vintage plates. She let me look through her cupboards and borrow mismatched vintage plates! My plate collection grows really slowly because I am cheap. ;) It IS growing though! Eventually I'll have enough of my own for a big party.
I tacked fabric behind a french door to display the numbers behind the cart. 
The day before the party I decided I didn't want the jars to sit directly on the tablecloths. I recently read Shanty 2 Chic's Vaseline method of distressing and thought I'd try it! I had these boards leftover from one time when I had to cut a bunch of lumber. I followed the simple directions (I used wood stain first instead of dark paint) and I LOVE how it turned out!!
I think these pink plates were my favorite of all the ones I borrowed. :)
I just remembered to share my invitations with you! I ordered these from etsy and LOVED them! I got the file emailed to me within a day of ordering, and then printed from Costco, super easy and cheap! The shop was SimpleSimonDesign and I loved her work and quick service! 
A drive down Pacific Coast Highway when we were leaving Huntington Beach, on our way to Newport Beach for dinner. Gotta love Joe's Crab Shack steampots! ;) Hubby got to spend time at the the famous RC Track, and I hit up Goodwill and Salvation Army for some thrifting while he was there.
I booked our hotel online and saved 20% by doing the pre-paid, no refund route. Yes, if we cancelled, we'd be out the money, but I took the chance and we LOVED our hotel!!! I would highly recommend it and we already decided we will return! We stayed at The Westin South Coast Plaza, in Costa Mesa. It was only $100 a night and the hotel was really upscale. Hubby and I notoriously sleep bad at hotels but their bed was great! They call it the "heavenly bed". I've never stayed at a hotel with a big bathrobe waiting for me. :) We had a great view, especially at night with all the city lights on. South Coast Plaza was within walking distance, just over the walk bridge from our hotel.
Of course we needed something sweet after dinner, we were celebrating after all! This was the line at Sprinkles in Newport!
Saturday morning we went to the OC Marketplace at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. I didn't take any pictures there, but they sell everything. I didn't know what to expect, but pretty much everything they sold there was new (I was expecting used too). The kids would have loved it because they had bouncey slides and obstacle courses. I joined their mailing list and they emailed me two free admission passes, score! All weekend long we were looking for ways to save money. One thing we did was self-park at the hotel. It saved us $16 in fees PLUS all of the TIPS we would have had to pay each time we needed our car!
Sunday morning was the Long Beach Antique Market. It is held the third Sunday of the month at the Long Beach Veteran's Stadium. I also joined their email list ahead of time and they emailed me coupons off admission. There is free parking and the admission is only $5 after 6:30 am. If you want in at 5:30 you pay $10. IT.WAS.FABULOUS. I didn't even get to see half of it! It was so huge! Vintage pyrex, dishes, old windows, crates, furniture, art, chandeliers, and everything under the SUN!
I loved these pretty plates.
There was a booth of all new but vintage-inspired lace clothing. Lace is so popular right now, it was beautiful up close!
Repurposed furniture...
Shabby chic painted furniture, old wire baskets.
LOTS of glass jars and bottles of all types!
I've had my eye out for lavender bottles, I researched it and it's actually colored by the sun! Bottles made within a certain time period were made with magnesium in the glass and when exposed to the sun for months to years, it turns various shades of purple, depending on how long you leave it there. I checked on Etsy last week and they go for anywhere from $5-$28! Some vendors wanted way too much money for them, so I was patient and found a vendor with a few for $2 each, and the vendor I have in these photos, who had them for $3.
I came home with $12 worth of 3 lavender bottles and 2 of the aqua glass bottles. I have plans for them, after I collect more on the cheap!
We ended the trip with lunch at Super Mex in Long Beach, before heading home. The BEST chips and salsa! It was a GREAT, relaxing trip, and I'm very thankful!
Our layaway was up this week and I sent hubby to pick it up. He thinks I'm totally crazy. He sees no value in old "junk", while I see beauty.
Here's a close up of the chippy paint.
I also have these two seatless chairs that I bought at a yard sale last year. I plan on making flower planters out of them, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
I heart old crap! :)
I made this curtain a few years ago for this funky top window because it makes my kitchen so hot in the summertime. The sun beats down through it in the afternoon. I was going to make a coffee sack curtain to replace it, but once I took it down and all of that great light came flooding back into my kitchen, I decided to leave the top window open.
I just used the same tension rod that I had on the top window. Since the sack was a few inches short in the width, I covered the ends of the tension rod in a piece of the burlap sack. I just cut a strip off that you wouldn't notice was missing, and hot glued it directly to the rod. Then I rolled up the sack and used safety pins to hold the back of the roll in place.
My biggest tip is to not ignore her instructions to line the back of the sack section that hangs down. I tried to save time and not line it, and had to pull it down and line it with fabric, because when the blinds were open, I couldn't see the black lettering on the burlap because of the sun. Now that it's lined, it looks great! I'm all for a project that doesn't involve sewing!
