{diy: patterned easter eggs}

Because you can never be too old to dye eggs, right?

What you need:

{boil the eggs // prepare the dye}

{make sure you press down on the tape/stickers well. we don't want the dye to seep in!}

{various designs}

{drying}

{I think the polka dot one is my favorite!}

{perfect imperfections}

{not-so-perfect imperfections. just keepin' it real, folks!}

Dyeing eggs was not as simple as I remember. 

Case in point #1: I'd thought you mix the egg dye with water. But after a few texts back & forth with my mom, she told me I must use vinegar. I clearly didn't set everything up when we were little :) {The directions say you can use lemon juice as well. You can also just read the directions, unlike me.}

Case in point #2: Pink dye + me = no go. {see above}

Case in point #3: I got more annoyed when the egg didn't turn out the way I wanted now than when I was little! Most of them were perfect until I picked them up & smudged them with my fingerprints. Lol.

Case in point #4: Speaking of my fingers...they're still a little blue ;)

But even after all of that, I'm so glad I did it! Having them in a vase on the fireplace makes this place so much more festive :)  And although there's nothing wrong with just plain colors, dying them with patterns adds a fun little twist. Are you dyeing eggs this year?

Happy {early} Easter!

{one of my favorite pastimes...}

...is to sit on my porch

...with a cold san pellegrino,

...a good friend,

...& two good books

...when it's 75 & sunny.

It happens a lot these days.

Also, could ya tell I was itching to photograph something? ;)

webs without spiders are pretty.

What's your favorite pastime?

{5 california gluten-free recommendations}

1. Casey's Cupcakes

I found this gem of a bakery while visiting my Grandad. It's in Fashion Island down in Newport Beach, which is one of the BEST malls I've ever been too. {It's also home to the best pet store ever. The puppies there are always the cutest.}  Casey's is pink, girly, fabulous, & has a gluten-free red velvet cupcake! It was moist, sweet & delicious. Also, it was kept in a separate case than the regular, gluten-filled cupcakes. Bonus points.

2. San Francisco Airport, Gate B

One of the WORST parts about having Celiac is traveling. Airports & airplanes never have any gluten-free snacks, so I always have to pack an extra bag of food. {You'd think I was traveling with a kid.} But when I was in the SFO Airport a few weeks ago, I saw this sign:

What?!  Not only did they have a place with homemade gluten-free pizza....but it also had cupcakes & snacks. I was stunned! Check out LiveFire Pizza next time you're in Gate B.

I got the classic margherita. So good. 

Also, don't judge that I got this all for myself. 

Blame Dylan for flying a different airline & not being my pizza-sharer.

3. Fōnuts

I've been craving a good donut for a few years months now. But the only gluten-free donuts I've been able to find are in the frozen aisle. {Which is ridiculous. A donut should be warm & freshly made. Am I right?}  Dylan made some kick-ass ones in December, but since she's all the way in Chicago & the donut pan is at my mom's house, I needed another option. Enter....Fōnuts!

They are baked, not fried, so they're way healthier than any Dunkin one :) {Not hating on DD, btw. I miss their coffee.} The whole bakery isn't gluten-free, but they're careful with the cross-contamination. In addition to chocolate frosted {what I got...so good!}, they have gluten-free apple cinnamon, banana, pumpkin, vanilla latte, coconut passion fruit & more!  

4. The Misfit

The Misfit is right off the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. I've been here twice for lunch & loved it each time. Not only is the atmosphere super cool, but the food is delish. I went nuts when I saw "gluten-free macaroni" on the menu. Gluten-free pasta is the ONLY option. That never happens! It was amazing.

love this design: the fixtures! the curtains! the books! the macaroni!

sorry for the bad pictures. didn't have my nice camera.

5. Papalote Mexican Grill

During my weekend to San Francisco, I ate here two days in a row. For reals. They honestly had the best guacamole & salsa I've ever tasted. & the homemade corn chips were amazing. I would fly back to SF just to eat here again.  

{ps. Their salsa is continuously named "one of the best"...by people like Bobby Flay! I'd have to agree. You can buy it online for a hefty price, but honestly? it may be worth it.}

Have any other recommendations? Tell me so I can check them out!

For the readers who haven't taken my blog survey: would you please? You have no idea how valuable your answers are to me! A post with some of the results is coming soon...

Happy weekend!

{pinterest inspired outfits, part III}

Some more outfits...enjoy :)

Outfit A: Black dress & a jean jacket.

Dress // Target

Sandals // Gap Outlet

Jacket // My mom's closet :) But Gap

Outfit B: Comfy, but fashionable flannel.

Vest // Ann Taylor

Flannel // J.Crew

Jeans // J.Crew {$13 baby}

Oxfords // Cole Haan {similar here}

Outfit C: Summery stripes with a pop of color.

Shirt // Anthropologie

Skirt // Old Navy

Oxfords // Target {*cough* buy one get one 1/2 off}

 Outfit D: Greek inspired.

Shirt // Gap

Skirt // Anthropologie {also my mom's. just borrowing!}

Shoes // Guess for DSW {similar here}

Outfit E: Hot pink, black, & cheetah.

Pretend those jeans on the left are black ;)

Blouse // Nordstrom {BP Section. Thanks Dyl!}

Pants // Gap {similar here}

Flats // Cole Haan {similar here}

Happy Thursday!

{buttercelli bakeshop}

Was it a coincidence that this bakery was down the street from where I got my haircut?

Yes it was. I swear.

Regardless, I needed to go inside. Because the word organic stuck out...& because had a feeling it had some gluten-free options.

Oh, was I right.

I wish I could say this little cupcake was the only thing I got. But it wasn't, thankfully :) Everything I bought was mouth-wateringly good. {Is that a word? Who cares. It works.} Especially the raspberry crumb bar. Ohmygoodness.

I need to find an excuse to go back this week. Because the girl would surely recognize me ;)

If you are in the LA area, & want some amazing gluten-free goodies, visit Buttercelli's.

See their menu & location here.

*Celiac disclaimer: The kitchen is shared, therefore it is not completely gluten-free dedicated. However, some appliances are washed before baking any gluten-free item. Just giving a heads up!

**This was not a sponsored post.

{san francisco!}

Get ready for a post filled with photos. Even though I was there for 36 hours, I took a LOT. Sounds like me, doesn't it?

I'll keep the words to a minimum for this post :)

First up? Palace of Fine Arts. We all felt like we'd stepped into Europe. So, so gorgeous.

Dylan, Anne, & Greta were little rule-breakers :)

After the Palace, we headed straight to the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was supposed to be cloudy, but they...just...parted.

sistas.

Dylan & Greta: Redefining selfies since 2012

20 minutes later. No joke:

Bay Bridge & City:

Alcatraz:

Driving down Lombard Street:

Full House memories!

Their's was the yellow house, right? 

Thanks for the memories San Fran! Until next time...

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