This is Halloween

We enjoyed a weekend of doing nothing. No plans, we just stayed home and hung out in our dead backyard. It’s a weird feeling not driving my car for a whole 24 hours. Actually, we did go out for a minute to pick up a pizza. Sunday, Antz put up our Halloween decorations.

 

checking the twinkle lights

 

Last weekend we were busy hosting our houseguests. Evelyn & Dion spent the weekend with us while they are in town on vacation from the Peace Corps from Paraguay. It was so fun to see them. We went to the Beverly Hills farmers market. Ev & D are like celebrities with the vendors there. They all were so surprised to see them after 18 months.

Liv photo bombed them

 

It’s always rad times with these two! Friday night we stayed up late playing Wii Fit. I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt. We used my Living Social deal for the Wildlife Learning Center on Saturday. It was way in Simi Valley and super hot but luckily the place had tons of shade and we were only there for an hour.

That’s right folks, turtle porn right in front of your eyes!
Liv was positive that fake alligator was real
This was the cutest guy ever. He was a year old and by the time he turns 3, he’ll be 5 feet long and weigh like 200 lbs!
Liv wasn’t likin’ it

Out of all the awesome wildlife and everything we learning about animals, Liv was most impressed by seeing a tortoise poop. She stood there for like 20 minutes saying “Turtle poo poo!” Super fun Living Social deal for $13!!

All Hallow’s Eve

This has been the longest Halloween ever. I feel like I’ve been getting into my costume everyday. Both parties were terrif. We called it an early night and came home at midnight.

I took a few shots with my iphone but they didn’t come out so hot. I LOVE my neighbor’s Chola gurl look.

Lisa “Lil Sad Eyez

She’s super adorable!! I tried so hard to get our Nikon to work but this was all I could do.

Sunday afternoon my Mom came into to town and we hit the park.

 My Mom took this amazing shot of Liv. Ooh, new headshot!!

 Black Converse RULE!!

This kid is all kinds of radness!

Today I went to breakfast with my Mom and Liv devoured her hotcakes.

I was sadly running late to Daddy’s Halloween party at his work so we missed the costume contest. We still got to see her homies, Charlotte & Kaia.

 Olivia has had her first taste of candy…no more until she turns 25!!

Well, that wraps up this year’s Halloween. It was fun but we are glad it’s over!!

Atwater Village Halloween on the Boolevard

Two years in a row, we missed this event. We almost missed it again this year since Antz was working, but we got there at 6pm. It was dark so of course our Nikon was blurry. Antz is right, ever since I dropped it, that guy has not worked right so I need to take it to Nikon and get it a doctors appointment. I picked up my Mum-in-law and our nephew Justin *who was too cool to dress up* and we trick or treated on the Boolevard.

I finished my wings on Thursday night *hooray for procrastination* and I was pretty disappointed in myself. I used Liv’s fabric leftovers from her wings and I didn’t have enough yardage. I also did some weird aligning and they turned out pretty wonky. I’m going to buy more fabric and make a new pair that look better.
Crafty-FAIL!

 As you can see it’s a tad too short *again, needed more fabric* and I could stand to spray some wrinkle releaser on it since the fabric had been in my storage bag for 4 months. I am not happy with the palette either, it needs some yellow and raspberry layers. Sucks

She finally took a nap, after resisting all day, as soon as we arrived.

Sweets for the Soul is an AH-mazing brownie place that is often closed when we take a walk in AV. They are the creators of the famous Obama Brownie.

 The balloon pirate made Liv a bunny, she had been making balloons for 3 hours straight!

 I was trying to prove to Antz that the camera does work at night with the proper settings and some lightening. He is still not convinced. I think it looks better than our iphone cameras.

 Atwater Village Farms was open and they were showing the Nightmare Before Christmas. Here my camera had a seizure and all the indoor shots came out like this, boo!

Remember these guys? They died a week ago, they turned black from the mouth, pretty sure it was throat cancer, lame!

 I love these photos of Liv and my Mom, she wanted to see her in her costume. 

 Ching & Liv Chickie

We replaced the knobs on the desk and the kitchen pantry door *since Antz borrowed mine for his cabinet storage unit* The knob we had on the desk had a sharp edge on it which was treacherous to Liv’s curious fingers so we had to get something safer.

 Taking off the old knob left a bit of residue, blech! You what else is awesome? Leashes and no dog! Why haven’t we taken that down?? It’s not like our cat Lola will ever let us walk her.

 Now I really think we should paint the door in chalkboard paint since the white needs retouching and it’s not close to the stove or water. I think it would look rad and I could do something like this

 Cuteness, right? Have a great Halloween weekend! 
We have 2 parties tonight and tomorrow a Lisa Loeb concert!!

Scooby Doo, Where the heck are you?

You may be asking yourselves, well…besides going to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights and the movies, twice!
I didn’t get any good pictures at Horror Nights since my iphone does not work well at night but it was fun, the Simpsons ride was my favorite. We went with 10 of our friends but we made some urr, new friends on the ride.

Guido extras from Jersey Shore…fantastic

We had 2 date nights in one week, saw Drive and Paranormal Activity 3 at Paramount. I thought Paranormal Activity was kinda lame but Drive was awesome! I downloaded this song from the soundtrack, so totally 80s.

We took Liv shoe shopping at the Grove since she has outgrown ALL of her shoes. She got new converse, Toms, Saltwater sandals and Uggs. I also ordered some See Kai Run shoes on sale online.

Her new BFF, yellow Wocky

New Chucks, she’s just so gangsta!
This is my favorite time of year, New kid’s clothes at Anthropologie!! Now to bide my time until they go on sale after Christmas

Ooh, maybe some awesome new specs for Mommy?

OH! Guess what? That cute dress from Target is back in stock!! Score, I got mine on sale. YAY!

While I’m at it, Christmas is just around the corner. I’ve been totally nice this year!
 My Christmas Wishlist

lovely font from Mishka *sale 3 sets for $25!!*
&
 Gela Skin for my ipad by one of my favorite artists Kathie Olivas
Lately, I have been obsessed with my Pinterest app on my ipad. I stay up all night happily pinning 

Needless to say it has given me a long list of craft projects, recipes galore and dream vacays to plan. 

I am super excited to get shots as lovely as these for our trip to Paris.

 gorgeous!
 So true!
The magnificent St. Basil Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia

The Taj Mahal is my ultimate Life List destination

I am pretty sure I can make this doll for Liv by Christmas

At this year’s family Thanksgiving dinner I’m going to take a photo of everyone holding our chalkboard sign with their name and relationship to Liv on it for this book. So rad!

I LOVE this idea!! Gotta finish it by our next anniversary

This has got to be the cutest costume ever!

If you haven’t seen it yet, add it to your Netflix queue. You’re Welcome.

Just a peek

I suck at keeping a secret but last night we did a dress rehearsal after finishing her costume.

Our lovely chicken!

We added the eyes and mouth but Liv is not so keen on wearing the hoodie. I think we did pretty good compared to our inspiration.

Yesterday I went to Target to look for this adorable dress I saw over at Making It Lovely

but like a dork, I did not read that the dress was sold online only. Boo, it appears the dress is sold out online so now I’m super bummed!!

However on the bright side… I browsed the luggage department, I’m still hunting for a Missoni suitcase for Aimee and low and behold what do I find…?

Oh, just the matching tote/laptop bag. 
I do need it for my carry-on.
*Sorry Aimee, still looking for you, babe!* It’s official, I am no longer allowed any more Missoni goodies for myself. Not because I don’t want it, but guess what’s launching in November?
Umm, yeah, I’m in trouble! My lovely friend Mia is going to line up with me *early this time* on the release morning. Thank goodness it’s just stuff for kids, I need to focus on SAVING my dough for Paris. I just did the math, if I saved $10 a day starting tomorrow until the proposed trip, I would have enough! I could even afford my dream photo shoot with Pauline Darley.
Our bebe got her flu shots this morning. Antz styled her in a very Olivia ensemble.

Make it WORK!!

I am totally exhausted at the moment. I now know exactly how the designers feel on Project Runway. I spend a great deal of today sewing *and pulling out seams* Olivia’s Halloween costume. I am feeling pretty proud of myself given the materials I was working with and the fact that my lovely model would not stand still for her fitting. She needs to have a final fitting but I am 80% done. I was worried about the tights I bought her would not fit *I found a size 7 in the closest to the color I wanted* so I’m taking Dear Timothy’s advice “Make it Work!”

Mr. Gunn was giving me the side-eye when I started but it somehow came together. Now let’s hope Liv rocks it on *the runway* at the several Halloween events we’re attending. She already is not too pleased with one of the pieces of the costume so keep your fingers crossed. Now as for Antz and mine costumes, I have no idea what we will be. I can put something together but it’s admittedly lazy route. Antz spend most of today working his trash to treasure magic on what I considered was a lost cause.

$10.00 Thrift store found in July

A hot tranny mess right? This guy sat behind our rolling microwave cart forgotten and unwanted for months until…

With the added fancy props

Darn you Antz!! He somehow manages to make the ugly, lovely for NO MONEY. I mean I totally want it for myself but he’s putting it for sale in our Etsy shop. It’s going to be marketed as an arts & crafts organizer. The holder on the bottom will store rolls of ribbon, CUTE! I discouraged him from using the chicken wire for the door but again, my advice is terrible. *fine, you were right* It looks super Fabby Chic!! He used our leftover paper from our medicine cabinet remodel and the Anthropologie knob was borrowed from our kitchen pantry door. He promised to get me a new one *and I’ve wanted a larger knob for that door anyway*. Speaking of the pantry door. I would LOVE to paint it with chalkboard paint and the interior badly needs re-organizing. So many projects.

So, there you have it, pretty awesome weekend. We have a busy week ahead of us *pediatrician appt, movie date and Universal Horror Nights if we get secure a sitter*

OH! Before I go…Mademoiselle Pauline Darley emailed me back *YAY* The good news is she is available to book a shoot *and super friendly, she writes with a French accent* The bad news is the quote she gave me. Yeah, about $150 over my budget. But, she is soo worth it!! Uhhh, I have 2 years and 5 months to save. I am changing my mind a million times. I would like to go in March for my 37th *eep* birthday but if we went in May we could be there during PEONY SEASON!! And that’s 2 additional months of saving!

Halloween Costumes: A Collection

I am still not certain what this year’s costume will be. Antz and Liv are set *and I need to sew Liv’s costume sooner than later* but I would like to be cohesive with theirs. I started thinking of how random my costume choices have been over the years. Let’s start at the beginning. My Mom has always been my costume designer and let’s say her idea of Halloween as always been eclectic. She and I both are firm believers in homemade costumes so being creative is something we both share. My Mom’s brilliance…

 
I was in 4th grade, attending Catholic school and I thought my costume was a without a doubt winner. A store-bought Strawberry Shortcake won best costume that year.

 

My Elvira inspired Vampiress
My entire costume was from my Mom’s closet *including her signature arm bands*
 
I didn’t take home the prize that year *a boy dressed like a girl won* but I worked it!
 
 
These were my BFFs *Pippi* Linda and *Goth She-ra?* Dalia

 

 

 

This was our first Halloween together back in 1996!! I borrowed a jumpsuit *quite similar to the one I wore in 5th grade* from my Mommy *my Mom is 5’4″ tall, I am 5′ 10″* needless to say I stretched it out a bit

 

 

 
Antz raided his Dad’s closet and all the suits were way too big.

 

 
This was during my Marilyn Manson phase…no freaking clue why Antz chose a South Park tee for his Goth look

 

 
LOVE this!! Antz made me an airplane when I worked at JetBlue. I directed a plane while wearing my plane.

 

 
Antz stayed up till 3am and went through 2 gold leaf pens to make my Eiffel Tower
 
 
This was a lazy year for us, we waited until the very last minute and I had *beauty* school that day so I needed something I could take off easily. What can I say? Myspace was at it’s height of popularity and everyone loved my idea.

 

 

 
This was one of my greatest hits, we went to the West Hollywood Halloween Parade which you have to go to at least once and then you’ll never want to go again, EVER! We’ve been twice, never again!! *unless Olivia wants to go*

 

 
Yeah, I wrecked my wedding dress 🙁
Antz did my eyebrows with acrylic paint

 

 

 
And we all remember the infamous Goldfish
 
 
I ditched the stripper heels at the last minute

 

 

 
Ugh! Preggers and I thought Rosemary’s Baby would be the most comfortable costume ever…little did I know how hard it would be to find a Pixie blonde wig.

 

 
Leslie as a toddler in tiara and Antz gnome were genius!

 

 
Boy do I look tired

 

 
Antz made these cutouts for Leslie’s party
 
 
Last year, my 60’s housewife didn’t turn out as 60’s as I wanted. Most of my friends thought I was was just dressed up.

 

 

 
This rad *it actually buzzed* costume won the $100 prize at Antz job, so clever!

 

 
I really need to come up with something awesome. I’m considering making a pair of wings for myself but it’s not exactly cohesive with Antz and Liv.
 
Hmmm….

Glitterama

I am now covered from head to toe in orange glitter. Our gorgeous $8 Lowes pumpkin

 But it’s worth it, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

While Antz was putting up the decorations, I was bored, so I started doodling…

 

I’m a dork, I know…
Yesterday we visited the Los Feliz Doctor Murder Mansion.

 

Even in daylight, the house feels super creepy. It’s been vacant since 1959!! I didn’t tell Antz the gruesome story until after we took these because I knew he wouldn’t want to get out of the car

 

I love spooky houses!!

 

After going to the Silverlake Craft Fair I use the term fair loosely.

 

 

I was digging this wig, but sadly it was not for sale.

 

 

 

 

This booth had some cute hairbows and jewelry.

 

 

 

 

This Mötley Crüe tank had Aimee’s name all over it!

 

I would rock this Prince tank like, for sure!
Muu-muu heaven

 

 

I really want a faux fur hat but this one was a tad too small, and I have a grape size head!

 

Awwww snap!!

 

Members Only! You know you want to join!!

 

As we were headed out I noticed this lovely Horsey cardi that was reminiscent of The Dude.

 

Too bad I spent all the cash we had or else it would have come home with me and my wonky boobs.

 

It was quite sparse if you compare it to the awesomeness of the Renegade Craft Fair but I did find a macrame booth. Holy Shizz, I was so excited and guess who’s booth it was?? Kenny my teacher from the hanging plant holder class!!
Perfect!! All measured and precut with the beads and instructions. I love it!
I am so excited to make my next plant holder. I am planning on teaching my own class with my Crafty Ladies club!
This morning I made blueberry-lemon pancakes *from scratch*

 

 

 

 

 

 So yummy!!
Then we had our Skype date with Evelyn & Dion. So much fun!!

They taught us to say “Coca por el culo” but I am certain I’m saying that totally wrong. Adios Amigos!!

PS I need to get back into regular posting, these once a week posts are getting to be very time consuming!

Dammit Janet!!

After spending All Hallow’s Eve on the party circuit, I flaked on T-or-T in Venice and opted for staying in bed, all toasty, watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show marathon. I wasn’t that tired, we managed to make it home just before midnight, and I had one measly wine cooler *so 10th grade, I know* Antz worked on freelance all day to his heart’s content. At dusk, we were all ready to hand out candy *the unwanted leftovers from the Nick party* after waiting an hour with our gate open and Antz pacing the porch in his grisly face

*He’s ghastly!!*

we didn’t get one kid this year. Oh well, fine with me, last year the costumes were super lame and we kept worrying the kiddies might trip on our front stairs. The parties were good, the first one was Tom & Jes’s *at their newly renovated pad*

Salut!!!

Antz was not a fan of his Ameretto shot.
We spend much of the night discussing our love of the horror movie genre. The Shining is my ATF *all-time fave*
and I was going nuts talking about my wanderlust for all things European *except the food*
So we headed over to party #2 at Connie & Justin’s

We hung out with Leslie & Stephen but I was really cold and Liv was a sleepyhead so we didn’t stay long. Connie & Justin live about 4 blocks from us and they have a raised veggie garden
 that I want *but not at this house, our next house* Leslie & Stephen invited us to their non-profit’s Day of the Dead Festival on Tuesday but we have a full day *voting, Liv’s 5-month doc appt and I need to get some laundry done* So overall it was a great Halloween but we are looking forward to next year when Liv is older and we can really trick or treat or maybe take her to one of her friend’s house. I was looking online and I started planning Liv’s 3rd birthday at the Treehouse Social Club.
Hi, My name is Liz and I am a planaholic!

Hollah! weenie

Exhausted!! I just got home, it’s been a long but super fun day. I started on my costume around 11am. I am Mrs. Procrastinator when it comes to getting ready. I somehow get wrapped up in doing my hair and makeup and it ends up taking HOURS!! I feel like putting on make up is my primal ritual, similiar to Joan Crawford’s regime in Mommy Dearest, it feels cathartic for me. I would go without food so I could buy a new shadow. I have trouble walking past a Sephora without peeking in. I really get stopped on the street by folks inquiring about my makeup. Well, today I used a TON of makeup so I decided to document what went into my 60’s look.

 

Fresh faced, I use Eucalyptus & Tree Tea oil facial wash from The Body Shop
 
My foundation is heavier than I would wear regularly. I knew I would need long term coverage so I broke out the what Antz likes to refer to as “Clown face” My everyday base: Smashbox Tint w/SPF 45, MAC Prep + Prime *for my eyelids, this is what keeps my eyeshadow bright* and I use my MAC concealer brush to apply the base *I try not to use my fingers to apply makeup because it smudges and adds oil to my face.*
 
After applying Smashbox Photo Finish primer *the best for photos, diminishes oily T-zone* I used Nars  foundation in Tahoe, mixed with Smashbox in Medium M2, I also used MAC Studio Sculpt concealer to cover my dark undereye bags and MAC Select Cover-Up as my highlighter *on my jaw bone and bow bone* 
 
I hardly use liquid liner because I pretty much use my MAC Kohl eyeliner in Smolder everyday but since I wanted a Bridgette Bardot eye, I lined my upper lid with Urban Decay liquid liner in Revolver. Lower lids I used Nars eyeliner in Black Moon *for my wings*
 
I only wear falsies for special occasions so they are perfect for a 60’s look *love that period in fashion* I like fake lashes by Japonesque these have a crisscross pattern and a hint of shimmer *I have a pair by Makeup Forever with feathers on them, they are mega fierce*
 
An hour in…I even used lip liner *which I never do because my lips are crooked* Nars lip liner in Jungle Red
 
 
So what kind of weirdo uses 3 mascaras?…this guy! I start with MAC Prep + Prime to plump up my puny lashes, then I apply my falsies *which always makes me cry so I have to reapply several coast of foundation and eyeliner* next I use Maybelline XXX *they are the BEST for mascara* and finish with a coat of Great Lash *and pray I don’t look like Tammy Faye Baker*
 
Shadow is my favorite part. I usually love to go nuts with wacky colors but since I was going for a conservative look, I chose warm browns: Nars Duo in Balthazar, Nars shadow in Goldfinger to highlight and MAC in Amber Lights and Coppering. I typically use Nars brushes for a majority of my makeup but for my eyes I am partial to my Chanel brushes. They cost an arm and a leg but they are totally worth the investment *I will hand them down to Liv* The secret to blending and making a dramatic eye is well-kept brushes, I wash my brushes with baby shampoo and let them air dry overnight. The better quality your brush, the less product you end up using. This is as close as I will ever get to wearing Chanel. 🙁
 

Next is blush: Nars in Amour and I wait till I have finshed my hair before I put on my lipstick *blow drying my hair is not fun when I have lipstick on*

Hair products are my crack, I am a sucker for great hair products, I use Bumble & Bumble Smoothing Creme prior to blow drying, then after I flat iron it to death I use a serum to control my frizz. Because I had my Snookie pomp going on I used Sebastian holding hair spray which holds without feeling like glue.
So I finish with MAC Fix+ Mist *it’s supposed to set your face so your makeup won’t run/streak but I think I got tricked into buying a $19 bottle of water*
 
Here’s my final face *along with my lovely fairy*
 
 
 
We made it to Antz job just in time for the costume contest
 
 
My vote goes for Monkey Business Antz *why did he think his banana was a cell phone?*
 
Banana vs Monkey
 
Dave was some dude from Resident Evil
 
Never found out who Jack was
 
Story was adorable Hit-Girl from Kick Ass *sooo appropriate for her*
 
Nic was a convict *I think she was channeling Lil’ Wayne* but she was carrying a butcher knife…?
 
Vinnie was awesome as Ash from Army of Darkness, his chainsaw even worked!

 

 
 Natalie and Tom *also from Resident Evil*…ahhh those gamers!!
 
Heather is a wench… what? she is!!
 
Leslie, I mean Emily the Strange and kitty Joice *super cute*
 
Godmom and Liv
 
Cheer Squad *they won 2nd place*
 
Jem is truly outrageous!!
 
Jeff is a Batman fanatic *last year he won as Two-Face* he actually shaved his hair into a question mark.
 
Jeff is serious about his Batman
 
Alas, the winner *umm, forgot her name* but she deserved it, the game actually worked!!
 
She is known for her awesome costumes, last year she won as this…
 
she said she was retiring from the contest because she wanted to give someone else a chance to win, haha! After the contest Liv and I hung out in Antz office while he finished up some work.
 
He has quite the toy collection *most of these were his when he was a little boy*
 
Then it was time to head over to the Nickelodeon Studios party in Burbank.
 
I made myself right at home with the food booths

 

 
Family Portrait
 
 
Ok, this guy rules at life, He had the BEST costume I have ever seen. This shit deserves a drumroll….
 
I grabbed him for a pic, his hat spun around and lit up, it was SUPER RAD!!!
 
I love the Team Zissou crew *one of my favorite movies*
 
This guy was awesome, I think he was Grady from The Shining *my #1* but it wasn’t clear because he was a bellhop and Grady was the caretaker…either way he had an awesome suitcase with stickers from the Shining so he was alright in my book.
 
 
Antz and some random guy
 
Leela from Futurama
 
Story came with us but left early because she had to walk her doggie.
 
There was tons of activities *face painting, pumpkin and cookie decorating, slime making, that’s Nick for ya*
Inside the whole office was converted into a series of mazes. The first ones were pretty lame but they had a Alice in Wonderland one that was really cool.
 
There was an actual rabbit hole that you have to crawl through
 
That’s Antz monkey mask in the pics, he didn’t even know it was in the way

 

 
There was close to 12 mazes total and at the end of each one they gave out candy
 
Our Loot! We weren’t greedy *this time*
 
We hung out in the lounge with Leslie & Stephen *not that many folks from Antz job came*
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
A bunch of folks came up to us to tell us how adorable Olivia is, one lady even took pictures of her. She had a ball! We were so happy to have her with us this year *for the past 10 years we’ve been saying how cool it would be to bring a baby to an event like this* Sadly there was no Yo Gabba Gabba! characters but we had a blast anyway. I can’t believe we have 2 parties tomorrow and we are taking Antz sister to the animal shelter to help her pick out a new kitty. Then Sunday we are going to the Venice canals to trick or treat, Whew, I am super tired. Mix tape Friday will have to take a rain check for next week.
 
Yawn,
Nighty Night!!