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Inspired by my new fave find (polka dot swimmers for the kidlet), I thought it would be fun to share a few of my Summer favorites for Bronson.  SUMMER!? Can you believe it's almost Summer?  We have had plans to kick off the official (unofficial) start to Summer by lounging by the pool, grilling, sipping lemonade, napping, and enjoying picnic dinners at the beach, but it rained last night and the weather isn't looking so great for the holiday weekend.  What the heck!?

How about you?  Are you sticking close to home this holiday weekend, or heading off to some place fun?

Wishing you sunshine & cheer!
Bianca


J.Crew Boys' Jersey Pocket Tee, Shades available at Nordstrom (kids dept.), Native Shoes (all time fave shoes for Bronson), polka dot trunks thrift store find

Cuteness 2.0

Isn't she the cutest in her ab's 2.0! I love her touch of tomboy style mixed with girly accessories.  Most of the ankle biters we sell are for little boys, but I love, Love, LOVE that this little girl's mama thought they'd be cute on her girl.  We couldn't agree more!

Happy Mother's Day!

 

I would admire these cookies for about 5 seconds and then I would go cookie monster crazy and shove them in mouth.  These cookies by Krista of Cookies with Character are works of art, so pretty, and the detail is amazing. 

Sending all of you a virtual cookie bouquet, and hugs.  Happy mother's day, and have a beautiful weekend!

Wishing you sunshine & cheer!

Bianca

Chicken Salad + Picnic Faves

Just thought I would pop in and share my new favorite recipe (see below) along with a few ideas of what go well with it when your heading to the beach, park, or just outside on the patio.  (Thank you to my foodie friend Amber for turning me onto this recipe and changing my opinion about chicken salad.)

TREATS:  More than the flavor, I love the nostalgia of hostess cupcakes and ding dongs. I think they're fun to pack as a surprise for friends and the little ones in the group (you can tell a lot about someone when you watch their reaction to you bringing a Hostess treat). 
DRINKS: I love an ice cold orange flavored Crystal Geyser.  So refreshing!
CHIPS:  Tim's potato chips aren't easy to find in California, but they're worth the hunt.  I like to toss a couple flavors in my bag/basket, sea salt & vinegar are my favorite.  How about you, what are some of your picnic favorites? 
BAG: Farmer's Market Tote, J.Crew

Lunch's green apple chicken salad
via L.A. Times
Total time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6
Note: Adapted from Lunch

1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cooked boneless and skinless chicken breasts, diced (a generous 2 cups)
2 small celery stalks, cut into small dice
1/2 red onion, cut into very small dice
1/2 green apple, cored and cut into medium dice
1/3 cup currants (raisins may be substituted)
Salt and pepper, if desired

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar and Dijon mustard to form a dressing.
2. To the bowl, add the chicken, celery, onion, apple and currants. Toss everything together, taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. Chill before serving. This makes about 1 quart chicken salad.

Each of 6 servings: 188 calories; 12 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 11 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 39 mg cholesterol; 7 grams sugar; 163 mg sodium.

...

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting a kind, gentle, and beautiful woman named Anna.  On the outside Anna looks like the picture of health.  She's slim but appears strong, and she's absolutely beautiful, but Anna has been battling a very serious and life threatening disease.  Anna suffers from a type of non-reversible obstructive and restrictive lung disease, causing airway scarring and leaving very little room for Anna to move air in and out of her lungs.  But! I am happy to report that after many months of rigorous testing, Anna has finally been approved to receive a double lung transplant at UCLA Medical Center.  Hurray for Anna!  I can't imagine what this means to her, her family, and her closest friends.  I barely know the woman and I cried when I heard the good news.   Although Anna does have insurance, she will need help paying for some upfront costs and her recovery costs (not covered by insurance).

In an effort to help donate to "Anna's Second Wind" fund, we will be donating 100% of the sales from the "Anna" clutch/pocketbook.  If you're not in need of the perfect little clutch for summer, but would like to help Anna by making a donation, that would be awesome. Every little bit helps.

Learn more about Anna & make a donation

Visit Anna's blog

Wishing you sunshine & cheer!
Bianca

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Since I started making ankle biters, Bronson refuses to wear anything else, they're his favorite pants. For some reason the kid hates buttons.  So, it's ankle biters and t-shirts almost everyday.  We are stocked up on black and white tee's in this house, and these are my favorite for Bronson: they're cheap, they're slim fitting, they're 100% soft cotton, and they're only $3 (online they're a bit more, but if you buy them in the store they're cheaper, also the ones in the store don't have pockets). I like to throw a denim jacket or chambray shirt over the tee for a slightly (I use that term loosely) "fancy" look.  Simple, easy, classic style...that's how we roll.

Wishing you Sunshine & Cheer!

Bianca

First Look: tees, "teli" organic cotton ankle biters 2.0, shoes

Second Look: tees, "slater" ankle biters 2.0, shoes

Third Look: tees, "lance" ankle biters 2.0, shoes

fave finds: VICTORY is mine

Well after months years of playing the waiting game, I finally scored a Hudson's Bay blanket.  You might remember this post from a couple years ago--to me it feels like yesterday.  So imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the most fabulous, green, Hudson's Bay beauty at the thrift store over the weekend.  The best part...wait for it...IT WAS 50% OFF!!!  Victory is mine!  (finally)

 I can never have enough (vintage) sewing notions.  I picked up a huge bag of notions, not knowing what all was inside, and lucked out!  It was filled with lovely colored seam binding and bias tape.  These were just a couple of my favorite still in the packaging.  I love the mix of graphics and fonts against the colors of the notions.  I am adding these two lovelies to my inspiration board.

Sunshine & Cheer amigos!
-bink

fabric tassel garland

Let's make fabric tassels garland!  Quick.  Easy.  And oh so cute! 

1) You'll need fabric (fabric scraps, trim, tissue paper-- a la confetti system), twine, and scissors

 

2) Cut or tear fabric into half inch or one inch strips. I tore my fabric, for an unfinished look.  I cut my bias tape in half, for a cleaner and slimmer look.  Play around and see what you like best.

3) Gather 6 strips of fabric, try to line them up even.

4) Start twisting in the middle and work your way out about 4-5 inches. (BTW,  I swear I have all five fingers on this hand)

5) Loop fabric like so.

6) Grab a strip of fabric from the pile and wrap around the loop a couple of times and then tie in a knot.

7) Your almost done!  Trim your tassel to desired length.  I cut mine to 6 inches.  Repeat steps 1-7, run your twin through the loops, and sit back and admire your work.

Have a great weekend amigos!

Sunshine & Cheer,

Bianca

fave finds: Heavy Metal

What I love most about thrifting are the unique items just waiting to be discovered.  Why would anyone get rid of any of these pieces?  Who knows.  Who cares.  I am just glad they did.

Sunshine & Cheer!
Bianca

viv & ingrid

We want to welcome the newest retailer to carry bink & boo, Viv & Ingrid at Oxford Hall in Berkley.  This adorable shop is the flagship store of the talented jewelery designers Vivian Wang and Ingrid Chen.  If you're in the area stop in and shop, or if you're looking for booties from our "Laguna Collection" (sold out online) viv & ingrid is fully stocked.

Style 2.0

shop this look: Hanes white tee , chambray shirt from Land's End, "Dusty" ab 2.0 by bink & boo, Tiny Toms

shop this look: long sleeve tee from Sweet William, "Hector" ab 2.0 by bink & boo, 'mid slip' converse (a staple in our house)

shop this look: Marta Sweater by Monamici, "Garcia" ab 2.0 by bink & boo, Rainbow sandals

These vintage multi-strand necklaces are my favorite!  They make accessorizing easy, and add a perfect pop of color.  I started "collecting" them in college, and have only been able to add a few to my collection since then.  They're hard to find.  Do you see these necklaces when you're out and about? 

Favorite Finds

I generally blow right by the shoe department while thrifting, but my friends Michelle, and Amber have me rethinking my ignorance. While thrifting together last week, Michelle found these Spring stunners for me.

The blue one's have never been worn!  She done good...real good.  I am thinking I might start shufflin' through the shoe department for a quick once over. Of all things second-hand, shoes sort of freak me out, but I bleached the heck out of these so I'm good. 

I spent most of my time hunting down t-shirts.  This groovy guy was just waiting for me, and is now waiting to be turned into a pair of ankle biters (ab 2.0 size 3T-4T if you want to pre-order them).  I found a number of great t-shirts, and will be adding to the ab collection over the next few weeks.  (Thanks everyone for your support and your great response to ABC 2.0.  There's more to come)

So...what's your favorite, and least favorite "department" at thrift stores?  Personally I favor the whole store, with the exception of electronics.

Ankle Biter Collection 2.0

Introducing the Ankle Biter Collection 2.0!  Inspired by classic sweat pants from the 50's and 60's, the "ab 2.0" is gently gathered at the hem for a slightly slimmer look.  We will be adding new ankle biters* over the next several months, but please be patient as we continue to "hunt and gather" for this carefully curated collection.  Follow us on Facebook to see when new creations are added to the collection. SHOP NOW

*Ankle Biters are one-of-a-kind, handmade from repurposed, super soft, recycled t-shirts.

sun, fun, and food

Dinner with friends.  My girlfriend and I stayed in the restaurant chatting, while her husband entertained the kids outside.

At first he said this was his new puppy, then he said it was his best friend, and finally he asked "how do you work this thing?"

My sweet potato pie with fresh whipped cream.  It ain't pretty, but it's damn good!

 Cheers to a great week filled with sunshine & cheer! 

Lord Have Mercy Sweet Potato Pie (makes 2 pies)*
2 unbaked pie shells
2.5 lb raw yams
3/4 butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt

1. Set the oven rack in the middle position.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Place prepared sweet potatoes in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  With mixer running on low, add butter.  Add brown sugar and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Add heavy cream and vanilla.  DO NOT OVER BEAT.  Add cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt.

3. Pour batter into pie shells.  Bake for about 1 hour, or until a tester inserted into pie comes out clean.  The center of the pie should wiggle a bit.  Cool 2-3 hours on a rack.  Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  Store covered with a  paper towel and plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

HOW TO PREPARE SWEET POTATOES FOR PIE
Select large yams, prick them with a fork, and place them on a foil covered metal baking pan that has been coated with vegetable spray.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour.

Place the baking pan on a cooling rack.  Carefully cut the hot sweet potatoes in half lengthwise so that they will cool more quickly  When potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides (discard the skins) and place them in  the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Weigh the sweet potato pulp after scooping it.  Process until potatoes are soft and fluffy.

*If you'd like you can freeze half of the pie filling, to use at a later time.  Remove from freezer and allow to thaw in refrigerator overnight.  My pie for pie day, was made with filling that I had made at Christmas.  The pie tasted delicious and the texture was perfect!

Happy Day

Well friends, I am on my way out the door this morning to thrift with a handful of the creatives.  It's been a while since we've been on a thrift trip together, so today is long overdue. The weather is beautiful, were stopping for doughnuts (yay!), and I've got a little extra "scratch" (cash) in m pocket.  It's gonna be a great day!  Heck, it's gonna be a great weekend.  Hittin' the beach tomorrow., it's Pie Day at M.O.M on Sunday, and there's a huge rummage sale going on at Balboa Park this weekend. So much fun, so little time.

Have a great weekend amigos!  I hope it's filled with lots of sunshine & cheer.  Meet you back here Monday with an update on my favorite finds from this weekend.  Adios!

image from a pink dream  via gabba gabba gorgeous

Around Town: Escondido

I just wanted to share a few snaps of one of my favorite little cities in North County, Escondido.  I have a love hate relationship with this town.  I love the homes in Old Escondido, and the 1950's architecture around downtown Escondido, but I hate that it's so far inland.  There are fantastic, greasy, hole in the wall places to grab a bite: Agrusas, Peterson's Donut Corner, and Stone Brewery (not greasy, not a "hole in the wall" and not pictured, but I had to mention it).  200 Main (8th picture) is exactly the building I want for the bink & boo flagship store, just not in Escondido.  I  want to pick it up and plop it down somewhere in North County, but coastal North County.  Old Escondido is sprinkled with a number of historic homes, some dating back to the late 1800's.  The architecture ranges from victorian era homes to ranch, cottage, and bungalow style.  There's nothing cookie cutter about these old neighborhoods, which is something we don't get in the 'burbs.  And my latest discovery, Major Market (2nd picture).  This grocery store is straight out of the late 70's.  It's awesome!  They have an incredible selection of food from all over the world.  Think World Market on steroids.  Of course Escondido is also home to my favorite thrift store and a number of awesome thrifting gems.  If you find yourself in North County San Diego, Escondido is a great place to cruise to and spend the day.

Wishing you Sunshine & Cheer!
Bianca

Back to life

Back to reality (please tell me you are now hearing soul II soul playing in your head).  Well, what a complete and total blessing to have my mother here while I was sick.  She cooked, she cleaned, she played with Bronson (all day), and she was her usual awesome self.  Here I am in my thirties and I still need my mom.  Please tell me I am not the only one.  There's nothing like my mom's cooking to comfort me.  There's nothing like my  mom's presence to help me get my priorities in order.  There's nothing like my mom's hug, with an extra squeeze, and her telling me everything will be okay.  There is nothing like my mom.  What I most appreciate about her, is that without even knowing it she is still teaching me how to be a better wife, a better mother, a kinder person, and how to slow down to enjoy life...in all it's stages.  Thank you mom for dropping everything, to come take care of me and my family.  I love you. I miss you.  And thank you for being the original ambassador of sunshine & cheer!

And now to kick off your weekend, Soul II Soul.  Have a great one amigos!