Hearts And Love - On A Budget

It is almost Valentine's day, if you are like most people, your credit card bills from the holiday season are still stacked on the table. Money is tight but your love is in full force! What to do? Get crafty!

The first Valentine's Matt and I spent together I made him a blanket out of fleece and hand sewed on a tiny red fleece heart. I made him this with no sewing skills and it cost under $15. At the time he was living at home and one of his mom's cats got into his room and used his blankets as a litter box (naughty cat!). To think of him cold without blankets made me feel sad and want to make him something cozy! Gifts like these are thoughtful and do not cost a lot!

Here are some crafty links and resources to help get you in the mood for hearts!


Martha Stewart has tons of ideas! Most of them are even appropriate for the newbie crafter. I drink a lot of tea and think love tea is a cute idea. You can pair it up with a 'decorate your own mug' kit that comes from the craft store (costs around $2, comes with mug & markers) or buy a pretty thrifted vintage cup!


I think the idea of a edible Valentine that is not sugar related is so clever. These stickers from Twig & Thistle are so cute - they are also free to print out!


Look at these super cute lil hearts from Mochimochi Land! The pattern is free and looks like something I can even knit! *Note: it calls for felting, you can use a acrylic scratchy yarn for the same effect - or so I have been told in the past!


Now these vegan peanut butter bonbons sound interesting since the recipe calls for nutritional yeast! Make some and place them in a cute decorated box and you are good to go!


Have fun and happy Valentine's day!

Day Trip - Sacramento

So last weekend we headed a hour up north to Sacramento. Over the last few years I have really fallen in love with Sac! From vegan restaurants and Whole foods to walking around mid town and all the little shops.

Here are some of my favorite Sacramento places, some big and some small - however they are all worth checkin' out!

-First up is what I like to think of as the 'vegan house' on K Street. Sugar Plum Vegan and Never Felt Better team up to offer food, baked goods, stuff for the house and all your vegan cheeze needs! I love having so many choices under one roof!

Potato mashers at Sugar Plum:


-Staying on the grid I like going over to the Gluten Free Specialty Market that carry a lot of vegan products! Even if you are not GF (I am not) it is worth seeing what vegan stuff they have to buy!

-Lush in Macy's at the K Street Mall. The staff at this location are super nice, some of the nicest sales people I have encountered!

-Queen Sheba has a all you can eat vegan buffet for lunch Monday through Friday. The best day to go is Friday for the tofu tibs. The bread is so tasty you will want to smuggle it out in your pockets!

-Teavana in Arden mall is a good place to sample a lot of teas. I love the fact that they have sample stations and little cups you can help yourself to trying some exotic blends. Matt who is not a big fan of tea even likes the Strawberry Paraiso White Tea with popcorn bits...

-Whole Foods on Arden gets Bicycle Bakery fudge cake in - so damn tasty, you need a slice - now!

-On our way home from Sacramento we have been stopping at the recently opened Loving Hut in Elk Grove. We love starting off with something fried - which is a rare treat and I then take 20 minutes trying to pick something since I want to try it all!


Bonus picture - Matt at his gallery debut at Side Show Studios. There was a lot of cool art going on that night! I can't wait to go back and get tattooed by Char!