get in mah belleh

WOOO, it's friday!  since tuesday night, i've been feeling like friday would never get here.  not that i have any crazy parties or elaborate plans, but i have a painting i want to work on and i'm excited!  anyway, remember how i told you earlier this week about the blueberry pancakes i made last sunday for breakfast?  i don't really enjoy cooking all that much, but sometimes i get excited about making something new, something i know i'll love.  so i wanted to share it with you!

 it takes some preparation and mixing time, but it really is easy.  so here's what you'll need:

- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 teasooon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
- an appetite

in a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and set aside.  in a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. beat egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl; add milk and melted butter. stir egg mixture into dry ingredients and mix until batter is smooth and stir in blueberries. fold in beaten egg whites. then cook!

i hope you have a great weekend, and let me know if you decide to try the pancakes!

that time i looked like i was going to woodstock...

do you ever wish that you would have been a certain age during a certain era or decade?  i do.  my pop and i have talked many times about how we wish we could have been about 25 in 1969 in bethel, new york.  woodstock.  i didn't intend to dress like i was headed there, but i think it looks like i'm ready to see joan baez.

dress: vintage, thrifted // headband: i made it // clogs: vintage, from nicole // bracelets: vintage and SF street vendor

i found this dress at a thrift store about 5 or 6 years ago and knew i had struck gold.  i'll never let this go, and i'm just sad i haven't found others in the same style that fit perfectly with no alterations needed!  maybe this dress has been to woodstock so in a round about way i can say i was there... sort of.  what era do you wish you could have lived through or enjoyed, or just go back to and visit for a little while?

the ring, the septic tank, and the tattoo.

sunday started off with homemade blueberry pancakes because i've been craving them for weeks (no, i am not pregnant) and could have potentially ended on a really bad note thanks to a wasp that infiltrated my kitchen on saturday afternoon...

on saturday afternoon while flojo and i were getting getting a snack, i spotted a wasp flying behind the kitchen curtain, so i reached for a magazine - that's been sitting on the catch-all counter for more months than i'd like to admit - and started swinging.  during the battle i managed to swing right into this tiny little antique porcelain dish that sits in my windowsill and is the perfect size for a couple rings, making it do a few impressive front flips before landing in the windowsill again.  i got the wasp and didn't think about it again until we were ready to leave on sunday afternoon for my tattoo appointment.  i reached in the little basket for my engagement ring (even though i'm married and have a band that i don't wear), and... nothing.  i knew i put it there last so i went into panic mode and knew i had to tell chris.  at first he thought i was joking, but when he realized i was serious he said, "well you're not getting a tattoo if you just lost a four thousand dollar ring!!!"  i wanted to cry.  so we had to get under the sink and take a pipe off, and... nothing.  then i really wanted to cry, because my ring was gone.  after a few minutes i thought, "wait!  maybe when i closed the window i closed it over the ring not realizing it was there!"  luck was on my side that day, because my ring was right there when i opened the window!  so i learned my lesson... and i still got to get my tattoo.  after we left the house, chris told me that he'd decided when the ring wasn't in the basket that he'd just have to dig up the septic tank and go through it handful by handful until he found it.  now that, my friends, is love.

i've been wanting for years now to get a tattoo that said dinosaur toes, because that's flojo's nickname (and i'm sure you've surmised my shop's and blog's namesake), and she means more to me than words could ever describe.  so now i'll always have dinosaur toes with me, and on her favorite perch - my right shoulder!

ditsy?

sometimes i see words or phrases on the internet and, although i may know what they're associated with, i have no idea what they actually mean.  it makes me feel so old and out of touch.  for example: ditsy.  and to think all this time i've just thought my dresses had a floral print...

dress: vintage, thrifted // belt: came with another dress // shoes: aldo // sunglasses: tumbleweeds // bracelets: vintage and san francisco street vendor // ditsy flowers: courtesy of my husband

i wasn't sure about this dress when i first saw it because it was made to be the jumper type that you wear over a shirt, and i don't think i've done that since 4th grade when my turtlenecks were printed with teddy bears.  but, i like the pattern, the fabric is soft, it fit, and i knew that it would be a simple alteration that wouldn't take more than 20 minutes.  i still can't believe what i'm about to tell you, but i actually had the dress fixed and ready to wear less than a week after i got it.  i know, it's insane, but i swear i'm not lying.

so how was your weekend?  mine was so nice but went by WAY too quickly!  i got a painting almost finished, i got a new tattoo, and we went riding by the creek and through the woods (and had more encounters with nature than ever before) because several of you guys said you wanted to see more of the farm - and what my friends want, my friends get.  so i'll show you soon!

summer on the farm

sometimes i tell chris about the times i try to explain to people that i live in the country, or that i live on a farm, or that i have no neighbors, and they don't really believe me; they still think that target is only 5 minutes away; that i can walk to the post office; that i'm close enough to a grocery store to ride my bike; that my driveway is paved.  because i didn't grow up on a farm or in the country, it's still weird sometimes being so far from everything (or at least it feel like a long way to me), but there are some things i've learned to appreciate about the seclusion that comes from living here...

-being able to make my own path and take walks anywhere i want with only the wildlife to see me.

-knowing that at any minute i can look outside and see deer, turkeys, rabbits, or so many species of birds that city dwellers can't enjoy.

-having a thick patch of milkweed that grows in the corner of our backyard, providing food for the monarch caterpillars, and then a place for them to attach their cocoon.

-knowing that in june the wheat will be cut so i can walk through the fields and see where i'm stepping without worrying about hidden snakes!

-taking jogs, hikes, and ATV rides with my dog the dummy through the woods, by the creek, and on trails chris made, knowing that we have 140 acres of freedom!  side note: it might sound bad to call kona a dummy, but when dogs do their "i'm going to pretend i'm deaf while i prance around outside and ignore you" routine, i think dummy is fitting.

-laying outside at night on the trampoline with chris watching shooting stars, following satellites as they move across the sky, and pointing out constellations.

do you live in the city or in the country?  what are some of your favorite things about it?

my diy

when it comes to diy - and the internet seems to have an unlimited supply - i swear i have good intentions, but like my stack of to-be-altered thrift store finds, i often don't ever get around to doing them.  but sometimes i see one so awesome i know it would make angels cry to ignore it, and no one want to be responsible for angel tears.

a couple weeks ago i saw a tie dye denim diy on honestly... wtf and knew that if i could find a chambray shirt, IT. WAS. ON.  i kid you not, i've been searching thrift stores for nearly a year for a chambray shirt that fit and didn't have old lady embroidery with absolutely no luck.  so imagine my surprise when the day after i saw the diy i managed to find a chambray shirt that fit for only $3.50!  i couldn't believe it.  i was pretty nervous to bleach it seeing as how i really liked it just as it was and i'd been looking forever, but i knew i didn't want to forget about this diy.

as long as you have rubber bands, a shirt, and some bleach, the diy is basically just common sense.  but i always seem to forget just how fast bleach can, well, bleach, once it starts to work.  the diy says to keep your shirt in bleach for 15-20 minutes, but from my experience bleaching fabric for bags, i knew that anything close to 10 would mean it would go from blue to white to tan with bleach-eaten holes.  my shirt stayed submerged for about 3 minutes, and i already had water waiting in the washing machine to stop the bleach, but i didn't take into account how long it would take me to remove the 8 million rubber bands, so it ended up a little lighter than i'd hoped, but i still love it!  i can see it now with a lace skirt and wedges...  i'm hoping maybe, fingers crossed, i'll be able to find another chambray shirt to bleach, only this time i'll remember how long the rubber bands take to come off!

the pictures where i'm wearing it make it look a lot lighter than it actually is, but i promise it's awesome, and i'm pretty sure after that bleach bath it's cleaner than any other clothes in my closet!  have you been working on any diy's lately?  if so, what are they?  whenever i see a good diy online, i'm always curious about other people's results!

also, be sure to enter the $75 gift card giveaway from shabby apple because it ends tomorrow!  and for dinosaur toes readers, shabby apple is kind enough to give you 10% off of your purchases with the discount code dinosaurtoes10off

what i've been working on...

i took a little time off from making anything new because i started to feel kind of burnt out on metal and stones and jewelry entirely, but i feel reinvigorated and have fresh new ideas i want to bring to life!  here's what i've been working on the last few weeks...

since these earrings have really caught on and are currently the most popular item in my shop, i've also used the same idea to make that heart bracelet as well as a ring i still need to get photographed.  i've decided that pyrite is my new favorite stone to work with, so be on the lookout for more of it!

what have you been working on lately?

twirls.

first, this skirt is my favorite.  second, i'm so glad i own and am able to operate a sewing machine.  i thrifted this baby last year because i think it's impossible to have too much chiffon in my life, and because it's my favorite color.  the only problem was that i could have fit two of me in it, so i actually considered not getting it because i've finally been honest with myself in these situations and realized that the chances of me actually making the necessary alterations are slim to none.  but i promised myself i would alter this one (and i actually did it pretty quickly!) and now i can't imagine not having it!

top: banana republic // belt: forever 21 // skirt: vintage, thrifted // shoes: aldo // bag: vintage, thrifted

in other news, because my toes are still broken (i'm one of those people who thinks things can just immediately heal because i want them to, but unfortunately it's never worked) i'm still not able to run, and i'm about to go crazy.  BUT, since i feel like there is no other exercise like running and i'll go up at least 8 sizes without doing it, i've really been trying hard to eat healthier (and less) since about the only thing i can do that doesn't hurt is ride a bike.  so my point is, i gave up coca-cola almost three weeks ago.  it's a feat i never in a million years thought i'd tackle, BUT I DID!  and i'm not even jonesing!  now if only my willpower could heal my toes...

how was your weekend?  also, don't forget to enter the giveaway for a $75 gift card from shabby apple!

shabby apple giveaway! NOW CLOSED

sometimes i get really excited about a giveaway that i'm able to host, and this is one of those times.  it's no secret that i love vintage, so naturally i love the vintage, whimsical style of the clothing and accessories on shabby apple, and now you have a chance to pick anything your heart desires from their site!  up for grabs is a $75 gift card to use on absolutely anything you want on shabbyapple.com!  here are a few of my favorites...

TO ENTER (please follow the rules):
- giveaway winners must have a U.S. address.
-leave a comment letting me know you liked shabby apple on facebook and include your email address.

FOR ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:
-leave a comment telling me your favorite item from their site.
-follow this blog.
-follow shabby apple on twitter.
-tweet, "i want to win a $75 gift card from @shabbyapple and @dinosaurtoes! http://dinosaurtoes.blogspot.com/2012/06/shabby-apple-giveaway.html"  and leave a comment saying you did.

in case you can't wait to find out if you're the winner or not before you start your shabby apple shopping, you can use the code dinosaurtoes10off  for 10% off your purchases for the next month! good luck, and have fun window shopping in preparation for winning!

mismatched midi

do you have trouble thrifting things only to let them sit in a drawer or in your closet for years?  i'll admit it, i have quite a few vintage thrifted finds that i can't part with, but i can't seem to figure out how to wear either!  i've had this skirt for at least five years now, i kid you not.  vintage hoarder?  probably.  midis have always scared me, but i've decided to face my fear (with skirts at least; the snake fear may never be faced).  also, chris took my pictures, so that's why i look kind of goofy... sorry!

jacket: american eagle (really old) // shirt: vintage, thrifted // skirt: vintage, thrifted // belt: forever 21 // sandals: aldo

here are a few things of note: i almost just wore a white shirt but thought that would be too boring, so i decided to add another pattern to the skirt (the embroidery on the shirt) because who doesn't like an added dose of crazy?  my toes were freshly broken and not buddy wrapped and i could only hop on my right foot, so chris had to get the crutches out of the garage, and now that i think about it, i feel extra pathetic.  last, do not wear these shoes with broken toes; they will make you cry.

summertime hippie

i don't know about you, but whenever summer rolls around, all i can think about is cutoff shorts, braids (which doesn't work so well for me this summer after the locks of love haircut), and those awesome vintage embroidered tops.  i've been internet stalking a few things lately, and since it's a rainy day and window shopping is always fun when you're stuck inside, i added a few new things to my summertime hippie wishlist...

find these beauties here (from the top): vintage embroidered tunic, koltur swedish clogs, vintage levi's cutoffs, druzy geode ring, turquoise faced wayfarer sunglasses, silver cuff bracelet

have you been doing any window shopping lately?  what are you adding to your wish list?  mine keeps growing, and it's getting a little out of control!  one last thing, i'm pretty excited about a giveaway that i'll be hosting later this week, so be sure to come back and enter!

minty fresh

friends, romans, countrymen, i had the flu; therefore, fingers that hurt too bad to type, and a brain that hurt too bad to think.  but i think i'm on the upswing, and if you play your cards right, i'll probably survive.  i've been saving these pictures since last friday when i wore this outfit.  you know how sometimes you wear something that you just really like, and makes you feel good?  that's this outfit; 1. mint green is my favorite color ever, so finding a vintage chiffon mint green skirt in a thrift store for $3 was like a dream come true. 2. i'm wearing a t-shirt, and anytime i can wear a t-shirt i'm happy.  3. i got these shoes for so cheap it was almost like stealing.  4. glitter belt.

t-shirt: kohl's (about 6 or 7 years ago) // belt: thrifted for $2!!!!! // skirt: vintage/thrifted // necklace: i made it // shoes: rugged wearhouse

i kind of wanted to show you my shoes since i love them so much, so that's the explanation for the awkward third picture.

so how have you been?!  even though it's only been a week since i've blogged, meaning a week since i've gotten to read your comments that i love so much, and read your blogs, i feel like it's been ages!  last night was the first night i started to feel like i was alive, and i'm definitely feeling more improvement this morning, which is good, but i swear i think trouble just has a way of finding me, or maybe i have a way of finding it.  i'm not even going to tell you how because it's way too embarrassing, but last night i managed to break two toes on one foot.  so graceful, right?  so today i'm covering up those bruised and swollen eyesores with clogs, and because I CAN'T EVEN WALK ON THAT FOOT!!!!! (so mad about that) i will be using crutches i haven't used since my knee issue in high school.  hopefully my little piggies will heal quickly, but i have a feeling that once they're on the mend, i'll find some other trouble...