Saturday, June 22, 2013

Spicy Mango Guacamole

Summer has officially arrived, and I thought I would share with you one of my favorite recipes that is perfect for summertime. I've been told I make a mean guacamole. I thought I would change up my recipe and add a little sweet to my spicy guac. Here's how I did it:


Ingredients:
  • 3 ripe Hass avocados (avocados will be a bright green and darken to almost a black color when ripened and will be soft to the touch)
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced 
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. red cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1 lime juiced, use about 1tbs. (a lemon will work too!)

Throw it Together Like This:

Grab a medium to large size bowl to make your guac in. The photo above is a single serving of the guac. You'll end up with lots more guac than this! First, scoop out the avocado into your bowl and pour  on your fresh squeezed lemon juice or lime juice (this is to keep the avocado from becoming a disgusting mucky brown color and once it turns this color no one will want to eat it) Mash up your avocados. I found that a potato masher gets the job done. Sprinkle in your spices and sea salt and mix it up. Finally, add in your diced up tomatoes, red onion, mango, stir and let sit for about an hour at room temperature to let the flavors meld. Keep bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap to keep it's green color. Serve with some tortilla chips. I like to serve mine with blue corn chips. 

Bon appétit! or more appropriately in Spanish, ¡buen provecho

xoxo,

Julia 

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Wednesday Link Love

Hello friends!

Is it just me or is the month of June going by fast?! This past weekend my gold leaf kit arrived, and I'm looking forward to getting started on my antique mirror project this weekend! Hopefully, I will have a post on that soon! Here are some great links to brighten your Wednesday.



A garden you rarely have to water!

I made these crunchy asparagus fries for my Dad on Father's Day. They were delicious!

This would be a cool way to travel!

Diy friendship bracelets. I've been collecting these on recent trips!

The reason I love stripes! They are an essential.

xoxo

Julia

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Wednesday Link Love

Hello friends!

It was so sunny and nice this past Saturday! I ventured to New Harmony, IN with my friend Martha for some antiquing. I was on the search for an antique mirror and ended up finding one, along with one or two other items! My mirror will be featured in an upcoming diy post! Stay tuned!

          I took this photo in New Harmony. It reminded me of the ceiling of the Guggenheim in NYC.


We also hit up a library book sale, the New Harmony Contemporary Art Gallery, and stopped by Bliss, a new artisan ice cream shop for a cool treat. The Red Velvet ice cream was delicious!

Now for some lovely links!

Do you sit at a desk all day? I do.Try these stretches to relieve some tension.

I just signed up for Julep! One of my friends loves it. I thought I'd give it a try. Click here to sign up! Your first box is free! (Practically free...shipping is not included with your freebie. There's always a catch, isn't there?)

I stumbled upon this lovely French blog Cachemire & Soie. I love her city guide of San Francisco. It makes me want to travel! Read her post here (Disclaimer! It's in French, but there is an English translation option.)

xoxo,

Julia

P.S. Stripes & Charms is now on Twitter! Click on the icon on the sidebar to follow!

Don't be shy! Leave a comment, question, or whatever is on your mind below.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Travel Adventures: London & Cornwall


For this post I thought I’d share with you some highlights from my past trip I took to England.
It has become a tradition that I go somewhere every year for my birthday. I started this a few birthdays ago with a trip to Las Vegas, and I have kept the tradition going. This past October, I celebrated my 26th birthday in London with my good friend, Matt. Matt is from Cornwall, which is known for its beautiful beaches. We traveled there for the last part of the trip.

This was my first solo adventure overseas, and I had wanted to make the trip for quite some time.  My birthday seemed like a perfectly good excuse for some world traveling! I found a modern and stylish flat on Airbnb. I wanted to have the experience of living in London for the week (also a washer and dryer!). It was actually more affordable than staying in a hotel, and it had all the amenities of home (plus a Nespresso!)!

                                      (This is me at the Newark Airport bound for London)


I arrived in London and my first challenge was the Tube. I had purchased my Oyster card ahead of time and after a moment of brief confusion, I decided to get on and hope that I was going the right direction (I was!). The Tube is actually a really easy way to get around the city. Naturally, when I got on the pavement it started to rain, but fortunately it was a short walk to the flat, and I packed an umbrella.

My friendly host greeted me at the door and gave me a tour around the flat and the most ancient skeleton key I have ever seen. I didn’t venture very far  from the flat for the rest of the day because I spent most of the plane ride catching up on movies I had missed at the theatre, and I was exhausted! The next morning, I woke up to the chimes of Big Ben (the clock tower was only a few blocks away!) well rested and ready to explore London.

After I did this…


I was ready to go. 


I had always (since 1999) wanted to go to Notting Hill to walk down Portobello Road on Saturday during the antique market. I got up early that morning and found the nearby tube station was closed for a scheduled maintenance, so I took the bus instead. It was a long bus ride, but I got to see a lot of the city that I would have missed had I taken the Tube.  I wasn’t quite sure how to get to Portobello Road, but the people out that morning seemed to all be headed the same way so I decided to follow. The street was lined for what seemed like miles with stalls of antiques, produce, clothes, bread, and pastries. It was a visual feast. There was so much to look at and take in. I bought the most decadent looking donuts I’ve ever seen. They were covered in sprinkles and filled with a plethora of cream filling and jams. I have a weakness for donuts. By noon, the road was crowded with people, and I was glad I had arrived early that morning!






Sunday, Matt arrived and I met up with him at Victoria Station. That evening we went to Notting Hill and wandered around until we ended up in Kensington where we had dinner at a little Italian restaurant. After dinner, we headed over to the Coronet cinema to watch Skyfall. The Coronet is a charming old theatre (also in the film Notting Hill!). We grabbed some salty popcorn and settled in  the balcony to watch the film.

For my birthday we headed to Southwark where we wandered around taking photos and getting lost down tiny streets. Borough Market was one of my favorite places we visited. It’s basically a gourmet farmer’s market, a foodie’s mecca. Lots of delicious things to sample and buy!

We picked up a box of these delicious macarons.






Then we headed to the Tate Modern to look at some art….




Another favorite spot in London was Hyde Park.  We made friends with a very large pelican and paddled around on a paddleboat on The Serpentine.

Before leaving London we took a night ride on the London Eye, London’s giant Ferris wheel.  The Eye gave us a great view of the city all lit up along the Thames River.

On Thursday we left London by coach to head to Cornwall for the last part of the trip. It was a nice change of pace from the city. I stayed at a cozy B&B in Plymouth for my stay. While in Cornwall we visited St. Ives, a charming seaside town filled with art galleries and a gorgeous beach. I really loved St. Ives and we ended up visiting again the next day. We also visited Saint Michael’s Mount and were able to walk out during low tide to the mount.




At the end of my stay, I took the train back to London before heading across the Atlantic. I was sad to be on my way home, and it will always be a memorable trip. I wish I could have stayed longer! I look forward to my next travel adventure!

*Other possible title for this blog was going to be: The Week I Didn't Realize Kevin Spacey was my Neighbor.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Wednesday Link Love

It's Wednesday and that means that we've made it halfway through the work week!! I thought I'd share some of my favorite things with you that I've found.

Yesterday, the June issue of Matchbook Mag went live!

which led me to listen to this....

I enjoy the Simple Things.

How to properly wrap a burrito so it doesn't fall apart. This is valuable information!

I love this polish!

This adorableness is my dog, Chanel.



Have a great Wednesday!

xoxo,

Julia

Sunday, June 2, 2013

How to Create an Anthro Inspired Dresser

I love Anthropologie’s furniture (and just about everything else they are selling), but it's a little out of my current budget. I’ve been looking for a new dresser for quite sometime, but for the price of a new piece of furniture I was not in love with anything I had found. I love unique pieces with plenty of charm, so I began my hunt for an old dresser to redo with an Anthro feel. I found this really well made dresser at a consignment shop, and for $168 (the owner gave me 10% off!) I could not pass it up. My favorite part about this dresser is that it’s made in my home state of Indiana! I knew with a little love and a fresh coat of paint this dresser could be transformed into a one of a kind piece.



















First, I sanded the dresser using an electric sander, but I also picked up a little medium sanding sponge ($2.97) for the nooks and crannies.

Next, I filled in some vintage ware and tear with wood filer and let it dry before sanding over it again, to get a nice smooth surface.

I decided on a bright coral color. I purchased a quart of Valspar Signature Semi-Gloss Tintable Paint and Primer in One ($15.74), in Tropical Bloom. Make sure you paint in a well-ventilated area; also it helps to not paint on a really hot, humid Indiana day. (below 80° F is best to allow the paint to properly dry). I used a synthetic angled paintbrush. It’s important to not go cheap on a brush. You want a brush with good bristles that won’t fall out and get stuck in your paint.

I painted a coat and let it dry for at least two hours or more before putting on another coat. About five coats of paint later (and a few days..I took a couple breaks..ok, so I took a lot of breaks..), I was finished. You many not need five coats of paint. It really depends on your aesthetics and the furniture you are painting.

Finally, I put a coat of polyurethane gloss over the dresser for a shiny finish (two coats were recommended). I replaced the old drawer fixtures with bright green knobs for extra quirk. I purchased eight at Hobby Lobby for $12.00. I like fun, surprising details, so I lined the drawers with a fun printed shelf liner ($5.99 for 2 rolls at TJMAX) to match the knobs. If you’ve been adding up, the total cost of my dresser project was a little over $200. It was a really fun and easy project, and I look forward to redoing some more furniture in the future!

DIY Dresser Project by juliadevine







DIY Dresser Project, a photo by juliadevine on Flickr.

xoxo,


Julia