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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Pimped Out (Literally!) & Final Look of Small Town Chic

Today's post is all about "pimping" out the simplest of things, saltine crackers. I found this recipe over at Sweet Teeth Blog & decided I would give it a try. This woman was not lying they really do put the crack in crackers (& are extremely addicting to say the least). The boyfriend loved them & we even have people at work hooked. I changed the recipe a bit by adding a local company's grilling spice instead of the ranch packet mix (but trust me they are just as addicting if not more).Hope you enjoy & let me know what you think.
FYI: Mansmith's grilling spice can be found here.
Pimped out Saltines:  
1 1/4 cup of canola oil (although I would have used quite
 a bit less, and maybe olive oil, instead)
Mansmith's grilling spice (omitted ranch packet)
2-3 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes (adds just enough kick, we love spicy!)
2 sleeves of saltines
and any other spices you would like (I used garlic salt, dill, rosemary, ect.)
Directions:
1. combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl
2. add in saltine crackers & mix peppery oil until all crackers are evenly coated
3. lay out on a cookie sheet & bake @ 250 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until golden brown) flipping over halfway through
4. remove from oven & enjoy!
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Side note this is the final look of  Small Town Chic Blog (I know what your all thinking FINALLY) haha. It's simple, yet sophisticated & most of all it fits my personality! Hope you all have enjoyed the blog so far & check back soon for more tutorials & fashion related posts.
Besos, Cat


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Casual Comfy Chic Without Breaking the Bank

So as you may or may not know, Small Town Chic will be going through a major overhaul in the months to come. I have vowed to post more tips & tutorials,fashion & overall life living in small town America (which isn't really that bad lol).
Anyway on to the good stuff ;) Todays post is all about fashion! That's right, looking good doesn't always have to break the bank. My man was generous enough to shoot some pictures of todays outfit and even showed me how to edit them with the most amazing app.
On a side note my lovely mother came to visit me today. We had lunch at this quaint little café in downtown Hollister & then walked around a bit downtown. We stumbled on this adorable boutique named Holliwood & got to talking to the owner. As it turns out she was quite a popular jewelry designer in southern California some years ago. Needless to say I left very inspired & even picked up a gorgeous gold cuff bracelet. If your ever in the area I advise you to check out her store (I will be going back soon!)  















Top: GAP
Pants: Forever 21
Necklaces: Forever 21
Bracelet: Holliwood Boutique
Shoes: Mossimo by Target



Saturday, January 5, 2013

New Year, New Me (& complete blog makeover)



Hello there <3
First off I would like to apologize to you all for the lack of posts these last few months. I honestly can not believe how fast time has flown by! First we were moving in & next the holidays were here (which left little time for organization, new items from Simply 1 Love & most of all posts). Good news is I have scheduled  plenty of time for Small Town Chic & Simply 1 Love in 2013 (new year new resolutions right?!). 
Anyways, I just wanted to share with you all a little of what you missed over the past few months. Hope you all enjoy & please stay tuned. This month I will be working hard to bring you all new updates on fashion, oragnization & amazing items being added to my shop.

PS: I will be launching my Etsy store for Simply 1 Love so please stay tuned!!



Besos, Cat xoxox

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Ceramic Bird Update: Thrift Find to Instant Home Decor

Ahhhh I honestly thought moving would be a hell of a lot easier than it is, and well to my suprise it's not! Although our home is slowly coming together there is still alot of work that needs to be done to get our homelooking in tip-top shape for our housewarming party at the end of this month
(which I am beyond excited for!! If you could'nt tell haha).

So I have been working on a few small projects between all the moving and cleaning (which suprisingly I am loving by the way, haha who would have thought?!) and I'm excited to show you my latest discovery. I found this little beauty at a Goodwill store  in my hometown for only $2. Because I knew there was alot of potential in this adorable ceramic bird (but hated the colors), I bought it anyways (I mean who can pass up such a steal?!). With a can of spraypaint and no time at all I had a completly transformed centerpiece for our dining room table, although I feel it would be better suited on our soon to be enrtyway table ;)  I'm waiting to buy it when we get paid, but the anticipation is killing me!!


To recreate this one of a kind look I used Krylon Indoor/Outdoor gloss spraypaint in Rich Plum, which you can find for about $6 at most retail stores. I picked up mine at Wal-Mart and even picked up a few generic brand gloss spraypaints for a great steal at .97 cents each. The man working the department told me for the price I was better off getting the generic brand for what I was using it for, although they only come in the most basic colors (who can pass up a bargain?). Anyways the plum color is absolutely to die for and I think it suited my project well. Second, make sure you clean your surface well to get rid of any dirt, oil or sticky stuff that can affect the way the paint sticks to your surface. Lastly, make sure you paint in a place that is well ventalated. One thing I might have done differently was paint in our garage. For some reason our backyard attracts the most annoying insects and when I came out to add a second coat tiny nats were stuck in the paint. Not a huge deal but kind of annoying haha.

Hope you've all enjoyed the update and check back soon for my dresser redo. I'm already in love with how it's turning out.

Here are a few pictures to top of cheap thrift find.




Besos, Cat <3

Monday, September 24, 2012

Pinterest: Outfit "Look Alike" of the Day

So because I woke up early this morning I thought I would take a little time to plan my outfit. I pinned this adorable outfit Sunday morning (pictured on left) and soon realized I had the same exact pieces in my closet already, which is the best feeling ever! And also which made me kind of sad because I didn't think to put them together myself haha. Anyways I though I would post the pic and give you all some inspiration yourselves when it comes to those outfits you all pinned to "My Style" ages ago ;)


Besos, Cat <3

Friday, September 21, 2012

It's Official We're Moving!

Hello all :)
So sorry I havn't posted in what seems like forever. Iv'e been extremly busy with school, work and house hunting that I lost track of time (or much less have any time for tutorials and such). But good news is my boyfriend and I have found our new home for the next few years and it's absolutely perfect!!We searched craigslist for what seemed like forever when all of a sudden (Wednesday morning) we found this place. The landlord offered us to come take a look at it and before we knew it the place was ours and paperwork was signed. The house is cute little duplex in the cutest neighborhood with a big backyard for Marley (our loving little pup), and we couldnt be any more thrilled!! It is the perfect size for us, not to big and not too small. But best thing about our new home? It has a huge master bedroom with 2 closets!! Two maser closets?! Yes mam you heard me right       T W O of them (yea yea I know I have too many clothes haha,but hey i'm a girl and I need options). The other 2 bedrooms will be used for office/music space for the boy and a craft room for myself, which I plan to blog in ALMOST everyday (tutorials and decorating tips to come really soon I PROMISE).
So needless to say I am more than excited for our move to small town USA aka Hollister,Ca. We have many friends there already, which makes the transition alot easier! And you better believe I will be blogging every step of the way. From move in to our housewarming party I will be documenting and sharing it all with you all :)
PS: I have a review on velvet hangers coming soon that I started at my Mom's house so keep your eyes and ears posted for tips and tricks on organizing your closet and where to buy them. (HINT: I am absolutely in love with these amazing inventions!!)
I look forward to blogging soon and please feel free to leave me a comment down below if you have tips on moving in to a new place. All advice is welcome!!
Besos, Cat <3

Design Inspirations:
via: The Creativity Exchange

via:Design Sponge

Sunday, August 12, 2012

First Blog Post!!! :)

Hey all :)

Today i've started my new craft blog that i've been thinking about starting for sometime now. I have been obsessed with crafting and home decor ever since I can remember and since my boyfirend and I are on the search for a home in Hollister, California, I thought why not?! For those of you who dont't know Hollister is a very small town off the beaten path south of San Jose. It's about and hour from beautiful Santa Cruz, Ca (currently where my boyfriend lives & commutes to work every day from) and a half an hour from my home town of Salinas,Ca. We are looking for something small for the two of us and our crazy, adorable, loving dog Marley.

In the coming months I hope to show you a glimpse into our new home and  how we decorate it on our tight budgets (and of course showing you all my amazing crafty, creative side :) Thank you Pinterest!!)

*PS  if you love handmade accessories from headbands to vintage inspired jewelry don't forget to check out my store Simply 1 Love!! (all items hand made by me and for sale on my website)  www.facebook.com/simply1love

Best Wishes!! Cat <3