Let's Get Social Sunday (I'm Co-hosting!)

Hello everyone!

Usually, I take a blogging break on Sunday, so I can catch up with all of my faves and see what they've been up to all week.  This time, I'm not just linking to Let's Get Social Sunday, I'm co-hosting!

I'd love for you guys to link up, find some awesome new blogs, and get the creative juices flowing.  Without further ado, a message from our lovely hosts and the party!  :)

Just a reminder - Lets Get Social Sunday will be on 9 different blogs every week!  That means maximum exposure for you :) 

Welcome to Let's Get Social Sunday!

This party is for bloggers who wish to make new friends and gain new followers. It is also an opportunity to link up all your social media sites to gain more followers for blogging opportunities and it increases traffic to all your sites.

Please:)

(1) Follow your hosts and co-hosts in as many ways as possible. We are the first 1-9 link-ups in each category. Hosts:

Joy @ Yesterfood
Linda @ With A Blast
Paula @ Call Me PMc
Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile
Diane @ Mamal Diane

Evelyn @ My Turn for us

Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes

and meet our co-hosts this week:

Parrish @ Life With The Crust Cut Off

and

Diane @ Vintage Zest!

(2) Grab our button and share it on your blog

(3) Let us know if you followed in the comments, so we can return the follows!

(4) Find some new blogs to follow and let 'em know you found them from the Let's Get Social Sunday party. 

*Just a note - If you would like to co-host, we are accepting spots in the future for co-hosts. Please, email us at letsgetsocialsunday@gmail.com and we will send you the information on scheduling. :)

<div align="center"><a href=" http://www.lovebakesgoodcakes.com/" title="Let's Get Social Sunday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s368/lovebakesgoodcakes/LBGC%20-%20reoccuring/LBCG%20Buttons%20and%20Banners/letsgetsocial2button.jpg" alt="Let's Get Social Sunday" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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Saturday Synopsis!

This week has been amazing...  I received a great opportunity for my career, the weather has been amazing, I've had more plans with friends and family lately, and I was able to share a few fun posts with you!

Tomorrow, I'm co-hosting one of the lovely blog hops where I get a ton of my inspiration.  I hope you join me!

In the meantime, here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :)

Saturday Synopsis!

Monday:  July 4th Ice Cream in a Neopolitan scoop?  I'll take two!

Tuesday:  My submission to the Pencil Skirt Challenge, which I'm entitling "Hello, Sunshine!"  You can see from the picture above that it is bright yellow!

Wednesday:  I found out how to bet at the racetrack and had a great day in Seal Beach.  Summer = fun.  Period.

Thursday:  I revamped my calendar and shared a Blog Calendar that you can download for your very own OCD planner!

Friday:  Losing a drawstring happens to me way too often...  See what I use to fix the problem lickety split!

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Tip: Use a Belt Loop Turner for a Lost Drawstring

This might be possibly the most random post, but I thought this would be a good tip to share.  :)  I've been holding on to this post for a few months now, just in case I didn't have time to churn out enough posts for the week.  I guess that means I've been a busy bee!

I probably should have recycled these yoga pants into rags a while ago, but I totally love them.  I bought them in college and have worn them ever since.  I had already hemmed them due to fraying, and then I sewed up the drawstring channel after it started to unravel.  Basically, it's my sewing machine's most frequent customer.  :)

With all of those adjustments, it's as good as new!

Oh wait, not yet!


At first I considered removing the entire thing and feeding it back in using a very thin safety pin. It would take a long time and may not even work, but I didn't have any other option.

Then, I had an aha moment!

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Blog Calendar Printable & Planner Updates!

Here's another peek into my calendar, which I reorganized and improved upon just a bit.  Also, I decided to share my printable Blog Calendar with you, so read through for the free download!


This year, I decided to make a customized 2013 calendar, which I wrote about in my second & third posts ever.  After adopting the new system, I realized that a few things needed to be revamped.  I gave myself a few months with the system I posted about, then I took the time to sit down and assess what was working and what wasn't.

What worked:

• The pretty vinyl on the cover.  I still love it and it stayed intact, minus a couple of tiny dots on the damask pattern.
• Using the folder for items that shouldn't be hole-punched.
• My daily To Do list in half-sheet form.

What didn't work:

• The included calendar was difficult to use with the months all over the place.
• I wanted a pre-printed daily & weekly schedule/to-do list.
• I needed more sections for To Do lists, Blog topics, etc.

Hello, new and improved Planner 2.0!

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Horse Racing, strolling in Seal Beach, and food fun!

This will be a short weekly wrap-up, but this time it's on my regular Wednesday day.  Yes!  On a side note, this was definitely the perfect weekend!  Lots of plans, but lots of "R & R" time too.  :)  Perfecto!


Precap:

• Sights:  House hunting, Los Alamitos Race Course, Seal Beach on Main Street
• Eats:  El Campeon, The Crema Cafe Bakery, Athens West, Thai on Main

Friday

Although I didn't do anything fun, I did get a great opportunity to network and talked with someone who offered me a potentially amazing opportunity for my professional life.  Super exciting!

Saturday

I woke up bright and early to work out at 7am, so I could go house hunting for the whole morning.  It is definitely exhausting, but hopefully the hard work will result in a house of our own soon!

Since we were in the area, we had a late lunch at El Campeon, which is an awesome authentic Mexican restaurant.  Mmm!

I ordered a Beef Barbacoa and my guy had three taquitos.  They were both served with beans & rice.  These were easily the best beans that we've ever had!  I'm not a huge fan of refried beans, but these were perfectly seasoned with a wonderful texture.  Also, they had a great display of breads, so bought a couple to take back home.  :)

We had just enough time to stop off at home and freshen up before going to the Los Alamitos Race Course.  It was another online deal that I wanted to try out, especially because I had never been.  Whenever anyone says that they're "off to the races," it reminds me of The Marx Brothers' movie.  :)

The horse racing was so much fun, especially because we had entrance into the Vessels Club.  It was a beautiful course, which was totally surprising to me.

We were located just near the Finish Line, which made for some exciting races!  We had a bit to eat and drink while reading the race guide and placing a few bets.  My guy made 3 bets (including one long-shot) and I made 2.  He didn't win any of his... and I won both of mine!  Mine were a bit more conservative of course, so it didn't quite make up for our losses.  Yep, this pair of big spenders lost $2.10 playing the ponies.  :)

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"Hello, Sunshine!" Peplum Pencil Skirt

I finished another garment!  Last year, I was churning them out like crazy, but now it seems like the pace has slowed.  I blame it on family, friends, and work!  You know the unimportant things in life.  ;)

I'm glad that Stitch Once, Rip Twice (our little Facebook sewing group) has helped me to remember that my sewing machine exists!  Luckily, this skirt came together in almost no time for our Summer 2013 challenge, while I was giving a sewing lesson to my cousin's daughter.  Now, I'm happy to share the finished product with you guys and wear something that I think turned out lovely.  :)

Last challenge, I attempted to sew a black and white peplum top.  It didn't end up exactly how I wanted, but I was determined to sew a pretty peplum!  Since I didn't want to sew the same pattern twice in a row, I figured that I would have to wait for a future challenge to pull off a successful peplum.

As I described in this post, the group chose a pencil skirt for the challenge, so I scoured my pattern collection for a good pattern.  I was so excited when I found Simplicity 1697.  Perfection!  Add to that a yellow linen I bought for $1 on my last swap meet trip, and I was set!

Overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out, so now it's time to show you the details and share a couple of the techniques that I used!

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July 4th "Neapolitan" Ice Cream (with Coconut, Raspberry & Blueberry flavors!)

A couple days ago, I shared with you the Coconut, Raspberry & Blueberry Ice Cream recipe that I'm going to make for our July 4th party.  Yum!

I promised that today I would share my super awesome method of serving the dessert for company, and here it is!

Neapolitan ice cream is typically made with vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate to mimic the Italian flag, so I figured why not do the same thing with American colors on our Independence day!

Here's the quick tutorial on how to make your own July 4th Neopolitan ice cream.  :)

What you will need

• Coconut, raspberry, and blueberry ice cream, using this recipe
• A container to hold your ice cream
• Knife or spatula

Notes

• You will need to work fast because the coconut ice cream melts FAST!
• Even if it isn't perfect (like mine), the scoops will end up looking fabulous!

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Saturday Synopsis (on Sunday!)

Another week comes to a close already.  With so many fun plans and blog posts, time is flying by!

Next week, I can't wait to show you my finished pencil skirt and a few more posts.  Yay!  For now, some ice cream awaits me in the freezer...

Here are last week's posts for you, in case you missed any.  :)

Sunday Synopsis!

Monday:  Another favorite breakfast snack!  This time, it is the amazing Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies.

Tuesday:  Co-hosting on Plucky's Second Thought!

Wednesday:  Sharing my entire sewing pattern collection.  Yep, I have a ton!

Thursday:  Two parties in one week?  Sure!  I co-hosted "Inspiration in Progress!"

Friday:  Another weekly wrap-up!  Lots of plans, not too many pictures... except for the food, of course!

Saturday:  Coconut, raspberry, and blueberry ice cream.  Healthy, delicious, festive, and refreshing.  What else could you ask for in a summer dessert?

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Coconut, Raspberry & Blueberry Ice Cream (AKA July 4th Ice Cream!)

*Update*: See the updated presentation here!

If you're a regular reader, then you'll be expecting a Saturday Synopsis, which I'll push to tomorrow.  Sunday Synopsis still sounds okay, right?

Today I'm sharing a dessert which will be amazing for July 4th because it's cool, it's delicious, and it's red, white, and blue.  Also, I'll give a few tips for using an ice cream maker, so you can avert the many disasters that I encountered along the way!

In all honesty, I initially wanted to make a red, white, and blue popsicle, until I saw a million fancy versions on the internet.  Then, I switched it up to an idea of blueberry & strawberry cheesecake ice cream (a combo of my fave flavors), but I didn't want to have to eat the whole recipe myself!

Luckily, I remembered reading about making healthier ice cream with coconut milk, so I considered swirling in some strawberries & blueberries into the coconut base.  That's not exactly what happened, but the finished version is so much better than my initial plans!

The texture is so creamy and delicious that you won't be able to tell that it's anything but completely decadent.  My three test subjects agreed!

********************

It's super simple and you'll definitely enjoy the end results.  Stay tuned for Monday's post using this same recipe for an even more festive presentation!

Coconut, Raspberry & Blueberry Ice Cream (AKA July 4th Ice Cream!)
Inspired by The Hungry Mouse

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Father's Day, Sewing Lessons & Soccer Cheerleading!

For some reason, I didn't realize how long summer vacations are for kids!  How amazing would it be to have more than 3 months to yourself without any work...  Anyways, even though I no longer get to partake in those lazy days of summer, I'm loving the weather and just how many weekend plans I have!

Precap:

• Sights:  Sewing lesson!
• Eats:  cha2o, Micasa Bakery, Class 302, Fig & Olive

Thursday

During last week's recap, I mentioned that I'm starting to cut back on the unhealthy dishes that I order when I eat out.  Well, I definitely overlooked that statement on Thursday...  Ha!

We went to cha2o again, and since it was family style, we ordered spring rolls, a chicken and mushroom hot pot, and noodles.  I tried my best to eat mostly veggies in the soup, a few noodles, and avoided the fried rolls altogether!

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Inspiration in Progress (I'm Co-hosting!)

I just have to say that I love summer.  Really, really love it.

Today was awesome because I had a fun day off with some family who were also free, but you'll read more about that in tomorrow's weekly wrap-up.


I was a little sad when I thought about having to sit down and write a post for today, since the summer has left me lazy and I don't have any scheduled drafts on deck!  But then I remembered that I had another fun party to co-host.  Yes!

Seriously, my blog posts are starting to feel like my weekends...  Partay after partay!  Link up and find some fun inspiration!

Thank you to everyone that linked up your wonderful creations and inspirations last week!

We would love for you to follow us @

&

Let's link up and make some new friends!   Spread the word and help us grow. 

Tweet #InspirationinProgressHOP


Short Bio: I'm Diane, a girl from sunny California, who loves all things vintage. I started my blog Vintage Zest to catalog my sewing projects, recipes that I love, international travels, organizational projects around the house, and all the fun adventures I have along the way! Even though I spend hours in craft stores and picking recipes from books with pretty pictures, I'll share my craft & cooking fails because we all need a chuckle from time to time. We can't all be perfect!




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My Complete Sewing Pattern Collection!

On Friday, I mentioned that I needed to make a webpage of all of my sewing patterns for simplicity's sake when it came to sharing my collection with friends and family.  Well here it is!

I didn't realize how many patterns that I had until I had to organize them all!  Some were gifts and some were free, which definitely bulked up my collection!

Anyways, I organized it by garment type and just left it in numerical order for easier reference.  It will definitely be updated when I get more patterns, but hopefully not too soon.  I need to sew these up before I buy any more new ones for the stash!

Dresses

Colette - Ceylon	Colette - Chantilly	Colette - Eclair
Colette - Hazel	Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing - The Sultry Sheath	Gertie - The Sweetheart Sundress
Gertie - The Wiggle Dress	Gertie - The Shirtwaist Dress	Simplicity 1606
Simplicity 1612	Simplicity 1687	Simplicity 1688
Simplicity 1699	Simplicity 1755	Simplicity 1777
Simplicity 1797	Simplicity 1798	Simplicity 1799
Simplicity 1802	Simplicity 1804	Simplicity 1810
Simplicity 1876	Simplicity 1882	Simplicity 2178
Simplicity 2217	Simplicity 2219	Simplicity 2246
Simplicity 2250	Simplicity 2281	Simplicity 2305
Simplicity 2337	Simplicity 2442	Simplicity 2443
Simplicity 2444	Simplicity 2497	Simplicity 2580
Simplicity 2648	Simplicity 3503	Vogue 1253
Vogue 1287	Vogue 1289	Vogue 1304
Vogue 8813	Butterick 5520	Butterick 5599
Butterick 5601	Butterick 5749	Butterick 5750
Butterick 5813	Butterick 5885	McCall's 6281
McCall's 6319	McCall's 6394	McCall's 6460
McCall's 6505	McCall's 6561

Skirts

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