About Me

Hello!

My name is Diane, and I am ecstatic to have you here on Vintage Zest!

I'm a girl from sunny southern California who loves new experiences and finds joy in the little things in life.  I love to travel, eat, and have adventures anywhere I can.  :)  In fact, if you are a foodie like me, head on over to my other blog, The Episodic Eater.  But first, read on for everything you would ever want to know about me and my blogging journey!

P.S. - I call myself a "Lifestyle blogger" because I write about my life and likes!  Here is my weekly "schedule," so you can see that I honestly blog about everything!

• Tuesday = Do Tell Tuesday with new feature round-up (ooooo!)
• Wednesday = Recipe
• Friday = Craft, Sewing, or Tip (with an occasional Blogging 101 Series post)
• Saturday = Shop Small Saturday Showcase

A little bit about my "crafty" side

While I do not consider myself naturally crafty, I love to DIY everything I can.  Really, there is nothing better than rolling up my sleeves to make something and then getting a compliment on the finished project!

DIY Industrial Pendant Light

As a kid, I was the furniture assembler, the electronics programmer, and the closet organizer of the family.  Seriously, I used my mom's label maker more than she did!  My closest friends and family would definitely used the word organized to describe me, although I know it borders on obsessive sometimes!  Just ask my college roommates who put up with my room rearranging sessions.  :)

Now a bit about my fascination with food.  :)  I have always loved food (I mean I dedicate a whole other blog to it now), but as a kid, I could only microwave Bagel Bites and fix a bowl of cereal at home.  By the time I was done with college, I was tired of canned soup and pasta, so I learned how to cook simple dishes by following recipes to the letter.  Then, I started to learning how to play with ingredients and eventually I ended up developing my own recipes.  Now, I'm the resident baker of the family!  At parties, I'm the one who makes all the homemade desserts, and no one is complaining.  ;)

The Easiest Thumbprint Cookies Ever!

Just a couple of years ago during a lull in my professional life, I decided to take a sewing class.  I had wanted to sew since I was younger because I saw all the beautiful things my grandma made, and of course I wanted to do it myself.  Now, I have more fabric in my stash than I know what to do with!

Also, I started a virtual sewing group on Facebook called Stitch Once, Rip Twice.  It is really fun, and we would love to have you join the group and sew something for our latest challenge!

Refashioned Pink Portrait Blouse

I have also dabbled in crocheting, knitting, and woodworking.  Like I said, I love to try new things!

Why do I blog?

For every one of my hobbies, I always hit the internet to do research.  That led me to food bloggers, sewing bloggers, and everything in between.  After a while, I wanted to share my own projects with a couple of in-real-life friends who I don't see often.  Starting up a blog seemed like a good way to catalog everything, so I started Vintage Zest!  Now, it has grown beyond my expectations, and I'm so happy to have met so many amazing people and experienced awesome new things from what started as a side project!

Meeting shop keepers at craft events has always been fun, and now I feature them in my Shop Small Saturday Showcase!

Why is it called Vintage Zest?

For one thing, I grew up loving everything vintage.  Classic movies, music, and retro clothing were always my favorites.  (See below for my favorites list)  And don't even get me started on classic musicals because I love, love, love them!  Also, I realize that my hobbies of sewing, baking, and home decorating are pretty old-fashioned, as well as the DIY "let's roll up our sleeves" attitude.  So Vintage Zest, it is!

This blog is not strictly vintage or retro, but has a pinch of vintage flavor thrown in, just like the lemon zest mixed into a yummy cream cheese frosting.  Yum!

Cream Cheese Frosting with Carrot Cupcakes & Raisins

Want to know more about me?

Well, you are probably looking forward to seeing a picture of me, but long story short: I'm a shy blogger.  See this post for the whole explanation.  That means that you won't see any pictures of my family either, even though we are close and still live within driving distance of each other.  Sorry!

Speaking of family, I was born and raised in Southern California, but my parents lived all over the world before I was born, which explains why I love traveling!  Seriously, I have family living in 5 of the 7 continents.  Maybe one day, some of us will be in Antarctica or Australia and I can claim 7 out of 7, who knows?  ;)

Ireland!

Being a California kid, I knew a bunch of child actors, but I had a completely normal childhood.  :)  In school, I always wanted to try something new.  That meant playing lots of instruments (piano, violin, harp, and steel drum), sports (tennis & swimming), and I was a definite math nerd.  Math-letes unite!  That led me to choosing a career in the medical field and partially because practically my entire family is involved in medicine!

I went to college in L.A. because I had a feeling that I would be going out of state for grad school.  And I did!  I lived in Nashville for a total of four years, and it was amazing.  Sometimes I miss it and the incredible people, food, and experiences I had there...but definitely not the humid summers and flooding!  I always root for the Nashville Predators, unless they're playing against the L.A. Kings or the Anaheim Ducks, and then I'm neutral.  :)

Speaking of sports, I have been a Lakers fan since I was a kid, through thick and thin.  Once, I saw Magic Johnson before a game, which was amazing!  No matter what team you root for, that's pretty awesome.

Now, here's a quick list of some of my favorites!  Oh, and I'm Gemini, so sometimes I picked two...  ;)

• Movie:  The Court Jester
• Sport:  To play - Tennis, to watch on TV - basketball, to watch in person - hockey
• Travel destination:  Bruges or Cesky Krumlov
• Holiday:  Halloween or July 4th
• Season:  Summer
• Musical:  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or Rent (but not the movie)
• Animal:  almost every baby animal is just so cute!  Yes, I cheated on that one...  :)
• Snack:  dehydrated veggies (weird, I know!)
• Day of the Week:  Saturday
• TV Show:  Hard to pick but maybe "The Amazing Race" going with the travel theme
• Food:  Everything, but I love pasta most!
• Director:  Alfred Hitchcock.  No doubt about that one.
• Song:  This is haaaaaard to pick, but maybe Lovely Day by Bill Withers.  It always puts in a good mood!
• By the way, a random sampling of my most played songs on my computer are by The Beatles, The Killers, Esthero, Ben Folds Five, Bobby Darin, Cesaria Evora, Elton John, Regina Spektor, Michael Buble, Adele, Cee Lo/Gnarls Barkley, Chromeo, Christina Aguilera, Ella Fitzgerald, Ke$ha, Kanye West, Louis Prima, Matt and Kim, OK Go, Otis Redding, Aqualung, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Eric Clapton, Lou Rawls, Pink Martini, George Michael, Sara Bareilles, Norah Jones, Sia, Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, MGMT, Muse, The Temptations, and Hall & Oates.  Basically, anything that I can sing or dance to, and it doesn't matter what genre!

And for even more about me, check out these posts:

• Liebster Award Post
• 6 Things About Me
• More About Me
• I ❤ Fall! TAG

First time here?

Check out these reader favorite posts:

• Tutorial & Sewing Pattern: Sunglasses Case
• Closet Clean-Out
• DIY Laundry Folding Board
• DIY Belt Organization (on a budget!)
• Tutorial: Duct Tape Dress Form
• DIY Magnetic Inspiration Boards (on a Budget)
• How to: Make Cute Pinterest Cover Boards
• Favorite Breakfast #2: Egg & Veggie Muffins
• Healthy Banana Muffins (For the Lazy Person)
• (Non) Sewing rewind: Sewing Basket edition #2!

Here are a few posts that I love:

• "Fancified" Butter Cookies
• Fig & Honeyed Goat Cheese Tartlettes
• Chicken Pot Hand Pies
• Refashioned Simple Top challenge
• Red Beignet Skirt
• Nautical-Inspired "Odds & Ends" Jars
• Tutorial: Decoupaged Dress Form + Meet Coco!
• What to Stock in Your Sewing Basket
• DIY Jewelry Organization
• How to Blend Green Smoothies without Green Leafy Bits (or an expensive blender!)

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If you have a question, e-mail me at vintagezest (at) gmail (dot) com or leave a comment on the blog.  Like I say, it's always free to put in your two cents!  Also, feel free to check out my FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page for more info.

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Thanks again for stopping by to visit Vintage Zest.  I hope you enjoy your stay!