Family Fondue Night

My husband has laid down the law about me bringing home any more of the following items:

Afghans

Quilts

Dogs (or any other multi-legged creature)

Fondue pots

The last one is really hard.

Because for whatever reason I am a complete sucker for fondue pots.

Especially inexpensive vintage ones from the thrift store.

Recently I decided it was time to break out the fondue pots for a fun summer dinner.

It was awesome!

Some people serve fondue in courses but I like mine all spread out on the table at once.

We cooked the 'surf and turf' and the mushrooms in avocado oil and a little roasted garlic.

Chocolate fondue with fruit and some dipping sauces for the meats.

Cheddar cheese fondue - so good with tart apples or broccoli.

Apparently fondue makes you sleepy and causes your head to tilt to the side.

That green fondue pot was only $2.

Fondue selfie

More like FUNdue, am I right?

Another cool thing about fondue is that you can cater to everyone's food quirks without having to make multiple entrees.

Meats, veggies and cheese for the paleo people...

Veggies, fruit, cheese and chocolate for the vegetarian...

and wine for me.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Regret

Sometimes you find a huge piece of fabric/king flat sheet at the thrift store for $5 and it looks kind of like this:

 

But you don't buy it because you don't really have a specific need for said fabric and then you're laying awake one night and suddenly an image of your office chairs comes to mind and you realize that the fabric you didn't buy almost a week ago would have been perfect on the lumbar pillows that have been donning ugly fabric for over a year while waiting for something fantastic to come along.

And you passed it up.

Because you're an idiot.

And now you have to live with yourself.

And the regret.

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Style File: Kimono

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I have become entirely obsessed with the magic of Swapdom.

The main reason I signed up for it right away, after browsing for only a few minutes, was because of this:

The moment I saw this kimono I knew I had to have it!

The colors, the pattern, the lightweight rayon fabric...

also it's got a bohemian vibe but is still sophisticated enough for a woman who's about to turn 40.

So I requested it and offered up all of my items and ended up making an even swap with a pair of shoes that were a bit too snug on my feet (and had only been worn once) to get my kimono.

Shipping was about $12 and I have already worn it 4 times so if you average the 'per wear' cost it's $3 per wear and I have gotten so many compliments on it so it's practically paid for itself in that sense alone!

Yesterday's outfit

Hair bun, gold hoops... just need a head scarf and a crystal ball.

I might have stolen this owl necklace from my daughter's jewelry stash because it goes perfectly with my kimono and now they love each other and are BFFs.

Since I work from home 99% of the time, jeans are my wardrobe mainstay but I like to add something to dress them up a bit and feel a bit more polished so this was really a great wardrobe addition for me that I can use year-round.

I can see myself wearing it like this:

In the summer with a t shirt, jean shorts, flip flops, and some accessories handmade by me.

In cooler fall months with a shimmery silver scarf and pink loafers I picked up for $4 at a local thrift store

Another cold season idea paired with wedge boots and some gold jewelry though I might be more likely to wear the jewelry with the pink loafers above and stick the scarf with the boots for wintertime!

I have lots of other ideas on ways I might wear my kimono but you get the general idea.

Also, I was able to trade something I would never wear for something I really love which is the best part!

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney

Afghan Rescue

Contrary to what the post title suggests, this is not a post about rescuing people of Afghanistan.

Pair some rimmed glasses with that scarf and you've got a Hipster Afghan!

or about rescuing these dogs that are the perfect combination of a broom and a mop.

The afghans to which I refer are this type.

They remind me of hippies and grandmas.

And I have a very weird obsession with them right now.

(With the afghans, not the hippies and grandmas because that's weird even for me.)

I started rescuing them from Thrift Stores about 6 months ago.

I didn't consciously set out to find them, but when I happened across one I had this undeniable compulsion to buy it.

And then it was an unstoppable force.

 

 I think it all started when I stumbled across this Bohemian vintage style wedding photo from the 

100 Layer Cake website.

I'm still working on turning one of my daughters into a hippie so that one day I can plan a Bohemian wedding complete with a pile of afghans and a campfire.

The afghans I have found have been $5-$10 and in really excellent and non-smelly condition.

It's hard to comprehend how someone could spend hours and hours crocheting a beautiful blanket and then it ends up at a Thrift Store being sold for a fraction of its worth.

Not to mention the cost of the yarn.

If you're one of these afghan crocheting folks, please know that I appreciate you and your efforts and will cherish your pieces of useable art forever!

Here are some I have rescued/collected so far 

(please forgive the horrible photo quality - I have no excuse and really hope I was drunk at the time I took them because oh-my-gosh these are terrible.)

This green, navy and white one is my most recent find.

Each of the white circle-looking things (technical term) is a flower - so cute!

And it was only $5.

It reminds of a sweet little grandma which is why I threw it over a rocking chair at the lake house.

This one in shades of brown, tan, rose, pink and peach was also a Thrift Store find.

The color combo makes me oh-so-happy!

 

Again, I am using it at the lake house for now.

Not to be a broken record but I do have one more at the lake house that is the first one I actually purchased.

Again with the broken record thing - it was a thrift store find for $10.

I fell in love with it because it's so colorful and happy and rainbowy.

 

My final show and tell afghan is this one:

 

It's the only one I did not purchase and it's here at my house.

It is the most special and my husband's favorite.

That's because it was made by his grandma whom he was very close to.

He spent many summers with her and, one summer when he was a bit bored, she taught him how to crochet.

Anyone who has met my husband, who is a rather muscular beefcake kind of guy, may find the idea of him crocheting really funny.

I agree entirely.

But I appreciate the hell out of his work and craftsmanship!

He has an afghan project started that has been unfinished since before we were married almost 17 years ago.

It's one of those projects that is much easier to work on in the winter since it rests on your lap while you work.

But there always seems to be so much going on that crocheting an afghan doesn't really get put very high on the priority list.

But, I'm thinking I may have to encourage him to finish it.

Not only would he have the personal satisfaction of finishing a project but it would be a perfect Christmas gift for his wife!

 

À la vie et à l'amour

-Cortney