Everything is Wonderful

As you know, my Dad was in town over the weekend and since I hadn't seen him for almost a year, I was pretty stoked. It's weird, growing up and seeing your parents change. My Dad has changed a lot, and since I have only gotten to spend short bursts of time with him in the last 10 years (ie, dinner every few months) I always cherish the time we do get to spend together.

I am also really lucky that my Dad and Doug get along so well, and our buddy Chris was staying with us for the weekend, and he and my Dad became the best of pals.

We went to the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art where our sunglasses are being sold, but we got there an hour early so they were still closed. :( We peeked int he window and could see the display! It looks awesome. I need to get up there soon to check it out while they still have stock! After leaving La Jolla, we drove up to Del Mar Race Track, and of course, got there 2 hours early for the races. We wandered around and looked at the horses warming up, but got hungry and bored, so we left before the races even started! Ha!

We drove back to Normal Heights, and stopped in to one of my favorite places, Blind Lady Ale House. I'm not joking, if you are in the area, you have to stop by there, the food in incredible. I'm not a beer drinker, or a drinker at all for that matter, but they have Mexican coke in the glass bottles, a cashier/server that looks like Amelie and the best GD pizza I've ever had. My pops and Doug got a pitcher of beer and were stoked on it, so it's good for that too. Duh!

Do we look alike??

After pizza, we went home and chilled out for a minute, and then headed over to the San Diego Zoo. My absolute favorite place in the universe. It seriously makes me so happy to go and see all the little (and big) animals. I've never been much of an animals-in-cages kind of girl, but the SD zoo is number one in animal preservation and the architecture/landscaping/design of the zoo is impeccable. Doug wants to skate everything there, and every time we go, he points out all the rad skate spots. So, SD Zoo, if you're listening, maybe you could have skateboarding day once a year and make my boyfriend very happy. ;)

After seeing planet of the apes recently, I was so excited to see these guys out and about. This little one was so playful, he kept throwing sand at the big silverback. It was hilarious. We walked around the zoo for hours and by the end of the night, we were all ready for an early bedtime. We grabbed a quick dinner at the Red Fox, and said goodnight.

The next morning, we headed down to OB for breakfast at tower two, my favorite spot for breakfast. Of all time! If you come visit me, I promise you, we'll have breakfast there. All of you are invited!! I said goodbye to my Dad after breakfast. It was an awesome little visit. It was so nice to have family in town and do touristy stuff for the day.

These last few days have been ultra exciting/busy/nerve racking. Before I go into too much detail, I can give a little hint as to whats happening in this household. Tumbleweeds Sunglasses will be taking a little trip down the runway of New York Fashion Week!!! NY FASHION WEEK! The clothing designer who asked to use our sunglasses is INCREDIBLE and I can't wait to share!! I will be able to spill all the beans soon, but we need to get everything in the mail and out of our hands before I do that!

Also, for all of you in the San Diego area, we have posted invites for our grand opening event on facebook and would love to know if you can make it. You can also stop by our facebook fan page and say hello. We love new friends, old friends, all kinds of friends. And you can stay updated with all the breaking news. However, we're putting a cover on the window tomorrow and will be hush hush about the insides of our shop until opening. Maybe a few sneaks here and there, ust for you guys!

Anyways, I am running purely on caffeine and two hours of sleep. It's going to be yet another long night, so here's to living the dream! Whats happening in your life? Keep me updated! :)

xo,

Beca

Painting the Shop

Everything is definitely chaotic right now. Mostly, in a good way! We are still really busy, but this afternoon I am taking a few hours to get organized and rejuvenate. I DID finally get a chance to upload photos from this weekend and photos of the shop so far. The front of the building is almost completely done, but we need to replace the front glass since it has been tagged/etched, and need to fix up the edges. You are seeing photos of a work in progress!

And here is a a photo of the front of the building. I am kind of in love. We are having our sign hand painted this week and getting the windows covered and start setting up inside!!

The front, if you can't really tell by the photos, is a minty blue/green, with chocolate jams and turquoise door. What do you think?? Do you love it? Any suggestions? I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for our little shop and the progress we are making. Everyday we are getting closer.

I'll be back later with photos from our weekend visit with my Dad.

xo,

Beca

Dad Time

I know I have been ultra absent from this place, and am losing readers like no other, but I promise I'll be back in action later this weekend with photos from painting the shop and the little vacation my dad took out this way, but for right now, we are trying to spend some much needed family time with the pops, get caught up on glasses, and breathe a little easier.

How about a good laugh. Remember when I had a perm. No, you wouldn't because it was before I had this space, but here is a hilarious photo of me and the pup when we first got him. I had an afro, wore misfits shirts and was ALOT skinnier, Ollie could pull me across the room! How about that for a good laugh! ;)

That's all for now. Have a great night and great weekend!

xo,

Beca

Wolves and Bears

Technically, I don't even have the time to be writing right now, I shouldn't even be looking at my computer unless it's work related, and I definitely shouldn't be blogging. Wait, did I already say that? Sleep deprivation and stress will do that to you...also, we're a few days behind schedule, and we'll get our orders out as soon as we can. Thanks for being patient. Or impatient, but understanding that the humidity, real life, and back orders are kind of killing us right now!

To make up for the lack of written content, here's some cool stuff to look at. I don't really have any of the sources, so, let me know if you do. These photos kind of describe how I feel right now.

And lastly before I shut down completely and go into machine mode, can I please just say that being a decent human being is a really incredible quality, especially when you make such beautiful treasures. If you're planning on buying just one thing as a gift to yourself, or your friend, mom, friends mom or whatever, to hang on the GD wall, I want to make a suggestion. Here it is.

I will be back on planet earth sometime this weekend. See you soon, friends.

xo,

Beca

Butterscotch and Lace

I love pie. I love every kind of pie in the world. You think I'm joking, but I am not. I love pie because you can make a different one for every single occasion. If I could make pie every day, all day, I would be happy.

And when you are thinking about the ultimate indulgence. Butterscotch is at the top of the list. And really, this pie is so incredibly simple and takes very little time to make. A last minute pie is always the best kind of pie, in my opinion.

Here is my recipe. It's a combination of a few recipes and it works for me.

Combine in bowl 3 EGGS, 1/4 CUP AP FLOUR, 2 CUP BUTTERMILK and 1 TBSP VANILLA. Whisk well. Set aside.

Heat 1 CUP PACKED BROWN SUGAR and 1/3 CUP BUTTER over medium heat in saucepan for about 2 minutes until your mixture is dark and thick. Make sure you constantly stir (I always use a wooden spoon) so that your sugar doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.

Turn down the heat, temper your egg mixture. (that means add a bit of the hot mixture to the cold, so that you are slowly heating it, if not, the eggs will cook and your have a butterscotch omelet. Yuck!)

Once your egg mixture is tempered, turn the heat back up to medium, and combine while always stirring. You want to cook the mixture until it thickens. Usually just a few minutes. You want it to be the consistency of really thick honey.

Remove it from the stove top and pour into pre-baked pie shells. I made minis, and doubled the recipe to get about 15. You will get one full size pie with this recipe, though.

Pop it into the oven and bake at 375 for 5 minutes. I think butterscotch is best served cold, kind of like revenge, but sweeter. Doug likes it with a dollop of whipped cream on top and I threw on some white chocolate shavings to make it fancy. I mean, what is pie if not fancy? Let me know if you try this recipe. I'd love to see what you think!

Also, remember that little contest we did a while back, the design your own sunglasses contest. I am way too lazy to link up to it right now, but just scroll and you will find it. ;)

Well, we pushed through mountains of orders to finally get these babies finished. I'm not going to lie. It wasn't easy. My idea was to just enamel paper doilies to them, but that did not work out. Doug tried a few other ideas, which just ended up looking like gallery pieces and not wearable sunglasses, but here are the end results. Lace and Wood. For your viewing pleasure.

What do you think? I have SO much work to do. Like a ridiculous amount of work to do, and it's already 11pm. Yikes! It's going to be a very very long night.

xo,

Beca

Our Shop // Before Photos

We're getting ready to start painting this week, and I'll let that be a surprise (although if you pay attention to the millions of photos I post on Twitter, then you may have caught the pretty colors we picked out. I can't wait to see how it looks on the actual building.

Anyways, I want you all to go on this journey with us, so I'm not going to wait until the end for you to see the before and after shots. I took some before photos today and here they are!

It used to be a hip-hop store called One Movement. It's pretty small, so don't be shocked when you visit and realize it's not HUGE! It's going to be the perfect size for us though! It still has some furniture in it that is going to be put out in a few days, so we can start cleaning the inside and getting it all ready!

So happy you're taking this journey with us and can't wait to show you when the front is all painted up! I still don't feel super great but it felt nice to take a little walk and get Starbucks.

Have a great Sunday night!

xo,

Beca

Sentiments

Nobody ever told me that I can't do exactly what I want, all of it, every single project, every single venture. I always made do, and I have always followed my dreams. I always do what I want. I wanted to work in television, so I did. I wanted to make children's films. So I did. I wanted to work in a bakery, so I did and did and did. No body ever told me that I couldn't. So I always have. It took me longer than some people to figure out my place in the world. I have a lot of interests and my ability to focus on a lot of different things at once is pretty spot on. I like to waste time and be lazy like everyone, but for the most part I'm good at what I set my mind to.

On the other hand, nobody has every forced me to do anything that I didn't want to do, not my parents, not my teachers, no one. If I wanted to do ballet and quit 3 weeks later, that was okay. I played softball for 3 years. I played soccer for 2. Quit and quit.I took acting classes, improv, pottery. I used to spray paint stencils, paint portraits of Ludacris, made dioramas, sewed clothes and studied Arabic. But I quit all of it. Because no one has ever encouraged me to finish what I start, it's all on me to have the drive and the energy to make dreams come true. If something was hard or I didn't like it or I lost interest, I've always just given up. Said whatever. Moved on. Until recently. Now it seems, everything I do is hard. But finally, I think I have found the courage in my self to push through the hard parts and make it all worth it. Not just in myself, but in having an incredible partner who pushes me through the hard parts; or more, goes with me through the hard parts.

When I was a kid, 13, or maybe 14, I wrote in my journal I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to be covered in tattoos and own a hip vintage boutique. I wanted to be an excellent cake decorator and I wanted to have a bunch of dogs and marry a skateboarder. Yes. All of those things. And whats crazy is that I have done it all. I've been a teacher, I loved it. I don't miss it really, but I loved it. And now, look at me. Pastry Chef, soon-to-be boutique owner. Tattoos. Skateboarder. The works! You don't believe me. Well, you'll have to try, because those journals are long gone. But it's true. I wanted to do everything. I also wanted a tunnel from my closet to the mall that let me shop for neat stuff at night when everyone was sleeping. And I wanted a 66 ss Chevelle. So not all my dreams came true, but for the most part, 12 years later, I have everything I could possibly ask for. I feel so lucky and full of joy. But it's still hard. When Doug was teaching me how to make sunglasses, I almost gave up 100 times. I didn't know how to use the tools, I didn't have the patience to do it properly, so I kept messing up. At first, I blamed it on my lack of attention to detail, but I complex follow recipes to a T every day. I do have an attention to detail. I just don't have an easy time learning new things, so I wanted to quit. But I didn't. We didn't.

I have someone in my life who pushes me. Who encourages me to do what I love and learn new loves. I finally feel like I am figuring out exactly who I am and who I want to be in this world. Everything has worked out so incredibly since we moved to California. I never imagined it would be so incredible, and really, I'm glad I have made so many friends to share it with. I am thankful for my little blog. I am thankful for all of you. You push me through the hard parts, too.

xo,

Beca

Friendship and a Pup Date

A few days ago, I met up with Ainsley and Chelsea for lunch at the Little El Zarape and our pups got to have a little date too. Patrick just may be the cutest Boston Terrier pup around. After a little too much excitement (ie my 85 pound American Bulldog got a little *over-excited* and pinned the poor puppy to the ground,) Patrick and Ollie had a good time chasing each other around the yard, although Ollie mowed him over a few times. It was pretty hilarious. I decided to leave the big dog at home and take Charlie to lunch with us.

Charlie has the patience of an old, grumpy man, so there was a lot of pouting and grumpiness involved. (Gosh, my dogs are so bad!) But after juggling lunch and two dogs, we headed over to Viva Pops for some Lavender Lemonade Popsicle and pup-sicles for the boys.

The pup-pops are so cute and safe for babies too because it's just carrot and apple. Well, my Charlie is so spoiled, he scoffed at the pup-pop and pretty much stole my Lavender Lemonade. I was in shock. But Patrick, true to his adorable puppy nature ate both pup-pops and had orange all over his little face!

It was a really nice afternoon and a good break from work. It's so nice having friends in town (I still feel so new!!) and being able to take the time to visit.

What are you doing this weekend?

xo,

Beca

Pomegranates

We have two, yes two, pomegranate trees in our yard!! There is hundreds of fruit on the trees started to ripen, and I am so excited to pick them! I got a few that I could reach yesterday. Aren't they beautiful!!

I feel so lucky that we have this big beautiful tree just steps form our front door and it has produced so much fruit. I can't wait to juice all these beauties (and more) to make smoothies, pom drinks, and to jar up a bunch to share with friends. I can't believe my pal Sarah hasn't ever had a fresh pomegranate!

Do you like pomegranates? What do you like to do with them?

xo,

Beca

PSPSPS We have a pair of sunglasses in the shop that are ready to ship! No turn around time, you would have them in your hands in under a week (in the US)!!! Also, a little birdie told me we have a special discount happening on the facebook page. Maybe you should just head on over and check it out.

Movie Mania

There are so many incredible movies in the theater right now and coming up. I just want to go to the movies every night right now, BUT we are on a serious budget, so spending $24 for a movie needs to be a special occasion! ;) I think we'll make a special occasion for "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" though because that movie looks so scary, and I am a sucker for a good scary movie!

Here are some of my favorites coming out or already in the theaters.

Be sure to share some of your favorites with me, I am always looking for good movie suggestions!

xo,

Beca

Our Exciting News

We are so excited to announce that we will be opening up our first brick and mortar shop here in San Diego!! We get the keys this weekend and will start getting it ready for an open day in September! We can barely contain our excitement, and have so many plans for the shop.

It will be focused on handmade (ours and others) and vintage. We have an insane vintage collection, and now we can finally get it out of our house and into yours. We'll be selling our sunglasses in house too, which we are super excited about. Hell, we're just super excited about everything right now!

More to come. I have to get to work!

xo,

Beca

Raspberry Fail + Aqua Win!

Sorry, I skipped two-tone Tuesday because I had a really severe allergic reaction to those raspberries. You know, the cute little berries in my last post. I have very, VERY sensitive allergies and throughout my life have continued to develop new ones. But really, universe, raspberries. The sweetest little berry of them all.

I am pretty sad about it, but mostly just don't feel good. Still. Not to get too much into it, but when I have an allergic reaction to food, I break out in hives, get a very upset stomach and my throat and chest get very tight. It's the onset to anaphylaxis, which is what happens when I take *most* antibiotics or come in contact with mold. I don't know why I am so sensitive, but I am and it's usually not a big deal. I know what to stay away from, and everything is fine. But yesterday really threw me for a loop. I haven't had such a bad reaction since the last time I was put on antibiotics for bronchitis. It was really scary. I called Doug and he came home pretty quick. After drinking A LOT of water and breathing, I started to feel better, but it was still pretty scary.

Anyways, enough of that! Remember those slick shades I was wearing for my birthday photos? Well, we decided that we're going to make them for the shop now! Hooray!! You can get them in a limited supply here!

I'm going to get to work, we have so much to catch up on and so much to plan for. Big things happening in our neck of the woods! What's happening with you??

xo,

Beca

A Little Something

We were up in La Jolla today wrapping things up at the museum (more on that later, I PROMISE!!) and while browsing the x-store, I found these little ditties! OH. MY. GOSH! Yes, yes, they are stacking doll measuring cups. Yes. They are.

I am in love! Of course, I got them! They had drinking glasses too, but I didn't get those. I'm supposed to be on a budget!! But seriously, I would have regretted not getting these. They are a perfect addition to my collection!

I'll be back later tonight with Two Tone Tuesday! Is it still Tuesday?? ;)

xo,

Beca