Weekly Wrap-Up: My first estate sale :), family tree session :D, and aquarium leak :(

Please excuse the lateness of this post, but I didn't hit the Publish/Schedule button.  Oops!  Probably due to lack of sleep from a busy week, yet again! If you follow my Instagram (username: vintagezest), you would have seen some of these pictures already.  In fact, I was considering dropping the weekly wrap-ups altogether, but I have some followers that...

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Golden Goddess Draped Top

I finally have another sewing project to share with you!  Truth be told, I finished it a few weeks ago, which I mentioned in my weekly post here.  It was so comfy and cute, that I ended up wearing it out to dinner the next night at La Tavolata! Also, I wore it to the mimi g. conference on Day 1 with some leggings since I knew that I would have to be comfy and...

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Vietnamese-Style Fresh Spring Rolls

I know that these are called spring rolls, but maybe they should be called summer rolls!  They are an absolutely perfect main dish for the hot weather that we've been having.  Fresh, light, and colorful: three definite musts for a summer party dish!  :)  On July 4th, my mom and sister made these, and I loved them so much that I couldn't wait to photograph...

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Saturday Synopsis!

I can't believe that it's almost August already!  My how the time flies when the summertime rolls around.  It's a good thing that the daylight lasts so long, or else I would be a zombie in the morning trying to get up in the dark! Speaking of, I totally want to recreate this one day!  I have it pinned for future reference.  :) Here...

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Calling for Guest Posts!

With summer plans with friends and tons of time being taken up by career obligations, I have been a busy little bee lately!  For the past couple of weeks, I have had a few guest posters by non-bloggers who contacted me out of the blue.  It has been a great way to get some inspiration for myself and to my readers! However, I thought it would be even better for me...

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Summer 2013: Choose Your Challenge: Refashioning or 1960's!

It's time for another Stitch Once, Rip Twice Challenge!  I'm excited to announce it, so here we go!  This one is going to be a funny one for a couple of reasons: We have two topics that tied twice in our poll!  It was between refashioning an existing garment and the Summer trend of 1960s.  In previous challenges, it's been pretty one-sided, so this...

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Mimi G's Conference & 90's Concert!

I am really, really tired from this weekend.  Let's all see why! Precap (jump to): Eats: Sapporo Sushi, The Farm Activities: Mimi G's Sewing, Fashion & Style Conference, Goo Goo Dolls & Matchbox 20 concert Friday For dinner, we went to have a quick dinner at Sapporo Sushi because I was working on a dress to wear to the sewing convention the next day....

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Stitch Once, Rip Twice: General Information, Past Challenges & Current Members

Hello! We have had so many new members joining and people interested in our challenges asking for details.  Very exciting!  However, the posts were all over the place, and I thought it would make much more sense to have a single page where we have all of the important information. If you are interesting in joining, please e-mail me or visit our Facebook...

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"Pantry Fresh" Pesto Pasta Salad

A few weeks ago, I had a pool party and needed to make a quick side dish to go with my taco bar.  I perused a few recipes for a pasta salad and found this recipe which looked pretty good.  However, I didn't want to make too much from scratch, and keep it simple and quick to make.  All of these ingredients can be found in your pantry, freezer, and/or garden,...

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Saturday Synopsis!

Right now I'm at Mimi G's conference.  Yaaaaaay!  I can't wait to share the details on Wednesday. Maybe I'm wearing my peplum pencil skirt or my orange maxi dress...  So many options to choose from when you visit a sewing event.  We'll see! Here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :) Saturday Synopsis! Monday:...

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Guest Post - Summer Cooking: What’s in Season Now!

Here is a great guest post from Meredith K. who is going to share some great seasonal cooking tips for the summer as well as an amazing recipe for Pan-Grilled Veggie Pasta Primavera.  How apropos, considering yesterday's post on my mom's productive veggie garden!  Read on for the details! ******************** Summer is all about sunshine and being outside,...

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Garden Tour & A Pepper Question For You!

Yesterday, I mentioned that I was going to give a mini tour of my mom's garden and I need to ask all of you gardeners out there a question or two.  Here we go! ******************** First up, let's check out what my mom has growing in her garden!  Here's a sample of the tomatoes from one of her many plants.  Thanks to the southern California weather, her plants...

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Paella, Peppers, Presents, and Pappardelle!

Yet another busy, busy weekend!  We are constantly having to picking between lots of plans, but I couldn't be happier, since it means that we have lots of family and friends around.  :) Also, I'm not sure what you guys have planned for this weekend, but I put nearly everything on hold to do something suuuper exciting.  I'm going to Mimi G's 2nd Annual...

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The "Accidental Bridesmaid" Dress

There's a story behind the name of this dress, but I'll get to that in a minute. You may remember that I was sooo in love with the orange maxi dress I made last year that I decided to make it again in a shorter length.  Since it didn't need any adjustments the first time, I figured that it would be a quick project! As you know, I've been a bit slow to sew up a few...

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Homemade Vegetable Broth Tips

I promise, this is the last in my mini-series of soup-related recipes!  It started off with an easy chicken noodle soup recipe and then continued with how to make a wonderful chicken stock.  Basically, I've been in rewind for the last two posts and now I'm finally getting to the first recipe of the bunch! Making your own vegetable stock is easy and budget-friendly,...

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Saturday Synopsis!

This week was hard to get back into the swing of things, after a long weekend.  Luckily, there's always a new weekend and fun projects to look forward to!  Hopefully I can get around to photographing a few of the finished ones to share with you soon! Here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :) Saturday Synopsis! Monday:  Homemade...

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Swivel Chair Makeover Plans!

I have been dying to makeover a piece of furniture for the longest time.  However, I can't rationalize spending any money on something new, especially when I'm not really in need of it.  However, I recently had the good fortune to find a chair sitting next to the recycling area near my gym.  Yes!  Free furniture! That being said, it is definitely in need...

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Guest Post: Decor Hints and Tips for a Stunning Home

Today, I have a guest post from Lisa, who asked if she could share some decor tips with my readers.  I love anything that has to do with decorating and she has some superb suggestions that will definitely have your place (and mine) looking amazing.  Read on! ******************** Hello Everyone! This is Lisa Jolan and I am glad to be here at Vintage Zest. Today...

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Weekly Wrap-Up: Summer Fun!

Am I the only one who feels like long weekends completely throw off everything?  I'm not really complaining, but I can never get my sleeping, eating, and working habits back to normal until about a week after...  Oh well! Precap (jump to): Sights:  July 4th fun, Asian market shopping, Game night, comedy show, serger testing (!), 99 Cent Store Only Eats:...

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Pencil Skirt Challenge Roundup!

Hello all! Two weeks ago, I shared the Peplum Pencil Skirt that I made for the Pencil Skirt challenge.  If you're not familiar with our Facebook sewing group, "Stitch Once, Rip Twice," you can read up on it here and click here to join in on the fun! Today, I'm sharing the pencil skirts that our members contributed to our challenge.  If I'm counting correctly, we...

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Easy Homemade Chicken Stock

Last week, I shared a recipe for Easy & Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup, which is super simple and a favorite here at my house.  One of the reasons why it is so wonderful is the homemade chicken stock that I make! For years, I was buying both vegetable and chicken broths/stocks.  As a side note, apparently some people use the words "broth" and "stock" interchangeably....

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Saturday Synopsis!

Oh my.  June has been absolutely filled to the brim with every kind of celebration possible!  I would say that July might be a bit quieter, but according to my planner, absolutely not! P.S. - Remember to enter the giveaway  that I posted about on Friday! Here are last week's posts in case you missed any.  :) Saturday...

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A Curiously Gorgeous Giveaway for July

Hello! Sarah from A Cat-Like Curiosity is graciously having me as one of her sponsors for the month of July.  There is a great giveaway with lots of prizes, including ad space right here on Vintage Zest!  In fact if you follow via Bloglovin', you already qualify for 5 entries! I encourage all of you to enter, especially because I was lucky enough to win a...

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