Venezuelan cuisine

Have you ever had Venezuelan cuisine?
Oh boy, it's delicious!

Mil Jugos is an authentic Venezuelan restaurant located in downtown Santa Ana.

They cook up some amazing dishes! 

We went for lunch and ordered the Arepas, which are exotic meats in homemade corn bread. 

We also tried the Cachada con queso, which is sweetened corn pancakes with cheese. 

The decor is super cute with colorful walls and native decorations. 

You must order the Jugos to go with your meal as well! Jugos are frothy, slightly icy fruit juices made with real fruits! They have about 20 different flavors. We tried the watermelon, passionfruit, peach, guava, and pineapple. 

So fun and festive in here! 

If you're looking to try something new, swing over to Mil Jugos. They won't disappoint! 

And yes, they do have this swing in their restaurant! 

 Mil Jugos /  320 W. 5th St., Santa Ana / 714-836-4601

Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest

Our home was selected as one of the contestants for Apartment Therapy's Small Cool 2014 Contest!
Please vote for us if you agree that "Lena's Canyon Cabin" is indeed cozy!
Click here to vote!

Living Room

Part of the kitchen

Dining room

Master bedroom

Downtown Santa Ana

We visited a cool area called East End located in Downtown Santa Ana over the long weekend.

Blends, Santa Ana

Yost Theater Santa Ana

I loved how the streets were filled with art, and the historic buildings are beautiful!
Go to East End to see the current list of retailers as well as what's to come.
I think this place has potential....

Hiking local

We saw some beautiful wild flowers on our hike we took over the weekend.

 Jaxon and Maya with their oversized walking sticks. I confiscated these after this shot, fear that they would take out each others eye...They started twirling them around and attacking each other with it kung-fu style.

Carbon Canyon Regional Park is a great place to hike with kids.They have a nice facility with easy parking and clean restrooms.

Mornings are beautiful here.

Carbon Canyon Regional Park  / 4442 Carbon Canyon Rd. Chino Hills, CA / 714-973-3160

• 
  

Instagram by color - MINT

My instagram photos sorted by the color mint.

Vintage from around the world

My home is filled with vintage pieces, mostly from my trips to the local Goodwill.
I would say 90% of my dishware are vintage. What I love more than anything about collecting these little treasures is that they come from all over the world! Here are a few of my finds.

Gravy boat. Made in Japan.  

1. mug. Made in England / 2. tiny vases. Unknown / 3. mugs. Made in Norway 

4. wooden artwork. Made in Yugoslavia / 5. mug. Made in Japan / 6. small dish. Made in Vietnam 

TBT in design

This is my first and only Munny doll I designed in 2006.

I made this munny called "Wanpaku Cupid" a year after my first daughter Maya was born.
Wanpaku in Japanese means "little rascal". I created a child-like character that was a winged love fairy from a tribe in outer space...I know, I have no idea what goes on in my head... She holds a bar of chocolate in her hand. Her favorite thing to eat! 

Design Crush feature!

Our cinderblock and wood outdoor seating was featured on Design Crush the other day!
I feel so honored that our DIY was highlighted alongside several design blog heavy hitters.

Here's a few of my favorites from Design Crush's 10 May DIY  post.

Clockwise: Bentwood Pendant by Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body / Painted drinking glass by Design Sponge / Brass Succulent Planter by A Beautiful Mess /  Hanging Wall Pocket by Design Milk

Thank you Kelly for featuring our project! 

Arizona on my mind

We are taking a family road trip to Arizona next month...Yay! The kids will be on summer break then. I have been doing some research on what we can do to have fun there, and most importantly where to eat! I always love to take in the art and culture of the places we visit as well. I would love to visit a Navajo or Hopi reservation and see the beautiful rugs and basket weavings, along with other crafts they make. 

On that note, upon my research I came across these adorable hand knitted cacti in pots created by

Odds And Ends. Although they are handmade in Melbourne Australia, seeing these beauties made me excited about our upcoming trip!

  

Available here.