Coconut & Bean

Where family and style coexist

Cupcakes with Coco

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cooking with children

I can’t bake. Let me rephrase, I can bake one thing-these cupcakes. My good friends at Duncan Hines truly idiot-proofed this recipe, and I’m so thankful for it. Because whenever a bake sale comes along, it makes me look like a star. That and some cute liners, sprinkles and twine. Of course, a darling assistant only furthers the goodness. I found a great tip on Pinterest for putting the cupcakes in short plastic glasses, that way they don’t get smashed in their baggy. Pause for Pinterest appreciation. This weekend includes another fall festival, a grown-up dinner out, a soccer game, a Halloween party and a birthday party. Just another relaxing weekend here in parent-ville. Man, this is exhausting. But pretty great too. Happy weekend everyone!

halloween cupcake liners

diy distressed denim

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If I truly love a piece of clothing, jewelry, shoes, etc. I tend to wear it into the ground. It usually takes several failed trips to the tailor or shoe repair to persuade me to finally retire a beloved member of my wardrobe family. So when Elle got permanent paint (Note to self-duh! The five-year-old does not need permanent paint) on my favorite jean skirt, I went into crisis mode. (Pause for drama) After many attempts at stain removal, I turned to this not-so-drastic method of diy distressed denim, in this case to mask the stain, and I’m so happy with the way it turned out. It worked so well, I’m tempted to transform some of my more boring pairs of jeans with it. Here’s how I did it.

First make two straight-line cuts where you want your hole to be.

Then insert a wood block underneath your new hole to provide a backing for the next step.

Use a pumice stone (above), sand block or sand paper to gently rough up the edges of your hole.

With a pair of tweezers remove the blue threads to reveal the white underneath. This may take a minute to figure out, but once you get it it’s super fast. Sometimes it helped me to pull from the center vs. the end of the thread.

My stain was still very visible after removing the blue threads, so I used matte fabric paint in white and linen (off white) to paint over it. I liked the linen better, it blended in more. The white looked a little too clean, too white. Follow directions for drying time on paint bottle, then wah-la! Like it never happened!

skirt/paint

 

the easiest cocktail

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This four-day weekend has felt more like a marathon. I’ve been running after the girls while Mike is on a much-needed boys trip and Coco’s two-year-oldness and sleep training is driving me mad. It’s been packed with some swimming, some nights out and some (very little) relaxation. What’s been helping with that last part is this cocktail, my favorite kind-the easy kind. Simply pour Vodka over ice in a pretty glass, add sparkling pink lemonade (Trader Joe’s is my favorite) and garnish with whatever is fresh in your fridge. In this case, a basil leaf. Then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your Labor Day.

strawberries and cream

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This is a twist on the standard strawberries and cream combo and it is the perfect dessert or sweet snack for these last days of summer. Strawberries are still fresh and delicious and you probably have these other two ingredients in your fridge or pantry already. It’s sour cream and brown sugar and it is soooooooo yummy. The tang of the sour cream is the perfect complement to the sweetness of the strawberry and sugar. It goes like this: pick a strawberry-dip said strawberry in sour cream-dip in sugar-enjoy! Also amazing with champagne, but really what isn’t!?!

new food blog

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When it comes to cooking my belief is that it can absolutely be learned, but there are some people who just have that food “thing”. Do you know what I mean? That natural understanding of flavors and what works together. It feels like something they were born with because it comes so second nature to them. Liesl Maggiore is one of those people. She recently launched a new food blog called Lieslicious and all I can say is now my world is complete. Liesl and I became fast friends three years ago and I’ve pretty much been idolizing her ever since that fateful night we met smothered in margaritas. Long story, some other day… Lieslicious is a collection of simple recipes with a concentration on fresh, seasonal ingredients. What I love most about her recipes (besides how good they taste) is that a lot of them have as few as five ingredients. She is a busy working mom and knows complicated recipes crowded with twenty different ingredients is just not practical and not necessary. I also love that many of her recipes are accompanied by a video so it’s easier to grasp techniques like browning butter. I always thought it impossibly complicated, but after watching her do it I feel confident I can make it work. So do you and your stomach a favor and check out Lieslicous then subscribe, like, follow and enjoy. Bon appetit!

Photo by Liesl Maggiore

photo 101, take two

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I  have studied photography on and off for most of my adult life and minored in photojournalism at SFSU, but for the last couple of years I’ve flipped the switch to auto and been focused on the kids and only the kids. Trying to document all of their firsts and every funny thing they do can be a full-time job, not to mention the effort that goes into organizing it all. But recently I’ve been inspired by photog mom pals Ashley and Kari. At least once a week we get together for an after drop-off playdate with the littles (our toddlers) and talk about nothing but photography. Equipment, locations, techniques, software-we geek out on it all. I swear Ashley could go head to head with the smuggest pro behind the counter at Samy’s with her grasp on the latest equipment. And it was Kari who introduced me to this class I just signed up for on tabletop photography, an art form I’ve always admired but never attempted. So as much as I love this photo of my gardenia, I hope to consider it a “before” and share with you many beautiful “afters” in the weeks to come. Happy Friday everyone!

leather to suede

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I’ve been coveting these boots for months, but I couldn’t rationalize the purchase because I already own these (above). I know you understand, they’re different but the same. So yesterday I decided to dive into the aging kit I used to use on set and go to town trying to make a new boot out of an old one. Here’s how I did it.

Stuff the booties with crumpled magazine pages to keep the shape while you work on them. Spray them with rubbing alcohol to soften the leather and grab any scratchy surface you have to start “sueding” them. Did I just create a word? I used a medium grain sandpaper, a wire brush and an old pumice block. If you can’t find these in your garage or cupboard already you can easily find them at a hardware store.

Rub the soles of the boot on a rough ground surface to create a true worn-in effect.

Bending and twisting the boot helps as well.

Make sure to pay special attention to the heels, creases, zippers or laces for a more authentic look. If you want a more distressed leather look versus suede, rub a bit of shoe wax over the boots after you’re done beating them up.

Now throw them on with your favorite pair of jeans, a long skirt or just about anything else you want to add a rustic look to and enjoy the compliments.

 

 

 

smug smoothies

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We make smoothies here almost every morning. At first it seems like a lot of work, but actually it’s the easiest thing and it makes me feel good the kids are starting out with something healthy before the day inevitably turns into a junk fest. It’s also a great place to hide any vitamins or supplements they hate taking otherwise. A friend recently suggested adding fresh spinach and that’s brought things to a whole new level of smug-mommery. I made this one the other day and I was so excited about how it looked in the morning sun I did not realize how dirty the table was until posting this just now. So, sorry if that’s gross. This is the standard recipe I use, but truthfully it changes every time depending on what’s in the fridge. I always have frozen berries but in this case they were fresh strawberries and raspberries. To keep it from getting too sweet, I add bananas, usually frozen. GREAT TIP-instead of tossing brown bananas peel them, break them up and freeze them in a Ziploc. Then you’ll always have them to use for smoothies.

 

 

how to plant a succulent

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Place a potting screen over the holes in a planter of your choice and fill it halfway with succulent soil. It’s important to use succulent soil because it is drier than other potting soils and will provide the drainage the plant needs to thrive.

Add a small amount of water and mix soil to make a slightly damp consistency.

Gently remove the succulents from their containers and place them into your pot. They can be delicate and sometimes fall apart in the transfer, but once they are placed in the new pot and settle in they will recover.

Fill any empty space with more soil, brush remaining soil off pot and decorate with seashells, decorative rock, action figures-whatever floats your boat. It helps to have a happy toddler supervise.

Place anywhere in the shade or partial sun, sit back, relax and prepare to collect some serious compliments.

poolside favors

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This weekend some friends and I treated ourselves to a mini-break in honor of another girlfriend of mine who’s expecting, this one having her third! When we asked how she wanted to celebrate, she said sleep. And so the greatest idea for a baby sprinkle was born-a day spent by the pool followed by a night of uninterrupted sleep at the Four Seasons. For favors we rolled up a bunch of our favorite magazines and decorated them with pink ribbons and our brave mommy’s favorite candy-Starburst and “It’s a Girl” Hershey’s kisses. They were a huge hit with the ten of us who spent the day flipping through them in between catch-up sessions and belly laughs. It was the perfect day and totally worth my severe sunburn. Base tan, check.