#Fair,Food,Fun

Nothing signals those end-of-summer/intro-to-fall feelings for me quite like a trip to the LA county fair!
Every year the fair opens up some country realness to a bunch of city folk with petting zoos, rodeos, and let us not forget THE FOOD!

While fair food may not be the healthiest choice
-trust me, I felt like I need to do a seven day prayer fast after-
there are a few things I'd recommend if you're ready to get your grub on!

And if you know anything about me, it's that I do, in fact, like to get my grub on!

Having people there to share the foodie adventures totally heightens my experience and luckily I had my sister and our friend Monique of Curves and Chaos there to enjoy it with! :D

So my sister Pearmama was a big fan of these bad boys, know as the chipotle "dirty" chips from Tasti Chips. They were pretty good, even though I'm not a big fan of bleu cheese. They were loaded with diced tomatoes, green onions, sweet shredded beef and bleu cheese then topped with a chipotle sauce. 

The chips themselves were really crispy and fresh tasting.

Tasti Chips also offered jalapeño cheddar cheese chips which looked delicious!  

I'm DEF gonna have to give those a try on my next trip.  

Charlie's Chicken is an interesting plethora of fried sins. 

From a deep fried oreo, deep fried twinkie, deep fried frog legs and deep fried bacon-wrapped pickles (which were DE-FREAKING-LICIOUS by the way) . 

Didst I neglect to mention that they are also serving up a hamburger and sloppy joe between two Krispy-Kreme donuts????!!!!!!!! 

"Oh LAWD!"  shouted my arteries.

After all of that fried-ness, I was definitely happy to see a chicken and veggie kabob on the menu!!!

Ok, now onto my favorite things.....

*rubs hands together and chuckles villainously* 

The bloomin' onion is like a golden-crunchy-sweet-savory drop of godly nectar! 

Like for reals tho!

It comes with a really good dipping sauce that just totally made the 13 year old fat kid inside of me extremely happy!

Even tastier and scrumptious-er (?) was the BBQ braised brisket sundae. 

I know what you're thinking. "ewwwww that's just gone too far!!"

Halt all ye naysayers!!!!......

This beauty has two scoops of mashed potatoes in place of ice cream, and delicious toppings of braised beef brisket, bbq sauce and a cherry tomato to top it off!

Omg. I'm not much of a meat eater but this was yummmmmmmmmmm!

The fair has tons of food options to offer, such as pizza made from a TEN pound loaf of bread and in case you are suddenly worried out you calorie count, Skinnygirl Cocktails are there to take a little guilt out of the gluttony!

One thing that I was a little too nervous to actually eat was this lil' guy..... It reminded me of Sebastien from The Little Mermaid.. and it smelled super fishy. So I just snapped some Instagram pics, made a Vine then sent my little friend on his way....

 I think my sister pearmama and I agree...we weren't the biggest fans of the crawfish craze.

The L.A County fair is open now and runs until September 30, 2013. It's a perfect place for the family and a fun place to hang with friends! 

ttyl,
Jeshua

Get social with the L.A County Fair on Twitter and Facebook

DIY No Sew Mexi-fabric Pocket Tank

 Lately I have been all about the "Accent Pocket."  From the runways to the streets of the hood (outside my window -_-) everyone is hot on the AP trend. 

Here's an easy NO SEW tutorial to give your summer clothes new life and some extra kick.  

Step 1: 

I started with and old white cotton t-shirt that I had ombré dyed with Tulip's One-step tie dye.  You can see my ombré dying video here to learn how I achieved the look. 

Then, I cut the t-shirt into a tanktop.  

Step 2: 

Next measure out a 5"x5" square onto some card stock paper.. I would explain more but um... just look at the pic yo! lol

Trace the pattern onto the fabric with some fabric chalk then cut it out with about a 1" seam allowance.  

To give the pocket a little more weight, I cut a strip of fabric. About 2 1/2" in height and 7" in across.

Step 3: 

Use Aleene's peel & stick Fabric Fusion tape to seal the seams of your pocket by folding excess fabric in on itself.  

Create seams for the fabric strip and use the fabric fusion tape to adhere strip to the top-front of your pocket  

Back of finished pocket

Front of finished pocket

Step 4:

Trace pattern with chalk onto tank to get a general idea of where you want your pocket placed.

Add Fabric Fusion to back of your pocket.  Be sure to only add the tape to the sides and bottom of the pocket, otherwise the pocket will be sealed and...uh...won't be a pocket...

so yeah...

Now you're gonna place the pocket onto the tank.  The tape is like, SUPER permanent so you are gonna have one shot to get the pocket in the right place so..uuh..GOOD LUCK brah!

Press down firmly to make sure that your pocket is completely adhered to the tank.

Step 5:

Finally I added this Crafty Chica iron on applique to the pocket using a high heat iron, on the "wool" setting.  Then just follow instructions on the packaging.    

...BOOM...

That's it! Pocket finished!

I even made a few different pockets with different design patterns!

Enjoy making your own rad, no-sew pockets ya'll!

DIY Stenciled Frida Kahlo Tank

So lately, I have been on a big tank top kick.

 Being that I live in "sunny SoCal" the temperature is still in the 80's and 90's well into the beginning of October. 

Meaning??

Summer is still in full throttle mode.  

...le sigh....when will it be scarf, boot, hot cider weather yo?!!

I figured that the opportunity was still ripe and ready for just one more Summa-time Shenanigan post. Just to really seal up the deal. Although you can use this method on any fabric surface of your choice,  I decided to create a stencil of the beloved Frida Kahlo on a tank using DecoArt's SoSoft acrylic fabric paint.

Um, bewbs.

Frida was so butch.

Step 1: I started by printing out a few images of La Friducha that I liked from the interwebz. I was partial to these two, for obvious reasons. I found a really cool tutorial by Kathy, The Crafty Chica on how to cut graffiti-styled stencils which you can peep below.

Step 2: Make the stencil. I didn't have that cool little knife that Kathy had in her video, so I used a #11 X-acto blade. Try not to cut, stab, or dismember yourself like I always seem to do.

My stencil in progress.

All cut out and ready for some paint.

Kathy used spray paint, but I decided to apply the SoSoft fabric paint with stippling brushes.

Making sure the paint goes on nice and smooth.

SoSoft fabric Paints by DecoArt.

I can't rave enough about DecoArt's SoSoft fabric paint. The stuff is hashtag totes amaze. Since it comes in so many colors as well as glitter colors, I decided to make a few tanks for the ladies. Yeh, that's right, I said it...for the ladies. ;)

Step 3: Final step...bask in your the glory of your handiwork. My tanks came out bad ass, just like Frida herself.

Even the stencils turned out pretty dope at the end. I think I may frame these bad boys.

And there you have it, your own stenciled Frida Kahlo tank. Go forth and embrace your inner bad ass.

água de melancia (sandia)

I may be a born and bred Californian and stem from a long line of tropical blood,

but LAWD HAVE MERCY!!! It is hot as satan's wrath up in in here!

In my effort to stay cool and hydrated...no actually I wasn't thinking about being hydrated at all.  I just wanted something good to drink

           lez be honest...

I looked around my kitchen and saw that I had a nice big watermelon which TOTES gave me a craving for something cool and refreshing. I pulled out my juicer that my mom and dad bought me and whipped up a favorite of mine, an água de melancia (watermelon water). 

Here's what you'll need;

• A blender or juicer ( if you're using a blender you may need to strain the juice at the end)
• 1Watermelon cut into large chunks
• 3 Limes peeled (or the juice of three limes)
• A handful of mint leaves
• Agave nectar to taste (optional)

soooo......basically just combine all of the ingredients in the blender or juicer, add the agave nectar and chill. Serve cold. Super simple and MAJORLY delicious! 

Some people make it more savory and add rock salt or chili powder, however I prefer mine a bit sweeter so depending on the watermelon I will add a bit of the agave nectar to taste.

     but that's pretty much it! 

Simple and refreshing, a perfect companion to all your summa-time shenanigans 

Hope you enjoy!!! ttyl
BoifromIpanema

DIY Studded Men's Gladiator Sandals

It's time for another installment of Summa-time Shenanigans, yo.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have an unhealthy obsession  extreme love for boots. Military boots, riding boots...pretty much any boot possible. I legitimately own enough boots to wear a different pair every day of the week.


However, it's summer and conventional wisdom says it's far too hot to wear boots.

Can you imagine trekking through the sand with your cooler, towels, surfboard, girlfriends beach bag (A.K.A triple sized purse) and a shopping bag full of Capri Suns and Salsa Verde Doritos while trying to INSTAGRAM [@boifromipanema] and live tweet your beach trip on TWITTER [@boifromipanema] ...IN COMBAT BOOTS? Not so fun, or practical for that matter.

You see what I did there?

So my obsession for the last two summers has been the studded Givenchy Gladiator Sandals for men by Riccardo Tisci. They are really comfortable and safer than flip flops and they look soo cool. D&G also came out with a line of sandals, some styles even come in mid-calf straps!

CRAY CRAY.

Now if you are like me and you can't afford to drop a minor fortune to invest in the Maison de Givenchy, ALDO sells some great sandals for men that are relatively inexpensive and with a little TLC and elbow grease, you can achieve a similar effect to the $600.00 counterparts.

I started off with these men's gladiator sandals from Aldo.

I then purchased a pack of 100 pyramid studs off Ebay for $3.00 (there are tons of sellers offering metal studs on Ebay).

With a bit of planning, I mapped out where I wanted the studs to go. Then, using a rubber hammer, I pounded the studs through and bent the sharp prongs back with a screw driver.

Once all of the prongs were flush with the leather, I polished up the studs and I was done. Super simple and the effect turned out pretty dope. DIY studded gladiator sandals and all for under $100!

Surf's up

Ever since I can remember, my fondest memories of the summer are engulfed by the ocean. Whether it was body surfing with my bros, beach bonfires with the family, summer whale watching trips with school-mates, ditching high school in my friend's jeep and heading out for a beach day- 

(I don't endorse that..but it was really fun)

 -camping with my entire extended family on the beaches of San Diego, San Clemente, even Ensenada Mexico, summer always revolved around time by the ocean.

My childhood and teen years were always filled by the sea. 

It wasn't until later in my life that I discovered surfing. Surfing is a rush that is so hard to explain. On one hand you have the immense power and enormity of the waves and the ocean, the slight but constant tinge of fear of the unknown and the peace and calm and quiet in between sets (of waves). It's in these contrasting moments that one can really appreciate and respect the beauty and power of God's creation. To simply sit on your board looking out into the vastness of the expanse of water before you is an overwhelming emotional experience in itself. Either that or I'm on my man period, in which case everything is hyper sensitive and emotional, yo!

I love taking time out of my schedule to go surfing with someone close to me.  Not just anyone but someone who can truly take in the full gravity of the experience and most importantly probably someone who will not annoy the life out of me. hahaha

But let's be real...I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that the entirety of my surf trips consist of me crying and staring into the horizon. In fact a majority of the time is spent laughing and joking around and eating and snacking and sometimes fighting but mostly laughing. Oh, and also falling. 

Lots of falling.  -__- 

But I don't mind because it keeps me humble. 

The ocean has a way of doing that.  

Just when you think you are big and bad,  there is always that one swell that totally wipes you out and makes you do cartwheels underwater straight into the sand. 

I once heard a quote that said "no matter how important you may think you are, you are never more important than the ocean".  It is so true and I believe it is something that more people need to realize. There are always things that will be bigger and better and more powerful than you. It's up to you do find the beauty in them and to use those things to make yourself better.  

Open yourself up to humbling experiences...you will be surprised by what you can learn.  

'Til later, friends.

ttyl beijos tchau, 

BoifromIpanema

Boards all secure and packed up ready to head down to the shore.


Always in good company, my white "Latin heart-ed" sista Lauren A.K.A Larry.

Larry with her long board.

Can't wait to hit the waves.



Our drink of choice 'cause we're cray cray like that...




I must say...I dig beach hair, even if it just frizzes up and gets in my face/mouth. haha

Note: all images are taken and owned by  Jeshua Viveiros and Boifromipanema.com