Music must hear... Best Coast

"The West Coast is the Best Coast," says Bethany Cosentino, the lead singer of Best Coast, about how their name came to be. I couldn't have said is better myself.

Quite a few months back I discovered Best Coast on YouTube. I can't thank YouTube enough for referring one of their music videos to me because they're now one of my favorite bands! One day while treasure hunting in a record store I saw Best Coast on Vinyl & knew I had to snag it up right away. 

I was ridiculously stoked on finding this piece of vinyl gold.

& so It really only made sense to pass this band along to the people who read this blog & like the same unique nonsense that I do! This trio out of LA brings us music that reminds me of a modern day Beach Boys. Best Coast will have you thinking of summer days at the beach or riding in a convertible with the top down. Their music will bring sunshine back into your thoughts & long summer days that you don’t want to end. Best Coast is just getting started on a long musical journey with many good things in sight.

Check out their website here for tour dates, merch, & their own blog!

Also check out this interview by Nylon Magazine. It's got some awesome little fun facts in there.

Hope your ears love them as much as mine do! 

xo. Ariel Shay

5 LOOKBOOK looks - deux

The second set of my 5 favorite LOOKBOOK looks of week!

This is the #1 outfit of the week! I love the bohemian feel of natural long wavy hair. It really can make any outfit have that perfect effortless look. My biggest thing I've been trying lately is to have just one accessory or clothing piece with a pop of color against natural tones. Something about it just makes a cute outfit have a bit of an artsy & fun look! Also can't forget to mention how adorable those heal boots are.

Noticing a pattern? Once again that little pop of color with the feather earrings adds a nice little pop to the entire outfit. & I still can't get enough of these big round sunglasses! It's like the classic 60's round shades gone modern day, possibly a little mod, who knows?! A little lace here & there can really add nice textures within an outfit. I can't say enough how fun it is to play with different fabrics & layering, & this lace shawl is adorable.

I really just fell in love with the skeleton key ring. Antique looking jewelry adds so much character to an outfit.

Hey guess what? There's that simple pop of color again! Yet another way to use this easy technique. Adding a nice colored blazer or vest to a simple dainty dress or top can give it a fun but classy look. Make sure that the blazer or vest lays in a complimenting way with what ever is underneath or it can look sloppy or bulky, eek!

This look really reminds me of home, growing up in laid back cities by the beach (Orange County is really not at all what TV makes it out to be). What's better than being able to run around in a big, light weight, comfy sweater & some short shorts? When I go out it's great when I can find an outfit that's not only cute, but that's comfortable to wear around all day. Also don't miss the plain leather belt. Belts are a nice way to define separate pieces of an outfit in a small & simple way. This pair of sunglasses is another shape that's been "eye catching" recently, if you get my drift, haha.

xo. Ariel Shay

Home is where the heart is

I've been extremely busy lately with moving. I've left Phoenix, Arizona to come back to my home in Orange County, California. So forgive me for not posting as much recently!

 

It has been so great to be home. I grew up in Orange County, born & raised! I left when I was 17 & had been living on the out skirts of Phoenix for the past three & a half years in a little town called Buckeye. The name almost says it all. It's a very small town about 45 mins away from Phoenix with a lot of farm land, hicks, & dirt. I never felt like I fit in with the way I dressed, the music I listen to, or any of my other interests. Plus at the age I moved I was in my first year of sobriety, a total beach bum, & had a very close group of friends, who most of them I grew up with. It was extremely hard to leave.

My California buddies, I've spent about half my life with them <3

  Since day one of me leaving California I've wanted to move back. I'm so grateful that I've had the chance to come home finally. I mean realistically I could only live away from the beach for so long, right?! 

I wanted to say thanks to one of my best friends Noah for letting me live with him, my parents for their amazing & endless support (financially too!), & all the people at Ocean Hills Recovery for helping me get sober again & reminding me of a better way of living because without my sobriety I have nothing.

My wonderful family

I'll miss my family more than anything, but I can't begin to explain the happiness I feel to live back in my favorite place in the world. 

Soon here after everything is unpacked & the house is decorated I'll be posting photos of Noah & I's cozy little home together. So far it's looking great!

xo. Ariel Shay 

P.S. The drive from state to state was awful! Me & Noah both weren't feeling well, I got car sick & threw up on the side of the road twice, Noah had bad acid reflex & was burping like crazy uncontrollably forever, & thanks to my bladder infection we had to stop almost every hour because I had to use the bathroom. It was an 8 & a half hour drive, which normally only takes 5. I'm at least happy I can look back on it & laugh haha.

The quote as promised

"The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. To them a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off...they must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating."
-Pearl Buck

Ink

I've always loved the art of tattooing but have been really picky about what I actually want to get on myself. I mean after all it does stay with you forever. So what I figured was that I would save photos of tattoos that I was interested in & if I still loved them years after I found them, then I would get them. So here are some of my winning tattoos that I plan on getting! (Of course with certain alterations, & in different places on my body.)

 I think a pirate ship is perfect for me. I'm a rebellious, loud mouthed, & free spirited person. Enough said haha. Although I do want to change the wording on the bottom & possibly put it in a banner.

 

I've always loved polaroid cameras & own a few of them. This is my favorite model & I still don't have one! The thing I love about polaroids is that 1. They're the best if they're natural; no fake smiles! 2. You can't edit them, so they must be admired for every flaw & perfection just the way that it is & 3. They're just so much fun to take!

My best friend Noah always says that I'm a "crafts master" because I paint, draw, crochet, make lots of crafts, do photography, write, & pretty much do anything that has to do with creating. I just love to create! I have an amazing quote by Pearl Buck that I'll post in another blog after this about people addicted to creating like myself haha. Anyways, thought this cute little tattoo was fitting for that.

 

 Peace

 Strength

I'm getting these because my dad's side of my family is Japanese. More importantly though because they are the two biggest things I've gained in my sobriety. My "About Me" section of this blog talks a bit about what I went through in my addiction. It was a very dark, miserable, weak, angry, chaotic, & horrible time in my life. Peace & strength were things that I wanted more than anything but couldn't have while on drugs. Through being sober I have that now & so much more. These tattoos mean a lot to me.

Post a comment of your favorite tattoo or idea & it's story! Or give me a new idea, I'm always open to new ideas so if you have any I would love to hear them! 

xo. Ariel Shay

Toast & the Teaspoon Factory takes photos!

I took these photos of my brother Kasey a while back & didn't get around to editing them until tonight. Thought I'd have a bit of fun with them haha.

I call this one "They came for the toilet paper..." haha.

My brother is an amazing drummer. Thought putting music notes floating by him only made sense =]

You can check out his drumming videos on YouTube here.

I'd love to get back into doing more photography again. It's been nice being on the other side of the camera. I really enjoy taking photos & designing clothes much more than modeling, especially when I get to take photos of my brother! 

Kasey is too much fun. I'll miss him more than anything when I move back to California. This is my very best friend ladies & gentlemen!

xo. Ariel Shay

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2828528/toast-amp-the-teaspoon-factory?claim=c7unapwjjtr">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

5 LOOKBOOK looks

Here are 5 of my favorite looks of the week from LOOKBOOK! 

With Fall coming these poncho sweaters are great! They're comfy, warm, & perfect to throw over almost anything. Lately I've really had a soft spot for all the Native American trends going on lately such as the ponchos, feathers in the hair, turquoise jewelry, & so much more!

There's so much to adore in the outfit! The high waisted shorts with the studding on the torn back pocket, the Native America style belt, the large 60's round frame glasses, the saddlebag, & my very favorite the large floppy hat. I have a few of the large floppy hats myself, & I'm absolutely hooked on them!

This is the #1 outfit of the week! The color palate of this outfit is perfect with all the different ties of earth tones together. Also the mix of fabrics & textures is great. I love the lace top, leather bag, & cork heels all together. Another aspect that always ends up swaying my eye is the silhouette of an outfit & this tunic with leggings creates perfect shape for someone who is slender.

Just the other day I found a pattern online for how to make these sweet little shorts. Hopefully within the next week I'll have a DIY on that up! I've been seeing the shorts around quite a bit lately & I can't get over what a soft, sophisticated, yet slightly sexy look they have & just how much you can pair with them. They're such a fun & versatile piece! 

This is another nice transitional piece for the fall. You can take your favorite simple maxi dress from the summer & throw over a light weight sweater that compliments the silhouette of the dress, throw a piece of jewelry or two, do natural make-up with just the pop of color on your lips, leave your hair effortless & tousled, & you'll have a quick couple minute look that's perfect for fall!

xo. Ariel Shay

Castaway

I simply adore the face paint, the driftwood, the feathers, the beach, the turquoise, the rocks... all of it gets me so excited & inspired! I can feel it in my skin, do you know what I mean???

It's the appreciation for folklore and the beautiful use of nature that does it...

I found these breath taking photos here & had to share them with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

xo. Ariel Shay

Dreamcatcher DIY craft

Supplies:

• large metal loop (wire macrame hoop)
• thrifted lacy doily (thinner fibers like doilies made of mercerized cotton work the best)
• small ball of inexpensive light weight yarn (cotton/polly blend for less frey)
• clothes pins or clips
• decorations (feathers, shells, stones, jewelry pieces)

 Instead of the traditional dream catcher method of wrapping a loop with leather lacing, I decided to cover the metal hoop with a multi colored light weight yarn. One way to do this would be tying, gluing & then carefully wrapping the hoop. If you are familiar with macrame lark head & half hitch knotting techniques, you can cover your loop as I have in my example. I like these knots because they give one braided side, & one wrapped side to the loop, & act as one long tube to securely cover the entire round. Knotting the loop took about 20 minutes in total. Here's a written instructional on the half hitch if you're interested in learning how.

 

If you've used a knotting method to cover your loop - make sure the braid is straight and decide which side will be the face of your dream catcher. Knot a loop in the yarn (or leather if you decide to wrap it with lacing) to act as the top, & a place to eventually hang on a nail. 

Lay your doily in the center of the hoop to decide which way is up. Notice how small the circumference of the doily appears in relation to the hoop? Tricky right? Now you know my shortcut... did you think i knotted all that fancy star shaped magic? Nope. & all it cost was 10 cents. Time to start browsing the doily bin.

It's time to start stretching & tying the web of your dream catcher. This is the really fun part - but if you allow the web to go slack, you'll be disappointed with the final result. Work across from each other in quadrants. Think north, south, east, west, & divide evenly until there are no sagging areas. If you find half way through that your initial tie offs are a bit slack, cut them & re-tie.

I also left all ties with two loose ends dangling. These ties are what secures the adornments you will add in the final stage of the project. Remember while tying - keep that web taught!

Finally, once all loose areas have been pulled & tied tightly, your web will be tight & ready to decorate. Using a lace crocheted doily like this one provided me with an instantly intricate design that would have been beyond my capability in creating - but in using similar fibers & colors, blends almost seamlessly into the project. 

Tips on creating a seamless look:

• use yarn with mixed fibers of a similar tone to make it easier to match that of your thrifted doily
• consider dying doily to match the yarn, or immersing the finished product in a dye bath before adding embellishments. If doing this, be sure that you are using natural fibers of similar content. Synthetics require special acid dyes & heat methods, so stick to natural cold water baths if possible.
• scout doilies which are more lacy, unstarched, & on the thin side. Thick stiff ones will not give you the stretched effect as they will not expand or contort into a natural web-like shape. 

Did you like this DIY? I hope you do! If you decide to create one for your own home, or someone you love, please send me a picture at toast.teaspoon@gmail.com. I'd love to share your take on this project.

Special thanks to Lune Vintage for this tutorial.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

I was looking through these old photos of my mum & dad, & couldn't help but notice how much I am like them in so many ways. Especially when they were my age!

My mum has always had the type of personality that draws people in. For as far back as I can remember, any where at all that we went she would be going around making friends. She lights up a room when she walks though the door. I feel very grateful in the way that I feel like I was lucky enough to get that part of her in my own personality.

 

My dad was the same way in that people have always loved him. He has an amazing free spirited, creative, adventurous, & fun loving personality. The list of things we share in common could go on for eternity. Art is my life & with out my father I strongly believe that part of me would be very different. I owe my dad so much credit for helping me become who I am today.

I couldn't begin to tell you how great the atmosphere I grew up in was. Not so long ago I was watching a video tape of my 1st birthday party. My parents had all of their 80's "hair farmer" friends over along with their children. They were listening to Motley Crew, Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leopard, & so many more of those gnarly 80's bands! Haha. Growing up we always had parties for everything, life was extremely fun. Not only that though, we were a very close & loving family. I always felt that I could talk to my mum & dad about anything, & my little brother Kasey was my best friend.

My dad is an absolutely AMAZING singer. I love to sing as well, but I could only wish to be as great as my dad. At the parties we always had, my dad would get his old band, Javelin, back together once in a while to play a few songs. I always loved watching him sing. I have his very first album on vinyl & listen to it all the time on my record player. I would have loved to see him perform back in the 80's. He's played with some very famous bands at some highly well known venues. I've always been inspired by him.

The main reason why I wanted to write this blog about my parents is because I am so grateful for them. I don't think many people are as close with their parents as I am to mine, so I feel very blessed that I'm so fortunate. 

I leave this month to move back to our home town of Orange County, California (we currently live in Phoenix, Arizona). They have helped me out so much with getting myself back on my feet after having quite a bit of financial struggle. I couldn't have made it this far with moving back without them. I am going to miss them more than words could ever begin to say, but I wanted to let the word know just how special they are. I love you mum & dad.

xo. Ariel Shay