DIY: 5 step fitted t-shirt mod

There are so many great geeky tees out there for sale but of course, they mostly come in men's sizes. What's that about??

I have a men's sized Doctor Whooves shirt that I love but it has that annoying high ringer neck and it was just too boxy. Luckily it's pretty easy to craft those boxy men's tees into something fitted and flattering. Take a look at pinterest for even more different kinds of crafty tutorials.

Step 1:
Find a shirt that you LOVE and fits you well. This will be your template. I adore this Star Wars tee, it's the perfect shape and falls nicely.

Turn the boxy shirt inside out and lay the template shirt on top. Note the areas you want to change.

I wanted a wider neckline for sure. I also wanted flirty cap sleeves instead of the standard men's ones.

The shape is a huge factor. Even the slightest 1/2 inch curve on the side will give a more flattering shape than a boxy tee.

Lastly, length. Boxy tees do nothing good for the hips so I planned to cut off the bottom by at least 1inch.

Step 2:
Using tailor's chalk (or in my case a white charcoal pencil I had within my reach) use the template shirt to mark an outline, leaving allowances for seams.

For the the side curves, I sewed right along those lines then cut away the excess fabric.

Step 3:
Now the sleeves. For the TOP of the cap sleeves I simply sewed right across that top line, then cuta away the excess much like the side curves of the shirt. The edge of the sleeves - or the openings - I did different. I marked the length I wanted plus 1/4 inch, then cut along that line. I then folded back that 1/4 inch and hemmed.

Step 4:
For the neckline I simply cut a flattering shape using the template as a guide. Pull a little bit on the fabric and the cut edge will roll over finishing off the rough edge.

Step 5:
The length depends on where you want the tee to fall. I only needed a little off the bottom so I cut off 1 inch and like the neckline just stretched it to roll over the rough edge, though you can certainly  hem or overlock if you want.

There! 5 easy steps to quickly mod a tee! Super simple and really easy to customize any way you like!

Disney's Royal Buffet for Mother's Day

For Disney fans the place to be on Mother's Day is Disney's Royal Buffet! The huge over the top buffet takes place at the Disneyland Hotel's Grand Ballroom and the festivities are truly impressive!

Reservations are hard to come by but checking in is easy! After you pay you are taken to a lobby area where there is coffee, water and lemonade. They have tvs playing Disney movies to entertain the little ones and a grand Princess chair to sit in for photos. As your name is called you are handed a special button to celebrate the day and you're on your way!

When you enter it's like you've stepped into a Disney fairy tale. There are royal tapestries lining the walls and an image of Cinderella to welcome the guests. At center stage is a live three piece band playing Disney favorites.

At various meet and greets throughout the ballroom you can come face to face with all of your favorite characters. The huge castle motif is where you can meet Minnie, Donald and Daisy. Every half hour they trade out places with Chip and Dale.

At the opposite end you can get a rare close up view of Cinderella's royal coach! This pumpkin coach is normally available to rent for weddings for over $3000 a day, so it's a nice photo opp to take advantage of. It's here where you can meet Cinderella herself, and when she takes a break her mice, Suzy and Perla - are there to entertain you.

Along the wall is where the real magic happens. Princesses Belle, Snow White, Rapunzel and Tiana were all there to say hello. There were tons of little girls dressed up in their best Princess outfits so it was fun to see them interact with their counterparts!

On to the food! There are a variety of stations which tend to repeat themselves because of the size of the room, but you are welcome to visit any of them. The 5 main stations are a seafood/chinese food bar, a salumi and crudite table, a hot dish bar, a kid's foods buffet and our family's personal fave - the breakfast bar! Any meal with Mickey Shaped waffles is a good one.

One of the most impressive things I saw at the buffet was a racelette station! The machine melts the giant wedge of cheese and it's scraped (racler) onto toasted bread. A fun and fancy presentation!

My main focus? Dessert of course! There were three large dessert stations filled to the brim with a variety of sweets. 

Smores parfaits, mini cupcakes, beautiful tarts and cakes. They were endless and it was a tough trying to decide what to try.

Kids dessert stations had cookie pizzas, adorable Mickey Jello and every kid's fave: Worms and Dirt, i.e. chocolate pudding with gummi worms.

There were pie stations at the end serving slices of fresh apple and cherry pie and the most delicious individual lemon meringue pies ever! Here they also scoop ice cream to order so you can make your pie a la mode!

Anchoring the end of the massive dessert display is the chocolate fountain. Constantly flowing you can serve yourself of be helped to an assortment of dippable treats. Marshmallows, strawberries, rice krispy treats, shortbread and shortcakes!

The price is typical of most high-end Mother's Day brunches at  $71.99 (not including tax and gratuity) and $20.99 for kids (ages 3 to 9). Premium Passholders get a 15% discount and all other annual passports get 10%. Four hours of parking is included.

A definite celebratory treat for any Disney fan who loves to eat and wants some quality princess time!

Britt's: Smoked Fried Chicken

I am very much a fan of fried chicken, so much so that I've held fried chicken taste tests before. Of course in a city as big as LA there are always ones to be missed, as varations on fried chicken are as near and dear as a close family secret.

One of these variations can be found at Britt's BBQ in El Segundo. I've written about Britt's before (in yet another taste test, no less) and they have great meaty, smoky bbq. El Segundo is a little town tucked just under the airport. Surprisingly a lot of people don't know it's there but it has a nice small town atmosphere and Britt's fits right in.

While their everyday BBQ menu is fantastic a little known secret is their special smoked fried chicken which is ONLY available on Friday nights. If you come the rest of the week, you wouldn't even know it existed.

The chicken arrives in a big basket, dark and crisp. The flavor is deep and smoky, definitely unique for fried chicken. 

It is served on a bed of tater tots along with a big slab of cornbread. Britt's also has great sides, I'm a fan of the coleslaw and the beans.

Now let's see, the best thing about Britt's is it's close to the airport? Hm, no. Is the great BBQ? Well, yes. No, I'd have to say it's the fact that they give you free custard filled donuts at the end of dinner. Man. Some people really know how to win a girl over.

The smoked fried chicken is only available Friday nights!  
Britt's BBQ
408 Main St
El Segundo, CA 90245

King's Hawaiian Project Mahalo

King's Hawaiian was a big part of my childhood. Not only do I have vivid memories of my mom slicing into the big, puffy round bread loaf, but I remember sitting in the back seat and smelling the fresh baked bread while we drove to see O.G. who lived by the factory.

Both of those memories have one thing in common, family was a big part of my King's Hawaiian memories and experiences. Ohana means family, and King's Hawaiian always gives everyone the family spirit of Aloha.

King's Hawaiian launched Project Mahalo as a way of giving back to charitable organizations who exemplify sharing the Hawaiian way. Mahalo means 'thank you' and the Hawaiian way is the spirit of sharing. Four amazing charites were chosen as finalists and the public voted on one to be the featured organization and receive $25,000 from King's Hawaiian.

All the charities were absolutely worthy but the votes were tallied and Meals On Wheels was announced as the winner! The Hawaiian way is about sharing and King's Hawaiian also generously donated $10,000 to each of the runner up groups: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Family Caregiver Alliance and One Warm Coat.

Each organization does wonderful things for others and King's Hawaiian definitely inspires and encourages all of us to give back!

Star Wars dance

My friend Jen celebrates Star Wars in the best of ways at Union Station in LA.

12 ways to enjoy May the 4th - Star Wars Day!

This Saturday is Star Wars Day! A day when the fan community can come together and celebrate their love of all things Star Wars! Whether you watch, read, craft, cook, live, breathe Star Wars - there's always something amazing out there for inspiration.

Here are a dozen ideas for how you can celebrate May the 4th!

Why not carve Star Wars figures out of crayons! Hm...

Ok, maybe that's too tough.
How about carve Darth Vader out of a banana? 

Oh fine, then just take a look at ALL these awesome behind the scenes images of the making of The Empire Strikes Back! Distracted?

A crafty one, you are. Do, or do not. There is no try.

Stencil your own Battle of Yavin t-shirt.

Or perhaps you need to address the Galactic Senate. Nothing gives you the strength you need like decoupaged Star Wars and Clone Wars heels.

It's a trap! A cute one! From The Star Wars Craft Book: make an Admiral Sackbar puppet!

I know! Cooking is on your Star Wars agenda!

How about making a scrumptious apple pie in the shape of the  Millennium Falcon? She may not look like much, but she's delicious.

Ah, I know.
These ARE the droids you're looking for: R2-D2 Chocolate and Peanut Butter Shortbread!

Alright, not everyone wants to craft or cook.
How about just BUYING things? If money is all that you love, then that's what you'll receive. 

Gorgeous Star Wars jewelry from Unpossible Cuts fits the bill.

Headed to a Royal Award Ceremony?
Dress up your outfit with a Star Wars bow or cocktail hat from Messy Pink!

An elegant Star Wars necklace made from vintage toys at Rockets and Rainbows is even better than a Medal of Bravery!

Maybe the best idea of all is to sit back and enjoy EVERYTHING Star Wars.

Embrace your love of Star Wars, throw a Star Wars party, listen to Bonnie Burton interview fans about May 4th and -- May the Fourth Be With You!

 

ROC Kitchen

The latest SoCal food craze is about Xiao Long Bao also known as soup dumplings. Delicate little purses of filling that are magically filled with warm broth INSIDE the dumpling! Recently even Tom Cruise took a turn at making some so they must be magic.

To say this is a craze is putting it mildly. Din Tai Fung in Arcadia, the king of the soup dumpling restaurants has two locations right next door to each other to keep up with demand. Even then the wait time have been known to go up to two hours Worth it? Absolutely.

But the road to Arcadia is long in LA traffic. Luckily the Westside has it's own offering for us beach dwellers that would rather take that gas money and put it towards good food. ROC Kitchen on Sawtelle has wonderfully comparable soup dumplings but yes, sometimes the same long wait.

The menu consists of soup dumplings with various fillings from pork to seafood, starch dishes like fried rice and noodles, typical stir-fry veggie side dishes and even more bun-type bao - but the soup dumplings are the stars of the show.

The dumplings arrive at the table in metal steamers and while they look small, they definitely make a filling meal. They have a thin skin that barely hold the whole thing together, and are so delicate it feels like they might burst with one tiny misstep.

There is a 'right' way to eat these, place the dumpling in the soup spoon, nibble it just so to get the broth out, sip out the broth, then consume the dumpling. Eating it whole is ill advised as it might burn a little, as the broth is pretty steaming hot.

However, the Baby has his own method: 1) place the dumpling in the spoon 2) stab it to death with a fork 3) keep the dumpling on the fork 4) consume the broth 5) devour the dumpling off the fork. Well, whatever works.

We ordered two kinds of xiao long bao, the pork and the pork and crab. Both were fantastic, and the pork and crab wasn't fishy - a lot of reviews complained that it wasn't 'crabby' enough but I felt like it was just the right combination.

In addition to the bao I ordered the Dungeness crab glass noodles thinking it'd be a good addition for the kids. I don't know if it was just this visit but this dish was very heavy handed with the spice. The heat proved too much for the kids but I loved the light glass noodles full of flavorful pepper.

There was a slight mix up when we arrived and we were overlooked in the seating order. I had arrived early enough that I wasn't upset about it, but I was hungry. The staff was so polite about it and hurriedly found a place for us, they even gave us a free Scallion Pancake which was totally unnecessary but turned out to be the best move ever - not only was it delicious but excellent service is always a win in my book.

The pancake was something I was on the fence about ordering since most scallion pancakes are all the same, but this one was light and crispy and the kids loved it!

The convenience of having soup dumplings in West LA does come with a price, a literal price - as what my friends call "the Westside markup" comes in to play. Sure you can get this food for half the price in the SGV but then you have to drive there, and traffic plus gas prices are my sworn enemy. I'm happy to pay the Westside markup and avoid traffic, especially if it means shave ice snow is right around the corner.

Just a heads up, there is no sign on the restaurant, it is up to you to find it. (Hint: it's next to Sushi Stop) but as a passerby said as we waited to be seated: "Wow, look at all those people waiting. And there's no signage? It MUST be good." An LA endorsement if I ever heard one.

ROC Kitchen
2049 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025