From the Notepad | Yakima Magazine

“Healthy Footwear for Healthy Feet.”

by Jill St. George on Feb 22, 2012

One of the things I love most about my job is finding cool things to tell you about. And I’ll be honest, I too, have driven by some of the same places over and over again without ever stepping foot in them. But having this job has changed that, and I couldn’t be happier about getting to know more about my hometown and the great people I’ve been meeting along the way.

I was reminded of this yesterday when I wandered into Vaux Shoes at Westpark. I can’t tell you the number of times I had driven by and thought it was a men’s shoe shop. Boy was I wrong. For one, they carry both men’s and women’s shoes, and two, they carry oodles of shoes I’d wear. Toms, Sanita, Dansko and Keen – very well made, stylish shoes.

Brad and Joan Vaux have owned and operated Vaux shoes for the past eight years. When I walked through the doors, Joan was there to greet me and kindly answered all of my questions. She gave me a sweet little shoe tour, explaining that most of their shoes are made in America and/or Europe, using high quality, comfortable materials. Needless to say, my wishlist quickly grew when I stepped through the doors.

Vaux Shoes, LLC

4001 Summitview Ave. Suite 4

Yakima, WA 98908

509-965-7170

www.vauxshoes.com

Shiny Red Sanita

Toms

Dansko

Keen for men

Keen for women

Toms

Trash to Treasure.

by Jill St. George on Feb 21, 2012

If something is tucked away I tend to forget about it – as is the case with my jewelry. So I end up wearing the same pair of earrings five days a week – mostly out of convenience.

As I was pondering ways to display them, I remembered an show on HGTV where they used an old window screen to hang and display earrings. Brilliant!…except where do I find the screen?

Well, when I moved into my new (but old) house, I discovered a pile of old windows and screens leaning against a wall in the garage. And then suddenly that episode of HGTV came back to me. So I pulled out the screen, cleaned it up, and now it nicely display my earrings. I couldn’t be happier with it.

Glenwood Square Arts & Crafts Fair.

by Jill St. George on Feb 17, 2012

Cuffs made by Lisa Souers Designs Jewerly.

A very cool building plus very cool art…I’m so there!

This Saturday from 10 to 4pm, Glenwood Square is holding its annual art and crafts fair. Lisa Souers will be there selling her beautifully handcrafted jewelry, along with many more local artisans. Stop by, show your support, and pick up something unique to add to your walls or jewelry collection.

Glenwood Square

5110 Tieton Drive

Yakima, WA 98908

509-966-3580

Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake

by Jill St. George on Feb 16, 2012

Even though zucchini isn’t in season, I saw this recipe on Pinterest and had to give it a try. Zucchini is such a great vegetable, and so versatile – you can grill it, fry it, bake it, steam it or eat it raw. I can’t wait for the Farmers Market to start up again this spring.

This was so easy to make and turned out great. It’s a little rich though, so I’d use it as a side dish. It would be a great compliment to steak.

Ingredients:

3 large zucchini

1/2 cup onions

1 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs basil

1 clove minced garlic

1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese

1 cup Mozerella cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch rounds and then slice in half. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, olive oil, basil, and garlic. In another small bowl, combine both cheeses. Split the mixture in half (you will have two – 3/4 cups of cheese). Set one aside. Add 3/4 cup of cheese mixture to zucchini. Add salt and pepper. Stir until mixture is evenly distributed. Pour into baking dish and bake for 25 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 10 minutes until top is golden brown. Serve hot.

Sliced zucchini.

Cheesy baked zucchini - yum.

Get Shellac’d for V-day!

by Jill St. George on Feb 14, 2012

Listen up gals, because you are going to love this (and you too guys, because V-day is today, and if you’re still struggling for a gift, this one’s good!)

Never-chip nail polish? Yep, I’ve given it a try and it’s the real-deal. It’s called Shellac, and it’s a gel nail polish that hardens after being cured with a UV light.

As much as I love having the length of acrylic nails, I’m much too impatient to sit in the manicurist’s chair for an hour. Nor do I like how they destroy the natural nail. On the contrary, I’ve been stuck living with thin, weak nails, and my nail base is very oily, so polish only lasts a day or two. Until now – yay!

It’s very simple. I went to Hi-tech nails next to Fred Meyer, however there are many locations in Yakima that provide the service. The manicurist filed my nails and applied a base coat. In between coats, you place your hand under a UV light. She applied the nail color and the top coat and then your hands sit under the lamp for about five minutes. Once you are finished, the polish is completely cured and dry, with no worries of smudging it. It takes about 15 minutes and then you’re on your way.

My nails look shiny and amazing, they are hard as rocks…and growing to boot. It costs $15 and lasts 10-14 days (depending on how quickly your nails grow). Give it a try. I promise you’ll love it.

Put a cast on it.

by Jill St. George on Feb 13, 2012

I’ve been toting this old wood box around for most of my adult life. I bought it years ago at an antique shop, but to be quite honest, it usually ends up in the garage because I can’t find a use for it.

Lately, I’ve been very inspired by all of the furniture with caster wheels, so I decided to add them to the box. There are many casters to choose from, but I like the industrial look of the metal wheels. The ones I chose are $4 each at Home Depot. Using a hand-drill, I screwed the wheels into place.

I use it to store firewood. And when it’s empty, I simply roll it to the back door and fill it back up. I love the way it turned out – it’s functional and decorative.