hippos&hearts

tribute

2012-02-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Look at this creative project from Jocelyne Grivaud. I think her idea is genius because she put a playful spin on these iconic works of art using an equally iconic figure that is unexpected yet well known to all. Enjoy!!

Vermeer's "La Jeune Fille a la Perle"

Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel

Milton Glasser's "Bob Dylan" poster

check out the documentary To Inform and Delight about Milton Glasser

Nefertiti

Andy Warhol's "Marilyn Monroe"

packing

2012-02-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

In a few short weeks, I need to pack up the house and be ready to move while not actually being here. If that didn't make sense to you, don't worry...it still doesn't make sense to me! I will be working and making trips back home on the weekends but I feel like I need Santa's little helpers here to pack up while I am busy at work. I feel a bit overwhelmed but I know things will get done somehow- they have to! Have any of you moved recently? Any tips?

this is what I feel like

this is my goal...any volunteers?

hearts

2012-02-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Whether you believe that Valentine's Day is a day to show your love or that it is a big Hallmark holiday...it is still coming in a couple of weeks!! My mom always gave us cards and little gifts on this holiday so I can't help but celebrate it. I think it's fun to celebrate with friends or a significant other...any reason for sweets and fun decorations right?!

Look at this cute sugar cookie bracelet from food + words

How about some heart shaped balloons!

who doesn't love s'mores?!

cute love birds wall art

Nouveau

2012-01-03T04:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday!! As I sit here, I cannot believe another year has passed. So much happened in 2011 and I am getting ready for another big change in 2012, I will be moving back to San Diego this year. I have settled back into my hometown of Fresno and it will be bittersweet to leave my home. I have been going through a reflective phase lately so I apologize for my silence/ lack of posts :). Here are some fun things I ran across!

Check out this cute way to measure out spaghetti noodles!

I wouldn't mind whipping up some pancakes with this tool

This is a great little gift idea I love how delicate it looks

A girl can dream :)

Two in one!

pantone 2012

2011-12-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of the year, I always look in my closet to find clothes that I can clear out and whatever better guide than the Pantone Spring 2012 color guide? These are the color trends to look for next year...have fun searching for the perfect clothes and accessories in these great shades!

MNG

2011-12-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

When I spent a year in Belgium my two favorite stores were Mango and Zara, both stores offered great clothes that were affordable. I was ecstatic when both stores started popping up in the U.S. and the other day while getting some Christmas shopping done, I noticed the Mango line for JC Penney's: MNG. I have a feeling we will be seeing more from the department store as they have hired Ron Johnson from Apple. I noticed the layout of the MNG line, it's a shop within a shop experience and you feel as if you walked into a small boutique. The clothes have the classic Mango lines and they are budget friendly...I found myself wanting almost the entire collection they had in the store!

noir

2011-12-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

I always try and add color to my wardrobe but there is something about the color black that I love. You can never go wrong with black. I think black shoes are a staple and of course being a girl, we can't just have one pair. I think the reason we can't have just one pair is because after being on your feet for hours they hurt and because different styles go with different outfits. Here are the ones I've added to my arsenal of shoes through the years :)

Guess: Carrie Pump (4" heel), similar here

These are my staple work pumps, I love the side cut out

Michael Kors: Pressley (3 1/2" heel), here

The patent leather and little heel are perfect for work or cute skinny jeans for date night

Aldo: Filary (5 1/2" heel), similar here

The platform makes these heels a lot more comfortable than they seem, great for a night out!

Badgley Mischka: Randall (4 1/2" heel), here

I found these at Nordstrom's Rack for under $50, I wore it to a wedding...super cute but not the most comfortable heel. They look great on, just make sure you don't have to be on your feel the entire time :)

Guess: Safara (5" heel), here

I just got these on sale and they are my new favorite, the peep toe and ankle strap are such a cute touch!

monogram me

2011-12-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

I think some monogrammed pieces are nice and add a sweet personalized touch. Like on a cute necklace or on the cuff of a dress shirt. JCrew is offering to monogram sweaters and button up shirts in a couple different font styles that would look very sharp this winter season.

Or what about a monogram necklace from BaubleBar available in gold or silver $105-$115

If you want more of a casual look try Moon & Lola $78

I like the personalized throws because they can be given to both men and women!

Monograms off Madison $98

Pottery Barn $39.99

good eats

2011-12-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that I have been away, I was eating my way through San Diego last week :). If you live in San Diego or have plans to visit, make sure you check out these two great finds!

Bo Beau Kitchen + Bar: is one of the Cohn restaurants and a true gem! I first tried it a month ago with a friend and we instantly fell in love. We started off with the crispy brussels sprouts with pancetta, parmesan, and balsamic. Let me first start off by saying that I don't even like brussels sprouts but think these are delicious, because they are grilled, they aren't bitter at all. The duck fat deviled eggs and almond crusted portabella's were also really good. My two absolute favorite dishes are the braised short rib flat bread with horseradish smashed potatoes and chives and the duck confit fettuccini with roasted mushrooms, arugula, and parmesan reduction. To think of it, I haven't had anything that I don't like!

Dumpling Inn: This is a hole in the wall restaurant that my friend found on yelp and it's so good! We only ordered dumplings because, well...it's called Dumpling Inn after all! It lived up to all of our expectations and the next time I am in San Diego, I'll be going there again! We ordered the boiled pork and chive dumplings, deep friend beef curry dumplings, and two orders of the soup dumplings. All of the dumplings were full of flavor and the soup dumplings had a wonderful broth inside! They have affordable prices and the service is quick, make sure you get there early because it's a small restaurant that fills up quickly!

* all images courtesy of google and yelp

I hope you all have a great week...don't be scared to try out a new restaurant in your neighborhood! Happy food hunting!!

giving thanks

2011-11-22T04:00:00.000-08:00

The past year has been rough to say the least but as Thanksgiving is nearing, I can't help but think of what I still have in my life. I have a loving brother, adorable nephew, supportive boyfriend, and the most amazing girl friends a girl could ask for. Thank you for your love and support, I love you!

It's easy to get bogged down with work, to-do lists, traffic, and whatever daily frustrations occur but it is nice that this holiday brings people together to focus on the good. We should always be on our best behavior and reminding ourselves of what we are thankful for but hey, we're all human!

I plan on cooking up a storm in the next couple of days and on the menu so far: crab artichoke dip, baked sausage with apricot jam (a la Rachel Zoe's "The Rachel Zoe Project"), citrus cranberry sauce, stuff'n muffins, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, blackberry cobbler that I made here with vanilla ice cream...NOT to mention the other food items our guests will be bringing over! Needless to say if you do not hear from me in the next few days it is because I will be sleeping from my tryptophan induced food comma :)

Speaking of this wonderful day coming up...can you believe that Black Friday is starting on Thursday night?!! I will not be participating but for all those who will brave the cold for a good sale...good luck!

I love the idea of a rustic table runner. Who said you have to have flowers as a center piece? Try going au naturale, it adds a nice touch.

*image from cookincanuck

one of my favorite side dishes

here is another alternative to having a floral centerpiece

serve dinner in style with this le creuset trivet

this isn't edible...but how cute is this kielmead mistletoe necklace?!

lazy day

2011-11-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'm mentally gearing up for Thanksgiving next week, my brother and I will be hosting dinner at the house and I'm nervous to play hostess. I've started planning out the courses and making my grocery list for this weekend. One of my oldest friends has volunteered to help me prepare tomorrow...bless her heart! So in order to make room in the fridge/freezer I made a homemade pizza, with herb dough, prosciutto, goat cheese, parmesan cheese...everything from Trader Joe's! I also pulled out this pear tart and I must say, it's quite tasty for being a prepacked treat! I feel that all this mental planning gives me an excuse to take the night off. I have a ton of holiday catalogs to flip through, gathering gift ideas for the ones I love (and maybe one or two for me).

I drizzled the dough with garlic infused olive oil, topped with with the cheeses and prosciutto once it was out of the oven (otherwise it gets crunchy) then added more parmesan cheese...delicious!

I wish they sold these in slices because I had a couple pieces...

All holiday catalogs nicely stacked on my nightstand, ready for me to flip through!

monkey business

2011-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

I learned about monkey bread this year...why I didn't know about it sooner is beyond me. I love cinnamon rolls and these taste similar but you have the fun in peeling off pieces of dough. It was much easier to make than cinnamon rolls as well so that was a bonus for me. I also found a recipe for gorilla bread...it has a cream cheese filling!

Recipe:
3 cans buttermilk biscuits (the non-flaky kind)
1 cup sugar
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Open the cans and separate the biscuits, cut each biscuit into quarters. Next combine the white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Toss in all the biscuit quarters in the cinnamon sugar mixture and toss around! Have fun with it!! Take a bundt pan and light spray with non-stick cooking spray and place all the sugar coated pieces in the bundt pan.

Next melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium high heat, make sure to watch and stir until the butter and brown sugar combine together. Once combined, pour it over the biscuit pieces...sugar...butter..drool...

Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the top is nice deep brown. Remove and WAIT...being able to enjoy this ooey gooey goodness trumps being impatient and having a burnt tongue!

I enjoyed my monkey bread with some coffee and magazines, how will you enjoy yours?

hold me

2011-11-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

As you walk into any store, you can see all the Christmas decorations, candy, and cards lining the aisles. They do know we have Thanksgiving to celebrate first right? I am not a big fan of getting Christmas started the day after Halloween but it has got me thinking of gift ideas. Last year I ran around last minute and I would like to prevent that from happening this time around. I've started browsing online stores and magazines to get inspiration for gifts and I found this cute site called Coolil. They have such feminine cases for your iPhone, iPad....an ode to vintage snap clutches. So incognito! :)

wild side

2011-11-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

It is hard NOT to notice all the animal prints this season and I wasn't a big fan until recently. It has been incorporated more fashionably now than in the past...or perhaps I am just growing fond of it? I grabbed a giraffe printed sweater this past weekend and love it! I also like some of the printed shoes but I am not sure I am daring enough to pull them off :)

1. Michael Kors
2. Diane Von Furstenberg
3. JCrew
4. JCrew
5. Forever 21
6. Forever 21
7. Nordstrom
8. Elizabeth & James

arm candy

2011-11-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

I usually carry a purse big enough to fit a water bottle, sunglasses, wallet, iPhone, and small pouch with essentials. Basically I have enough supplies to last me a day if I got stranded somewhere! I like to get rid of the baggage sometimes and switch to a clutch, it looks polished and dressy. I have sparkly clutches, small ones, simple ones, and lately I've really wanted an envelope style clutch. Here are some cute ones for the holidays.

1. Anthropologie
2. ASOS
3. Zara
4. Forever21
5. ASOS
6. TopShop

up in the air

2011-11-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have a good reason why I was unable to post last Thursday, I was up in the air!! I was lucky enough to get in a Cessna plane and fly over part of San Diego :) I EVEN flew the plane!! It was such a great experience and I am so thankful for the opportunity to have seen Del Mar, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, and Mission Beach from such a cool vantage point!

Montgomery Field

the plane I flew in

sooooo many buttons!

spectacular view of Downtown La Jolla

shine on

2011-10-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

I love wearing necklaces because it adds the finishing touch to any outfit. Even with jeans and a t-shirt, a cute necklace instantly adds character! I love simple jewelry, a good set of pears, and lately...anything that sparkles! Here are some necklaces I'm dying to have!

1. BaubleBar
2. Nordstrom
3. BaubleBar
4. Nordstrom
5. Target
6. BaubleBar

countdown

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

As a countdown to the opening of the Westfield Stratford City shopping center, The Viral Factory created a film to showcase 100 years of East London style in 100 seconds...a year a second! Watch closely or you might miss something fabulous! I think this video is brilliant because it engages the viewer and tells a story, all within a couple minutes! If you watch around the 35 second mark, there is a distinct change in wardrobe for women. Until the war, the woman is shown in various styles of dresses and hats and after the man returns from war, she is first shown in pants. I thought that part was interesting :)

Enjoy the upbeat video and have a great weekend!

the LOVE stitch

2011-10-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

One of my dear friends has an Etsy shop called the Love stitch and it's full of wonderfully handmade treasures. Her collection includes iPad sleeves, eReader sleeves, iPhone covers, and bow ties! She graciously let me pick her brain about how she started and what inspires her.

You first learned how to crochet, how old were you and who did you pick it up from?
Julia: I picked up my first skein of yarn about 15 years ago. It was a lazy Sunday hanging out with my family and my aunt was crocheting a blanket. Up to that point I taught fiber working was just for "old ladies," but regardless I was memorized and pleaded with her to teach me. within the next couple hours I was hooked, literally and figuratively and haven't looked back. Since then there's been a ton of self teaching and lots of trails and errors.

When did you start knitting?
Julia: Two years ago a dear friend of mine taught a group of us how to knit and I loved that so much, the stitching and flow was different than crocheting and offered a new creative challenge.

Were you hesitant to start an Etsy shop?
Julia: Starting my Etsy shop was a big decision for me because up until then I mainly knitted or crocheted for pure enjoyment or artistic relief. I was afraid that taking orders would take away from the connection I had with making something. But I couldn't have been more wrong! There's been an overwhelming positive response to my creations and I honestly couldn't be more thankful. Interestingly enough, my Etsy shop has inspired me even more as I look forward to releasing new items and seeing what the public thinks.

How do you find inspiration for your shop?
Julia: I find my creative inspiration from fashion, art, and different fibers (bamboo, wool, cotton, etc...). I love the different colors and tones that particular yarn emit and it also aids in my creative daydreaming. It's very rare that I enter a yarn shop with a particular project in mind (mainly because I have SO many hopefully project brewing to last me a lifetime) but rather I let the yarn "sell" me and go from there organically.

Here is a peak into her wonderful store, I have an amazing red bow coming in the mail that I CANNOT wait to use with my accessories!

Thank you for sharing your lovely shop with us Julia!

I love the vibrant colors!

I am going to copy this idea!

and this one too! :)

the LOVE stitch

carry all

2011-10-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

With netbooks, iPads, nooks, and kindles, many more of us are able to surf the internet or read a book without lugging around a bulky bag. I love messenger bags because they have an old school feel while being stylish at the same time. Did I mention they're unisex? I've seen men carry these satchel style bags and if it's good enough for Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird, it's good enough for your man! I got this messenger bag and love it! Here are other options to check out!

tea for two

2011-10-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

I went to visit my bestie Victoria in San Francisco this weekend and we finally made it to Crown & Crumpet. I used to have tea with my mom and loved it so when I heard about this place I knew I had to go! We enjoyed a nice tea for two with tea sandwiches, crumpets, scones, sweet treats, and of course 2 pots of tea :) Here are a few pictures from our Sunday afternoon...

aim and shoot

2011-10-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

I bought a Canon PowerShot SX30 IS after Christmas last year and hadn't tried the settings until now! I know, I know...I'm intimidated by tech stuff sometimes and I've been busy. There is still a TON for me to learn but here are a few of the different settings my little camera has :)

sepia

check out the zoom!

not too shabby huh?

a little fish-eye

miniature effect

mellow yellow

2011-10-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

Growing up in the central valley I got spoiled with tons of fresh fruit and I've become a little picky. I like my bananas just ripe without any spots...is that too much? I don't think I'm a complete lost cause because I have found a good way to use the spotty ones...Banana Bread!! This mix is at Trader Joe's, it's easy and tastes homemade! I add chopped up bananas to my mix but you can go even further and add chopped nuts, some chocolate chips, rum soaked raisins...getting any ideas??

the simpler the better in my book!

I put in about a banana and a half

Enjoy!

so long, farewell...

2011-09-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have said my good-bye to Summer and I am gearing up for Fall. It's time for a change! The Big Fresno Fair is coming into town and I look forward to going to fairs every year! I usually go a bit overboard with the food sampling but this year have vowed to be good (fingers crossed). I always leave room for the world famous Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls...they're kind of a big deal. Here are some things I am looking forward to this month/season!

there's a jingle that's been stuck in my head for weeks!

I usually try something unusual every year...even the Krispy Kreme Chicken Sandwich. I wasn't impressed

Piece de resistance? A cinnamon roll and footsie wootsie machine

pumpkin spice lattes :)

I use my little nephew as an excuse to go...shameless I know :)

I tried a craft project involving some leaves and wax paper once... FAIL.

bangle me

2011-09-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not big on earrings so I rely on necklaces, rings, and bangles to add some pop to my wardrobe. Here are some options that I will be incorporating into my wardrobe this Fall.

bangles by tristaqle featuring stretch jewelry

1. Forever 21
2. Baublebar
3. Topshop
4. Baublebar
5. Baublebar
6. Baublebar
7. Forever 21
8. Topshop