3.30.2011

flower power



I indulged in a crazy amount of vintage shopping today. I also got my nails painted for the very first time! I've had a manicure before, but I have never gone to the nail salon for the mere reason of just getting my nails polished. I guess it was always the artist in me, telling me that I can paint my nails myself, and I always have a fun time doing them, but today I felt like being pampered. So after I scouted all the vintage and antique shops in Fort Worth, I relaxed while I got my nails did, thought about all my exciting purchases which include antique frames, a vintage white bubble clutch, a couple of belts, and candlesticks. To welcome the wonderful season of spring, I picked a watermelon pink shade for my nails, and I also purchased a pair of floral pants today! I've always been hesitant wearing floral or big pattern bottoms since I'm not 6'2", but I own a crazy amount of 5" heels, which will go perfectly with them! The set made above shows how I might wear my floral pants! How would you wear your floral pants?!



3.29.2011

pizza and fireplaces


Today I was thinking about ways to make my fireplace a little more appealing. My apartment comes with a cookie cutter fireplace, and though it's functional, now let me be frank it's really not that aesthetically pleasing. Frank Lloyd Wright always put a great deal of emphasis on designing around the hearth of the home, a place and symbol for family togetherness. Here are some pictures of fireplaces I would love to cozy up next to, with a great book, and a cup of tea.







“The hearth is the psychological center of the home.” Frank Lloyd Wright







With all this talk of brick and stone and fire, I decided to make pizza for dinner. I used this recipe for the dough, and it turned out delicious. My husband helped with the toppings, and also made spicy buffalo chicken which went perfectly with the pineapple and jalapenos. My all time favorite topping is mushrooms, and his is jalapenos and chicken, so it was a perfect pizza for the two of us! I have dough left over for one more pizza, so I will try this amazing recipe tomorrow!






3.28.2011

Orange Zest Biscotti


As a child I remember dipping my cake rusk (Indo/Pak version of a biscotti) into my parents chai. The softness of the rusk after being dipped into the warm chai just melted in my mouth, and though it tasted wonders to me, I always felt bad about leaving little crumbles of cake rusk in my parents daily chai. While drinking my own tea this morning, I thought about how my siblings and I would dip our cake rusk in my parents chai on a regular basis, and I had an intense craving for biscotti, which needed to be satisfied. I found a wonderful recipe online, and decided to add a twist by dipping my biscotti in a chocolate peppermint sauce. I decided to use this easy recipe, and just added orange rest to the dough. Once it was cool, I dipped them into this amazing chocolate peppermint sauce you can get here. The orange zest flavor paired with the peppermint chocolate was just delish. I also made a refreshing strawberry lemonade to quench my thirst. Hope you all enjoy!




3.27.2011

sunday bumday

I spent the majority of today at home in my pajamas, but I caught up with a lot of mail and paperwork. I also finished organizing my closet. While in my closet I decided on a few outfits I might pack, for a training session I have in Denver soon. These next few weeks before my work starts I will experiment with some new dishes, and I am making a vow that even with my hectic schedule I will still cook dinner at home. There is just nothing better than a home cooked meal, which makes my tummy and my husbands satisfied. I enjoy eating out, and have probably been doing so excessively this year, but it's hard to resist a brunch or an evening dinner outdoors in such beautiful weather. Today's dinner consisted of baked chicken tikka, and okra baked with Italian bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese. Apparently I was too hungry to snap a picture of our dinner, but I did happen to snap a few pictures of things that currently make me happy. [Mikimoto stud earrings with diamond, that my husband got me for my birthday]
[This gorgeous scarf I found at Dillards, and waiting to pair with a perfect outfit]
[LOVE this bottle, LOVE the scent, Daisy, Marc Jacobs- perfect blend of everything amazing: Strawberry, Violet Leaves, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Gardenia, Violet Petals, Jasmine Petals, Musk, Vanilla, White Woods]
[an orange a day]
[Estee Lauder lipstick in Pink Parfait]

3.26.2011

shaved ice and orange flats

the weather in Fort Worth has been wonderful this week, and I hope it stays this way all weekend! Work is about to start, and I have been busy with pre-spring cleaning, and organizing everything. Our apartment is usually pretty neat, but I often leave my make-up and jewelery in clutter, and in turn it takes me forever to find what I need. I decided to change that since I will need both of these essentials to be quite accessible to me, when I get up at 6, and need to catch the train by 7! Today while driving around with the hubby I spotted a shaved ice stand, and get overly excited! they had passion fruit (my all time FAVORITE fruit) and mango. also I decided I will occasionally post "what I wore today" . I'm often told I have a unique sense of style and it will be nice to see what you all think!

[Tip {Ferrero Rocher containers make a perfect home for earrings, and other small items]

[shaved ice Camp Bowie, Fort Worth]

[Top: gifted, Bag: Gag, Shoes: Antonio Melani, Pants: Old Navy, Sweater: Forever 21]
{We had dinner with our friends that night, so I stopped home to change my shoes, and grab a clutch. Shoes: Charlotte Russe, Envelope Clutch: Elizabeth Arden}


3.23.2011

catching up

I have been meaning to catch up for some time now, but with my new job starting and just coming back from spring break, I had a million and 1 things to take care of this week. Spring break was filled with events, and the hubby and I had a wonderful time. My second event was actually my best friends engagement party! She was going for a very simple, and elegant feel for her decor. I used a beautiful Chinese Iron Fan piece, in a pink shade, and light pink antirrhinums for the flowers, along with willow stems. I used two peacock green accenting vases to hold the flowers, and a divider to keep the serenity flowing. I also set up a space outdoors for some guest, and kept it simple with a few lanterns, contemporary white vases, and a couple of carnations. Here are a few pictures from the event.



The first spring break weekend was filled with wedding events, and we attended about 4! While in Houston we checked out the Rodeo, and Kiss was performing that night, I'm not a big fan or anything but they were about 2 feet away from me, and I snapped a picture! I'm also not a big fan of carnival rides, but I did ride the Ferris wheel with the hubby! Austin deserves an entire post on its own, which will be coming soon!

3.10.2011

spring break

Yayyy it's finally spring break!! Now the hubby can relax from school a little, and I can take a nice break, before my 8-5 days begin. We decided to go to Houston for the first half of spring break, and then we are planning on having a weekend getaway in Austin for the last few days! The first half of my spring break will be rather busy with 2 engagement ceremonies, 1 wedding, and 1 reception. I've actually been given the honor to be the dedicated decorator for one of the events! I have been planning it for some time, and I'm hoping everything goes as planned (will post pictures soon). All this wedding talk, and having to pack for so many events made me think of my own wedding. I miss the crazy days of preparing for my own wedding, and the hectic yet fun filled days that led up to it. Here are a few pics from some of my own wedding events, I'll post some more soon.




Anyways I'm super excited about Austin, the hubby and I are going to check out South By Southwest, which is taking place from the 11-20, climb Mount Bonnell, go kayaking, and eat, eat and eat! I found this restaurant guide for SXSW attendees it's from 2010, but I'm sure it's still valid!
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2010/03/10_great_places.php?page=3