This Week: Clouds and Marshmallows

photo from sevenspoons on flickr via weheartit

Have been so busy that I'm late to post about this week! I'm not the craftiest person, but find some pleasure in sitting calmly making stuff with my hands. Would love a space dedicated to crafting and/or working with a nice big table and lots of space to store all the supplies needed to make things. Without a space it's just a big mess and while enjoyable it kind of becomes chaotic when there is no room to seperate a project from one's day to day life (i.e. my dining table is my craft/work space).  Do any of you have a crafting/work room/home office to craft/work in?  I have painted and cut and stamped and hole-punched and I even made clouds (check out a tutorial from ohdeedoh here!) to hang above the candy buffet I put together for my sister-in-law's baby shower. So this week...
1.  I've been wanting to make homemade marshmallows ever since my lovely lunch at Daniel Boulud's fabulous DB Bistro Moderne. The ones I had there were orange-blossom flavored and amazing but I still haven't gotten around to making them. I'm inspired all over again after coming across this recipe for Neopolitan Marshmallows  on pinterest. Don't they look and sound delicious?! Have any of you ever made marshmallows? 
2. I got to spend some quality time with my childhood best friend and her husband and 2 lovely girls. I absolutely love seeing her, and love that she is such a great mother, especially since I've known her since we were 7 years old and it still seems surreal that she is all grown up with a family!
3. My friend and former Professor, Tracey shared this video on facebook a while back, have been meaning to share it. Isn't it beautiful?!
4. Am watching Project Runway and loving it even though I don't yet have a favorite designer. Design Star on the other hand...is it me or are they all kind of lame? I usually always have a favorite (and they win!) but this time, eh...I'm not loving anyone so much. Which is a shame because I was kind of excited about the show's new season since I loved Emily Henderson so much last season. Are any of you watching? Do you have a favorite on either show?

Have an amazing week!! xo

This Week: The Sun Also Rises

photo of Ernest Hemingway and friends in Pamplona, Spain during the Fiesta San Fermin in 1925 (the experience The Sun Also Rises is based on...except he omitted his wife, Hadley from the story in his book) via JFK Presidential Library and Museum

And so the obsession with Ernest Hemingway continues! I meant to start reading A Moveable Feast this week but was unable to get my hands on a copy (until yesterday, can't wait to start reading it:) and so I started reading The Sun Also Rises. It is interesting to read since I read about that trip and the real characters who joined him while reading The Paris Wife. I have never had much of an interest in Bull Fighting, happen to find it quite cruel, really but somehow he has even managed to make that experience seem interesting. Have/are any of you read/reading these books? So this week...

1. I learned about an amazing resort in Acapulco, Mexico from Mrs. Lilien. I soooo want to go spend a few relaxing days at Hotel Boca Chica! Have any of you been?!

2. Happy to read that I'm not the only one obsessing about the 1920's, Read about The Great Gatsby inspired designs here!!

3. Reading about the movie Shag on Vogue's website brought back so many memories!! My best friend since childhood and I watched this movie over and over when we were young girls! Love to know that we had such great taste;) Next thing you know someone will be raving about Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael, another one of our (many) favorites! ha!

4. My friend, Yelsi of Tigerlily Dream has wonderful new designs in her shop! I am especially loving the Pretty Skinny Bracelets and Necklace and Pop Rocks (what a great name!!). Take a little peek here!

5. Am excited about Season 9 of Project Runway!! It premieres this Thursday, July 28th on Lifetime! You can check out the contestants portfolio here.

Hope your week and weekend (sorry I'm late:) has been lovely! Have a great week!! xo

This week: Literary expatriates and preparing for Bastille Day

  photo by me

I finished reading The Great Gatsby and even watched the movie (the 1974 Robert Redford version)! It was an enjoyable re-read and I had never seen the movie which was great except for the cheesy twinkle effects everywhere (I mean actual stars in people's eyes ha!). Both left me wishing for fabulous summer parties and wishing that I could buy an entire fancy wardrobe for summer has gotten a lot more casual since the 1920's. Bastille Day or La Fête Nationale is coming up on July 14th! In the spirit of missing France (soooo much), and having a summer reading list that consists of books either by or about some of the Literary Expatriates in Paris in the 1920's I think I want to learn how to make a Croque Monsieur! Here's a video cooking lesson by French food blogger Kerry Saretsky! Daily Candy sent it out this week along with a link to her wonderful site, you must check it out here! I also want to make Pink Provençal Sangria! So this week...


1. Madewell opened up nearby!! If you're in Miami you can visit the new store on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach! Here is the address and a map.
2. We are in love with Bernie's LA Cafe! It's not new but for some reason or other we just got around to trying it last week and have already visited 3 times! It's Chef Bernie Matz (of Books & Books) restaurant. The menu is healthy fare with some cuban twists, soooo tasty! 
3. Check out the new fiat! 
4. Last night at dinner I was complaining that I never got to go away to summer camp as a kid and had never been to the Hamptons. My sister insisted that there is no way I can pass for 16 so summer camp was out of the question and then I came across this article about  Ruschmeyer's in Montauk NY not really camp and not really the Hamptons but pretty close!! I want to go!! Did any of you get to go away to summer camp as kids? Was it as wonderful as I've always imagined?
5. The Design Sponge Book, Design Sponge at Home is available for pre-order!  Grace is not stopping by Miami for her book tour but you can check if your city is on the list here as well. Congratulations to Grace and Design Sponge!! 


Hope you have the BEST weekend!! xo

This Week: Looking forward to a long lazy weekend!

photos by me

Yay for a long weekend!! Am so looking forward to lazy days with a little beach time, some reading, quality time with friends and family, some grilling, sweet cocktails, fireworks and naps! What are your plans for the holiday weekend?! To think that this time, five years ago I was preparing to leave to Europe for 3 months, excited about new adventures and getting away. If I could relive that summer over and over each year I totally would:( So this week...

1. We broke in the new BBQ and had a lovely dinner with our neighbors! They moved away this morning, it seems all our favorite neighbors are always transient. It's still cool to get to know people a little, even if just for a little while, isn't it?!

2. One of my best friends and her husband found out they are having a baby boy!! I am so excited for them and can't wait to meet their boy:)

3. I just got back from watching Beginners ! It was wonderful and funny and devastatingly sad all at once. I miss my dad so much right now:( Despite my sad spin on it, it's really wonderful, I definitely recommend it.

4. Am dying to subscribe to Birch Box. I learned about it on The Glitter Guide and think it's a marvelous idea! For just $10/month you get a goodie box filled with beauty samples every month! Doesn't that sound awesome?! Are any of you members?!

5. Inspired by the movie Midnight in Paris, I  have started rereading The Great Gatsby! I hope to read most of it at the beach this weekend (if the weather cooperates:). I want to watch the movie when I'm done (I've never watched it) and just learned today that there is a remake in the works starring  Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, so glad I'm revisiting! Next on my summer reading list is  The Paris Wife !

Hope you have a wonderful long holiday weekend!! xo

This Week: Summer is suddenly promising to be a whole lot sweeter and refreshing!

photos by me

I've had the loveliest day! I spent the afternoon with one of my best friends and I had lunch with two of my best friends! Quality time with girlfriends is always a treat on a weekday:) And I got the loveliest birthday present too! Crate & Barrels Ice Pop Molds, a Popsicle Recipe book and a Popsicle kitchen towel! I am so excited about making Popsicles, all of the recipes sound delicious and refreshing!!  I think homemade Popsicles will be the perfect treat on these hot and humid Summer afternoons! The recipe book she gave me even has cocktail pops recipes...Mmmmm:) So this week...

1. My lovely friend, Kaelsie has shared five things she is loving for Summer with us!! Read the post and see her beautiful watercolor paintings here.

2. Am excited about a new restaurant opening on South Beach!! Jeff McInnis the Top Chef who left Gigi is opening his own restaurant, Yardbird Southern Table & Bar. Can't wait for Fall to indulge in some Southern delight!! 

3. Oh to spend the weekends in East Hampton preparing delicious meals and decorating! Check out the designers of Roman and Williams (responsible designing wonderful spots like the Ace Hotel and the Boom Boom Room) Montauk, NY weekend retreat here. Be sure to check out the Hibiscus Flower Punch recipe at the end of the article!!

4. We went on a lovely double date with friends! We started off the evening at a gallery in Downtown Miami followed by a lovely dinner at a wonderful little restaurant called Soya & Pomodoro! The place is great, as soon as you walk in you just feel like you're somewhere else, on vacation, away! Nothing beats an evening of art, delicious food and great company:)

5. So excited to go see Conan O'Brien Can't Stop a documentary about Conan after he left NBC! 

Have an amazing weekend!! Indulge yourself with delicious, cold treats to stay cool! xo

 

This Week: The Joys of Girlhood

photo on card my sister gave me by Lee Anne Brooke

We went to watch Bridesmaids tonight and it was soooo funny! It felt so good to laugh so hard! At dinner afterwards, I was talking with my sister about how wonderful it was/is to be a girl. I'm sure boys have fun too, but girls, we have so much fun! It's funny because we're intelligent, well rounded, educated women and though girly topics still interest and amuse us, we're definitely not bimbos! I'm still friends with girls I played Barbie with (my goodness has she evolved, she has her own website now:) We enjoy talking about serious topics, and life but also have fun talking about decor or nail polish, showing each other the new clothes and make-up we buy, and sharing recipes. My husband once commented on how funny it was that my sister and I can skip from serious topics in conversation to say, mascara and be equally excited and interested in the conversation!   I don't know why, but every little thing can be fun when you share it with your girlfriends, don't you agree?! Thinking back on all the funny (too embarrassing to talk about in detail here) little snippets I can recall perfectly from my girlhood (and womanhood thus far) makes me feel so lucky to have always had such great friends:) And just like that we're all grown women with careers and responsibilities and I get to see some of them become wonderful mothers, and we still have our girly conversations and laugh together. I just love quality girly time with my lovely friends (you know who you are;) So this week...

1. Two of my friends had their baby girls!! Congratulations to "L" and "J"!!!

2. I fell in love with Keri Russell's Brownstone in Brooklyn in the latest issue of Elle Decor Magazine!!!!

3. I would love to go here!! Isn't it dreamy?!

4. In the coming weeks some of my Currently Loving posts will feature some wonderful, creative people I know and they will be sharing a couple of the things they are Currently Loving!

5. Memorial Day weekend is around the corner?! Any big plans?! Do tell!!

Have a lovely weekend!!! xo

This Week: Picnics on my mind

photo by me:)

The week is almost over! yay!! So, how was your Valentine's Day? I had the most lovely evening at home with my husband. We had filet mignon and lobster with those yummy french fries I mentioned last week, it was an AMAZING meal! He bought a bottle of Veuve Clicquot (my favorite) and after a few glasses I got a little lazy and those brownies I had planned on making seemed a little complicated so I looked up a yellow cake recipe and whipped it up with some strawberry frosting...delicious! My Valentine gave me gifts he selected using my Valentine's Day Gift Guide for the Girly Girl...sooo sweet that he thinks I'm a girly girl and reads my blog:) I am so looking forward to the weekend! I have all-day plans for Saturday with one of my best friends. I think I'll make a little breakfast and then we plan on wandering around, taking photos and hanging out, having more meals, snacks, coffee, etc. and see where the day takes us! And Sunday we are planning a stroll around the park and a little picnic with our friends and their lovely little girl. I am loving picnics lately! It's so nice to lounge around on a lovely patch of grass, snacking and sipping while chit chatting and spending time with friends. I am looking for recipes that pack well and taste yummy at room temperature, please share any picnic recipes you love:) So this week...

1. Our friends were on the radio! They got together with fellow advocates of eating fresh and eating local and made a Valentine's dinner together with all fresh, local ingredients...listen to the show here!
2. I need a picnic basket and blanket but have not found THE ones, am loving all of this picnic gear
3. Speaking of Veuve Clicquot, The Widow Clicquot is coming up on my list of books to read.
4. I discovered a new online shop! It's called LAMA (Latin America in the Modern Age), I love it!
5. Finally watched The Romantics, I had been dying to see it since I read the book. It was fine...perhaps redundant because I've read the book.
6. Watched Giada make this Grilled Cheese with Spinach and Pancetta...mmmm can't wait to make/try it!
7. I also watched It's Kind of a Funny Story...cute.
8. Read the British Edition of Adore Magazine...oh how I would love to visit London again... and the latest issue of Lonny!
9. So happy that Arcade Fire won a Grammy for Album of the Year!!
10. Here's the easy yellow cake recipe I made!

This Week: French Fries and Romance

photo by me:)

So, have you finalized your Valentine's Day plans? I am still undecided on what to do, am leaning towards a fancy shmancy home cooked meal (with the help of recipes from foodnetwork, of course:). The thought of spending Monday night in a crowded restaurant just doesn't seem too appealing to me, do you agree? Some of the recipes I've browsed through are for couples to make together, which sounds even better, doesn't it?! So I'm on a huge french fry kick (again!) and I need to stop!! Would it be unromantic if I make french fries as part of my fancy shmancy meal? How about if I dress them up (see one dreamy recipe below)? I will be posting the rest of my Valentine's Day Gift Guides asap since I know time is running out, it's just been so busy busy around here:) So this week...

1. If you're thinking of staying in and cooking something nice for Valentine's Day too,  visit Epicurious and use their Romantic Menu Planner. You take a quiz and after you answer all of the questions they generate a custom menu that is pefect for your valentine!
2. Here's the recipe to that dreamy Baked Meyer Lemon Fries recipe I mentioned! Let me know if you try it:)
3. A few of my favorite bloggers were invited to a sneak peak of Anthropologie's new wedding line BHLDN (pronounced Beholden)!! They are officially launching the line on Valentine's Day! If only they had a wedding line when I was looking for my wedding dress!
4. I think this locket is so pretty and perfectly simple.
5. I bought this book, will start reading as soon as I'm done with Steve Martin's An Object of Beauty.
6. Am thinking I'll definitely make these Brownie Heart Cupcakes for our Valentine's dinner.
7. I want to go see Cedar Rapids, I'm hoping it's hilarious!
8. My wonderful dog, Mystic Dick Tracy turned 8 (56 in dog years)! Happy Birthday, Tracy!! To celebrate...Frosty Paws Ice Cream, of course:)
9. Looking forward to the Miami International Film Festival! Hoping I catch atleast one film this year:)
10. Wishing I was attending Food Network's South Beach Food & Wine Festival! Are any of you attending?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!XO

10 Black Swan Inspired Gifts

I watched Black Swan on Sunday. It is a great film, Natalie Portman's performance was amazing. She does a lovely job of fighting inner demons we all fear, it is very very intense to say the least. I actually screamed in horror during one scene, a scene that in retrospect was not that creepy...what can I say, I'm a chicken! Aside from the intense plot, I loved the attention to detail throughout the film and found it to be an aesthetic delight. I left inspired to attend ballets, find my childhood jewelry box and find the perfect tutu dress for New Years Eve, perhaps a very light reaction to what I watched but I'm still trying to forget the rest of it as I fear having nightmares:)
I promise this is the last gift guide (for now:)! Since I am still scrambling to finish my Christmas shopping, I figured some people could use a little gifting inspiration too, so here it is...

1. Black feather headband $5.80 , 2. Tickets to the Ballet! George Balanchine's The Nutcracker from $20, 3. Pearl Earrings $150, 4. Tutu-inspired skirt with built in leggings and ballet slippers for baby $17.99, 5. Viktor & Rolf Limited-Edition Holiday Tutu Flower Bomb $105, 6. Dreamy Tutu dress for New Years Eve available at H&M (sadly,we don't have H&M in Miami), 7. Beauty in a Box: Glitter Eyes Palette $36, 8. Mirrored Jewelry Box $59.95 9. Red Lipstick $30 10. Ballet for Dummies $13.14

(photo credit)