A Moment to Relax

All the emotions and excitement this week has created quite a whirlwind! Especially combined with all the holiday buzz. Tonight I finally got a chance to relax and did so in the company of a couple birthday/congratulations on your engagement gifts from my sister!

1- The Busy Brides Bible for Planning a Fabulous Wedding, Without the Expensive Cost of a Wedding Planner by Angela A. Kear (here)
2- Deborah Lippman nail polish in Happy Birthday
3- A Life of Style: Fashion, Home, Entertaining by Rebecca Moses (here)

Every time we talk about the wedding, the tentative date seems to move closer and closer. On top of that, I still have Christmas shopping, baking, etc. to tend to so my posts may be a little sparse for the next week or so.....but until next time, I hope everyone has an amazing time celebrating the holidays with their family, friends and loved ones. I know that's my plan :)

Cheers!

Birthday Surprise!

I am excited to announce that, while on a mini, one night vacation for my birthday this weekend, I got engaged! I got the cute idea of painting my ring finger a fun, sparkly color (from Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere) to make it stand out. I set aside this gorgeous silver from Essie called Set in Stones for a special occasion and I think this was the perfect time to break into it!

Tyler and I are so happy and I'm excited to start sharing wedding planning ideas with all of you!

AZ...Thus Far

Here are some pics from my Tucson, AZ trip thus far. I am volunteering with a collegiate synchronized swimming team so many of my hours here are spent at the pool. Here are some images outside the pool that have captured some of my favorite moments during the trip thus far...

1-Fellow coach in one of the host families DIY wine closet (I need this)
2 & 3- View on our run/workout in Sabino Canyon
4- Random picture. I have no idea how, when, where or why this was taken...but I like it.
5, 6 & 7- Atmosphere and dinner (tiger shrimp burro) at the neighborhood Mexican restaurant

Friday Fun-day! Holiday Style

Since this is my first full Christmas in sunny Southern California (I've spent a few split between Ohio and CA) I decided that I was in need of a holiday fun-day to get in the holiday spirit (the lack of biting cold temperatures and snow had me picturing Christmas still few months off!)... so I  designated yesterday a Friday Fun-Day in holiday style :) We made festive centerpieces (idea via pinterest), deep fried our first turkey and made all the fixings for a holiday meal with close friends and family, picked up a tree and decorated it in traditional fashion with strings of cranberries and popcorn. What a great way to get in the holiday spirit!

Dressing Up Your Holiday Season

While enjoying my customary cup of coffee the other morning, I gazed over the 'Holiday Dressing: What to wear to the season's best parties' edition of Vogue Guide found here. I am a fan of a sparkle here and there, however I opted for this leather and pleats number from Ann Taylor. I wanted to go a little more in the understated, chic holiday direction. This is the look I created out of my favorite pieces they featured!

Erickson Beamon Supernova Swarovski crystal drop earrings, $430, net-a-porter.com
Prada paillettes scale clutch, $1,295, bergdorfgoodman.com
Ann Taylor pleated Ice gown, $398, Ann Taylor, NYC, 212.832.2010
Lanvin crystal-toe strappy metallic leather sandal, $995, bergdorfgoodman.com


While this outfit is a pretty far stretch outside of my budget, a girl is allowed to dream, right? What would your dream holiday party ensemble look like?

What Do Men Want?

We all have those difficult people to shop for around the holidays and I would have to say that, for 9 out of 10 women I talk to, it's the men in their lives. That's not to say women aren't hard to shop for....because we are....but we are also more apt to make a wish list ;) Here are a few gifting ideas for the men in your lives who don't "want or need" anything!

From top left going clockwise:

1- Jack Spade 'Wayne' Leather Duffel Bag $395 (found here)

2- Sons of Heroes 'Ritz' Trench $590 (via ASOS)

3- North Face E Tip Gloves $40 (found in multiple locations such as here and here)

4- Bluebeards Original Bear Wash $22 (can be purchased via Amazon)

5-Bill Adler Reversible Belt $55 (available at Nordstrom)

6- Banana Republic Slim Fit Woodland Flannel Shirt $49.50 (here)

7- Audio-Technica ATH-CK400i In-ear Headphones w/ Integrated Controls $59.95 (amazing quality!)

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

Airport to airport

I'm starting to feel like I should just take up permanent residence in the airport! Just arrived back in Southern California on Sunday after a week in my hometown in Ohio. But it was a quick turn around since I had to head back to the airport yesterday to fly to St. Louis. I'm working on minimal sleep here but didn't want to leave you, my dear readers, in the dark! While I was visiting Buckeye Nation last week, I became the proud, new owner of a fabulous, vintage fur coat! It had been passed onto my older sister from a friend of our Grandma's, but my sister couldn't seem to find any appropriate occasions to sport the trendy look. I was more than happy to relieve her closet of this space stealing beauty...

Now all I need to do is figure out where, when and how to wear this! What would your outfit look like with this new show-stopping piece in your wardrobe?

Black Friday Newbie

Hope everyone had a happy and delicious Thanksgiving! After feasting on amazing dishes and having quality time with the family, I embarked on my first Black Friday shopping experience. I tried to prep and organize myself as much as possible beforehand in order to minimize the likeliness of a panic attack. I held on strong from when we started at about 11pm until my head hit the pillow at about 4:30am. Didn't go too crazy, but I did make out with a bottle of super glittery Essie nail polish that I've been lusting after for the holiday season and a new set of luggage (plus a few secret items to be given as Christmas gifts!).

The strategy session post Thanksgiving dinner...

Old and New

This week, I am in Ohio visiting my family for Thanksgiving. There are a few wardrobe pieces that I left behind in Ohio due to the fact that the climate in Southern California (where I now live) is a little too warm for down coats/heavy sweaters/etc. I had lots of fun going through my old drawers and closet when I first arrived and was delighted to find a couple pieces that I had forgotten about (not to mention a few pieces of my sisters' that she gladly donated).

Trench-Jessica Simpson (old), Blazer-Vintage Ralph Lauren,

Top-StyleMint, Shorts-Express (old), Tights-unknown, Shoes-Steve Madden, Bag-Zara, Sunglasses-Ashbury Psychedelic Lollipop, Rings-Ariella Collection from Nordstrom, JewelMint, Bracelets-found antiquing, H&M, Tiffany, Necklace- made for me by Alaina Wood of Reflection by Design and can be found here!

Sweet Tater Pie!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I have been in quite the festive mood. I tried out a new recipe for a dish to take to a small dinner gathering last week and instantaneously fell in love! I am a huge fan of anything pumpkin/butternut squash/cinnamon/fall related so when I was asked to make a sweet potato pie (for the first time) I was enthusiastic about the challenge. Nothing with sweet potato as an ingredient can go wrong so, of course, the pie turned out fabulously! I think it has replaced my appetite for pumpkin pie. I made the recipe again this week to give to a couple people as "have a nice Thanksgiving break" gift.

Prep

Headed into the oven

Finished product! (They are in aluminum pie dishes because I was giving them as gifts. Yes, I own real pie dishes.)

My variation on the recipe I found online:

Ingredients:

4 ounces butter, softened

2 Cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes/yams*

3/4 Cup granulated sugar

3/4 Cup brown sugar

1 small can (5 ounces, about 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) evaporated milk

3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 prepared pie shells**

*I used yams and I didn't measure the amount. I just used two LARGE yams.

**I used Pillsbury pie crusts and baked them for about 5 minutes by themselves before adding the filling.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, potatoes/yams, sugar and evaporated milk until well blended. Add vanilla, eggs (already beaten separately) and pumpkin pie spice; mix well. Pour into the prepared pie shells. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour until set. Makes 2 pies.*

*The first time I made this recipe I used a deep pie dish and made only one pie. The filling was definitely thick, but amazing! The second time I tried out the recipe I did make two smaller pies with the same recipe and they turned out great as well. I think it's just a personal preference on filling to crust ratio :)

Juxtapose

This photo is the perfect juxtaposition of 60s lady-like chic and the 80s grape-colored lips vibe. MAJOR inspiration to play with a new look this fall! What is inspiring your look this fall?

Viva Las Vegas!

Chels and I, accompanied by our men, had a long weekend trip to Las Vegas a couple weekends ago!  This was my (Hannah's) first time to Vegas and let me tell you, this crew knows how to do it up and do it right! I had some of the most incredible food I've ever tasted, won the first poker tourney I've ever entered, saw O for the first time, witnessed crazy people doing crazy things, walked home as the sun was coming up and anything else you can think of that might go down in Vegas! Chels and I put together photo collages of some of our favorite moments and sights....

Mon Ami breakfast at Paris!

Chelsea's Cafe Au Lait at Mon Ami...it came in a bowl!

The unbeatable Wynn Buffet (with unlimited champagne/mimosas for only 10 extra dollars!)

This is a MUST DO in Vegas. Food selection is amazing and quality is even better!

Random Vegas collage...pics from top left to bottom right: Ceiling in Cosmopolitan, Artwork backstage at "O" in Bellagio, candied Statue of Liberty at Sugar Factory, our view from our room on the 60th floor at Encore, beaded curtains at Cosmopolitan, Ross on the Strip, and another shot of the ceiling at Cosmopolitan!

The Crew at our finest :)

Can't wait for the next Vegas trip!

Sinfully Flavored, Perfectly Light Cream Cheese Cookies

Last week, we decided to try out a recipe for cream cheese cookies we found on an awesome website we love called Pinterest! I was a little concerned that they would come out too rich (sometimes I find cream cheese flavoring to be too much) or super heavy. I was delighted to find that these cookies, made with just 7 ingredients, were extremely light in both richness and texture yet held the perfect, subtle amount of cream cheese flavoring. Here's how you make 'em (we did the drop/roll method)!

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

3 oz. Regular Cream Cheese (room temperature)

1 1/2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Egg (room temperature)

1/2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 3/4 Cups All - Purpose Flour

Heat your oven to 375 degrees and line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Place butter and cream cheese in your mixer bowl and beat for 1 minute.  Beat in the sugar and baking powder.  Add the egg and vanilla and 'Beat Until Fluffy.' Beat in the flour.  Chill for 30 minutes for drop/roll cookies, one hour for cut-out cookies.  Scoop by rounded teaspoon full and dredge drop cookies (roll balled cookies) in superfine sugar.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  You'll get no less than 2 dozen dropped or rolled cookies out of this dough. The yield on cut-outs will depend on how big the shapes are (baking time remains the same).  I make these cut-outs about 1/4 inch thick.

 

We also discovered that they pair perfectly with your morning coffee...

Next we might try and make mini strawberry shortcakes with them :) Yum!

Field Trip, Odyn Vovk & Wurstküche

We took a Wednesday afternoon off from work last week and here's what trouble we found. First, downtown LA we made a visit to Mr. Austin Sherbanenko. Austin is a 24 year old bad ass fashion designer.  Here are some of the cool things we found lying around his warehouse...

 

To see more of his dirty, dark, but genius work visit his website! He does these artistically amazing videos about each season's collection. Check it out! But our trip wasn't over yet....


...then we went to an AMAZING German lunch at Wurstküche. Pick your sausage, pick your beer and enjoy your meal sitting at a pub-style picnic table among a mixed crowd of hipsters, artists, business people and the like. We would definitely recommend making a trip!

Visit here for location, menu and more!