still dreaming....

Etsy for Christmas, too

Check out this amazing artist on Etsy.

VOL25

Her paintings are so whimsical and dreamy - I want them all!



Unique AND affordable jewelry

I know I've mentioned this store before, but http://needsupply.com/ is really the coolest website. Typically I spend most of my time checking out their clothing, but their accessories are to die for as well! And their price range varies quite a bit, so regardless of your budget you'll be able to find something amazing - trust me. Check out a few of my favorite jewelry selections below!

horse ring $200

gold lions ring $140

gear bangles $63

tangerine ring $72

sharktooth necklace $72



Sleep baby sleep....

Nothing can soothe the soul like a photo of a sleeping newborn....blissfully unaware of the complexities that lay outside of the comforts of a cozy blankie. Ah, how life would be if we could retreat to that level of ultimate comfort, just once in a while...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32795587/ns/today-parenting....lide=1

DIY Christmas gift idea - for the cook!

I'm sure you have at least one person in your family who loves to cook, right? Here are a few suggestions for a customizable DIY gift basket...

- Excellent quality spices (perhaps from Penzeys?)

- A cute OR masculine apron (check out the cupcake apron on wrapables.com!)

- A unique cooking gadget based on what the individual enjoys cooking the most (Sur la Table has THE most unique cooking gadgets - trust me!)

- And finally, for the greatest touch of personalization, include a DIY cookbook. Add recipes you love to make, and/or ask family member(s)/friends for their favorite recipes. Based on how much time you are able/willing to devote to this project you could either print the recipes on 3x5 recipes cards and purchase an inexpensive photo album to keep them neat and tidy, or buy a blank journal/book and hand write them yourself! Maybe even add your own illustrations? Even if you're not exactly an artist, I'm guessing adding your own little doodles would make anyone smile.

Who, me?

Lipstick Beauty

"Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick."
— Gwyneth Paltrow

Still determined to get out of this style slump, I'm focusing my attention on lipstick. I am without a doubt a lip gloss junkie - I have a seemingly endless supply scattered around my bathroom, purse, coat pockets, car...

But lipstick is a different story. Lipstick always seemed to be for sophisticated women. Women who carried expensive bags and wore high heels, and never ever got caught with any pet hair on their expensive coat! Women who bought separate, fancy lipstick holders. But perhaps I'm wrong? Maybe everyday gals can pull off lipstick too? We shall see. Check out these pretty pouts for inspiration. And the last photo....ahahaha! I just love it.

So, I'm taking some inspiration from Lindsay's blog on charities and sharing with you guys a really cool charity that I learned about. It's a site called Kiva and it's full of small business hopefuls around the world who post a profile to the site in the hopes to garner enough money to start their business through a loan. You loan them an amount, as do others, and when their business is up and running and they've paid their loan back, you get your investment back and can either lend it again or withdraw the money. Pretty cool, right? And great proof that it doesn't take much to make a big difference if we all pitch in. My favorite part is that you can give a gift card for the holidays to someone and they can use it to fund a business of their choosing on the site. Happy lending, everyone!

Guard your dreams

Another Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe

I have a fridge full of yummy leftover mashed potatoes, but I absolutely cannot eat another bite of mashed goodness. I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com for potato pancakes! I think it sounds delicious! I think I'm going to make them in a frying pan as opposed to baking them though (not as healthy, I know). I'm going to try it tonight and I'll let you know.....

Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe 

IngredienTS

1 medium onion, chopped 2 tablespoons butter 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 dash hot pepper sauce 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1.	In a skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Remove from the heat. In a bowl, lightly beat one egg. Add the onion, potatoes, flour, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce if desired.
2.	Shape into four to six patties; place on a greased baking sheet. Lightly beat remaining egg; stir in water. Brush over potato cakes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Coolest ceramic giftware around!

Check out this link to the online ceramic store 'Perch'. They certainly don't have an enormous selection, but what they do have is so amazing and unique. I put a few of my favorite pieces up here! 

PERCH CERAMICS

Sparkles for you and me

Sparkles always help me get into the holiday spirit - I met a chica who was wearing this nail polish and had to get a bottle of my own. Trust me, if you like sparkles, this is the COOLEST nail polish! It has a bunch of different sized glitter in it so it ends up looking like a super fancy nail job. 

Just trust me....buy it! 

http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P273905&categoryId=S10701&shouldPaginate=true 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm assuming that those who are planning to partake in the typical Thanksgiving fare are well on their way to sitting down to enjoy the feast. But what about tomorrow? What are you going to do with all of those leftovers??? I browsed TONS of recipes on-line, and here are the top three recipes that appeal to me (all courtesy of the Food Network)...don't they sound good?!?

(click the recipe title for a link to the recipe on Food Network's website)

Turkey Soup with Stuffing Dumplings

Ingredients

• Carcass from one 12-14 pound roasted turkey, picked clean
• 2 large onions, one quartered and one chopped
• 4 peeled carrots, 2 coarsely chopped and 2 sliced
• 4 stalks celery, 2coarsely chopped and 2 sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, 4 smashed and 2 chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups leftover stuffing
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups shredded leftover turkey meat
• 1 cup leftover corn kernels

Directions

Put the turkey carcass, quartered onions, coarsely chopped carrots and celery, smashed garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a large stockpot and add enough cold water to just cover, about 2 quarts. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour. Remove from the heat and strain the solids from the broth. Pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and reserve; you should have about 10-12 cups broth.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper together until smooth. Add the stuffing and mix until well combined; cover and reserve.

Wipe the stockpot clean with a paper towel. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the sliced carrots and celery, thyme sprigs, and reserved broth and bring to a simmer; cook vegetables are just soft, about 10 minutes.

Roll level tablespoons of the dumpling mixture into balls with wet hands (see note) and drop into the simmering soup; cook until dumplings float, 3-4 minutes.

Gently stir in the turkey meat, corn, and season with salt and pepper, and simmer until heated through. Serve immediately.

Note: Moistness of stuffing can vary; if the dumpling dough is too soft to roll, add flour a teaspoon at a time until it is firm enough to hold its shape while rolling.

Food Network's Turkey Cranberry Panini 

 Ingredients

• 8 slices whole-grain bread
• 6 ounces thinly sliced Fontina cheese
• 8 ounces sliced leftover turkey
• 1/2 cup leftover cranberry relish
• 1 cup arugula leaves
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

For each sandwich, lay 2 slices bread on a work surface. Lay about 3/4 ounce cheese on one slice of the bread; top with 2 ounces turkey meat, 2 tablespoons relish, about 5-6 arugula leaves and an additional 3/4 ounce cheese. Top with the other bread slice (there should be cheese next to each bread slice). Repeat with remaining ingredients. 

Brush the top of the sandwich with olive oil; heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. 

Put the sandwich, oiled-side down, into the pan, place a small heavy pan, or aluminum foil-wrapped brick on top of the sandwich to press it down. Cook until bread is golden and crisp and cheese is beginning to melt, about 5 minutes. 

Remove the heavy pan or brick, brush the top of the sandwich with oil and carefully flip it. Put the heavy pan or brick back on top of the sandwich and continue cooking until bottom bread slice is browned and crisp, cheese is melted, and sandwich is heated through, about 5 minutes more. 

Remove from the pan and cover to keep warm while cooking the remaining sandwiches.

To serve, slice each sandwich on the diagonal and serve warn. 

Food Network's Turkey Hash with Potato Pancakes 

Ingredients

• 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, plus 4 for frying
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped sage
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 8 ounces diced leftover turkey meat, about 2 cups
• 1/2 cup leftover turkey gravy
• 1/4 cup leftover cooked corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix the potatoes, egg, and milk together until combined. Add the flour, season with salt and pepper, and mix until smooth.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil on a non-stick griddle over medium heat; pour about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the warm griddle, gently spread it to a circle about 4" wide, and cook, flipping once, until golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small skillet over medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes more. Add the turkey, gravy, and corn and cook, stirring, until turkey is heated through. Season hash with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley, and keep warm over low heat.

Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil on the griddle over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs onto the griddle and cook until desired doneness.

To serve, put a warm potato cake on each of 4 plates; top the cakes with a fried egg and divide the hash evenly among them.

DIY christmas gift idea - numero uno

I'm always trying to come up with new DIY Christmas gifts....presents that offer room for a bit of personalization. And today, as a result of not having to work (a last minute bonus day off), I found myself mixing bloody marys and came up with the *genius* idea of making personalized bloody mary gift baskets for Christmas! Who doesn't like a good bloody mary? There are so many options for a bloody mary gift baskets, based on the recipient....do they like 'em spicy? Add a variety of hot sauces! Do they favor the garnishes? Add a variety of pickled veggies! Perhaps they don't drink bloody marys too often but enjoy cooking on a regular basis? Add good quality spices (pepper, garlic, etc). You could even add glasses, funky straws, etc. My oh my, the possibilities are endless.

I do believe that I have myself a winner here. :)

California is Magical

I actually uttered that statement last night. California is magical??? What am I, ten years old? I understand everyone has their own definition of an ideal climate, though I'm guessing there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way that I do about California (yep, it does indeed cost a pretty penny to live here). But I still can't get over the weather! Yesterday I was driving on the freeway - wearing a t-shirt, windows rolled down, just letting the warm air blanket me. I glanced at the car next to me and guess what? It was COVERED in snow. A good ten inches on the hood and roof of the car, which was just beginning to melt in the California sunshine. Snow AND palm trees? I'll take it! 

intensity

DIY Christmas Ornament

Now that my brain is officially in holiday mode I plan to share lots and lots of DIY Christmas links - DIY ornaments, DIY Christmas presents, yummy recipes, etc. Anything that can make your holidays extra special while still being easy on the wallet. I thought I'd help ease you into the holiday spirit with a tutorial for a very simple Christmas ornament. All you need is paper, scissors, a stapler, and glue! Wowza. Even the kiddies can do this one!

Design Sponge's Paper Ball Ornament

(click on the link above to read the tutorial)

'Tis the Season - Christmas Charity Suggestions....

 Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is my charity of choice this year. There are so many ways to donate to this charity, depending on the time and money that you have available. I convinced a few of my co-workers to adopt a family for Christmas - after one phone call to the local Salvation Army we were provided with the names and wish list items of a local family of four. We set up a 'donation box' in our offices so co-workers can easily drop off gifts and/or food. Many local department stores also have 'Angel Trees', where a child's name is listed each ornament, along with their Christmas wish list items.

Operation Santa
USPS 'Operation Santa'...as you may or may not know, the New York City Post Office used to support the effort of mailing out replies to the thousands and thousands of 'Dear Santa' letters that were received every Christmas. As times are a-changing, the NYC Post Office is no longer able to fulfill this Christmas charity, but your local Post Office may have their own Operation Santa program! This website provides you with more detail about the history of the program, and how you can help make a child's Christmas brighter.

Your Local Animal Shelter

Let's not forget about the stray pooches and kitties that are going to spending the holidays alone too! The thought of these little animals all alone in their cold cages makes me want to cry! So please, go volunteer at your local shelter or check to see if they have a list of items they are currently accepting. The link above will take you to the ASPCA's shelter finder, to help you locate a local shelter. Having worked at an animal shelter for several years, I know what a huge difference a soft blanket can make in the life of a stray animal. Animals need hugs too!

we can't all be this cool

(but we can certainly try)
from http://lookbook.nu/#more

I recently re-discovered one of my favorite artists from about 5 years ago. His work is whimsical and a touch bittersweet. And the best part? I found out much later that he's from my hometown.

We are most than more will ever find...

spread the word - you are beautiful

Check out this link, featuring various installations of the words 'you are beautiful'. If you click on the photo it will take you to the next photo in that installation....too bad we can't all be so productive with our spare time! 

http://www.you-are-beautiful.com/INSTALLATIONS.htm

A somber blog with a positive message....

A friend of mine shared this link on Facebook, and it's definitely worth reading...

http://hoodturkey.com/regrets-of-the-dying/

'For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:' (click here to read the entire article)

may I have one, please?

Friday Street Art V - Dolk and Pøbel

This Norwegian duo found their ideal canvas on abandoned barns in rural Norway. I am am absolutely smitten by these installations and wish that I could see them in person! Anyone have an extra ticket to Norway laying around?

a link to a documentary about this project can be found here



your silence is bearable....but only in short bursts

hubba, hubba - DIY wall mural

Eeeeee! Who knew that the Hubble Space Telescope website could be so cool! While searching for some ideas on how to spruce up my white apartment walls and I came across Hubblesite. The website features a category titled 'wall murals' - at first glance I assumed it was going to demand an insanely irrational fee to use these photos, but no! It's all FREE (a pretty crucial component to any DIY project). There are three photos to choose from (my favorite is the Carina Nebula, featured below), and the photo is divided into smaller images based on the overall mural size you select. Personally, I'd buy some cheap/simple frames from IKEA and then have these printed on a good quality paper at Kinkos. And away you go!

http://hubblesite.org/gallery/wall_murals/