delicious

This has become my one of my husband's favorites, and makes me feel like I'm a good cook :]

Barbecue chicken pizza

{ Get the recipe here }

My huband isn't an onion fan (It's a shame, I know. Some sort of texture thing. Whatev.) so I skip the red onion. Still amazing. I also tend to increase the BBQ sauce to pizza sauce ratio, and increase the amount of cilantro that I throw on top.

We've tried a few different crusts:

- Made from scratch (Tastes good but ends up too thick--we like thin crust)

- Trader Joes ready-to-bake crusts (From the refrigerated section. Yum!)

- Betty Crocker Just-Add-Water crust (In a bag in the baking aisle. Least classy, but by far our favorite!)

Try it!

99 bottles of beer on the wall... 99 bottles of beer...

I know this video is cheesy, but it had the best pictures all in one place.

Check out this temple in Thailand.

Is that knock-your-socks-off awesome or what?

Monday's Muse #2

The first time I drove by the Monique Lhuillier store on La Cienega in West Hollywood I caused traffic to slow.

I had to brake. I had to. It so much pretty to take in all at once!

Luckily I get to drive by it every day on my way home from work :] One day I finally pulled over, parked for 45 seconds and took pictures of every window while the valet attendant silently stared. 

Whatev. I highly doubt I am the only one who has taken pictures of these beauties.

I hope you enjoy this whimsical wintery wonderland of wedding-ness as much as I do. :]

I hope you enjoy this whimsical wintery wonderland of wedding-ness as much as I do. :]

For the cost-conscious-couture bride...

Bridal's equivalent to Gilt Groupe... The Aisle New York sells designer wedding gowns at deeply discounted prices during limited-time sales.

{ Elizabeth Fillmore gown available at The Aisle via NY Times }

As NY Times calls it... "As Thrilling as Finding the Groom." Read the full article here.

Monday's Muse #1

I can't even begin to describe how difficult it was to narrow down favorites...

Photos taken in Portland, OR by r Photography
Models: Helena Albanese (my college roommate and bridesmaid!), Nate and Selena, Nate, and Weston Borne
Helena's Oregon-designed attire... yellow dress by Sarah Seven and red dress by Margaret Kathleen (Maggie has been my friend since the 5th grade and I am so excited to see her getting her designs out there! More on her another day!)

Monday's muse... start your week off right with some style inspiration!

What I ACTUALLY diy'ed...

Unfortunately, I work in retail. 

(I just decided mid-sentence that that made for a good sentence by itself.)

Okay, but really... Unfortunately, I work in retail management, which means that Christmastime is the BUSIEST time of year. So my dream life of being at home baking and crafting and making a personalized handmade gift for everyone and their dog is not a reality ...(yet? maybe one day?)

This year I discovered Feels-Like-DIY.  Feels-Like-DIY still satisfies my crafting urge, still has the element of homemade feel, but doesn't require nearly as much time as making something completely from scratch. 

Still impressive to gift-receivers, but not as strenuous on the gift-giver. Perfect!

So on the weeks that I wasn't working 85 hours (oh, you think I am joking?), this is what I did to get my holiday cheer squeezed in.

1. Baked mom's sugar cookie recipe

{ Okay, so these are cookies I made last Christmas... 

The cookies I made this year may or may not have been devoured too quickly for a photo shoot.}

2. Assembled feels-like-DIY Christmas cards (I used a fabulous little PDF template to print via Gifted Magazine (see below).) In addition to the required cutting and folding, I added some extra awesome-ness by stamping the address labels with our monogram in gold ink (leftover wedding thank you materials!)

3. Made 8 batches of peppermint bark (whew!)

4. Assembled feels-like-DIY gift boxes for the peppermint bark 

5. Waited 45 minutes in line at the post office to mail off these little babies.*

*I ran into my uber-friendly neighbor in line at the post office, so it made the wait time much more enjoyable. I love our new apartment building. I've run into this guy at Starbucks and now at the post office. It feels so small town! And the other day I came home to a little bag of Christmas cookies on our welcome mat with a tag that said: "Happy Holidays! From Apartment #6" How adorable?!

I still have a couple more things to pick up, but I feel very accomplished so far. The first person on my list is proving to be most difficult--my husband! Eek!

Are you done Christmas shopping/creating?

Christmas DIY ideas

I love decorating and baking for Christmas. 

These were all in the running for my list of DIY projects and gift making this year.

 

Martha Stewart Body Scrub

Peppermint bark

Holiday cookie mailing tubes

Mom's sugar cookie recipe

Pecan clusters

Map coasters

Cinnamon stick candles

What have you made this Holiday Season? 

What's still on your to-do list?

new obsession

If you're in LA, and are coming to visit anytime soon... You NEED to eat from the Komodo taco truck.

This is not your typical greasy-sketch-machine taco truck.

This food is legit.

{ komodo Java Beef Rendang tacos }

Their offerings are not your typical taco fillings. My personal favorite is the Komodo 2.0, which is a seared skirt steak with Jalapeno aoli and southwest corn salad.

 

Hubs' fave is the Asian marinated chicken taco. Check it out:

 

{ komodo }

Now wipe off the drool from your keyboard.

Other offerings include (super awesome) garlic Parmesan fries, the Blazin' Shrimp (no joke--my mouth was on FIRE, but it was so good!), vegetarian option of the soy taco with peanut sauce, and the fish (Alaskan cod to be exact) and grapes taco.

Hubby and I have tracked down this truck twice this week to bask in it's goodness. That is almost embarrassing... But it's that good.

 

Follow it on twitter at @komodofood, or check out their website for their whereabouts (there are two of these heavenly trucks!).

Hilarious and kind of awesome

Mash-up chandelier

I am SO excited about this.

I just discovered an amazing interior design firm in Hollywood called spacecraft. 

They happen to share a space with hub's new commercial agent (woo!). I went to a quick meeting with him, and had to hold my hand over my mouth to avoid embarrassing him with my ecstatic squeals. 

Their office is so. freaking. cool.

I wanted to take pictures so badly, but hubs wouldn't allow (read: embarrassment). However, I found a photo online of an office party they had, that shows off my FAVORITE element of the waiting room--the mashup chandelier.

{ ShopEatSleep }

Look beyond the paper lanterns, and drink in that amazing garage-sale-finds-separated-at-birth-and-now-thrown-together-perfectly chandelier.

Ahh! I want it!

The best part is, I could totally MAKE it!

Next exciting thought... we move in t-minus 10 days, and our new apartment has vaulted ceilings. 

*holding in squeals!*

trend alert: foxtail keychains

Interesting...

Noticing this trend around the city... Foxtails worn in your back pocket or clipped to your purse. Men and women alike.

{ by OAK }

{ photos via Nasty Gal }

What do you think? 

Will you be sporting this trend?

progress

I'm so proud of myself for knocking out of the items on my to-do list before we move (see it here)

I painted our table:

 Remember the before?

 After!

I sewed new pillow cushion covers:

Recognize the fabric?

I'm telling myself that it's not too matchy-matchy, and was a resourceful choice :]

Next on the list... painting the bookcase. This will be quite an ordeal, but I have all my equipment:

I also just posted a craigslist ad for our end tables, started a "Goodwill" pile and and hubs started going through our stupid filing cabinet of randomness.

Progress!

lookbook - coffee date with hubby

American Apparel Track Shirt

Old Navy denim shorts

H&M booties
Vintage Dooney & Bourke bag

Necklace from my grandmother

Bracelet... I bought this in like, 8th grade, and have no idea where it's from!

Hot October

I'm not sure who long it will take me to get used to year round hot weather...

It has been upwards of 100 degrees all week... it is October! What the heck! I miss the rain and weather that is cold enough to wear cute wool coats, rainboots, and beanies.

In October's past, I liked to ring in autumn with a Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks.

This year, hubs and I rang it in with Pumpkin Pie froyo with graham cracker crust crumbs from Yogurtland.

Yum.

Refreshing to the body temperature, 

yet surprisingly warming of the soul :]

the loot

So here they are... The Santee Alley purchases! There were so many other wonderful things that I passed up, but these all just had to come home with me.

This hat is so fun, and it fits my ginormous head. Lauren snagged a brown one. 

The color offering made it really hard to choose!

Straw fedora - $8.50 (2 for $17 split with Lauren)

...

 I bought this for the hubs, but I may be borrowing it...

Scarf - $5

 

Sweater flower headband - 50 cents

Umm... yeah. 50 cents.

 Skinny jeans - $10

The back pocket detailing is really cute. A little hard to see... 

Just try not to stare at my ass too long. 

That would be weird.

 

 My favorite find... One day I will have to tell you of my zebra obsession.

I LOVE this wallet. PLUS it matches my debit card--which I have gotten comments on that fact pretty much daily since I got it.

It's almost a little embarrassing.

Almost.

Wallet - $5

Excuse the dorky face... but these glasses basically blow my mind. I love them.

Another shopper told me "You have to get those. Those glasses are pimp!"

Who says "pimp"?

I didn't need her convincing, but I bought them. :]

Pimp glasses - $5

Did you notice my Give a Shirt? I'm actually wearing the husband's. I liked how baggy and cute it was with leggings!

 $34 well spent... Wouldn't you say?