recipe: caprese penne
Posted: March 18, 2013 Filed under: favorites., how to., recipes. 4 Comments »i wouldn’t say i’m the best wife-chef out there but i’m learning a lot & lately i’ve been trying to add a few new things to my repertoire… gil & i love to eat at home but finding the time to cook elaborate meals doesn’t happen often. this caprese penne is quick, easy & oh so fresh. it was a nice switch from the things i usually cook & still uses some of my favorite ingredients… & as summer approaches i know the tomatoes & basil will get even better.
what you’ll need:
- -1 16oz box of penne
- -4 to 5 medium ripe tomatoes (i used hot house. yum.)
- -1 bunch of fresh basil
- -1 ball of fresh mozzarella
- -4 cloves of garlic (i pressed it)
- -olive oil
& here we go:
- chop tomatoes into large but bite-able chunks.
- double check that your basil is clean, pull leaves off the bunch & cut extra large pieces in half.
- tear or cut the fresh mozzarella into pieces the size of your thumb. you don’t want them too big or they won’t melt later.
- sautee garlic & olive oil in a large skillet or pot, then move it off the burner but don’t clean it up yet you’ll be using this pan again.
- cook your pasta until it’s al dente & strain, reserving about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
- pour the 1/4 cup of pasta water into the pot with garlic & oil. add the pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella & basil last. cook over medium heat until the pasta is well coated with garlic & oil, the basil starts to wilt & the cheese starts to melt. add s+p & serve!
- enjoy!
sweet seattle…
Posted: February 22, 2013 Filed under: favorites., personal., travel. 3 Comments »in the world of visual merchandising we usually start dreaming of our january vacations starting in october… right around the time we start prepping for holiday. at first it seems like it will never come then— woosh! the trees are up then down & packed away & christmas has come & gone once AGAIN. the holidays are fun but long in retail & a vacation is much needed by the time it rolls around. when gil & i started chatting about our january vacation plans i knew i wanted to go somewhere we’d both never been before. but where? the Napa Valley & Chicago were on my list but weren’t winning. Seattle? hmmm. we’d talked about going to Seattle many times & i’ve alwaysssss wanted to visit. not only is it the home of Nordstrom Inc. (i call it the Mothership) & i’ve dreamed of visiting the Headquarters & Store #1, but everyone we’d talked to just LOVES the place. done. & just like that, on a whim, we were headed to the emerald city…
i was extremely lucky to get in touch with friends in the area who gave us lists & lists of thing to do, places to eat & sights to see. i had NEVER been west of Tennessee & was stoked about visiting the pacific northwest… it was one of my favorite trips ever & i can’t wait to see more or the glorious US of A.
my first ever view of arizona. breathtaking & like another planet…
ahhh! i tried not to faint from over excitement once i saw the view of store #1 up the street… a real dream come true.
real italian cappuccinos at cafe senso.
it was abnormally cold while we were there so we stayed BUNDLED up, but i couldn’t complain because it was sunny EVERY single day… blessed.
the famous gum wall. totally gross but i found a G!
fish at pike place market. i was dying to cook something french!!
oh so fun.
i love how retro the space needle is… built for the 1962 world’s fair!
gil rotating while we enjoyed brunch.
photos from the top: those are snow capped mountains from the distance!
quite possibly the best photo i’ve ever taken on my iphone… but this still doesn’t do mt. ranier justice. ahhhmazing.
what better way to see the whole city than from milion dollar condos? we took some fun tours to see some amazing real estate… the views & spaces are incredible.
our favorite places to eat+drink:
- Black Bottle
- Cafe Senso
- Root Table
- Portage Bay Cafe
- Crepe de France
- Hot Cakes
- Espresso Vivace
our favorite neighborhoods were Pioneer Square, Ballard & Capitol Hill.
our favorite sights+things to do:
- NORDSTROM of course! Downtown is the Original, Bellevue is amazing & don’t forget the Rack!
- The Space Needle is so fab, but beware… we wanted to do brunch at the top but didn’t know the restaurant operated separate from the viewing deck so we ended up paying twice. lesson learned. you have to make reservations & the 3 course (delicious) brunch is $50 a person but includes the viewing deck. rotating 360 degrees around the city on a clear day, eating crab eggs benedict with my gorgeous husband & gawking at the mountain… worth every penny.
- Downtown Shopping is fun, fun, fun.
- Pike Place Market is epic. along the water & just like i’ve always imagined. i was a total freak over all the sleepless in seattle spots… how many times did i say “tom hanks was standing RIGHT HERE!!!” eat the donuts, visit the crepe shop & meet the locals.
- Pioneer Square has the feel of the west village. Old bookstores, loft apartments, cute shops… it was my favorite.
- Mt. Ranier National Park isn’t too far away but winter wasn’t the ideal time to visit.
- The Music & Art world here is phenomenal… so much to to culture experience!
what we loved:
- the people were nicer than i expected! as a southerner who obsessively smiles at everyone i was surprised at how friendly the Seattlites were… people struck up lovely conversations with us everywhere we went.
- everyone seems young, healthy & in shape.
- pets are everywhere… there are twice as many dogs as children in the city, which as childless rabbit lovers we can appreciate.
- it’s GORGEOUS. i’ve never ever seen anything like Mt. Ranier… it’s utterly breathtaking & completely indescribable. we were lucky to see it almost everyday, which isn’t common. a friend of mine lived in Seattle for 3 months before she got a view!
- it has that big city feel with nature & the great outdoors mixed right in… wear jimmy choos or birkenstocks, celine or mountain hardware, either way you’ll fit right in.
- although we didn’t visit far outside the city Victoria, Canada is just 3 hours away & California is oh so close. it was hard to comprehend how far away from home we were but how many amazing places were just a hop, skip or jump away.
- it’s so fun to be surrounded by water, the views of everything around are gorgeous.
i’m really hoping to visit again soon… i’d love to experience the not-so-hot summer in the pacific northwest. seattle, you were fab.
costume check: a la brunch…
Posted: September 30, 2012 Filed under: favorites., personal., style & fashion. Leave a comment »you’d think that since hubs & i work at the same place we’d see each other often but that’s not always the case… i’m off on weekends & he works. i start early & he usually starts late. he gets an hour for lunch & i only get 3o minutes… not to mention my spare time is full of domestic duties, antique boothing & cake making while he spends countless hours studying theology… but, we have the BEST jobs & i couldn’t be more thankful for where God has us, & how he’s using us… it’s pretty much perfect despite having many days off together but we’ve never had that our whole marriage so we make it work! when we do have a whole day together we like to make it special… lately we’ve been venturing to saturday morning estate sales with coffee in hand but one of our most favorite things is to have brunch at toast in davidson.
i’m a total creature of habit & we never tire of this place. if you’ve never been you just have to try it… not only is the food impeccable but it’s located in a quaintly lovely historic college town. oh & they play the best music. honestly that may be one of my favorite parts. i could eat the cali benny & listen to the mama’s & the papas ALL DAY LONG. {hey south queen citiers, they now have a locations in dilworth & ballantyne!}
i’m loving this cooler weather so i thew on my favorite sweatshirt & jumped in the car.
sunglasses: bp nordstrom
white collared top: lush via nordstrom
jeans: forever 21
polka dot loafers: gap
bag: lv eva
phone case: rabito via nordstrom
bangs: dirty & pulled back
*this is NOT a sponsored post.
new favorite: ruby woo…
Posted: August 23, 2012 Filed under: favorites., personal., style & fashion. 1 Comment »let’s be honest, red lipsticks are hard to find… there are orangey red, blueish reds, pinky reds. it’s bananas!
i’ve been on the hunt for a new staple color… a classic matte red that has just the right amount of punch but is still lady-like enough to wear often, maybe everyday, maybe not. ya know what i mean? one that looks like this:
& i think i’ve found it. i only had to describe” it” once & my sweet as candy friend Jessi at the MAC counter via NORDSTROM knew exactly what i meant. MAC RETRO MATTE: RUBY WOO. sold. done. let’s go.
keep in mind that i’ve got pretty pale skin, but i still think it will translate well across skin types… it’s bold, bright, a perfect apple red & stays on forever… a tiny sweep of chapstick before painting it on will lock in some moisture. i love the retro librarian feel it had when i wore it with my glasses {it’s time for gil & i to get new ones but these a la high school square lovelys still work just fine.}
what’s your go-to red lipstick? be curious… shop ruby woo here.
*top photo via j.crew… they have got it going on.*
i fell in love with a bombshell…
Posted: August 9, 2012 Filed under: before & after., favorites., style & fashion. 3 Comments »i’ve had stick straight hair my whole life. i often begged my mom to curl my hair as a kid… party, dance, wedding or saturday, it just wouldn’t work. EVER. no amount of aqua-net could get any curl to stay longer than a few minutes before it fell flat. flat. flat. i was constantly heartbroken, comparing myself to the “other girls” & eventually got over the fact that it just wasn’t happening for me. these days i rock the “fresh out of the shower & then slept on for a few nights” look a la the man repeller… it’s got a little natural wave & it works for me.
but wait. this past weekend something amazing happened. i got invited to a Sultra Demo at Nordstrom. my Cosmetic gal pals wanted to see my length hair curled BAD & i didn’t mind being the test subject. because why not? the stylist, Dale was so sweet to wait for me to get off work & head down to the Cosmetics department… i’ve been told that their curlers {actually, all their products} are ahhmazing & i was excited to finally see them in action. i chose to try the newer Bombshell Cone Rod Curling Iron. it boasts Sultra’s “exclusive No-Slip ThermaGrip Tapered Barrel” & creates curls that go from loose to tight.
let’s just say i was hooked from the moment that first curl dropped. just look.
here are MY favorite things about the Sultra products… i asked Dale a lot of questions & she really showed me what was so special about these tiny machines.
- the Bombshell’s barrel provides constant, even 360°f heat. it’s loaded with Japanese Kyocera® Ceramic Technology & it actually repairs the hair with infrared rays while you style. {i’m not kidding when i say my hair was softer after being curled than before!}
- the no-slip grip actually holds your hair in place, so there’s no sliding while you’re trying to curl… curls come out tight, springy & gorg.
- these curlers have said bye bye to the old school clamps. no creases, lines or flat spots.
- all Bombshell curlers come with a sexy pink styling glove… as soon as you start to feel heat radiate the glove, that means your curl is done.
- last but not least these puppies have universal voltage! travel the world with them with no worries of blowing up your bombshell, flat or hotel room. {be sure to check out the travel hair dryer.}
i just happened to have my bangs pulled back this day… dale just blended them in.
i LOVED the way my hair felt & looked. & i even wore it still-curly the next day. talk about exciting! wow. i can’t wait to buy one of these saucy pups. you can buy Sultra products at NORDSTROM of course & you can check out their brand while shopping here. be curly. be curious.
& thanks dale! you were awesome.
*this is not a sponsored post*
new favorite iphone app: yard sale mapper…
Posted: July 7, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., favorites., travel. Leave a comment »last weekend i celebrated at a house-warming party for a very best friend of mine… lots of fellow antique extraordinaire friends of mine were there as well. we were chatting & dreaming about flea markets & traveling across the country together in budget trucks all the while stumbling upon piles of “junk” that we could make into something amazing.
after that the subject changed to yard sales… i’m currently looking for three pieces of furniture in particular for our house & mentioned them to a friend so that she could keep an eye out. call it luck or the Lord’s favor but this girl find some amazing things at yard sales & she shared her favorite yard sale app with me. pardon me? yard sale app?!?! why hadn’t i thought of this? after my brain readjusted i got really excited. a free iPhone app that find all the yard sales in your area on any given day using GPS & maps you there?! GLORY!
meet: yard sale mapper.
i’m guessing it uses things like the newspaper & craigslist to find the sales but who really cares when all the work is done for you?!
scroll to the day of the week…
pick a red dot…
& drive!
it will list them for you as well as give you the details of each sale… i loved this feature! it helped us find antiques & housewares while passing up things like tools & kids clothing…
gil & i got up early this morning & headed out to see what we could find… & well, this app is genius. every yard sale we mapped was exactly where is was supposed to be & we stopped at plenty of others along the way. i didn’t find my furniture YET but Gil got lucky with a vintage briefcase {$5} & a TDR biograghy {.50} can’t wait until next Saturday morning!
get up, go out & be curious!
costume check: charleston…
Posted: June 25, 2012 Filed under: favorites., personal., style & fashion., travel. 1 Comment »so, we’re back & i can honestly say it was the best. vacation. ever. {details in my next post.}
gil snapped a few photos of me this past week while we were out & about gallivanting around charleston… i’m a firm believer that vacation style should most definitely be laid back but styled none the less.
sunday: church & brunch at magnolias.{sunglasses: bpnordstrom. top: soprano via nordstrom. denim: urban outfitters + altered by my tailor. bag: lv eva. alligator belt: via gil’s dad in high school… his initials are carved on the gold buckle & they’re my initials as well!}
monday: celebrating gil’s 31st birthday & dinner at our favorite spot. {tank: f21. skirt: vintage christian dior. shoes: gucci marola flats. bag: lv eva. belt: vintage. watch: nixon.}
tuesday: touristy day visiting the U.S.S Yorktown. {dress: old navy from a million years ago, still a favorite piece in my closet. perfect for touristy travels in the sweltering heat. bracelet: jade via chinatown, nyc.}
wednesday shopping day & date night. {gil & i don’t venture out too often from our favorite items based mostly around neutrals, but for summer, brights just work. we shopped king street all day & dressed up in our new perfectly charleston preppy duds before dinner. my sweater: j.crew linen. his tee: lacoste.}
inspiration before vacation…
Posted: June 16, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., favorites., health & wellness., interiors., personal., style & fashion., travel., uncategorized. Leave a comment »omg. it seems like we’ve been waiting forever & it also feels like time is just flying by… i can’t believe all i have to do tomorrow is head to charleston with the hubs on our summer vacation. we’ll be spending a whole week {don’t mess with our ex-cop house sitter! 
} celebrating gil’s 31st birthday {it’s monday but we’ll celebrate all week} & focusing all of our time on doing whatever our little hearts desire. we’ll shop, hit the beach, explore & eat amazing food but i’m most excited to be away from the hustle & bustle… to relax, rest, refocus, be quiet, & mostly be still, which is really hard for me to do! but i’ve got a new book, my bible & journal & lots of magazines for the beach. plus a handsome husband to spend every waking moment with. done & done.
i wanted to leave you all with a few things that i’ve found inspirational lately & a list of my favorite places to explore on the web… ya know, to keep you curious while i’m gone.
first up this ahhhmazing DIOR video shot at Versailles. it’s over the top in a dior kind of way, but just when you think it can’t get any better the fountains go off… & then just when you can’t breathe, the sun starts to set… & Paris glows in a way you just can’t explain unless you see it with you own eyes. maybe it’s because i’ve always been obsessed with Versailles & being there last year was a dream come true {reminder to myself: paris post.} but the grandeur of this place is unexplainable & so very inspiring…
2nd: an encouraging note… not sure sure who’s going through what but you can be inspired & blessed by this truth.
3rd: i mean come on… i dare you not to cry.
4th: i’ve been really inspired by collections lately. i think it’s been my way to justify some of our clutter… that maybe if i can turn it into a “collection” than i can keep it right now i’m building our collection of clocks {mostly baby bens} books of course, maps, & i’m hoping to add globes & huge antique jars. this globe collection is perfection.
5th: we’ve all got to have a little inspiration to get fit & stay healthy… how else am i supposed to keep getting to the gym at 4:30 am & adding miles to my que?!
& last but not least a few of my favorite web candies from my bookmarks bar… moredesignplease. fashionologie. net-a-porter. apartment therapy. natural news. etsy. the sartorialist. & sadie olive. enjoy & be curious!
ok pupcakes… see you in a week!
*photos via: pinterest. & more design please.
living small: built in bookcase…
Posted: June 14, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., before & after., favorites., interiors., living small., personal. Leave a comment »it’s no secret that gil & i have a lot of books… hundreds actually to say the least. they’re everywhere: shelves, boxes, closets, cabinets, not to mention the jam packed 6 foot tall bookcase in gil’s office at work. i’m not sure where they all came from but they had to have somewhere to go, even if it was just the collection of our favorites. well, i guess i do know where they all came from… i’m a collector of everything… husband here is now a theology student (the amazon packages arrive weekly) & we’re both constantly scowering eBay for our favorite first editions.
we’d already decorated our wedding with them but here in the land of living small, we needed a solution. my list of projects for this château is long but i knew if it involved books, i had a better chance of getting the husband on board quickly {smile} & we had the perfect bookshelf sized nook to the right of our fireplace. i’d used it as an office space with an antique desk & shelves a while back, but lately it was empty, un-used space… & un-used space does NOT work when you’re living small.
i wish i had counted the books we used in our wedding… it was such a great reflection of us!
here’s henry doing his usual chewing thing in the space pre-bookcase…
after a lot of research & a few estimates my dad recommended a long-time friend of his. i sent some measurements his way & voila! he had it built-in no time & we set up a saturday for him to come over & install it. i was SO excited & stood close by the entire time {i’m sure making it more difficult for him to focus} i’d overestimated how “quick & easy” installing something like this was. it was cereal. cutting & ripping out baseboards, measuring & making holes in the casing for outlets we wanted to be able to use & lots & lots nailing. not to mention the finishing touches of filling holes, caulking & painting. carpentry is a fabulous art! here are some photos of it all coming together…
prep work.
going in! {excuse the paint, it’s finished now!}
complete!
it turned out more gorgeous than i expected & had ever hoped! the detail is perfection and we LOVE the solid adjustable shelves. i did decide to keep them evenly spaced to create some harmony since there’s so much going on in such a small space. our entire first floor is one large open room {foyer, living room, dining room & kitchen.} i was completely inspired online by books organized via color & used this photo to lead my imagination as i filled the shelves up…
now, here’s our finished product!
top shelves detail.
bottom shelves detail {we love having our Bose player hiding down here… oh & i’m aware that the wars aren’t in order. my husband asked for those to be rearranged… i love him.}
ta da.
do any of you have built-in bookcases?! i’d love to know how you arrange your books & whatnot! be curious friends!
costume check: wilmington wedding…
Posted: June 8, 2012 Filed under: favorites., style & fashion., travel., wedding... Leave a comment »last weekend Gil & I headed to Wilmington for a wedding… my sister-in-law London’s sister Madison was marrying the love of her life & we were ready to celebrate! we’d never been to Wilmington before & i was excited to spend some time in the quaint little town, even if it was just for 22 hours.
talk about a beautiful drive!
Madison & Cullen are both actors & their themed wedding was just too cute to handle. their wedding programs were to die for & looked exactly like a real play bill…
of course every wedding is an opportunity to get dressed up! here’s what i wore:
dress: diane von furstenberg- tolara (an incredible eBay find!)
shoes: sam edelman- yelena via nordstrom (on sale now!)
nail polish: butter- yummy mummy via nordstrom (see a post about how much i love butter london here.)
bag: louis vuitton eva with strap removed (i love a crossbody that turns into a gold chained clutch!)
a blurry iphone photo of the hubs & me…
my insanely gorgeous mother-in-law maggie…
we had a really fun time with friends & family… i love how weddings always seem to bring people together… Wilmington you were sweet but i didn’t get to see the beach… hopefully we’ll be back again in the future. ciao!
