SOCIAL MEDIA

Monday, May 28, 2012

Frabjous Finds - Fawning In Love


'It seems very pretty,' she said. 'Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas—only I don't exactly know what they are!" Alice in Wonderland 

Frabjous: Possibly a blend of fair, fabulous, and joyous. Definition from Oxford English Dictionary, credited to Lewis Carroll.

I love Alice's sentiment. Sometimes you encounter something or someone that is extraordinary. In that case what else can one say about whatever that je ne sais quoi is....Frabjous hits the nail on the head.

I was very lucky to come across Fawning In Love. I was looking for a very specific hair comb to wear in my hair for an upcoming wedding in which I am a bridesmaid. I want to represent my husband and I as I stand up for a very close friend. Our theme was "Birds of a Feather Flock Together." I found it! And I ran around the house yelling to my husband that I'd come across a Frabjous Find. Perhaps what prompted me to purchase from her were her excellent photographs, or the sweet packaging, or that everything is so reasonably priced. In any case I was overjoyed by this little present.

Laura, the shops owner, isn't any old handmade maven. She is a real professional and that was clear upon the receiving of this wee ditty. I've  a story to tell about the adventure that has been my experience with Fawning In Love.

I ordered a little gold hair comb that came with a little gold feather. The measurements were perfect - very small as I have baby fine hair. Wracked with excitement, I paid via paypal for my treasure. And then...I waited. The comb, having never showed up seemed to have gone missing in transit. I messaged Laura on Etsy, she took great care to rectify the error, immediately. Two days later, after rush delivery, my hair comb arrived. She was prompt, professional and warm. 

Her crafting doesn't stop at her accessories. Look at the sweet wrapping...It is because of her above and beyond talent that I've decided to feature her on Frabjous Finds! You'll want something from Fawning in Love, too. I promise! 









Impeccable details...

And look what other extraordinary things she offers in her shop...





Friday, May 25, 2012

In Search of Mickey - Manicures...

I am a hand person. I just am. Always have been.

My Granny has Barbara Streisand hands. Yup. "Like Butta!" She, at 93 is always coiffed, designer dressed and impeccably manicured. Because of her fastidious way of keeping herself up for, ahem, nearly a century, there are certain things that I have picked up from her.

Sure I love art (Gran), and dogs (Gran) and I'm being as modest as possible here, I love a good game of cards as in, I'm quite the shark (Gran). But, perhaps the weirdest thing I picked up from Fay (gorge name, right!?) was her love of a good set of fancified 10's! Oddly, It's one of the things that I was so attracted to my husband for...his hands are really attractive in a masculine but not callused way!

I am going to "The Happiest Place On Earth!" on June second and I got a manicure yesterday. I had a design all planned out and figured it would be easy enough to do. But, nooooooo! Here's how it went. I told "Kimmy" about my trip to Disneyland. I picked my colors (Ink Gels in Barbie Pink and Dark Glitter Grey) and told Kimmy to paint all nails the pink except my accent nail which I wanted grey. Then I explained to her that I wanted my accent nail to have a silhouette of Mickey's head on the accent nail in the pink. She tried hard enough. But it was a no go. So, I looked up other Mickey designs to see how hard it is to get this done or to see if anyone else had done something similar. I found a great blog that has all kinds of excellent nail designs, not just Mickey Mouse...

If you're interested in some spicy nails, the place to visit is Holy Manicures! Margaret is a manicure maven. She is uber talented and clever to boot.

Following is her rendition of the Mickey Manicure. It's delightful! I wish I could tell my manicurist how to do the Mickey silhouette on my finger! I've written a note to Margaret so perhaps she can help me?!


And I found a few others on her site that i really liked...



How does she do it?!



Here are some other Mickey/Minnie nails...

Mad Mani's



source

I'm going to publish this without the mickey on my accent nail...bummer. But it is my aim today to get a pink Mickey on there. And when I do I'll edit in the new picture with the complete nails!


Yeaaaay! Finally! I got my Mickey...I got it at GG Salon on Alhambra. A woman name Heidi did it for me. I feel complete...and gues what? I leave today (June 2nd) for the mouse with sissy!

M-IC-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E






Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Throw a Real Garden Party!

I love the idea of a garden party. It's so English. So romantic. Let's face it, how fun to dress up with all your friends and drink champagne and eat cupcakes in the shade of a big tree on a warm day? Um, great!

Make simple invitations, create a simple menu and set the date, time and place. Voila! Fun at your fingertips!

Menu:

Champagne Cocktails with homemade bitters
Mango Iced tea
Cucumber tea sandwiches
Smoked salmon finger sandwiches
Date canapes with goat cheese
Cocktail weiners with a maple glaze
Cupcakes with Earl Grey gelato








Photo Credits

Monday, May 21, 2012

Thai Basil Hummus and Sesame Garlic Crackers

I'm not a huge fan of chick peas - garbanzo beans - tiny sandboxes in my mouth. Yuck-o. However, I love legumes and when I stumbled across this recipe on A Girl and Her Fork, my mouth started to water and I confessed that I would make the Thai Basil Hummus for this weeks potluck at work.  Ally, has made this specific hummus with Canellini beans instead of Garbanzo's and thank goodness really, because it's yummier now. Not that it wouldn't have been before, like I said not a fan of tiny knuckles!

I made my own crackers today, too because I have been experimenting for months and they are finally (almost) what I want them to be. I first embarked upon the journey of homemade crackers because I HATE to spend $3.50 on a box of water crackers when I have flour in the house at all times and fancy myself a competent cook.



 Thai Basil Hummus 

Ingredients

2 (15 oz.) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons peanut oil 
3 fresh cloves of garlic, crushed
4 Tablespoons lime juice 
1 Bunch basil leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste - Ally's recipe called for 1/4 tsp)




salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put beans, peanut butter, oil and garlic in food processor and pulse a few times. 
Add 3 Tbs. of lime juice, the basil and seasonings.
Pulse until smooth.

(I found that when I chilled it for an hour and then added the last tablespoon of lime juice it added a really refreshing taste dimension. But if you just want to add all the Lime juice right up front, that'll work too.)




Sesame Garlic Crackers

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
3 T olive oil
8 T water
2 T sesame seeds
1 tsp. garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.
Mix all ingredients in a food processor until a dough ball forms. ( if the mixture is crumbly add a tiny bit of water - too sticky, add some flour).
Lay ball of dough on a parchmented  or floured surface and begin to flatten ball first with your hands then with the rolling pin)
Once you have the dough very thin (1/4 inch or thinner) cut dough into the desired shape. For mine I just wanted little squares.
Cook for about 7 minutes (depending on thickness) and keep an on them! 
When they're golden remove them from the oven and cool completely.

Serve!







Saturday, May 19, 2012

A Place in the Sun

Longer days, breezy evenings, lazy sunrises and good books; a day by the pool with lemonade, biscuits in the morning and a sunny outlook; Summer is nearly here. Following is my newest playlist that has something for everyone as we head into summer...it's called "A Place in the Sun," where I want to be!












  1. Gordons Garden Party - The Cardigans
  2. Sunshine, Lolliops and Rainbows - Leslie Gore (Thanks Denis)
  3. El Sol - Zwan
  4. The Tide is High - Blondie
  5. Soft Shock- Yeah Yeah Yeah's
  6. Xanadu - Olivia Newton John and ELO
  7. Your Love - Wyclef Jean Feat. Eve
  8. Pink Moon - Nick Drake
  9. Que Sera Sera - Doris Day
  10. Adolescent Heart - Class Actress
  11. Golden Brown - The Stranglers
  12. Fire in Your New Shoes - Kaskade


Thursday, May 17, 2012

Street Style

So, I went to the 12 year anniversary of Lipstick on Saturday night. Lipstick was a dance gathering that used to happen on Tuesday nights. Looking back on the good times I had as a youngster, I visited again with high hopes. My expectations were far exceeded. And, bonus, Geographer performed!

I threw a pre-party at my house because I live quite close to the Lipstick venue. In through the front door walked this little beauty.

Her name is Stacy and she is among the very few fashion mavens I have in my life! I had to feature her on Street Style. This is a woman who can really put herself together.

We met in an extraordinary way! The story goes that I was returning from a trip to Colorado Springs to visit my oldest dearest friend. As I waited to board the plane I saw a very contemporary woman wearing a cropped sweater, denim and leopard print ballet flats. The shoes had me. I began to dream up scenarios of who she was, what she did and so on...a girl crush I guess - and who can blame me? Look at her!!!

Dress: Mossimo
Earrings: Urban Outfitters
Handbag: Gifted
Boots: Steve Madden

The halo around Stacy in this picture lends an ethereal feel.

That complexion, poise, beautiful coif...

The open, cris-rossed back of this is what made it really special.

There is nothing sexier than a perfectly placed tattoo.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Pinterest - The Best Of....

Ok, so the photo sharing social media mogul that is Pinterest is one of my all time favorite past times ever...more than glamping, more than painting, more than a party and almost as much as riding a horse. I just want to share some extraordinary photos here that are sure to get you wanting an invitation. As I've mentioned before, Pinterest is still in it's "beta" stage and that is why you need an invitation. I love it for the inspiration (I made fatless Ranch Dressing from a recipe I found on it), it's fashion sense (I found a pair of shoes for an upcoming wedding there), and it's all around good nature (I've giggled out loud evoking an inquisitive eyebrow lift from the husband from someone posting something hilarious)! Of course I have clled this post "The Best of Pinterest," but let's face it, a site with 1 billion people on it means my "best of" list is limited.

If you want an invitation, comment here with your email address and I will send it right away!

This is "cabinet of curiosities" from Cri Cri.


This is from one of my favorite boards called "Coffee and Coffee Houses."

I am often attracted to things that are questionable. On the board, "Un Monde Flou" (A Blurry World) you'll find that you'll question all kinds of things. The woman who arranges these collections has a very artistic eye.

I follow a woman called Beth Fath. This is a photograph of a dress by one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th Century, Jacques Fath. He was along side of Christian Dior and Coco Chanel. Beth's "Jacques Fath" board has some of the greatest fashions ever seen. 

Design Quixotic is a graphics company based in New York City. If you are wanting a clever typeset or a stammeringly fantastic design on a business card check Thea out! She is a very talented artist!
This lady is awesome. Her name is Kirsi and she is a Finnish artist. All of her pin boards are arranged by color. I wish I had been clever enough to think of that becasue I think it would take alot of guess work out of organizing. Also, it is a delight to go from her Orange board to her red board and then on to her green board. Her eye is sumptuous and I would love to bathe in all these colors!