Gotta Have It!

Remember that dream closet I have referred to so many times before? When I say "dream closet", it's because it only exists in my dreams because most of the things I do want are significantly out of my budget. But for now, I research the new trends and the best designer, in hopes that I will be able to wear all of their clothes one day...

 I have another addition I would like to add to this closet of delight, Marchesa. This b-e-a-UTIFUL brand includes lady-like clothing designed by two young Brittish women, who describe their clothes as "elegant eveningwear, inspired by by vintage and Asian influences"....Ummmm HI! Everything in that description is everything I want in fashion! Elegant? Check! Eveningwear? Check! And do I even need to go into detail about how much I LOVE vintage inspired clothing? I think not...

These clothes have a lighter than air feeling and I swear they resemble works of art. I love the mixture of feminine fabrics, and the subtle but vibrant color and pattern choices. On top of everything, Marchesa finds a way to include feminine details on all their clothing, which might be my favorite thing about the brand. They remind me of a fairy-tail, or a beautiful dream that I never want to wake up from. :)

So here are some pictures, so that you can covet these clothes right along with me....

Image from: Coutorture

Image from: Coutorture

Image from: Coutorture

Image from: Coutorture

Image from: Coutorture

Image from: Coutorture

Image from: Coutorture

Now I am living in the dream land that is Marchesa, getting ready to put on my tennis clothes to go to work. That's close to a gorgeous gown right? No? Dang. One day....

Until Next Time :)

Stuck in Never Never Land

So I have been recently inspired....

Spending hours on the couch this summer (please ignore the laziness of that statement) has given me time to discover new movies and watch some that I haven't seen since I was little. I discovered the latter of the two last night, when I decided to put on the movie Hook...

Every little aspect of the movie made me smile, and remember past times. The cute little kids, the mermaids, the pirates (SMEE!!), Peter finding his way again, and of course The Lost Boys.

I dare you to look at this without smiling :)

Image from: Photo Bucket

The Lost Boys struck home for me the most because of my current state of mind. I guess I am a bit of a lost boy right about now. I am in a crossroads of my life, where I am forced to grow up, which is ironically the LAST thing I want to do. I long to wear funky clothes, get in paint wars, think happy thoughts, and of course FLY! Instead I am sifting through job postings, deciding exactly what it is I am going to do with my life....

Where is the world where all that matters is your imagination? Where time stands still, and grown-ups (or bloody pirates) are the enemy? I guess it doesn't really exist....but for now I will stay lost for a little bit and put off growing up for one more day, or a few. :) And if worse comes to worse, at least I have the best costume idea for next Halloween! Thinking happy thoughts!

Until Next Time :)

Making the best of it

So, as a recent college graduate I have tons of money! I am shopping daily...bought a new car, clothes, various electionics..... (and then I wake up from my dream and face reality). But seriously, I am broke as a joke. Which reminds me, who invented that saying? "broke as a joke"...as someone who is broke, I don't find it particularly funny. They should change it to "broke, and it sucks a lot". What? Not as catchy?

Anyway, I had a point to all of this I swear. Being on a limited budget means finding fun and eventful things to do for cheap. And when I say cheap, I mean for free. Luckily, this past week proved to be just that!

You know those friends who have been around for the longest, and know you the best? The ones who no matter you yell and scream at each other, within five minutes you are laughing about something else? Well I am lucky enough to have two best friends from home, and even more lucky to have them visit me for two days!

The three amigos (Jenny, Me, & Krista)

I went to Santa Monica with my roommate to visit her brother for one night. Followed by a day trip to Ventura Harbor to go on her parents boat! It was full of fun and of course lots of stories (not appropriate to share with the bloggerverse), but best of all it was within my budget!

My roommate Jenn and I a few margaritas and various other drinks deep....

The whole gang out and about in Santa Monica

Enjoying the sun (FINALLY) in Ventura Harbor!

The cutest little tug-boat ever...the Tammi Lu!

So the moral of the story is that its not about what you spend your time doing, but who you spend your time with. If you are surrounded by good people, then it is nearly impossible to have a bad time. So I guess the jokes on you empty bank account! I beat the system!

Until next time :)

If You Want to View Paradise...

I have recently been inspired by Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In this movie Gene Wilder sings a song when they first enter the factory, in which he states "If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it". What an inspired idea! Paradise is all around us...sitting on the couch, driving in traffic (I know, those don't sound like paradise), or for this weekend my roommate Jenn's beautiful Malibu ranch!

Where we met for lunch....ummm hi! I would like to move here!

I absolutely love the old big trees!

Trying to get a little bit of a tan, while enjoying some beers of course! :)

Here is my attempt at capturing the paradise around me. Love it.

I loved it there, and honestly didn't want to leave. But this beautiful day at the ranch was followed by an eventful night in Santa Monica, which embarrassing stories I will save for another day. But let me just say that I ended the night giving high-fives to strangers on the sidewalk, so it must have been a good night!

Now I am back in San Diego determined to look for paradise in any setting! Currently my paradise is watching the Lakers game on my couch...I wonder what it will be tomorrow?

 Until next time :)

Cooking Adventures

So, as most people know, i DON'T cook. I like to bake, mainly because I have a huge sweet-tooth, and with the exception of replacing sugar with salt, it is pretty hard to mess up. But cooking, on the other hand, is a very different story. I seem to find a way to ruin any dish I try to create in the kitchen. I believe I have some sort of cooking curse put on me (or at least I hope so), that prevents me from being the next Rachel Ray.


So Nick, bless his heart, ends up cooking most of our meals for us. And not that I'm not grateful, I just want to be equally skilled in that feared area of the house. Not to mention that eating out is a LOT more unhealthy then cooking your meals at home, and more expensive. So I have taken up a resolution to be the chef I've always wanted to be.

The first endeavor was this recipe for Pesto Pizza with Roasted Garlic & Potato, which I found courtesy of StumbleUpon (of course). I know!!! Pizza? Potato? Pesto? Garlic? That is a combination of ALL my favorite things! Don't be alarmed if your mouth starts watering at the sight of this picture:

Image from: Food People Want

Alright, so we didn't handmake our dough, and we didn't take the time to create the "Garlic confit" included in the recipe.But, we did at chicken to the recipe, which was a pretty clutch decision. Regardless, it turned out absolutely AMAZING!!!! And the best news is I HELPED!! I sliced and boiled the potatoes, and prepared them for the pizza. Loot at me, I'm growing up! I will keep you updated on our future food endeavors. 

Until next time :)

Pleasantries

Do you know those really amazing weekends? The kind where you don't want Monday to ever come? That was the fabulous weekend I had last week. Well, it didn't start so fabulous...

 I went to Orange County to work a Mint Photolounge event for my brother and his wife. I guess I should explain what that means exactly.They started an amazing company called Mint Photolounge when they couldn't find the perfect photobooth for their wedding. It is the perfect touch to any event, and trust me when I say it is hours of fun! (Of course, I LOVE taking pictures)

So cute and swanky! Don't you want one at your wedding?

Anyways, I am privileged to work events for Mint Photolounge, which is actually quite fun and interesting. With the exception of the fact that we had to travel from Irvine to San Clemente. No big deal right? Well it isn't a big deal on any other weekend, but on Memorial Day weekend it took us and HOUR in bumper-to-bumper traffic. But once we got set up, it was a successful event!

When we got back to my brother's house, he reminded me of the fact that I was staying until Monday to puppysit, and that he had already told me about this a week prior. (I am not so convinced) Needless to say, I brought NOTHING with me, so I literally had to spend the weekend in just the clothes off my back! (And clothes courtesy the wardrobe of Sassafrass!)

But from there, me and Nick made the best of the weekend. We made lots of yummy food! Alright, well Nick made the food, and I assisted where I could. (yes I helped!) The we had a "date night" of dinner and a movie, which we hadn't done in quite some time! It is so nice to spend time with the one you love and really appreciate them. I can't wait until we are not dreadfully broke, and an have "date night" all the time! As for the  dogs, they were easy peasy! Seriously some of the cutest and nicest puppies in the whole world!

SaySay (Saylor) being a cute little bum :)

Sof-a-lof (Sophie) giving me the stink eye for interrupting her nap

Sof-a-lof posing for the camera as usual!

Roxy is Sophie and Saylor's cousin! She is SUCH a sweetheart

Alright I know that was a long post, but it has been a while so I had a lot to catch up on! But what I have learned recently is to appreciate all the simple things. Just sitting on the couch with my boyfriend watching tv and cuddling with the pups was all I needed to have an amazing weekend!

Until next time :)