Goodbye to Two Thousand Eleven

2011 was a great year but I am so looking forward to 2012!! Cheers to a new year!

Photos taken from Ruche blog

My New Friend

Thanks to my mom, grandma and grandpa pitching in, I finally got a camera!!!! YAY! So no more bad lighting in my photos (although I still love my iPhone and plan on using it too).  Oh yea, and we found a new place to live, only one more week of couch surfing...I'm a very happy girl. =)

Ace Hotel-LA

The rumors have officially been confirmed. The Ace Hotel will be opening a location in DTLA in the United Artists building on Broadway. The Spanish-Gothic style building opened in 1927 and is part of the Historic Core in downtown. They are planning on renovating the theater in the building and reopening it. The Ace is known for creating boutique hotels in hot spots starting with Seattle, then Portland, Manhattan and Palm Springs and now...Los Angeles!

Merry Christmas to all...

These next few days will be busy for me: working two jobs by day and family, hot chocolate, and Christmas movies by night.  I am wishing every one of you a great weekend and a Merry Christmas!

photo via Ruche blog

Handsome + Apolis

For all of you Angelenos, particularly if you live downtown:
A few weeks ago I did a post on Handsome Coffee Roasters (seen here) and a post on shopping locally featuring Apolis (seen here).  Well, the two have merged while Handsome goes through its final stages of construction.  Stop into Apolis this week for some Christmas shopping and the best cappuccino in town!

Delicious!

Common table-ecourages community

A Bittersweet December

So much has happened within this last month!  Due to crazy hurricane winds and a fallen tree (see post here), we had to leave our place with all of our stuff still in it and sleep on couches in between our parents houses.  It has been an incredibly stressful and difficult time with commuting to LA, working two jobs and the holidays, but I have realized with all the bitter, I needed to taste the sweet.  So here it is...

Living back at home, I have been able to play
my favorite games with my sister and brothers. 

While the commute is hellish (2 hours there and nearly
2 hours back), there are some pretty moments

We were able to housesit for friends in Highland Park
and made the most of it..and made Old Fashioned's

While looking for a new place to live is super stressful,
we are just starting a new adventure sooner
than planned. DOWNTOWN

Balboa Boat Parade

Yesterday my husband and I had our only day off work together in the past two weeks until Christmas Day, so we celebrated by getting quite a few craft beers at Crow Bar and then walking to the Balboa Boat Parade on its last night.  We accidentally started the tradition of going two years ago when we happened to be there on opening night walking around looking at the Christmas lights.  Since we are temporarily in Orange County, we decided it was a must!

Mrs.&Mr. E

This is our first Christmas picture as a married couple!! Tis the weekend for holiday parties and cheer so have fun and Happy Friday!

Holiday Gift Guide--For Men

December 15, 2011

1. Insults and Comebacks  ||  2. Dents Plaid Scarf  ||  3. Sprocket Rocket Camera  ||  4. Predict-a-pen  ||  5. Hook & Albert Colored Laces  ||  6. Eyewear Sleeve  ||  7. Moose Head iPhone Stand  ||  8. Grant’s Golden Pomade  ||  9. Forgetful Gentleman Correspondence Kit  ||  10. This Way Up Flask  ||  11. Royal Navy Cufflinks  ||  12. Dog Lead  ||  13. Steve McQueen  ||  14. Apolis Pocket Square

Repost via http://www.hiphipgingin.com/

{Pin}spired

A little holiday pinterest inspiration. Only 11 more days, Cheers!

All images via Pinterest. Click here to view the rest of my holiday board!

Darling Magazine

A few girlfriends and their friends have put together an online magazine called Darling: The Art of Being a Woman.  Their goal was to inspire and inform all while reinforcing the notion that as women, we are original, interesting and we do have a purpose, no matter what our strengths.  Whether you see yourself as a fashionista, an intellectual, a dreamer, a humanitarian, or a combination of all, there is something for you on this magazine.  Please check it out and continue being inspired!

Darling Mission statement
c/o Darling website

Inspiration: Street Style

(all images via The Sartorialist)

Christmas Snowball Cookies

Last night was my dad's birthday and I wanted to bake some treats (and I'm not any good at making cakes yet) so I combined his birthday with the holiday season and made snowball cookies. They were delicious and a huge hit with everyone!

Here are the ingredients:
(makes about 4 dozen cookies)

1 1/2 cups of butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
3 cups roughly toasted almonds

Mix butter and sugar on low. Then add 2 eggs and vanilla extract on low.  Sift the salt with the flour and slowly add to mixture on low.  (To chop the almonds, I used a food processor). Lastly add the chopped almonds and mix well, then cover in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350.  Remove dough from the fridge and roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball. Bake from 18-22 min (depends on how your oven cooks).  Remove, let cool for 5 minutes and roll in powdered sugar.

Then eat and ENJOY! 

Girl Crush: Miroslava Duma

Miroslava Duma, daughter of Russian Senator Vasilay Duma, is the former fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar (Russia).  She is now a mommy and freelance fashion writer for numerous publications.  She has been often spotted on The Sartorialist and Garance Dore, which is where I first saw her.  She is beautiful and is this weeks girl crush.

Handsome Coffee Roasters

There is a new coffee shop in LA and now one of my favorite stops on weekday mornings.  Handsome Coffee is opening later this month in the Arts District in Downtown LA.  While it is not officially open yet, they brew espresso drinks     M-F 7:30-12 as a preview of what is to come.  You enter through the back way in the alley and they have an old car bench seat (couch) and other fun decor.  Their barista Jesse pulled me a shot of their espresso blend (which is not at all bitter), made me a great cappuccino, and the best macchiato I have had.  Handsome was founded last year by World Barista Champion Michael Phillips, Tyler Wells and Chris Owens--all of whom left Intelligentsia to pursue their own ideal of roasting and brewing.  Stop in, say hello and enjoy a great coffee experience.

Looks I Love: Pullovers and Buttondowns

The new Free People December catalog came out and I was very pleased with the theme of pullovers and buttondowns. Here are a few of my favorite looks!