{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!