Eye Candy : Kelly Reemsten

I recently stumbled across this piece by Kelly Reemsten and instantly fell in love. Vintage flavored dresses and power tools? It's me in a nutshell! Make sure to check out Kelly's site to see more of this great series.

Wishlist: All I Want for Christmas

via Sycamore Street Press

There's absolutely nothing like the holidays to me. The chilly weather, the clothes, the family get-togethers. Hot chocolate, delicious food, and wrapping presents (you can bet your bottom that all my corners are sharp). Since Christmas season is right around the corner, I had a little fun putting together a wishlist. A few of these have already been deemed "Presents to Myself," a few are pies-in-the-sky, and a most are the little things that have made their way onto my bookmarks. Enjoy!

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs - Classic Q Hillier Bag (Nordstrom, $398)  // 2. Restricted - Journey Boots (Piperlime, $90) // 3. Held Dear Ring (Anthropologie, $58) // 4. Hive and Honey - Leaf Cluster Pendant Necklace (Piperlime, $24) // 5. Tinley Road - Zip Moto Leather Jacket (Piperlime, $198) // 6. Marc by Marc Jacobs - Snow Bunting Stud Earring (Piperlime, $48) // 7. Apple - iPhone 4** // 8. Fei - Refined Cord Shirtdress (Anthropologie, $128) // 9. The Grand Tour Loop (Anthropologie, $58) *

** Present to myself! So excited :)
* I'd also like the weather to be able to wear this for the rest of the year. Hear that You? Send us some cold!

Project : Tin-O-Lanterns

I'm loving this project from the Martha Stewart Crafts Department. Great Halloween look without the mess that regular Jack-O-Lantern cause (both at creation and at demise). All you need is a few cans, a hammer, an awl, and paint.


From MarthaStewart.com:
Create a new Halloween tradition by punching robotlike faces into cans. Add votive candles, and the heads come to life. Place in window, or stack as a centerpiece. Begin by cleaning empty coffee or soup cans and removing labels. Fill can with water, and freeze. Steady frozen can on a bag of rice, and punch holes with an awl and hammer. Defrost and dry. Paint exterior with oil-based enamel; if holes get blocked, poke with a toothpick.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. What better way to donate some money to a good cause than a pink KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer? KitchenAid makes a $50 donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for every stand purchased. I can't live without ours and it's one of the top things on my list of small appliances to purchase when I move out. So click away and purchase one! And ladies, remember to take your ladybit check-ups seriously, especially if you've got a history of cancer in your family. Stay healthy everyone!

Wishlist: Fall

Though the temperatures are nowhere near dropping here in Florida, I'm still looking forward to chilly days filled with boots, knits, and orange cranberry scones. Yum.

Hound & Fox Coat ($348) - Essie Polish in Wicked ($8) - Cable Over the Knee Socks ($14)
Safekeeping Necklace ($198) - Owl Stud Earrings ($67) - Ledger Boots ($170)
Cranberry Orange Scone ($4)

Eye Candy : Amy Atlas Events

I'm absolutely in love with these images from Amy Atlas Events in New York. The color, arrangements, everything. So beautifully done it looks like something that belongs in the world of Pushing Daisies. 

Here's a little snippet from her website, AmyAtlas.com:

Desserts bring back many sweet memories for Amy so it is no surprise that she would specialize in her signature dessert tables. Amy’s fondest sweet memory from childhood is of sitting in her grandmother’s sunny kitchen on a spring afternoon, watching her pull homemade rocky road cake out of the oven. While waiting to lick the bowl, Grandma would let Amy drizzle caramel icing all over the cake. To this day the smell of rich, melted caramel still reminds Amy of that wonderful spring afternoon, when it felt like the world belonged to just the two of them and the essence of happiness was warm rocky road cake.

All photos copyright Amy Atlas Events 

Food : Chocolate Chip Cookies

What better way to spend a Sunday that baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch? That's just what I did this morning with my brother's girlfriend. I'm a veteran baker in the cookie realm (well over a decade already) so I can almost bake these with my eyes closed*. This is one recipe I won't be sharing (sorry!) but here are a few tips on getting delicious cookies from any recipe you choose.

• Use Your Ears: When creaming sugar and butter make sure to work it until the sugar's mostly dissolved. You'll know you're there when you can't hear the scraping of the sugar against the bowl.
• No Such Thing As Enough Chocolate: 'Nuff said. (Though don't go crazy exaggerated, make sure there's still more batter than chips!)
• Raw is Good: Bring the cookies out when they're not quite done if you like your cookies slightly chewy. The heat left over in the cookie and from the pan will cook it the rest of the way.

*This would be a stupid move. Cookie sheets get hot. I'm not liable if you think this would be a bright idea.

Recipes : Makin' Whoopie

I just bought the book Whoopie Pies. I'm ridiculously excited to get it, maybe a little too excited. I've never made whoopie pies before, and the thought of pillowy chocolate cake with slightly sticky marshmallow filling is making my mouth water. Yum.

Doesn't this make you want to bake?

[image via arnold inuyaki]

Eye Candy : Ray Caesar

Bringing you all something a little different today. A friend brought these to my attention and I thought I'd share. Ray Caesar's art is equal parts whimsical and weird, which makes it all sorts of awesome in my book.

A little about the artist, from The Art & Pop Culture Encyclopedia:

Ray Caesar (b. October 26, 1958) is a visual surreal artist and digital painter residing in Toronto, Canada. He has exhibited at the Mondo Bizarro art gallery in Italy.

Graduating from the Ontario College of Art & Design, Caesar went on to work in the Art and Photography department of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where he has documented various child inflictions in sketches. This gruesome experience has enabled Caesar to create surreal landscapes and models with very detailed photographic textures. Caesar uses 3D modeling software, Maya with figures and environments built out of Nonuniform rational B-spline surfaces.

[all images are property of Ray Caesar]

Etsy Finds : Cute Fruit

Clockwise: Fruity Mustache Magnets ($11), by Kikichoo -  Eat Me Grocery Tote Bags ($16 for 2), by emandsprout - Blueberry Plush ($15), by LittleMissDelicious - Pineapple Parade Poster ($25), by GiselleGonzalez - Banana Laptop Decal ($12), by OvenMonsters

Food : Coconut Mango Rice Pudding Pops

When I came across this post on Apartment Therapy's The Kitchn my mouth watered, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Coconut and Mango Rice Pudding Pops
Makes 12 3-ounce popsicles. Adapted from Saveur.

One 15-ounce can coconut milk, shaken
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
1 cup short-grain or arborio rice
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large ripe mangos

Whisk the coconut milk and whole milk together in a 4-quart (or larger) saucepan. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean and stir in. Stir in the rice, and bring the whole mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk, water, vanilla extract, and salt. Peel the mango and chop into 1/2-inch cubes. Fold the mango into the rice mixture.

Transfer the rice and mango mixture to twelve 3-ounce ice-pop molds. Insert sticks and freeze until solid — 3 to 4 hours.

To release the pops from the molds, run the molds briefly under warm water.




[images from thekitchn]

Wishlist : Polka Dots

If you know me, you know I've got freckles to spare. Last week I went and got a couple removed by my dermatologist (safety reasons and all that jazz). In honor of those fallen freckles, I've put together a collection of cute things with spots:

Clockwise from top left: Dotted Darling Suit ($118), Anthropologie; Green Polka Dot Dog Collar ($15), Crate & Barrel; Shroom for Cream Mug ($25), ModCloth; Dots Chocolate Weekender ($230), Dwell Studio; Flower Farm Measuring Cups ($15), Anthropologie; Theory Strapless Polka-Dot Dress ($335), Neiman Marcus; Kate Spade Splodge Dot Heddy Cosmetics Case ($80), Bloomingdales; Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezers ($15), Sephora

Etsy Finds: Milk Glass

Clockwise from top left: Avocado Green Bowls ($15) from RichardandRuthie, Feathery Leaf Milk Glass Bowl ($18) from harlowmonroevintage, Milk Glass Bud Vase Collection ($18) from jwhite2, Milk Glass Compote Dish ($15) from PrairieSeed

Travel: Memories

One of the things I'm most thankful for is that I was able to go on a study abroad trip the summer between my junior and senior years at the University of Miami. That trip was the catalyst for a lot of firsts: my first time on a plane, my first time out of the state/country, my first time living away from home, and the list goes on. Since then I've been able to travel a bit more (the Canary Islands, the fine city of New York) and I have an ever growing list of places I still want to see.

Clockwise from top left: the coast at Bajamar, Tenerife; vineyard on the German Rhine; the train car on the way to Slovenia; fire escapes in the East Village; a band on the Charles Bridge in Prague; a boat in Tenerife; the coast of Piran, Slovenia at sunset; the impressive Vintgar Gorge in Slovenia; building near the Brooklyn Bridge; Carnavale masks in Venice; the astronomical clock in Prague's Old Town; prints at the Gutenberg press in Mainz, Germany

[click on the links in the caption to see the original photos on my Flickr account]

Le Petit Monsieur!

How adorably genius is this stackable ring set from Etsy seller Kristy Lin? If I had the cash I'd buy these ASAP.

[via poppytalk]

Retro-"Futurism"

As I've mentioned, I absolutely love retro anything. Right now I'm loving these faux vintage ads for modern day technology from Moma, a Sao Paolo based ad agency. 

[via Unplggd]

The Look: Pin Up Girl

I grew up listening the local oldies station and watching AMC (back when they played old old movies instead of 80s movies) and I've been in love with all things retro every since. My favorite eras to recreate are the '40s and '50s. Those decades are full of such feminine, figure flattering silhouettes that it's a wonder they ever went out of style. Thankfully the retro look is popping up all over the place thanks to Mad Men (it's an AMC full circle). In the spirit of modern/retro, here's my ode to one of my favorite pin-up girls created by the great Joyce Ballantyne.

Dress: Traced Twirls Dress ($158) - Earrings: Swirling Drops ($30) - Lipstick: Lorac in Leading Lady ($22)* - Shoes: Charles by Charles David Pompadour ($100)

*I can't recommend this lipstick enough. I tried the famed Ruby Woo by MAC and although I loved the color, it was just too drying. Leading Lady won't dry out your lips and lasts forever, especially when used with MAC's Prep & Prime.

Etsy Finds: Airstream Edition

Who doesn't love the classic look of an Airstream trailer? I know I do. Enjoy :)

Clockwise from top left: Happy Trails Stamp from Corrabelle ($10), Airstream Print from vol25 ($20), Travel Trailer Charm from charms4you ($17), Airstream cushion from tilly2shoes ($25)

Scarf in Progress

Scarf in Progress, originally uploaded by cristinapuerto.

Kitchen : Anthropologie

One of my favorite rooms in a house is without a doubt the kitchen. I love to cook and bake; I even enjoy doing dishes if the view is nice. This love of the kitchen naturally leads to a love of filling it with pretty things. Here's a few items from Anthropologie that I'd love to put into storage* for my future kitchen.

Clockwise from top left: Stockholm Floral Apron ($28), From the Deep Cup & Saucer ($14), Appelation Utensil Jar ($28), Comedy-of-Manners Mug ($10), Burgeoning Summer Napkin (Floral and Star, $8 each), The Illustrated Kitchen Bible ($35)

*Since I'm still living at home, the powers that be (aka my mom) have officially banned me from buying anymore housewares... something about filling every last cabinet with mugs and bowls.

Amigurumi

My first legitimate foray into crafting --my gateway craft, if you will-- was crochet. I picked up my first hook at the ripe old age of 11 and stopped only because of a brief "I'm too cool" period in high school and the busy schedule that came with college.

After graduating I began crocheting again. I picked up a stack of amigurimi pattern books and got to work. My favorites so far have been Christen Haden's Creepy Cute Crochet and Tammy Snow's Tiny Yarn Animals. Below are a few projects from these great books.

Creepy, Cute Crochet

Tiny Yarn Animals

Grim Reaper

Grim Reaper, originally uploaded by cristinapuerto.