first things first

 

{Zippy's Chili and rice, fried saimin, and fruit punch} 

 Just landed in Hawaii and obviously our first stop on the way home was Zippy's!  Why can't I get fruit punch this good in California?!  And chili and fried noodles, too, while I'm at it...

I'm looking forward to spending this weekend enjoying my favorite foods (lau lau, lomi salmon, meat jun, mac salad, and Shige's saimin are already on the menu!) in the company of family and friends, while soaking up the 80% humidity I miss sooooo much!  Hope you all have a great weekend!

Nougatine at Jean Georges

I'm a little obsessed with Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Nougatine
1 Central Park West (at the south west corner of Central Park)

Terrace at Jean Georges

Amuse Bouche

Tuna Tartare

Watermelon Salad

Sauteed Red Snapper

Slow Cooked Salmon

the viscount's table
shabbott's habits

girl time!

Last weekend, Mandy, Rachel, and I spent some much needed girl time together. We attempted to go vintage shopping, ate yummy/healthy food that our boyfriends probably wouldn't enjoy, and talked about weddings, interior decorating, clothes, and tons of girl stuff for hours. I really don't know why we don't take more lazy Sundays to just hang out and catch up with each other!

I loved Rachel's cute summery hat (which was perfect for our walk from boutique to boutique) and new cargo skinnies and Franco Sarto's, and Mandy's easy and perfect-for-a-day-of-shopping H&M floral maxi dress and ring.

{BR tank & skinnies, Franco Sarto sandals, necklace from Target, J.Crew belt}

{H&M maxi & ring, Steve Madden sandals, BR tassle necklace, & Ray-Bans}

Something New

{Zara Wedge Espadrilles - $39.99 on sale}

 

My go-to mall is South Coast Plaza; it has pretty much every store I regularly go to, I know the layout by heart, and I even have a special parking spot that never seems to be taken.  But this weekend I felt like taking a step out of the norm and decided to browse The Shops at Mission Viejo.  This mall is no SCP, but to my delight I was able to find some great deals on items that were not available (or out of stock) at the SCP locations.

 {J.Crew - Draped Bubble Dress - $18 on sale

Dainty Drapey Pearl Necklace (posted here) - $6 on sale (couldn't resist!)}

and... my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale purchase finally came in the mail!

(Cole Haan - Air Sloane in Cafe Au Lait - $120 on sale)

Splish Splash

It's amazing how difficult it is to find a nice & stylish shower curtain that doesn't look like it belongs in your mother's or grandmother's bathroom! Here are a few options I've found from Anthropologie & Urban Outfitters in my quest for the perfect shower curtain.

Waterfall Ruffle Shower Curtain from Urban - $79

Bustled Shower Curtain from Anthro - $118

Waves of Ruffles Shower Curtain from Anthro - $98

Growing Vine Shower Curtain from Urban - $39

Sculpted Mums Shower Curtain from Anthro - $118

Summer 2011 Bucket List

The summer is quickly passing by and there are so many things I still want to do.  These are at the top of my list:

1. Make trips to the farmer's market a regular Saturday morning activity

2. Take a hike with fabulous ocean views

3. Have a picnic in the park

4. Spend the day in Malibu and visit The Getty Villa

5. Road trip to somewhere I've never been before

6. Read a good book, while getting a tan... any suggestions?

7. Find the perfect summer hat

8. BBQ on Holly's newly decorated patio :)

9. Do some major "summer" cleaning

10. Explore the new Disney Aulani Resort in Hawaii, through the eyes of a child, with my niece and nephew

Eleanor Hardwick: Spellbound

I know almost nothing of this photographer, except that she is young, & she is incredible. Her photos -- mystical, sometimes dark, & always dreamy -- tell entire stories captured within a single shot. "Mad Hatter Tea" & "Home" are two of the most beautiful images I have ever come across. Eleanor Hardwick is, indeed, spell binding.

Mad Hatter Tea

Home - photo 1 of 4 contributions to the home project

Home - photo 4 of 4 contributions to the home project

Christmas Party

Black Magic

Spellbound

Travel Chic

I'd love to have a great bag to carry with me while traveling--one that isn't too large, but that would hold my Kindle, maybe a magazine, camera, water bottle, sunglasses, and obviously still have room for snacks!  And if it's small and chic enough for work, that would be a definite plus!

  

Here are some gorgeous purses that caught my eye:

1. See by Chloe Carmen Ostrich Leather Satchel, $495.

2. Yves Saint Laurent Medium Travel Muse Two, $1935.

3. Bottega Veneta Brick intrecciato leather weekend bag, $3950.

4. Longchamp Medium Expandable Tote, $124.90 (sale), $190 (reg. price).

5. Reed Krakoff Gym Bag, $890.

6. Yves Saint Laurent Easy Smooth Bag, $1650.

7. Fendi Large Peekaboo, $2350.

8. Chloe Marcie Large Tote, $1790.

Anyone else have some great functional purse suggestions?

ZigZag

Zigzag prints are popping up everywhere, and I just can't get enough!  From a subtle herringbone to a bold chevron, here are some of my favorites for the home.

{west elm - Organic Chevron Duvet Cover + Shams}

 {Dwell Studio - Chevron Sheet Set}

 {west elm - Herringbone Rugs}

 {Apt. 9 - Chevron Quick-Drying Textured Towels}

{Johnathan Adler - Monogrammed Chevron Coasters}

 

{Jillrosenwald's Etsy Shop - Number 10 V Vase in Buckley Chevron Pearl}

{Anthropologie - Mountain Peaks Bath Baskets}

{Aedrieloriginals' Etsy Shop - Chevron Cake Stand}

{Martha Stewart - DIY Decorative Tray}

Vosges Mo's Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancakes

{Vosges Mo's Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake mix}

I am quite a fan of Vosges chocolate, especially their Milk Chocolate Bacon Bar, so it makes sense that I would also try their pancake mix.

I should disclaim this post by noting that I absolutely HATE making pancakes. I will slave in the kitchen preparing 3 hour dinners, bake pretty much everything from scratch, and make a homecooked Thanksgiving turkey dinner...but have some sort of weird mental block when it comes to pancakes. So if I want to eat pancakes for breakfast, I buy Bisquick Shake N Pour and have Jason make them.

So I attempted to make these pancakes. There were a few steps I can't figure out the point of doing separately ( 1. mix buttermilk and egg white; 2. mix melted butter and egg yolk; 3. mix 1 & 2 together and then combine with dry mix). I feel like I could have just mixed all the wet ingredients and then combined it with the dry, but I followed the directions anyway.

Another weird thing is that you can either put the very large chunks of chocolate "chips" into the pancake before you flip it to cook the other side, or just cook the pancakes without the chocolate chips and put the chocolate chips between the cooked pancakes. For some reason, I thought I would mix the chocolate chips into the batter.

The verdict:

1) The pancakes good. They were not fluffy, more of a mix between crepes and pancakes

2) Rather than buy this mix, just buy Bisquick Shake N Pour and a Vosges Chocolate Bacon Bar. You will basically get the same result, the batter will be easier to make, and it will be a few dollars cheaper!

Celine In Action

{Zara blazer; Express maxi; DKNY sandals; pearl & chains necklace from Rachel; Celine Mini Luggage bag}

I fell in love with this hot pink blazer after seeing it on another blog and had to track it down when I visited California! I love that the hot pink color brightens the grey dress and gives this work outfit a more cheerful feel than if I had paired it with a black blazer.

...And Baby Makes Three

Baby gift shopping is so much fun! Everything is so tiny & cute & really pulls at your heart. I hope Shannyn is as excited about receiving these as I am about getting them for her!

Dogeared - It's a Girl! necklace
I sent this to Shannyn the night she told us it's going to be a girl!

Little Marc Jacobs - Baby Mouse Booties
Cutest things ever!

Classic Pooh Comfort Cuddly - Eeyore
I searched all of FAO Schwarz & could not find a stuffed unicorn! I had to settle for this little grey donkey.

Kate Spade - And Baby Makes Three frame
I love this. It was the first thing I knew I wanted to get for Shannyn.

I Heart NY onesie
How could I not get one of these? I want the baby (& Shannyn) to think about Aunty t.lynn!

DIY: Ikea Dining Table

{Before: Birch colored with red uhpolstery}

In the process of planning for decorating my home, I had decided to wait on investing time and money in the dining room, however, when I stumbled across this post on the Stylizimo blog I was so inspired and decided I could have a brand new [looking] table and save a TON of money "doing it myself!"

I'm not gonna lie, this was NOT easy! I won't bore you with all the details of the numerous difficulties I encountered with this project (let's just say I had planned on staining the wood like she did on the Stylizimo blog but ended up spray painting it), but I do think all the hard work was worth it in the end (and to be honest I know nothing about this kind of crafty stuff so I'm sure it would have been much easier otherwise).

I really love my new table, and although I made more trips to Ace Hardware than I can count, it was a small price to pay for such a significant transformation. Not only is it "new" to me, but the hard work put into it makes it more meaningful and unique than just any decently nice dining table. Not to mention that the overall money spent was less than what I'd end up having to pay for one chair!

{After: Espresso spray painted with new printed upholstery}

{Gray and white printed fabric I ordered from Joann's}

Sushi Imari

 Sushi Imari is one of my favorite casual sushi bars.  The location is a bit odd, in a strip mall filled with auto-repair shops, but the fish is fresh, prices are good, staff is friendly and best of all they give tons of freebies!

{assorted tempura}

{complimentary onion tempura!}

{hamachi sashimi - with an extra 6th piece free!}

{anita bath roll - spicy tuna, cream cheese, asparagus, topped with ono, avocado, scallions and ponzu}

{maguro & scottish salmon sushi}

{japanese snapper with shiso & masago sushi}

{baked mussels - on the house!}

{mini scoop of green tea ice cream for everyone!}