I own two etsy stores and one of them (EsQuisite Designs) makes wine cork hearts, letters, veils, etc. The Ombre Heart is a new design that I came up with a while back and it has been FLYING off the shelves! =)
The creative process ;P~ Wine is always a necessity.
The Finished Product!
The Ombre Heart compared to my Small Heart Size
Felt Backing
Who DOESN’T love online browsing for clothes, accessories, shoes, purses…household goods??
1. Amazon
I have Amazon prime and probably buy something from this site no less than 1x per week. This site is seriously the most incredible .com site EVER. You can buy groceries, books, household goods, craft supplies, clothes, shoes, makeup…EVERYTHING. I swear someday they’ll sell lumbar and delivery it within 2 days. If I could only shop on one site for the rest of my life, Amazon would be it. As an Amazon Prime member, I get free 2-day shipping and it’s just SO EASY to get stuff in a flash. Shopping in LA is so hard with traffic/parking that I rely heavily on prime shipping. My coworkers say that as Mom’s, they buy all their baby stuff through Amazon so that they don’t have to go to a store with a screaming baby (just the hassle of traveling with the baby is avoided). AND returns are really easy!
2. Piperlime
My go-to site for all clothes, shoes, jewelry, purses, etc. I even go here for GIFTS! It’s just so easy to order from there because I completely TRUST the brand, the items sold on the site AND you can return it for free. I have a banana republic luxe card and I get free shipping on all the orders as well. Shopping with Piperlime/Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy/Athletica is SO easy. Plus, shipping is FAST.
3. ASOS
Asos is a site that I go to for everything I can’t find on #1 and #2. Shipping and Returns are fast and free. There are THOUSANDS of products on this site and everything is incredibly trendy and fair priced. I don’t trust everything on this site the way I trust Piperlime, but I’m never afraid to order since I can easily return what I don’t like.
If you’re not used to shopping online or are afraid of it~ start with these three sites! They really make the buying/returning experience easy and each company comes with really superb customer service if you need help. =)
xoxoxo Happy Holiday Shopping!
I went into Target to grab some holiday treats but was REALLY distracted by a few of their home goods items! I’m debating whether I should go back and get em…(would Markel notice?)… I seriously want all of these so bad. I’m not sure if I should wait till the after holiday sale or go grab it ASAP~~~ gahhh
(to store my rings in!)
I’m getting the house ready for the holidays and picked up a few new decorations =)
I added some subtle touches around the apartment to add a little holiday cheer ❤
ahhh this is so late. the last few weeks have been pretty cray b/c of our littly lucy bear~ this recap is from 11/14-11/17ish
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This is a longggg recap because it covered more than just the weekend =)
First, my awesome co-worker of 4 years got a huge promotion. Friday was her last day in our unit, so we had 2 going away parties for her: 1 baby shower, 1 goodbye party. I wasn’t sad last week b/c she’s only a few buildings away on campus and I know we’ll see lots and lots of her~~ the 4 of us (counselors) do dinner/drinks 1x per quarter so it’ll be extra nice to catch up with her and now see her little one (once she’s born)!!
Friday Night, my friend flew into town from NYC. We had a quick Ice Cream Date at Scoops in Palms (off Overland). This place reminds me of a lot of ice crem joints in San Francisco~ where it’s all homemade and the spoons are real metal (to save on waste). LOVE IT.
The next Morning we all ate brunch at Ktchn105. Everything on the menu had pork belly in it and it was…a fattie’s paradise!!
We are trying to take more pictures together. We always forget!
Then we spent the night with Markel’s old roommie and college friend. We celebrated his big 2-7!!
Shots for the birthday boy!
drinks at fancy bar on Abbot Kinney~ The Tasting Room
A snack before dinner + drinks
Dinner at Gjelina in Venice
Sunday Markel and I hosted a huge Thanksgiving potluck in honor of our friend coming to town!
AND got to celebrate our special friend’s birthday ❤
I got some new owls for our TV =P Love these little babies~
Our new Bar Cart was ready to entertain!
This is a sunrise photo on Monday Morning! I started to train for a half-marathon this week and I wake up at 6am 2x per week to run. It’s been such a cool experience so far and I’m feeling so awesome physically/mentally too!
This has been such a big and fun week~ lots to update later. That’s why this week the weekend recap came on a weekend!! Hope you guys all have a wonderful weekend!
Do you believe in engagement anniversary presents??? CAUSE THE BLAIRS DO!!!
Meet our new baby…Lucy Blair!
I’ve been DYYYYING for a new puppy and for about 7-8 months~ Markel and I researched puppies/doggies online at all nearby shelters. We looked at a number of shelters in our city, but couldn’t find one that would suit our apartment + the fact that we work all day. God was seriously smiling down on us because it was a total miracle that we knew someone giving away teacup maltipoo puppies!!! It was the biggest treat and we did our research, went to visit the puppies with a vet friend, and chose the one that called out the most to us. =)
Lucy is the sweetest little pup~~ She has a funny personality and LOVES to sleeeeep. If you leave her alone for 30 seconds, she’s already snoring away and dreaming about catching something. LOL She barks a little in her sleep and her paws twitch like she’s running~ it’s SUPER ADORABLE.
We are SO IN LOVE with our new fur baby. I can’t believe it took us so long to get one!! Here is an obnoxiously LONG puppy collage of the most ADORABLE photos of our new baby. We’re in the process of potty training her~ so that might take a few weeks.
Here is the ridiculously obnoxiously long collage of photos =)
Lucy’s made lots and lots of new fwends =)
isn’t this the cutest photo ever??
she LOVED the christmas tree!
Grandma Blair gave her a christmas bear, Markel’s neice lent Lucy a baby doll, and Markel gave her a mini football. SO MANY NEW FWENDS TO PLAY WITH!
This weekend was a nice and long one. It started off a little sad (I was sick) but by the start of Saturday I was feeling normal again.
Thursday night I had a few friends over for some girl time. xoxo It was nice to hang out and catch up~~ Markel went over to our neighbor’s home (and good friends) were the boys watched the Laker game and the girls chatted over pizza, cupcakes, wine and nails.
Friday I was home sick eating soups/Ramen and watching Sons of Anarchy all day. I’m going through Season 4 right now and totally loving it. I heard seasons 5 & 6 aren’t awesome…so I really hope I’m not disappointed after investing so much! But the more I watch…the more I love Charlie Hunnam.
Saturday and Sunday were awesome. Markel and I spent the day running errands, and just spending time together. We RARELY get weekends to ourselves to hang out and try new things.
Saturday we went to downtown LA looking for a suit, but we didn’t feel comfortable buying anything from the stores we went into. The material was obviously cheaper, the deal was $100 for a suit, shirt & tie…but there was a WEIRD feeling that went with it~ so Markel and I ended up leaving. We also shopped in Ktown for groceries b/c we were hosting Markel’s bro, sis-in-law, friend for dinner. We seriously cooked up a huge feast of Korean food and I was so proud of the new things I’m learning to make!
I made pumpkin milkshakes on Saturday. SOO YUMMYYYY
The FEAST =)
Sunday Markel and I ran all over town getting him a new suit from Zara, shoes from Nordstroms and packing for his big trip this weekend. This is Markel’s first business trip and I couldn’t be more proud of him. He works SOOO HARD at his job~ like 60-70 hour weeks~ and it’s all paying off! He’s been getting more responsibilites/projects at work and these business trips are the start to his budding career. =) I love him so much and it’s so much fun to grow together in our careers and as a couple. We met in our early 20s and it’s been a fun ride as we mature, get settled in our careers, and make big decisions for our future. ❤
A toast to ourselves and our lives =P
Shopping in Century City at Zara~ I found so many cute things I wanted!!
Markel Getting a Haircut =) Such a small and random errand to run together, but I love doing them with him. ❤
Sunday Night we met up with Markel’s college friends that are doing BIG things!! Two are starting companies and it’s so exciting to hear about their adventures. Sort of motivates Markel and I to be passionate about our lives and our careers. We ate at Aroma Cafe (an Israeli restaurant) in Hollywood area. It was tastey! The appetizers were my favorite~~
(no pics to share =( I forgot to take some)
AND THENNNN…the best part?? Markel and I met up with our new neighbors (and good friends) to watch THOR at the grove. I always forget how much I love the Grove and how gorgeous it is. The Christmas decorations were all up~ really put you in the holiday spirit! ❤
Andddd Monday I had the day off for Veteran’s Day. =) It’s a day of purging, catching up on SOA (like Friday) and getting my baby ready for his big trip! Oh…and about ten cups of coffee (my fav treat).
HOW BEAUTIFUL is this fall weather??
This picture below is to celebrate Veteran’s day today. My big bro (and true life hero) has been in the Army since 2002. He has fought for his country in Iraq and served for 11 years and counting… I’m so proud of him and his dedication to the protection of this country. ❤ I’m definitely taking a moment today to remember that. xo
Last week Markel bought a Bar Cart from Target (post here) and decorated it with stuff we had at home and things we bought from Crate & Barrel after our wedding. We looked at a bunch of pictures on Pinterest and online and decided what would go on our bar cart and what wouldn’t. We currently have a wine rack, so we didn’t need to keep those things on there…
We still think it’s missing a liiiitle something…but we’ll figure that out later. Probably a plant, or something non-alcohol related. =)
Markel brought home the most wonderful surprise yesterday! He bought a bar cart from Target and brought it home. =) I guess he found it online + used a coupon and then picked it up in the store.
We have been searching for a cart for about 3 months now and we finally have it!! I’m so excited to start decorating it this weekend =)
This was the absolute perfect weekend. After weeks of running around like crazy people, Markel and I finally had 1 weekend of almost nothing. =)
Friday, I met up with a friend who was proposing the next day! (eek!!) We went over some last minute details at Susina Bakery in Beverly Hills. BEST latte I’ve ever had and the most amazing white chocolate cake!
After our little pow wow, I picked up Mulberry Pizza for dinner with Markel. A romantic dinner for two ❤ We’ve been craving New York Style Pizza all week and it we FINALLY filled that craving. Mulberry has 5 locations in southern California and…boy…it is FANTASTIC.
We spent the night hanging out, talking, drinking, watching a movie and spending much needed 1:1 time together. For the first time in a long time, it felt like we were 23 again having a super fun night together. Usually we’re so exhausted that we go straight to bed or watch a few shows in silence~ destressing from our week.
I guess Mulberry Pizza + wine + netflix is exactly what the doctor ordered =)
Saturday morning we helped stage the sweetest and most romantic proposal in Venice.
After the proposal, we walked along the canals and went to Canali cafe on Washington Blvd. We all celebrated together in one big group and just got to really love the newly engaged couple. ❤ Canali was aiite, but only because I hated our 1 waiter. The chai latte was amazing and I loved Markel’s meatball sandwich and my tofu sandwich.
My adorable hubby. xoxo as we waited for our food. ❤
We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping for our Halloween party. ❤ We had lots of fun eating, drinking and carving pumpkins!
We made the most delicious Hallo-Tini’s =) They tasted like orange creamsicles and you couldn’t even taste the alcohol! SOOOOOOOO deliiiiic xoxo
Our dear friend also made homemade whoopie pies that were TO DIE FOR.
ANDDDD for the grand dessert finale, another friend brought Big Man Bakes Cupcakes!!
(I was so hungry I forgot to take pictures of the real food…oops! lol)
Party decorations! =) This is the first time I’ve ever used the spider web decorations and it was the perfect touch! I’m definitely buying them again next year. ❤
Pumpkin Carving! =)
My pumpkin has a perm. LOL
What I would look like at my mom’s age! hahaha Biggest Korean Perm for the girl that LOVES volume in her hair. LOL
Sunday has been the best day to unwind from the weekend and just relax. We woke up this morning and named it Markel’s day. We did only relaxing things. =) He’s been working so hard the past few weeks…MONTHS really… that today was all about him!
My au natural makeup look for today~
Today was the day that our good friends moved into our building!! We are SO EXCIIIIITED!! xoxo Can’t wait for the fun to commence! ❤
Markel and I grabbed brunch at Doughland a block away (we’re trying to walk more and explore our ‘hood). This restaurant was a great surprise. The food was SUPER good, the service was impeccable and the hefe beer was aaamaaazingggg. Markel and I have totally decided that this was our new “spot” for weekend brunches, dinners, and weekday happy hours! =)
Coming home from brunch =) our last pic of the day. xo
We spent the rest of the day/night watching football (Markel) and Sons of Anarchy (me). There are so many TV series’ that I’ve been dying to watch lately!!
This past weekend was really chill. Markel was gone in San Diego for 3 days, so I had some nice quiet time since Thursday. I had Friday off, so I spent the day sleeping/relaxing (I was under the weather) and then Saturday was the first time I left the apartment. =)
Here are my thursday/Friday/Saturday Morning pics…
Pumpkin Crossaints from Trader Joe’s!
Made a ton of Korean comfort food since i was sick.
Decorated the apartment with these little pumpkins ❤
Dyed my hair–didn’t turn out great
Saturday I went to two events: Housewarming + Birthday Dinner. Both were so much funnnnnn
Here is handsome Ethan below <3 He‘s the first baby to be born in my group of friends and well…we spent 3 hours obsessing over every blink, smile, bite of food, and diaper change. He was SUCH a great baby~~ so happy and calm. I hope my first is as good as he is!
The ladies of the night ❤ Didn’t take pictures of the boys, they were too busy watching football.
Saturday Evening Part II! Birthday Party in South Pasadena at an amazing Thai restaurant called Saladong Song. DELIIIC. The outside seating area is super low key and romantic. I love this place!
Seafood Pad thai
The ladies ❤ The boys were too shy to be on camera.
Sunday was a huge day. Sunday was Markel’s grandmother’s memorial service. Grandma Cordaro LOVED chocolate. So in her honor, there was a big chocolate bar! YUMMMMM
The lunch spread for 50+ guests
The Blair, Cordaro, Reynolds, Hussey and Rafter family =)
Isn’t this doggie SO ADORABLE??
The day of the memorial service was our 6 month anniversary. Since we didn’t get to celebrate, or just take a moment to remember it~ we did so on Monday. =)
This week was so busy that I didn’t get a chance to update until now. And now…it’s already the weekend! I seriously hope to sleep in and just do a lot of resting with Markel. ❤
This weekend was eventful and uneventful all at the same time. I had to work for part of it, and the rest of the time…I overindulged in spirits =P. I didn’t take very many pictures, but here are the ones I have.
Friday Night, we met up with our favorite friend in Echo Park and ate at Masa’s. This was the best chicago style pizza I’ve ever had! Plus, the gnocchi, caesar salad and bread were…out of this world. ❤ I can’t wait to go back and try more things on the menu!
Amazing bread + Caesar Salad
Meat Lovers Deep Dish Pizza *drooooooooooooool *
Gnocchi with mushrooms, peas and bacon
Drinks! To help ease us into the weekend and let us forget our stressful work weeks.
After dinner we walked around the new lake in Echo Park and it was GORGEOUS. I want to go back during the day or morning to check it out fully~ I had no idea this event existed in Echo Park!
Downtown Skyline. My camera phone did not do this view justice.
Lily pads! They were everywhere and it was so pretty to see it at night~
The Boys ❤
Saturday Markel and I went to the UCLA football game. It was a crazy day and we didn’t get to tailgate like normal~ but it was nice to cheer on the team!
Wearing a new lipstick color =)
My first time making Pollack Soup ❤
Sunday I had to work…so there were no pictures of our Fall BBQ. But these are my weekend pics. This upcoming weekend is a 3-day-er for me, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Happy Hump Day All!
Markel and I are looking for a bar cart right now and we haven’t been able to find anything we love in our price range. Who knew it would be so hard??
I love gold, so I’d like it to be that color or something else in that color family.
After the wedding, Markel and I went to crate and barrel and bought all the big essentials for it, but after 6 months…haven’t been able to buy the cart itself. FRUSTRATINGGG.
as my search continues, here are some that i really like. ❤
How adorable is this??? I love this idea of painting pumpkins into hello kitty ❤
This past weekend was FUNNNNNNNN and Low Key. My BFF came out to visit for the week and we had a fun Sacramento Reunion.<3 PLUS I was dogsitting the sweetest, cutest dog for 10 days. SO MUCH FUN.
Father’s Office in Culver City
Brunch at Tender Greens + Movies at home
Cards Against Humanity
The Virgil in North Hollywood
Tobi–best doggie in the world
(although…it showed Markel and me that we aren’t ready for a furry pet JUST yet…We go out so often with friends and take weekend trips~ not sure how we could keep doing that with a doggie)
And now…it’s THURSDAY! =) Tomorrow we have a staff development day so we’ll be in Malibu eating, hiking and visiting the Adamson House. ❤
Happy Thursday All!
How adorable and amazing are these??? My brother bought them for me 6 years ago when he served in Iraq. He bought both my mom and I a beautiful set of classes and a set of Persian Rugs. Here are the glasses I chose below (from a huge catalog of them). Real Crystal with 14K gold trim ❤
I just unpacked these out of a box and Can’t wait to use them when the girls come over for dinner! xo
Here is a random collage of our new apartment. I originally meant to do a little video tour of it~ but~ I got lazy. (sorry folks!)
Here are some photos from my phone. If you like it and want more, let me know! Perhaps I will try making a little video ❤
My favorite clock from ZGallerie is on our bookshelf ❤
The B from our wedding and the wine rack that Mike made from Scratch. My favorite is are the glass decanters from his Grandpa ❤
Our credenza ❤
Candy Jars
Our living Room with a blue/white color scheme. The map is our newest addition the home. It’s really cool because instead of shapes, the country’s name is written in the shape of the country. We’re slowly getting a few more things to add to that big white wall.
Dining Room Area: “brown room” Where the furniture is brown.
The bedrooms are still really plain and in the kitchen, I just hung a curtain…nothing much bigger. We’re still working on decorating more…but I think the initial momentum is slowing.
I turned 29 this weekend…It was really bittersweet. I’m in my last year of my 20s! EEK. Time is passing by so quickly but in my heart/mind, I still feel 23 or 24. *sigh * Looking back, I really lived my 20s to the fullest and met some incredible life-long friends.
Thursday, June 27
My wonderful co-workers threw me a surprise birthday party! The room was decorated, there were delicious treats, and one of my professors brought me champs! xo
Friday, June 28 (my actual birthday)
I woke up to THIS! Markel was SO FREAKING SWEET. He made me an egg scramble and coffee to start off my day ❤ I really love that man.
I spent the morning (3 hours) in line at the DMV. The best part was that I forgot to bring my kindle so I just had to stare at people and be that cweepy girl. *sigh * I very seriously wanted to die when the lady at the DMV told me I needed to take another picture. I hadn’t showered, wore no makeup and was wearing my glasses >.< This is what my driver’s license pic will most likely look like below. *tear *
After the horrific DMV, I grabbed brunch with my best girlfriend from elementary school at Cafe Gratitude. I wasn’t sure I was going to like Vegan food, but really…this place was AMAZING. Check out my food blog in the coming days for the review ❤
Next, I went to starbucks and got my free birthday starbucks drink! This is my first year getting it since I registered my starbucks gift card. TOTALLY worth it ❤
Unfortunately, the barista spelled both my name and birthday wrong >.< eek. Just made for a really funny instagram post.
The rest of the day I relaxed at home, did a little work and just pampered myself =) For dinner, Markel and I went to Sugarfish in Santa Monica. Every year, they always give me a free birthday meal, so we’ve been making it a tradition. If you haven’t been to any of the sugarfish locations, PLEASE GO. It’s delicious, fresh and well…the sashimi just melts in your mouth.
Fun street performers, After Dinner Treats: pinkberry and some shopping!
Gorgeous skyline in Santa Monica
The end of my Birthday…I’m definitely not young anymore when I’m in bed by 10:30pm. >.<
Saturday, June 29
Woke up, read magazines (my favorite thing to do) and drank coffee while catching up on some reality TV. BEST way to spend the morning.
Later, my lovely anna bear came by and gave me a gorgeous birthday gift!! A ring from Jessica Matrasko Jewelry. LOVE her pieces and this ring was to die for ❤
My Birthday at Gaam in Ktown. Filled with great food, drinks and the bestest of friends. I’m so lucky for all the loved ones in my life! xo
I love these girls ❤
Sunday, June 30 & Monday, July 1st
Major Recovery mode. Lots of sleeping, eating, and just relaxing. Soaking up every last second of the weekend before returning to work.
xoxo Lots of Doing Nothing xoxo
Oh! And this past week we went to a really fun raffle event put on by Hotel Angeleno. Free drinks, food and prizes!! Unfortunately, we didn’t win any prizes =(
Writing Wedding Thank You Notes at work during my lunch hour *sigh * It’s never ending…
This past weekend was…SUPER fun. I did a LOT of driving in the SoCal area~ and it felt like I went on 2 mini vacations!
Friday Night, I stayed home b/c I had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to leave for Temecula. BUT the one awesome treat was that our wedding photos came!!
I’m so excited to share these! I’ll be posting up like 10 different entries to show them all to you. Out of like 3,000 photos, there are at LEAST 800 I want to share. HAHA (literally)
Saturday
At 645am…bright and early~ I woke up to drive to Temecula. I had a leader’s retreat with my church and since my car didn’t go friday night (with the rest of the group) we had to be in Temecula before 9am. sooo earlyyyy *yawn *
The mansion we stayed in was GORGEOUS!! It housed at least 22 of us and well…there was DEFINITELY more room. We had a game room, pool, ourdoor fireplace, spa, and MUCH more! (there was an american flag themed bathroom too!)
During the afternoon, we had “free time” so some of us went wine tasting ❤
Night Time fire, cigars, spa…it was AWESOME.
So…my air mattress got a hole in it =( I”ve had it for less than a month and already we had a TIIIIINY hole =(
What do 4 girls do?? We used eyelash glue, 1 stamp, 2 hello kitty bandaids and a panty liner to plug the hole. GENIUS right??? hahaha we laughed pretty hard but it totally worked!! xoxo
Sunday
The next morning, I woke up to people making awesome Egg McMuffins!! I made a yogurt partfait and well…had the best breakfast in a LONG TIME.
Immediately after leaving Temecula at 9am and arriving in West LA by 11am~ Markel and I drove to San Diego for the day. We went to visit his grandparents in Encinitas for lunch.
Stone Flat Pizza…it was aiite. Definitely hit the spot, food came out fast, and the service was friendly. Not 5-stars or anything though.
On our drive back to LA ❤ (ROAD TRIP!! from our summer bucket list)
On the way back home, we stopped by Brodard Chateau in West Minster…BEST vietnamese food I’ve ever had. Hands DOWN.
