The Devil Wears Prada

...opens today!

Weekend Picnic

I am so ready for the weekend! As for me, I would love to start celebrating early for the upcoming holiday and spend time outdoors, lay on the grass and have a picnic. It's probably not going to happen, but it's nice to dream. I enjoy eating picnic treats as much as putting together a lovely setting, and these items from Anthropologie are not only functional but also create a very calm and tranquil ambiance...

Surprise Package From Karla

Last week, I got a package from Karla containing all hand-made goodies: a pretty cosmetics bag, a cute handmade card and adorable stuffed bunny that feels fuzzy and soft. Thank you so much, Karla, for making these little treasures and for thinking of me on my birthday!

Kimono Rings

Kimono, which means "clothing", is among Japan's oldest and most recognizable treasures of art. Traditional kimonos, commonly made of silk, were carefully hand-crafted and extremely expensive. In modern day Japan, kimonos are only worn during special occasions and made of various types of fabrics. But now, we can wear these pieces of luxury any time we wish through kimono rings from The Carrot Box. Each acrylic ring encases a piece of genuine kimono fabric, and at $16 each, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to have a little piece of Japanese history!

Rena Tom Jewelry

Jewelry designer, Rena Tom, creates such delicate, organic pieces. I especially love these from her Spring 2006 collection made of summer's most popular elements - shells and pearls.

A Good Book...

is worth more than a thousand words. And even more so with delicately bound books that aren't only intellectually stimulating, but visually as well. Cloverfield Press publishes limited, numbered editions of short stories by today's upcoming and established writers. Each book is created with letterpress covers and beautiful illustrations. A great way to kick start my summer reading!

Happy Summer Solstice

Today is the first official day of summer and is designated as the longest day of the year. Hooray for more time to bask in the daylight! More info on Summer Solstice here.

Sun Print Cards

Easy handmade cards using objects from nature and light-sensitive paper make such pretty gifts. After a few minutes in the sun, flowers, leaves and twigs leave their imprints on a sheet of light-sensitive paper. Images and instructions from MarthaStewart.com.

Birthday Delights

My mother-in-law, Carol, brought these mouth-watering delights yesterday for my birthday. Chocolate ganache/mousse-filled petifores... so delicious as much as they were so adorable!


















from Tasteful Cakes.

The Most Amazing Bouquet...

Josh surprised me on my birthday with the most beautiful bouquet filled with tropical flowers and foliage! I felt as if though I was the envy of the office when it got delivered to my desk at work. I brought it home on Friday and found the perfect spot for it in our entryway at home (left).

Another Birthday...

Another birthday and why do I still feel like I just left high school? This picture was taken when I was about 2 and was one of my mom's favorites. For years, this picture was a topic of conversation during family get-togethers. I had just gotten up from a nap and was very cranky and threw a flying fit (so my mom would say). As a result, we were late to a wedding for which I was one of the flower girls. The reason why my mom loved to share this story so much is still a mystery to me.

Being in my early 30s now, I can remember not too long ago how I dreaded the "downhill" road after 30. Just when I thought that my 20s years couldn't possibly be topped, I am happy to say that I'm enjoying my life more than ever. I don't think we really ever grow up...we just get wiser!

What age do you act? Take the quiz here.

Custom Pieces by Viesso

I often find myself daydreaming about redoing my entire living space - from architectural stucture, wall colors, appliances, flooring, furniture. One day I may want a modern loft-like feel, another day it's rustic, shabby chic, bohemian style. I can never decide what I want or find what I want, but I guess that's the fun of daydreaming. Furniture producer, Viesso, allows you to play around and build custom pieces on their innovative site - select the style and size for your space, and choose from a variety of options for fabric, filling, finishes, legs, and more to create your own custom piece. A great visual aid for the undecided, like me.

Whimsical Paperweights by John Derian Company

My desk at work is pretty much composed of piles and piles of legal documents. Amidst all the chaos, it's always a wonderful surprise to find pretty, cheerful things peeking out from tucked-away areas of my work space. Designer John Derian creates decoupage pieces and tranforms them into one-of-a-kind items such as these lovely paperweights. All are handmade in his New York studio. A great way to brighten up any desk!

Happy Birthday, Oreo!

In June of 1998, we adopted our first bunny - the one that started our bunny rescue efforts that later led to 8 adopted rabbits. Little Oreo was found as a stray and was placed in an animal shelter that gave her only one week to live. Around the same time, Josh and I happened to stumble across a news segment on the House Rabbit Society. It was a very sad and touching story on bunnies that are bought during Easter time due to impulse and gifts for chidren. This is how "Easter Bunnies" are abandoned and neglected which leads to a high rate of rabbits ending up in shelters and getting euthanized. After seeing this, Josh and I went to a nearby shelter to find a bunny to save. We found Oreo in a small wire cage in direct heat with very little food and water. Luckily we adopted her just in time, only a few days before she was scheduled to be euthanized. Oreo was an Easter Rabbit since we estimated her to be about 3 months old when we adopted her.

Bunnies, just like people, have their own little personalities. As for Oreo, she is the diva of our warren. Whenever I purchase something new, particularly shoes and purses, she feels the need to rub her chin on them (to mark it as her property or with approval)...we figure she is much of a style maven. She is also a finicky decorator as she constantly rearranges her bunny bungalow, her litter box and toys. She loves to be groomed by her bunny buddies, but only returns the favor when she feels like it.

Since we don't know when her exact birthday is, we celebrate it around the time we adopted her. Happy Birthday my little sweet Oreo!

Summer Skirts: J.Crew

Pretty summer skirts from J. Crew - full of tropical fun and made of light, comfy material...

Cupcake Review: Mrs. Beasley's Strawberry Cupcake

Last Thursday was a warm and sunny day with just the right amount of breeze. I decided to take a walk during my lunch hour through the peforming arts building, opera plaza and through the theater. I was craving a cupcake so I decided to head over to Mrs. Beasley's where I found this:













Strawberry Cupcake from Mrs. Bealey's


Review:

(Out of a Possible 5 Cakes)
Appearance: 4.8 cakes
(cup)Cake: 4.5 cakes
Frosting: 5.0 cakes
Total: 14.3 cakes

Comments: Cake was tasty with smooth texture, but I prefer to have it a tad bit more moist. Strawberry frosting was a whopping nearly 3 inches tall - very delicious and tasted like fresh strawberries (unlike some frostings that taste artificial or mediciney). Although the frosting was impressive, there was too much of it for the little cake given. Overall, it was very tasty!

For Beth's International Cupcake Tour, click here.

Tea Cup Swap, Round 4

What a great few days it has been - 3 swap packages in 4 days! Yesterday I received my Tea Cup Swap, Round 4 package from Katie. What a very thoughtful package she put together - an adorable tea cup from Anthropologie (one of my favorite stores), green chai tea (I'm a big fan of green tea) and Black Pearl chocolate by Vosges (a chocolate bar with a hint of ginger, wasabi and black sesame seed flavor...very, very yummy even though the ingredients may sound strange with chocolate).

Katie, thank you so much for such a lovely package. I absolutely ADORE everything you sent!

Children's Book Swap

What a surprise to get Beth again as a swap partner, this time for Karla's Children's Book Swap. Thank you, Beth, for the most adorable book. Just love it and my bunnies approve!














It was equally fun to find a great book for my swap partner, Nicole. I chose this classic book by Dr. Seuss because it carries a great message for us all: life has many adventures ahead - just enjoy it (challenges and all)!

Tank's Swap Package

Today, Tank received his swap package from Carolina all the way from Chile. She made a beautiful down blanket for him with velcro closure for neat and easy folding. This will definitely keep him warm on cool nights. He tried it out right away and loved it. Thank you, Carolina, for making such a thoughtful and very useful gift for little Tank!















Click photos to enlarge

Hawaiian Festival Performance

Last weekend, my hula group performed at the San Clemente Hawaiian Festival. It was a fun day of hula, music, food and arts. Here are some pictures.

Happy Friday!

Wishing you a weekend filled with warm sunshine, lazy afternoons and cool comfy flip flops to slip into…












Flip flops from J.Crew.

Stuff for Sophie

A couple of weeks ago, Tank and I went shopping for Beth's Stuff for your Pup Swap. I got Melanie's name and she has a sweet little Beagle named Sophie. Here's what we got for her. Tank made the card all by himself (with a little help from mom)!