Confessions of a Band Aid

... Wannabe, that is... Which I guess makes me a wannabe of a wannabe.. Oh crap.  If we break this down, there actually needs to be one more wannabe in there. Ok woah.  Let's start over.

I want to tell you about my longstanding admiration for a movie character and well, the actress behind the character, the movie featuring the character and basically the entire time period in which the character "lives."  So here goes, my confession:  I have an incurable girl crush on "Penny Lane" from Almost Famous... I am a certifiable, cult-level aficionado of this film and a die-hard devotee of Kate Hudson herself.

So, let's get into it, shall we?  I had been convinced for longer than I can remember that I was born during the wrong era, but the first time I saw Almost Famous, I knew for certain that an egregious mistake had been made.  I had been born too late!  How?!  Why?!  (I am still searching for answers to these questions).  In an attempt to live with this knowledge, I cultivated my love affair for this nostalgic movie and character, with an aim to live vicariously through this depiction of what I believe should have been my life  (Man, I would have made a great "band aid" during such times..).

Ok yes, perhaps I am inflating my dedication a bit.. As you hopefully believe, if you've read my blog even a smidgen, I do carry on a "normal life" for the most part and my obsession hasn't crossed the border towards unhealthy just yet.  However, I do have a firm belief that the movie, in addition to its cinematographic appeal, has some life nuggets that are worth a second thought.  Such as: 

How could you not be inspired by those profound words?  True wisdom.  What's cooler than being cool?  Being uncool. That's what!

Equally deserving of mention is the woman behind the star... If you've seen the movie, then I ask you, do you not concur that Miss K. Hudson plays the 70's "manic pixie dream girl" trope to a T?  "Penny Lane" is just the kind of hippie I strive to be.. Bubbly, auspicious, mysterious and free-spirited BUT still remains glamorous and groovy at all times.  Plus her taste is music is stellar!  :)  All this is revealed through Kate Hudson's marvelous performance, which always makes me wonder a little.  Did the character make the actress or did the actress make the character?  Since I will never know the answer to the question, I've decided that my infatuation extends to both character and actress.

Did you know I saw her once?  It was from afar, through binoculars, while she was backstage at a concert (a Black Crows concert, in fact, the band in which her er ex-husband, Chris Robinson, is the vocalist).  How coincidental that I saw her in a "band aid" position during my one sighting.  When I saw her.... a tear or two of starstruck-ness may or may not have eeked out of my duct... but, that's really a story/debate for another day.

So anyway, that is more or less the explanation of how I became a fan of a groupie of a band that is "almost famous" - thus making me a "third string wannabe."  Yikes! 

Here are some choice screen shots from the movie, which will finally lead me to the point of this post:  

Hey Zooey!

 "If you never take it seriously you never get hurt, if you never get hurt you have fun all the time!"

Hi there, Anna Paquin!

So, the actual point of this post - is about Free People.  Haha yep, bet you didn't see that coming!  You see, it seems that Free People seems to have jumped into this love affair of Ms. Penny Lane and her fellow "band aids" right along with me this season as their current line has got "vintage bohemian" with hints of Almost Famous written all over it!  Some examples for your perusal...

Clockwise from left to right:  Novella Royale Border Print Bell Bottoms | Lou Buttondown Dress | Smocked Bike Shorts | Technicolor Vegan Fur Coat | Long Sleeve White Lace Dress | Black Floral Kimono

And now, after all of that, I am left with only word that comes to mind:  SPREEEEE!  (Who's with me?)

 *ALSO, my friend and renowned blogger, Alex Kaehler, wrote the nicest post about me today on her blog, A.K. Studio.  Check out the article and especially her blog, before you do anything else :). 

Hungry Hungry Hump Day

Ruh roh, do y'all know what day it is?!  It's Hump Day people!  (Feeling out of the loop on this one?  "Hump Day" = Wednesday... because Wednesday is the top of the "hump" of the work week, duh! :).  Has this week been flying by for you all like it has been for me?  Well either way, we are now in the home stretch to the weekend, and that has made me... hungry?  (just go with it, LOL).    

Anyway, I'm starting to panic that pumpkin season is going to come and go and I won't have talked about pumpkin-related foods as much as they deserve.  So, guess what?  I'm throwing yet another pumpkin recipe 'atcha!  

PUMPKIN GNOCCHI  

I really like this recipe because, of course, it's freaking yummy!  But also because it feels like you're baking AND cooking - baking style prep work paired with stovetop style cooking = the mark of a well-rounded chef (that's you!)  Also, it's a fun recipe to make because you are literally waiting for your little gnocchis to pop up to the surface of a boiling pot of water, almost as if they are jumping up to say "I'm ready"... Aww, so cute!  Um...

Here's what you need (these measurements should make enought to feed two reasonably hungry people as an entrée): 

• 1 cup pumpkin puree (if canned, make sure to get 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup flour (plus more for your "work surface") 
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup sage leaves
• sea salt (to sprinkle on top at the end) 
• parmesan cheese, grated, as a topping (optional)

Instructions:

1.  Set a large pot of water to boil. In a medium sized bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, salt and nutmeg. Add the flour in several additions, stirring to combine. Continue adding flour until the dough is firm enough to handle, but still somewhat sticky.

2. With floured hands, pinch off about a quarter of the dough. Roll between palms and on floured work surface to make a 1-inch thick rope. Cut the "rope" into 1-inch pieces. Repeat with remaining dough.

3. Drop gnocchi into boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add sage leaves and cook, swirling frequently, until butter browns. Remove from heat.

4. Drain gnocchi on paper towels, then add to brown butter and toss. Serve sprinkled with parmesan and sea salt, if desired.

So... I don't know about you but I'm #salivating.  And I just ate. 

BON APPETIT BABIES!  

Bienvenido a Miami

Ok, no doubt that title is misleading because sadly, I am not headed to Miami and therefore cannot be "welcoming" you (in Spanish or English) to this uber-fun city, most unfortunately... but once I got that jam from the Big Willie Style CD in my head, there was just no stopping it from ending up as the title of this post.  Actually, on the contrary, the impetus for this post comes from me sitting in my bed, watching more TV (and then posting about it)... Which begs the question, is this a design blog or a TV blog??  To date, I have posted about the following shows: 

• Orange is the New Black
• Sons of Anarchy
• Breaking Bad
• Master Chef Junior
  
  and now:
• Magic City

Yikes!  And I will make no promises that this will be the last TV related post on here, either.  You have been warned.

Anyway, in an attempt to meld these two topics and bring this blog back to its intended focus, I will merely graze upon the mention of this saucy (and I should also note, extremely racy) show which is set in Miami during the 1960's (or 1959, to be accurate).  It "aired" on Starz (Starz who?) and has apparently now been cancelled after only two seasons (sad trombone) but regardless, the show's imagery depicts Miami during its glamorous hey-day or at least what you hoped it was in its hey-day.  Which... (sit up and listen up now because we're delving into design) reminds me of that one time, I stayed at the Viceroy Hotel in Miami... and thought I had died and gone to heaven!

The situation was ripe for my awestruck-ness.  My sister and I had caught an insane deal for this "dream hotel for the design-obsessed" on a Jetsetter/Gilt Groupe offer and pretty much re-arranged our whole trip just to be able to stay at the hotel designed by our girl crush, Kelly Wearstler, for just one night.  We had been staying at the Mondrian Hotel in South Beach for the earlier part of our trip (and were pleased with it, just not "wowed").  But the strongest case for why these accommodations were just what the doctor ordered was due to an all around terrible "scooter rental" FIASCO!  To sum it up, we dropped of our rented scooter before heading to the Viceroy (because god-forbid we show up to such a classy establishment with two girls teetering around on a beat-up moped with suitcases in tow) and were met with a suspicious claim that we had caused a bunch of damage to the scooter on its side.. And, as luck would have it, we of course (in the excitement of the trip and the prospect of zipping around South Beach on a scooter) we forgot to take pictures before it was released to us.  Needless to say, the debacle ended with a fiery, Miami-style argument that left us feeling drained and jaded.  Enter: the luxuriously decadent Viceroy Hotel in Miami.  Plush linens, top-of-the-line EVERYTHING and most importantly, a canopy bed.  Signed, sealed, delivered. 

What was kind of spooky but also a bit magical was the part where, NO ONE ELSE was in the hotel.. And this isn't exactly your quaint boutique hotel, either.  It was a "ghost-hotel" of grand proportions... We were pretty much the only guests... So of course, we embarked upon on our own self-guided tour of everything Kelly Wearstler's designer influence might have graced and then proceeded to be escorted by security down to the front desk for entering into a restricted area -Oops!.  Anyway, despite the lack of humans, the resort was breathtaking from an interior design standpoint.  Kelly Wearstler just knows about hotels.  Period. 

Oh yeah, and then there is the Viceroy spa, which is the most amazing spa ever.  Really.  It was designed by the Philippe Starck is, quite simply, spot-on, in. every. way. 

But enough of my babbling.  Zee fer yerselves: 

And to conclude... This is what you drive up to when you arrive at the hotel: 

Every little detail.  HOLY SCHNIKES! 

Your Secret Weapon for Entertaining in Style

This past weekend I had the honor of attending the wedding of two very dear friends from college that I have known for over 8 years each!  It was a gorgeous wedding and needless to say, things got a little crazy on the dance floor, which was where I spent most of my time, naturally (this should come as no surprise if you know me!).  We also ended up at a hard core biker bar after the wedding venue closed and I am proud to share that the bride and I were a part of a killer performance on stage along with the bar's heavy metal band due to a combination of our epic dance moves and lack of shame ;).  But... that is neither here nor there with regard to today's post.  The reception after the ceremony was replete the popular "dessert table" and my palate can attest that the desserts themselves did not disappoint.  Not even one of them... I know this, because I sampled them all, at least once.  The dessert table trend at weddings is a growing fad that I personally, AM ALL ABOUT!  So much so, that I would like nothing more than to see these "dessert tables" at more of the parties I attend.  To help this desire come to fruition, I want to enlighten all of you potential party-havers to some little tricks/products that can turn a dessert table at your next shindig from an overwhelming thought into a doable reality.  

The first thing that will set your table apart from the "potluck-looking" table where it would appear that people just plopped down their contributions, is a table cloth.  But, if you're wanting to do this thing cute (and I suspect you are)... You should seriously consider a table cloth of the following nature:

Mmm hmm... pretty legit looking, huh?  Do you know what the coolest thing about these celebratory table cloths is though????  I know the chick that makes/designs them!!  (Yep, I just brushed my shoulders off, if you were wondering :)...  My friend, who is also an incredible graphic designer  (which is how I originally met her when she did some amazing graphic design work for a project I was working on a while back), and her business partner, came up with these Tin Parade "Table Banners".  They are also packaged adorably and are affordable.  You can buy them online here.  (Obviously these cool cloths can be used for purposes beyond a "dessert table" - like say, a bar/cocktail table or appetizers/snacks table, or a table for presents... I think you get the picture). 

Some other necessities you may want to add to your beautifully covered table are: Dessert/food name tags.  Check out these sweet mini chalkboard stands:

Buy here

Or my personal favorite.. Hoof and bird claw place card holders (which can also double as name card holders for a dinner party.. but I'm sure you were already cluing into that, you smarty pants!)

Buy here

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Also... serving dishes.  I am of the popular opinion that displaying your food stuffs on serving ware of varying heights adds interest to your display and increases its "professional" appearance.  Here is an array of serving tray options:

Buy here

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This next one has a faux cake cover which is either super cool or kind of weird... I can't decide.  And the octopus cake stand is the raddest thing I have maybe ever seen! 

Buy here

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Party-decorations (we will call them "reminders for fun") are important too.  Even though, if you're throwing a party, no doubt people will be having the time of their lives, sometimes you need something for that extra-uptight person that will basically serve as a flashing lighted sign that:  OMG, you are at a party and you should be having fun.  For such people, I recommend the following (to slap some whimsy into their party-going experience):

Buy here

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Ok next... Depending on what type of refreshments you're putting on your table, you will probably need utensils of some sort... So please, do me a favor, and do not sabotage your whole table by making the mistake of throwing ugly generic serving tools into the mix...  But any of the below will suffice just fine:

Buy here

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If you are adding beverages to your bevy of offerings, a fancy beverage dispenser will go a long way...

Buy here

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As will decorative straws through which your guests can drink said beverages:

Buy here

Buy here

If you can just trigger your creative juices to start flowing, I'm confident that a plethora of other really awesome table ideas will begin pouring out your brains but hopefully these few elements are enough to get you started!

Oh and if you do have a party, know that I AM expecting an invite.  Please and thank you! ;) 

Friday Finds: Fashun'

Today I am doing another "Friday Finds" because frankly, I just couldn't hold it in!  I keep finding all of these absolutely adorable items but can't afford to buy them all, so I'm hoping that if I share them with you guys, collectively all of these delicious pieces will be purchased and then owned by people I care about... I really do care about each and every one of you!  I mean it, if you're reading my blog, I am overwhelmingly grateful and do care about you!  But ok, enough of the sap, let's get to the good stuff!

As the weather changes, nothing makes me more tolerant of the dropping temperatures than the promise of cute jackets (I will be the first to admit I have a "jacket problem").  But with this tease of winter stopping by and then leaving again without saying good bye, it's got me all kinds of confused about how to arrange my closet... Actually, confused is not so much the problem as is the overcrowding, but don't tell anyone I said that.

So here's a little compilation of a "breadthy" collection of items to tell these schizophrenic weather patterns to shove it!  (Perhaps I'm just bitter because I woke up a few days ago after having inadvertently having checked the weather for Chicago the night before, whilst in Colorado, right before dozing off in a half-sleep induced state and walked outside the next morning to a frightening snow/hail storm in shorts and t-shirt.  It was highly shocking and extremely disappointing, to say the least!).  So, take a look at my revenge:

Clockwise from left to right: Free People Embellished Leather Biker Jacket | Emerald Green Malachite iPhone Case | Nautical Anchor Mohair Sweater | Red White Blue Merida Pencil Skirt | Brown Leather Fold Over Shoulder Bag | Elegant Bowknot White Blazer | Polka Dot Fold Over Clutch | White Blazer With Black Collar | Catherine Malandrino Avalon Leather Dress | Shelby Tortoiseshell Watch | Montaigne Red Trench Coat | Paisley Black and White Summer Dress | Rachel Zoe Barrel Multi Finger Ring

Let's take back the reins on this whole weather thing, shall we!?  Or wait, did we ever have the power?  Ok, nevermind... Just have a good weekend!