“FABULOUS FRIDAY [YARNZ]”

…my newest discovery.  Yarnz makes the softest cashmere scarves in the coolest prints.  I want them all!  I’m already obsessed with soft, plushy scarves to begin with because they are the perfect finishing touch to a simple outfit to help you look pull-together but not trying too hard…and a big, soft scarf can double as a make-shift blanket when I travel so I never get on a plane without one.  I recently just ordered this Leopard Kiss one from Yarnz.

I first saw this at the boutique at  the W Times Square, and I was talked out of buying it by E (because it’s $108 for a scarf)…then I randomly saw it again in London, but the store was closed!  After that, I was convinced that I had to have this scarf, and I finally found it on Shopbop.com…with free shipping!  So now it’s mine, and I totally love it!

Now I’m on a mission to find this camouflage-print one…which, of course, is sold out everywhere…

The search continues…wish me luck!

Images: 1. TheStyleCure, 2. my own, 3. Singer22

“I’M BACK!”

…so I took a long 4 months break *sighs*…life has been so hectic that I had no time to be inspired!  But it’s finally the holiday season, and I just can’t wait to share all the glitz and glamour of the season with everyone.

How about this fab, sequined number to jump-start the festive mood?  I imagine pairing this with all kinds of closet staples to create fun and fabulous outfits.  I can already see myself topping off a black mini-dress with it or wear it with a pair of satin shorts, slim pants, or add a little sparkle to just a pair plain old jeans.

Are you ready for the party season?

Images: The Disco Pony Girl

“THE PERFECT ‘PEAR’ REHEARSAL DINNER” PART III

We finally get to the “Black” element of this party.  I had envisioned super glossy, black vases with pure white blooms in them.  I thought the contrast will be super modern, and since we are try to keep everything simple, modern is the best way to go.

We purchased cheap vases and candle holders from the Dollar Store.

We then spray-painted them with a glossy black paint.

Sadly, they didn’t turn out as glossy as I would have wanted them to be, but they still work out great in the end.

We then purchased bunches of white/ivory blooms from a local flower wholesaler.  We got China Mums, Gerbera Daisies, Lisianthus, Tulips, Hypericum (which I think look like mini-pears…so cute) and some other really pretty flowers that I don’t know the name of :-(.  I really must educate myself more on flowers…

The key to make this minimalistic approach work is to stick to just black and white/cream palette.  This palette just make everything looks so clean and elegant.  To display them, we bought these laser cut scrapbook papers.  We used them as the “mat” to display the flowers on and to give the table another visual layer.

We originally wanted to make table runners, but our budget and time-constraint did not allow for that so we went with the mat idea instead.  I actually did the same trick before at my bridal shower, which worked really well so we did the same here.

And here’s how the room turned out….

Cheers to the Perfect “Pear”~

Images: Me and C. Mai Photography

“THE PERFECT ‘PEAR’ REHEARSAL DINNER” PART II

For the escort cards, we were able to find these cute, patterned scrapbook papers in a smaller than standard (12×12) size at Joann, and luckily, they were perfectly in our color scheme as well.

Each piece is perfect for 2 escort cards when cut in half.

We halfed each paper then folded each piece in half again so each card will stand up on its own.

We then printed each guest’s name on ivory papers.  Cut out each name and glued it to the outside of the card.  As for the inside, we printed each table’s name on green papers and glued it to the inside of the card.  So simple, yet so pretty.

As for the table names, we used the same patterned scrapbook papers as the escort cards, but instead of halfing each one, we used the entire sheet.  We also printed each table’s name on an ivory paper then just glued it onto the patterned paper.  We then displayed  each one on a photo stand (recycled from my wedding.  I ❤ recycling!).

We also made the signs “The Perfect ‘Pear'” and “Please Take a Seat” with the help of the Cri-Cut machine.  We simply cut the words out with the Cri-Cut on a scrapbook patterned paper then we added a plain, opposing color paper in the back so the words show.  We then framed them for the Escort Cards Table.

As previously mentioned, we tried to keep everything as simple as possible so purchasing already pretty, patterned papers saved us a lot of time.  So my advice is to always be on the lookout for pretty scrapbook papers on sale.  They save so much time and energy, and they can add so much characters to your event.

Up next – The “Black” element of this party.  Stay tuned!

Images:  By me and Courtesy of C. Mai Photography

“THE PERFECT ‘PEAR’ REHEARSAL DINNER” PART I

…since we were asked to take this dinner on (super) last minute, I didn’t come up with my own inspiration boards.  Instead, I went to the Queen of Inspiration Boards, Kathryn of Snippet and Ink and just picked a couple of them out for this dinner.  We decided on a modern palette of black, cream, and “pear” green for our Perfect “Pear” theme.  It is always a bit hard to design around a pre-existing color scheme, in this case, a restaurant, but we made the most of what is there.  The restaurant’s table clothes are cream, and they were able to provide us with black napkins so we chose to bring in green and work around that.  Here are the boards that inspired this dinner…

Because of the budget and time-constraint, I decided to keep all projects a simple as possible but still make a big impact in the room.  The biggest showpiece for this event is the Escort Cards Display.  We chose a Black & Cream Damask fabric and wrapped it around a simple foam board.  Here’s how we did it:

Start with a large foam board.  The one we used is 24 in. x 30 in. for 45 escort cards.  This can be purchased at any craft store.

We also bought a roll of batting from Joann’s.

We then wrapped the batting around the foam board.  You can glue the batting to the foam board using a spray glue, but since we didn’t have any, we just used glue gun.

We purchased a patterned fabric a little large than the foam board.

We then wrapped the fabric around board.  Make sure to pull it taut and then glue the back side.  You can also staple the fabric to the board to be more secure.

We then use green ribbons in different shades of green to wrap around the board.  This is where you’ll tuck in the escort cards.

We were having some trouble getting the ribbon to stay taunt so we ended up using thumb tags to help re-enforce the ribbons by tagging them directly into the back of the foam board.  This method worked the best – although it doesn’t look pretty in the back, but our board will be leaning against the wall so it worked fine for us.
And that’s it for the board.  Super easy.  This is the finished product…

Up next – the  paper projects (escort cards, table names, and signs).

Images:  1,2 Snippet & Ink, and the rest of photos – me.

“TREND TUESDAY [BLUSHING BEAUTIES]”

…I’m not sure when it happened, but it sorta crept up on me some time last year.  Everywhere I looked, there was something in rose gold, and I’m totally falling for these lovely, rosy, shiny, metallic accessories.  The first of these lovelies that caught my eye are these Brian Atwood Maniac Pumps….

Ah-maz-ing, right?  Totally in love.  I saw them a while ago in one of the emails I get daily from Saks.  I finally ordered a pair.  Hopefully, they will fit because I love them so much!

I also saw this Michael Kors watch a while back, and it took me several weeks to justify purchasing it since I wanted a gold one originally, but the rose gold is so much prettier.  I have to say, it was worth it.  I wear this nearly everyday.

So everywhere I go now, my eyes tend to search for something rose gold.  These are some other blushing beauties I found…

Eddie Borgo Rose Gold Pyramid Cut-Out Cuff and Pyramid Ring from net-a-porter

Fabulous, right?  You know my obsession with everything pyramid.  I love them!

Avanessi Rose Gold Love Ring from Max&Chole.  I always wanted a “LOVE” ring.  This is a bit pricey so I’ll keep looking.Halston Heritage Rose Gold Jenny Clutch from My Wardrobe

And I love these Tiffany‘s Rose Gold Keys

Don’t let the blushing pink tone scare you.  It may seem hard to accessorize with these if you’re not a “pink” person, but I would treat them as regular gold accessories.  Although, they are so much more modern and refreshing.

Love~

“TREND TUESDAY [LAYERED WRIST]

…a fresh, new way to wear your watch and bracelets.  The more mismatched the materials are, the more interesting it is.  I just love the haphazard way they are all thrown together…like you’re not really trying (but you’re totally are!).

Fabulous~

Images: Tumblr

“RUSTIC BEACH SIDE SOIREE”

…remember this Seashore & Sunset board I did a while back?  Well, the wedding is next month!  And the colors has evolved a bit (as do all weddings I’ve done so far), and we now have a calmer, more rustic palette.  The bride is incorporating a lot of craft paper colors via the use of burlap and a more muted, intense blue…like the deeper part of the ocean…is used.  She is also using a lot of ivory through the use of sand, shells, and starfish.  I totally heart starfish!  How whimsical and perfect for a beach wedding.  We are only doing the dessert table for the wedding, but I still want to make a board so that we can stay true to the vibe of this simple, rustic, beach chic wedding.

Stay tune to see how this dessert table turns out!

“NASHVILLE – FUN AND FASHION”

…we only had 1 day to sightsee so we chose to go to Downtown Nashville and walked around to take in the city.  I love visiting different cities and see old buildings with original architecture details.  They hold such a history of the city especially in a historic place like Nashville.

 Once thing I noticed is all these cool murals on old brick buildings (although, Margaritaville is not exactly historic LOL).

E trying to navigate us through the city…

And a trip to Nashville is not complete without trying on some cowboy boots and hats.  I had no idea how expensive they are!  At $300 plus a pair, I’ll stick to my Louboutins, thank you.
Back at the hotel, we had our own parties to attend.  There was Nash-Vegas on one night.  The theme is simple – “BLING” so I did…

But then it got to be too uncomfortable in my [very] mini-dress so I switched to something more comfortable, but still Nash-Vegas-y.  I figured I’ll stick to denim for my “Country Couture” wardrobe.

The last night was Country BBQ-theme party following with a surprise concert by Keith Urban.  I’m not a country girl (if you can’t already tell), but it was quite exciting to watch someone as famous as Keith Urban performed.  I interpreted the BBQ-them quite literally and went with a checkered corset top – BBQ-appropriate.

I took this with my phone so it was a bit blurry, but I managed to squeeze my way to the front of the stage!  Pretty cool, huh?  I think it was a perfect ending to our little visit to the hometown of Country Music.

Images:  Adventures of Styles

“NASHVILLE – FOOD”

…finally…all the photos from Nashville are processed!  I can now blog about them.  I took a looooooooooong break from blogging because things have been hectic personally and professionally, but now that I have these cool photos to share, I figured I can sneak in a post or two.

First up – FOOD.  We only got to eat out twice as meals were provided majority of the time we were there, but we took advantage for the 2 times we got to eat out.  First up, the Watermark.  Very contemporary setting and modern food.

We were greeted with an amuse-bouche of little pork belly bite and delicious bread.  My favorite was the Cheddar Cheese scone.  Hmm…yum.

For first course, we ordered a few items to share.  I’ll try my best to recall the dishes, but if they are no longer on the menu, I honestly can’t remember everything that’s in them.

This one here is the Anson Mills stone ground grit soufflé (Bonnie Blue goat cheese, Benton’s bacon butter sauce, shiitake).  I’m not a big fan of goat chees, but this souffle is perfectly cooked.  All fluffy, light, and delicious.

This is the bone marrow with shaved black truffle.

I got the Local Lettuces (ramps, fennel, blood oranges, marcona almonds, toasted cumin vinaigrette) as my starter.

Moving on to the main course…here is my fish…and I don’t remember what it is :-(.  To be honest, it was quite average, and that could be why I can’t recall what type of fish it was.  

This is the crispy trout, which was definitely much better than mine.  

And this is the Barbeque White Shrimp (crispy grit dumplings, celery root, red radish remoulade).  It’s actually an appetizer, but we ordered it as an entree.

E also got a fish.  I know it does not look like fish, but it is.

This is the Black Truffle Risotto.  It was very flavorful but a bit over-salted.

Then came desserts.  The best part!  We got an order of the Pear Crepe, and if I recall correctly, that’s the pear sorbet on top.  Very refreshing.

This is the Tarte Tartin.

And the Chocolate Pot de Creme.  Very rich and creamy.Overall, it was quite a sophisticated meal.  I would recommend it if you’re ever in Nashville and are looking for something more posh than a normal Southern meal, which I do not mind at all.  We were fortunate enough to have time to stop by Puckett’s for a true Southern meal, which was exactly what I was craving.

Our concierge at the Opryland recommended this, and I was not disappointed.  A cute grocery store/restaurant, Puckett’s is located right in Downtown Nashville so it was very convenient to get there if you don’t have a car.  We started off with a good dose of Grey Goose Bloody Mary in a huge mason jar.  Love it!

The server recommended a Fried Sausage appetizer.  A bit of a heart attack on a plate (can you spot the grease?…ick), but it was good nonetheless.

And I don’t know if you can see the Tabasco Peppers in vinegar in the background.  I love that stuff!  I ate half a bottle of peppers in one meal, and fortunately, they sell them so I got a bottle to take home with me.  We then ordered Smoked Pork Chop, Fried Okra, Chicken and Dumplings (my favorite!), Turnip Greens, and Green Beans.  Comfort food at its best.  It was a great meal.  I wish I had room left for desserts, but we were definitely stuffed.

After the meal, we got to browse around the store…

and I found the cutest souvenirs!  Take a look at these…

They are artisan chocolate stone grounded in Nashville, and they came in all these gourmet flavors like Salt and Pepper, Sea Salt, and Cinnamon Chili (which is great for making Mexican Hot Chocolate…can’t wait to try).

Just take a look at the lovely vintage packaging.  What a wonderful gift to take home to all my friends.

Next up – Fun and Fashion from Nashville.

Images:  Adventures of Styles