6.26.2011

Ritzy

Yesterday was a very social day. During the early afternoon, I went to a bridal shower at a Ritz-Carlton. In the evening, I had a raucous time with a group of friends over Korean BBQ. I wanted to wear something that would be classy for the first event, but not risk getting ruined by oil and smoke that night.

So what did I do? I wore an H&M dress to the Ritz-Carlton. Oh yes, I did.

[H&M dress, DKNY heels.]




6.22.2011

Home Entertainment System

I haven't had the time or space to entertain for quite some time. Finally, I found a window of opportunity to just do it. It was so much fun.

I invited the girls over for a clothing swap and brunch. At first I was a bit apprehensive about how I was going to cook all that food and make the place look nice for my esteemed guests, especially because I overslept, but things all turned out quite well. The day before, I went to the Farmers' Market to pick up a few bunches of flowers to make an arrangement. It turns out there was enough for two. Usually the flowers are the center of attention while the greenery serve as a backdrop, but I decided to turn the tables this time. This is the arrangement that graced the dining table (it was later moved to accomodate more hungry guests):





Quite a bit of French Lavender was left, so I stuffed them into a round vase and put that on the coffee table.

The cooking went off without a hitch, but it did take some conscious planning. I started with the chili first because it needed to slow-cook. After the chili-cooking was underway, I primped, snapped a few shots of the flowers, and washed some dishes associated with the chili cookoff. As it got closer to the scheduled start time, I started cooking sausages and applewood smoked bacon. While the meaty stuff cooked, I beat some eggs together and scrambled them. Everything came out piping hot by the time the guests were ready to eat.





My friends brought over corn muffins, croissants, strawberries, a dip for snacking a bit later on, and champagne for mimosas. After we ate, we played dressup. It was really fun! Having a successful event alleviated my anxieties about entertaining in general. I'm already looking forward to hosting another get-together, hopefully sooner rather than later.

6.12.2011

Shining Through June Gloom

Helloooooo my pretties! Sorry I've been gone for far too long. Life in the past year has been crazy to say the least--lots of changes, lots of responsibilities, and not enough time for everything. Now that daylight lasts longer, I'm far less restricted in terms of when I can take pictures.

June Gloom is a very Californian phenomena. One would think that June is a summer month, but oftentimes it doesn't feel like it. The skies would be cold and gray for most of the day, followed by a brief appearance by the sun in the late afternoon. The mood gets depressing, and it's difficult to figure out how to dress for the cold mornings that could transform into hot days at any given moment.

Today was one of those days. It started off rather chilly and gloomy, but sometime after noon, it progressively got warmer. Time to wear the bright red shorts, crazy tights, and light layers up top:

[Forever 21 bow top, Blake ruffled cropped jacket, Gap shorts, House of Holland suspender tights, old Ray Bans, Ciao Bella booties.]





Although most people associate me with electric blue, I have come to discover that red is a pretty flattering color for me. When I saw these red shorts in a Gap ad, I knew that I had to get them. Thanks to a sale plus a couple of coupons, I got to bring them home sooner rather than later. These red shorts go well with a pretty camisole, a t-shirt, a tank top, a sweater...just about everything. The suspender tights simultaneously complement and contrast with the shorts--the colors contrast, but both are mischievously delightful.

Color can cure June Gloom, and so can plants--seeing them grow makes me quite happy. I bought this huge basil plant from Trader Joe's for $3 about a couple of months ago. I feel very fortunate that I live in a place where there is room to help them grow. I also inherited some green onion plants from a relocating friend. Today, I made an effort to rescue a dinky basil plant that had been growing by my bedroom window. Hopefully it'll make it!