A life in pictures: A day at the Getty

Lately I’ve been thinking more and more that I want to add a more personal element to the blog. Maybe it was reading some of my favorite blogger’s Things I’m Afraid To Tell You and realizing that as much as I love the content I put up on TFW I can do better by posting more original content and sharing more about my life (Don’t worry, I’m not the over-sharing type) So this is where “A Life in Pictures” comes in – captioning images from every day life is the best and most natural way of accomplishing both tasks. An added bonus is that I get to polish up on my photography skills and put that fancy camera to good use. Hope you enjoy and Happy Weekend!

The Getty Center is my favorite place in Los Angeles. The first time I came to the Getty was years before I moved to L.A. or even met my husband. My dad let me tag along on his business trip and he made sure I got to see this magical place – it was his favorite too. Every time I come here I feel like he is watching over me.

My friend Marie of The Maven Post was my companion to see the Herb Ritts exhibit. Highly recommend checking it out if you’re in the L.A. area.

Here I am trying to hide the fact that I was too lazy to blow dry my hair that morning . When air-dried my hair is a hot mess. It’s neither straight or curly but more of a stringy waive. If anyone can recommend a hair product for the mess I just described, please share because I am yet to find one that can tame my hair.

More than anything, what I love about the blogging community is the actual COMMUNITY part. So if any of my fellow bloggers would like to contribute a guest post for “A Life in Pictures” please feel free to shoot me an e-mail. The pictures can be anything, all on one topic or ten different details from the whole week, anything goes. The only requirements are that you take the pictures yourself and that each image has a caption explaining how it relates to your life.

Posted in Art, Favorite things | Tagged a life in pictures, The Getty Center Los Angeles | 4 Comments

Blueberry + Lemon Basil Scones

I’ve been itching to experiment with fresh herbs from my indoor herb garden since the day they sprouted. My little AeroGarden came with three different types of basil: Lemon, Genovese and Globe. Lemon basil with its sweet smell and strong lemony flavor just begs to be used for baking and I’ve been dying to try my hand at scones. I figured that the big, plump blueberries I picked up at the market would perfectly compliment the lemon basil, and since scones are not too sweet both the blueberry and lemon basil flavors would shine.

Here is what I learned from this culinary experiment:

1. rolling dough with a bunch of whole blueberries in it is no easy feat.

2. getting lumpy blueberry dough to stay in a neat little triangle is pretty much impossible.

3. whole blueberries explode in the oven.

The scones ended up tasting great – most didn’t look like the perfect fluffy triangles but I like to think their odd shapes give them character.

3 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup crushed fresh blueberries ( I learned the hard way that they need to be crushed instead of whole)

1 handful of lemon basil, chopped

1 tablespoon heavy cream, for brushing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Add butter and mix with your fingertips to a coarse meal. Add buttermilk and mix just until combined. Add blueberries and lemon basil.

Transfer dough to a floured board and divide into 2 parts. Roll each to 3/4 inch thick rounds. Cut each round into 8 wedges and place slightly separated on a greased baking sheet. Brush the tops with the cream, and bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Recipe adapted from here.

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Blueberry & Lemon Basil scone recipe, scone recipe | 2 Comments

Dream space: L’Wren Scott’s Parisian apartment

Just like her impeccably designed collections, L’Wren Scott’s Paris apartment, shared with her partner Mick Jagger, is a labor of love. She opted to do all the decorating herself instead of hiring a professional. But then again, with her taste and eye for luxury she is probably more qualified for the job than most run of the mill interior decorators. What really strikes me about this home is that it actually looks like a home. So many beautifully designed places look like no one actually lives in them.

The soft color palette and carefully selected Art Deco era antique furniture shows no sign that one half of the apartment’s inhabitants is a bona fide rock star. I guess I half expected to see red vinyl couches and lots of rock & roll photography on the walls. On the contrary, the space is elegant with subtle feminine touches – even the Warhol portrait of a young Mick Jagger seems to fit right in with the pastel walls.

I like to think that if I had the time, resources and an apartment on the Left Bank of Paris it would look a lot like this – Lalique glass bathroom and all.

All images from Vogue.com

Posted in Decor | Tagged L'Wren Scott, L'Wren Scott and Mick Jagger Paris Home | 5 Comments

Shocking de Schiaparelli

I didn’t mention this in yesterday’s post but one can’t have a discussion about the work of Elsa Schiaparelli without mentioning her signature color – Shocking Pink. The playfulness and intensity of the color perfectly embodies her “anything goes” attitude. The bold shade was used for just about everything having to do with the Schiaparelli brand – perfume ads, packaging and of course the clothes. I thought it would be fun to put together a few things to add a little Shocking to everyday life.

1. Kate Spade handbag 2. Topshop wedges 3. Leifshop agate necklace 4. Cottonon tea party set 5. Madeline Weinrid Ikat pillows

Posted in Style | Tagged Elsa Schiaparelli, Schiaparelli pink, shocking pink | 4 Comments

The art & fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli

There has been much anticipation for the Impossible Conversations: Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. With the spectacle that was the Met Costume Gala – the soiree that kicked off the exhibit (great article on how the exhibit came about here), I thought it only made sense to do a post on Elsa Schiaparelli whose work from the 1920′s well into the 1950′s left a huge impression on the world of fashion. With the recent announcement of the relaunch of the House of Schiaparelli by the Tod’s SpA group, the fashion world is buzzing with speculation over who will snag the Creative Director position. The new line’s focus is on accessories and makeup, and I’m very curious to see new life breathed into this iconic brand.

For Schiaparelli, the love is definitely in the details. With much of her inspiration taken from art, specifically the Dada and Surrealist movements, it is no wonder that she considered herself just as much an artist as a fashion designer, which is quite evident in her whimsical and meticulously detailed creations.

I was actually surprised to learn that in the 1950′s Schiaparelli designed a mass-produced jewelry line sold in many department stores and boutiques. Pieces from the collection as well as some couture pieces made between 1930 and 1950 – like the rotary dial compact mirror with a price tag over $50,000 – are available for sale on 1stdibs.com. A few of my favorites…

images via: 1/2/3/4/5

Posted in Art, Style | Tagged Elsa Schiaparelli, Impossible Conversations: Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, Schiaparelli designs, Schiaparelli vintage jewelry | 5 Comments

Mother’s Day 5.13.12

Isn’t my mom beautiful? I have this picture tacked on to my office inspiration board as a constant reminder that she is always there (even if she lives across the country) to comfort, give advise or just listen to me bitch and moan about something totally trivial. Not to mention the fact that she has impeccable taste and clearly ahead of her time with the whole sheer skirt trend considering this picture was taken in the 1970′s.

To all the mothers out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted in Favorite things | Tagged Happy Mother's Day | 3 Comments

Strawberry-Buttermilk Baked Doughnuts

First, a quick house keeping note: I am going to stop calling these recipe posts “Meat-Free Friday” since I only make meat-free recipes anyway and I’m feeling a little restrained with the “Friday” bit – what if I want to do a recipe post on a Wednesday or start the week off with one on a Monday?? Thats right, I’m a rebel like that. Bam!

And now, the actual recipe:

I love doughnuts. Who doesn’t? But I wanted to do a doughnut post for Mother’s Day weekend because one of my fondest childhood memories is my mom stopping by Dunkin’ Donuts after a long day’s work to bring home my favorite treat. That small gesture of love has stayed with me, and to this day every time I go back to NYC, my mom and I make sure to share a D’D donut (for some odd reason there isn’t one in L.A). Here’s a semi-healthy baked doughnut recipe that is almost as good as the delicious, doughy goodies of my childhood. Happy Mother’s Day!

2 cups flour

1 cup cane sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup canola oil

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 tsp. vinegar

3/4 cup finely chopped strawberries, divided

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs, then add to dry ingredients. Stir just until combined, add vinegar, and mix thoroughly. Fold in ½ cup strawberries. Lightly grease a doughnut pan (if your pan has 6 holes, work in 2 batches). Fill molds three-quarters full and bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes.

(The Husband had to restrain me from eating the batter raw)

For the glaze: Whisk together remaining ¼ cup strawberries, powdered sugar, and 1 Tbsp. water, adding more water if necessary. Place doughnuts on a cooling rack set on a sheet tray and spoon glaze on tops. Let dry 5 minutes before serving.

*I like to use 2 tablespoons of milk instead of water for a waterier glaze.

Recipe from Oprah.com, Images by your’s truly.

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Baked doughnut recipe, mothers day recipe | 2 Comments

For Mothers Day, a gift of hope

We are so lucky to have many amazing gift options available to show our moms how much we care about them – flowers, candy, jewelry and fancy dinners to name a few. This mother’s day I wanted to share an alternative gift idea, one that will make a life changing difference for women and their families’ in need in some of the most underserved and dangerous places in the world.

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit, nonpolitical and nonsectarian organization that provides emergency medical help and most importantly, training for health professionals and workers to help bring their communities back to self-reliance. You can read up on what IMC is all about in detail here. I was first introduced to IMC by a good friend of mine who has been involved with the organization for some time now. This week, I had the honor of hearing one of the fearless volunteers who has worked in the field in places we rarely hear about in the news like Somalia, Darfur, Kyrgyzstan, Burundi, and Sierra Leone. He spoke first hand about his experiences and what he saw in these far away places. The picture he paints is not pretty but it is also not hopeless. Thanks to people’s generosity they have been able to provide emergency care to the people who desperately need it. Here are a few facts that will illustrate just how much can be accomplished with relatively little:

What’s different about IMC is that 93 percent of funds goes directly to the fields to offer immediate relief and the resources to start the healing and rebuilding process. In addition, IMC is completely neutral in terms of politics – their goal is to help those in need regardless of the political climate in their area or the state of their government. You can see a map of all the places IMC has been making a difference here.

So this Mother’s Day why not celebrate your mom, aunt, mother-in-law or friend by making a donation in their name to an organization that provides care for mother’s in need all over the world. I highly recommend a visit to the IMC website which provides tons of information about their progress and successes all over the globe.

Happy Mother’s Day.

All images courtesy of International Medical Corps

Posted in Favorite things | Tagged charitable mother's day gift idea, International Medical Corps | 4 Comments

Go {south} West

Ever since I saw the beautiful Isleta linen bedding on the Anthropology website (pictured below) I’ve been intrigued by southwestern and tribal prints. I’m not sure if that’s even the right way to refer to these prints since each one seems to have a different name – can anyone enlighten me on this?

I’m a big fan of the geometric elements in these prints as well as the earthy color palettes.

1. Anthropologie Isleta bedding, unfortunately it doesn’t come in Cal King 2. Anthropologie Jacinto pillow 3. ShopZeroGravity iPhone case 4. Love vs. Design wedding stationery design 5. Love Little Muse sleeping fox wall clock with Navajo inspired tail, would be perfect in our bedroom.

Posted in Decor, Favorite things, Style | Tagged Anthropologe Isleta bedding, southwestern print design, tribal print decor and accessory design | 2 Comments

Fashion Week Australia S/S 2012/13: Part Two

As with any Fashion Week around the world, the real fashion eye candy is outside the shows. Looking through the street style shots from Australian Fashion Week one thing was clear: these ladies are not afraid of color or prints for that matter. Shades of aqua and turquoise were front and center, mixed with prints, color blocked or paired with neutrals.