Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Happy middle of the week!

Salutations everyone!

I am so incredibly thankful we are half way through this work week...yeahhh! If I wasn't working today and instead strolling the streets in Paris, I would most likely be wearing this! Upon one of my many mental breaks today, I stumbled across this dreamy look!

Loving everything about this joyful boho ensemble, the only thing missing is ME wearing it! I would probably add a bright coral lip and blush with a sleek black line on the eyes for an evening look, oh and a leopard clutch to change it up a bit ! Perhaps a turquoise necklace?! For a day look I would most likely do my typical nude lip with gold flat sandals, thin gold hoops and hair up all messy like on the top of my head.

What would you change or add if anything?

Banana Republic.com

I own this gem, it's as fabulous as it looks!
ASOS.com

In the midst of one of my mental escapes I also figured out what I am having for dinner..:) A wedge salad....

So, I went to visit my best friend in Atlanta for a little faux vaca recently and one night we decided to stay in and prepare a delish dinner. One of the items on our menu was a wedge salad and I am now obsessing over them! We used a head of romaine lettuce cut into 3 nice wedge pieces, grape tomatoes ( they are sweet and petite), red onion, reduced fat blue cheese or Gorgonzola, turkey bacon and avocado.

The dressing is simple and light, ingredients are as follows:

Light Dressing:

EVOO
Lemon
Fresh Garlic
Sea salt & pepper
A dash of Bragg's liquid amino's or light soy sauce

Voila, a light and delicious dinner for this scorching yet beautiful summer weather!

Oh, and later on in my evening.....I will have this...a banana baby!

I am not much of a dessert person; however, I think I will partake in one of these bad boys tonight! Light and delish for only 130 Calories..I think so!

P.s- They have both Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolate! Enjoy your guilt free dessert!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

It's Tuesday!

Happy day!

This is the face I woke up to, my precious angel!

I arose this morning thinking about food, big surprise..:)
I have some brussels sprouts in my fridge that need to be put to good use; so I immediately googled light recipes for dinner tonight and here is what I came up with! ( It's 8:30am, is it weird that I am already thinking of dinner?)

P.S- I haven't gone to the grocery store this week and I am going out of town Thursday, so I decided to be economical and use what is presently in my fridge and pantry; brussels sprouts and couscous.

Thyme-Braised Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or “no-chicken” broth
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Whole Wheat Couscous Side Dish with Green Onions and Parmesan
(Makes 4-6 servings; inspired by a recipe for orzo pilaf from Bon Appetit magazine.)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
2 cups chicken stock (I used homemade chicken stock, but you could use canned chicken broth)
4-5 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper to taste

EVOO

1 clove of garlic

1/2 onion

Vino: Chateau Chamirey 2009

I will pair my couscous and brusells with this gem, YUM! My mom bought me this bottle of goodness, so incredibly smooth, love it! Bon Appetit!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Relationships, Life & Love

Swan symbolism: Love, Grace, Union, Purity, Beauty,

Dreams, Balance, Elegance, Partnership,Transformation

I am a huge fan of GOOP, Gwyneth Paltrow's blog. In the BE section there is an excerpt on Co-Commited relationships.
I found this write up to be extremely insightful and hope you do as well!
Enjoy with an open mind.

Co-Committed:
http://goop.com/newsletter/169/en

Philosophy: What does it mean?

1. Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline.

2. Investigation of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods.

3. A system of thought based on or involving such inquiry:

4. The critical analysis of fundamental assumptions or beliefs.

5. The disciplines presented in university curriculums of science and the liberal arts, except medicine, law, and theology.

6. The discipline comprising logic, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology.

7. A set of ideas or beliefs relating to a particular field or activity; an underlying theory.

8. A system of values by which one lives.

I strongly believe philosophy opens your mind and soul on many levels. If everyone were to challenge their thoughts, perhaps the world we live in would be a place of compassion and acceptance.

The pursuit of philosophy involves asking a lot of questions and sometimes asking questions is more important than finding the answers to them. This is the story of my life.

W.T Jones states that "Philosophy is the eternal search for the truth, a search which inevitably fails and yet is never defeated; which continually eludes us, but which always guides us. This free, intellectual life of the mind is the noblest inheritance of the Western World; it is also the hope of the future."... sheer brilliance!

What, as a society, are our real values? What do you think?

Decor & Inspiration

Heaven! Found at Vogue-design-vox.com

What is Interior Design?

Design is everywhere…It touches and affects everyone. Design is human-centered.

Design is the expression of the envelope that surrounds you at work, at home, at play, everywhere. It’s creating an experience, an emotion, or a story of your surroundings; helping life’s functions to be pleasing to the senses while organizing you.

Design is a holistic, creative process approach to solving a problem or need. It requires clear definition of need and a good understanding, derived from research, of the physical/functional needs of the solution and where it must serve. In addition, the artistic design influence of scale, emotion, form, materials and color are embedded in what we call cultural content.

F.Y.I.- While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning. Colors in the red area of the color spectrum are known as warm colors and include red, orange and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Colors on the blue side of the spectrum are known as cool colors and include blue, purple and green. These colors are often described as calm, but can also call to mind feelings of sadness or indifference.

Here are a few color explanations, decorate with caution friends..:)

Found at habituallychic.com

The color psychology of Black.

Black absorbs all light in the color spectrum. It is often used as a symbol of menace or evil, but it is also popular as an indicator of power.

Black is associated with death and mourning in many cultures. It is also associated with unhappiness, sexuality, formality, and sophistication. In ancient Egypt, black represented life and rebirth. It is often used in fashion because of its slimming quality. Black is often associated with elegance. Used in home interiors, it can give a classy look to a wall. Black furniture or accent pieces in a predominantly white room can create a stark, dramatic contrast. For small-roomed houses or apartments however, painting the walls black is not recommended as this will make rooms more smaller and makes them restricting and depressing.

The color psychology of White.

White is also described as cold, bland and sterile. Rooms painted completely white can look spacious but empty and unfriendly. Wearing white means a fresh outlook and new beginnings. White helps reduce any nagging feelings of disappointment or drudge. A predominantly white home interior gives a feeling of space and cleanliness. A few splashes of colors from accents or decors will not make it look bland and too sterile.

White represents purity or innocence. It is bright and can create a sense of space or add highlights.

Found at nestinstinct.com

The color psychology of Blue.

Blue calls to mind feelings of calmness or serenity. It is often described as peaceful, tranquil, secure and orderly. It can also create feelings of sadness or aloofness.

Blue is often used to decorate offices because research has shown that people are more productive in blue. It can also lower the pulse rate and body temperature. Blue has a soothing quality about it that makes people feel relaxed and comfortable.

The color psychology of Pink.

Pink is essentially a light red and is usually associated with love and romance. It is thought to have a calming effect.

While pink's calming effect has been demonstrated, researchers of color psychology have found that this effect only occurs during the initial exposure to the color. More than feeling feminine, wearing pink conveys compassion and an open heart. When people are wearing pink, whether they are male or female, they appear approachable and capable of loving others.

Lighter shades of pink generally evokes a feeling of calmness. Stronger shades used on a wall will create stronger intensities of excitement.

Found at http://www.southboundbride.com/

Found at Decorpad.com

Fashion & Accessories

Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” ~Coco Chanel

"Fashion is so close in revealing a person’s inner feelings and everybody seems to hate to lay claim to vanity so people tend to push it away. It’s really too close to the quick of the soul."

— Stella Blum

Leather short obsession! Currently dreaming of leather shorts paired with a tailored blazer or a boho blouse, melt my little heart!

In sum, Olovia Polermo just gets it!