Expanding my wings

Recently, I wrote an article for Newlyweds-dish.com which is  an online community for newlyweds. Here is the link to the article: Finding your place in a new town

Please, check the above link out and leave me some feedback. I appreciate all your support and love.

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Fireplace Paint Job

The first thing I knew I had to do as soon as we moved into our condo was to change the wall color around our fireplace. The previous owner had painted it a very interesting shade of orange/rust that had sheen in it so it changed colors when the sun would hit it... not exactly my style for wall paint in my living room. 

For now, I am keeping the fireplace simple so that I can add more personality to it later once we have the rest of the living room finished.

Here are the before and after pictures: 

BEFORE

AFTER

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Outfit Rundown

Vintage D&G Sunglasses 

My Handmade Swarovski and Gold Dragonfly Necklace

Gold H&M Chain Necklace

Anne Klein Dual Tone Watch

Vintage Bracelets

Wedding Rings

Forever21 Sweater 

French Chic by L Blazer 

H&M Skinny Jeans

H&M Belt

Bandolino Flats

Kate Spade Handbag

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Three Things

Experimenting with chocolate filled cupcakes!

M cooking yummy V-day dinner for us <3

Breakfast in bed for M. Husbands need some pampering too =)

In my home, there is always something yummy to eat... as you can tell by the pictures above. Three pictures that make me smile. What small things makes you happy from day to day?

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Inspire me

I love vintage inspirations and flea market treasures. This video on Vimeo that features Coco Rocha inspires me even more to go on a hunt for treasures that can be recycled and reused. Especially since I recently moved into a new condo with my husband and am in the process of decorating our place. My one goal is to only bring in the things I truly love and are timeless. Since we are on a  budget the process of decorating is a bit slow, but I don't mind because I would rather get quality things rather than filling up our place in a month with junk I will want to throw out in a year. You get what I mean?! ;-) So, flea markets, yard sales, and thrift stores... here we come!! If I do find something vintage for our place I will definitely share it with you guys.

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Outfit Rundown

H&M Necklace
Anne Klein Dual Tone Watch
Vintage Bracelets
Wedding Rings
Liz Claiborne Leather Handbag
Express Cashmere Sweater
Dotori Jacket
H&M Skinny Jeans

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Keep Calm And Carry On

The story of the recently famous phrase "Keep Calm And Carry On". Enjoy!

Lately, you see this phrase everywhere, on t-shirts, books, bags, cell phone covers.

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Zara Plaited Leather Shopper Bag Review

I first saw this bag on Zara's website last month and after a week or two of indecisiveness I decided to just purchase the Plaited Leather Shopper bag. So, before I start my review on the bag, here are few facts from the Zara website: 

• The bag costs 149 US Dollars.
• The measurements are 12x17x9 Inches. 
• The exterior is 100% Buffalo leather. 
• It comes in Brown, Blue, Black, Cream, and Red colors (depending on what's available).

Now, here are my thoughts about this bag: the delivery process was quick and it came to my home in about a week. It was placed in a big brown Zara box that was covered with a blue plastic bag for shipping.

As soon as I opened the bag I was a little surprised by the size of the bag; which partly was my fault because I didn't consider the measurements on their website properly since I had seen some celebrities carrying this bag in pictures online and it didn't seem that large. I was however pleased with the look of the bag. I liked the handles and the hardware and how sturdy the bag felt. Another plus was the shoulder strap that comes in handy with big bags because you tend to carry a lot of things in them and they get heavy. By the end of the day it would be nice to carry it on your shoulder and not have to carry it on your arm.

As I took it out of the bag and started inspecting, I realized that the bag was not lined and just had a detachable pouch inside of it; which I did not like. I like it when bags are lined so you can clean them if you spill something or if your lipstick comes out of it's tube. In this case, the interior leather would be ruined or a major pain to get the stain out. Another very important thing I didn't like about the bag was the detachable cotton pouch; which came undo and fell inside the bag every time I filled it with just few of my belongings. I'm not sure if I got a faulty bag or if all pouches are designed that way. This leaves me to believe that the only way to use this bag would be to keep my stuff in the bag and not use the cotton pouch. Another thing I didn't like about the bag was the leather. I know it's 100% buffalo leather and from the outside I think it's fine, but from the inside because it's not lined, felt very cheap and plasticy. My husband jokingly calls it the tupperware bag.

Overall, I was disappointed with my purchase and would not recommend this bag... unless of course you like your bag to be extra-large and don't mind the usless pouch situation. For those who travel a lot this could work as a carry on? But for me this was just a waste of money and I'm seriously considering returning it. In case you still want to buy it, please click away. =) 

Thanks for reading and I hope this review was helpful!! xoxo

70% Off at Kate Spade online

Kate Spade is one of my favorite brands and when I received an email from them in regards to their 70% off Sample Sale I was ecstatic. Without wasting any time I ordered one of their fabulous handbags and now am patiently waiting for it to be delivered to my house. Meanwhile, I wanted to share this great offer with all my readers!! Click here to go to the Kate Spade sample sale. Enjoy! 

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Etsy: Orange Dress

It was love at first sight...

Sexy Party Dress

As soon as I saw this dress, I knew I was going to love it. It has all the components that I adore in a winter dress (although it's advertised as a spring dress): full sleeved, sleek fit, hits right below the knees. And for 69 dollars, this handmade beauty is a steal!!! Don't you think so? You can buy this dress here. They also sell it in blue here. Hope you like it as much as I did! =)

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Fruit Salad

Clean and organized home is a happy home... at least for me. Messy places give me anxiety. I spent all evening cleaning and organizing our place and now that everything is clean and put away, I feel like my soul can rest.

To treat myself after all the hard work I decided to make a fruit salad. Yum. Makes you feel so healthy and fresh.

Green Apple, Orange, Kiwi, Grapes, and Apricot = Yummy Goodness.

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Quick Boneless Chicken Fry

For someone who loves chicken, this is the easiest recipe and quickest dinner possible. From start to finish it will take you about 30 minutes; which includes the 15 minutes marinate time.

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Red Chili Powder
Lemon Juice
Green Peppers
Olive Oil

In a large plate that has about two inch raised edges, put desired amount of salt, black pepper, red chili powder and mix the powders together. Spread this all over the plate so that it creates a layer of powder. Now take your chicken and place it on top of the powder so that all the powder is covered with the chicken pieces. You can do this roughly. Now take your lemon juice and sprinkle it all over the chicken. Cover the plate with saran wrap but make sure that it doesn't touch the chicken (which is why you need a plate or flat container that has raised edges). Leave it in the fridge for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take a fraying pan and put some olive oil in it. Warm it for about a minute while you take out the chicken. You should see that the under side of the chicken has gotten a reddish tint to it. Fry the chicken in the oil for about 8 minutes while moving your spatula around so the chicken doesn't stick to the pan. Check to see if the chicken is cooked, if not you can give it another minute of two, but make sure not to over cook it or you will dry out the chicken. You want it to be juicy and tender. Once cooked, serve it with either rice and some mint yogurt chutney. Enjoy!!

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Michael Kors Wallet

My search for the perfect wallet had been going on for about two years now and I am so glad to have found the exact style and look I was going for. Michael Kors Jet Set Continental Wallet has just enough room for your cards, change, and receipts, the softest leather you can imagine and the smoothest zipper I have used so far, with the perfect amount of gold hardware. To protect the leather, the sales woman suggested I get their leather cleaner; which I so obediently did because I want to be able to use this wallet for couple of years with minimum scratches. I think of it as an investment! ;-)

 

While I was in the store, I fell madly in love with this bag here, but thankfully remembered that I just made my student loan payment!! Wouldn't that bag be the perfect year around handbag that could fit almost anything!?!? Maybe some other time... ;-)

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Outfit Rundown

Forever21 Tank Top

Gap Shirt

Forever21 Cardigan

H&M Jacket 

H&M Tights

H&M Knee High Socks

Gap Boots

Calvin Klein Handbag 

Anne Klein Watch 

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xoxo

A bit Disorganized

I have been so busy lately that my handbag had turned into a nightmare! I'm always having a hard time finding things in my bag when I need them and I end up taking everything out to find what I am looking for. This has GOT to stop.

It's time for some organization!!

Now you know what I carry in my handbag...

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Pumpkin Cake

One of my new years resolutions is to cook and bake more and for the past few weeks i've been doing exactly that!! Here is a yummy recipe for a Pumpkin Bundt Cake I found online, but ended up altering few things to my desires: 

Ingredients: 

4 Large Eggs

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 1/2 Cups Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract 

1 Can of Pumpkin Puree (15 ounce) 

3 Cups of All Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder 

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

1/3 tsp Ground Cinnamon 

1/4 tsp Ground Ginger 

1/8 tsp Ground Cloves 

1 Cup of Mini Chocolate Chips

Pre-heat the over to 350 degrees. 

Mix eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl and beat well. Add pumpkin puree and mix again. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Now add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients bowl and mix well. Add chocolate chips. Add the batter into the bundt pan and bake for 55 minutes.  

Once baked, you can dust the cake with powdered sugar or decorate with the Chocolate Glaze recipe below. 

Chocolate Glaze: 

Take 6 Ounces of semisweet chocolate, 57 grams of butter, and 2 tbsp of light corn syrup in a pan. Melt them together and once melted let it cool to a thick syrup consistency. Pour over the cake and let it sit for 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy! 

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xoxo