Style Me Pretty & Destination Weddings!

A few months ago, I had the pleasure to contribute some jewelry to a beautiful wedding photo shoot that was going to take place in my beloved Hawaii.  It got my creative juices flowing in a lot of ways and I loved being able to do some custom pieces for a stylized situation that was elegant and unique.

Anyway, long story short.  That photo shoot was featured on Style Me Pretty's Destination Wedding blog today!  Rebecca Arthurs is an amazing photographer who did a fantastic job capturing the day (also, Hawaii being such a small place, I found out later on that she was the photographer for a friend's wedding!).  Let me put it this way.  If I had to do my wedding over again, I would probably do whatever was necessary to have Rebecca be my photographer and get all these amazing vendors to help me with my wedding.  =)

Check the full post and all the photos at Style Me Pretty!  Or visit Rebecca's blog!

Hope you enjoy it and have a beautiful day!

Some of the things on my wishlist...

A friend on Facebook commented this week that she kept adding to her wishlist as she was shopping for other people.  So these are some of the things I am adding to my list as I am doing my shopping for everyone else.  =)

1) Baking supplies:  I realized as I was trying to do some baking recently that I don't have some essentials.  Things like pastry brushes, a pastry cutter, or even a second cookie sheet (do you know how hard it is to bake cookies with only one cookie sheet?!).  

Pastry Brushes @ Sur La Table

2) New baby bag to accommodate two kiddos:  I was on a coffee date with some moms from church and their little ones and saw this in a shop and kind of loved the bag.

Wistful Weekender by Petunia Pickle Bottoms

3) Cute stuff for the house: I think house decorating must be a live long task because I feel like I am still working on it all.  But you know what, that's ok because I keep finding cute stuff that I want.  =)

For my office by dearmoonbeams via Etsy (if you are still shopping for Christmas gifts too, check out her shop.  Megan is a good friend who makes adorable things!)

Air plants for our bedroom by PetitBeast

What is on your wishlist?  Any other ideas for me or did I help you think about your list?!

Have a beautiful day!

Thanksgiving is done, now for Christmas!

Did anyone else's Thanksgiving seem to fly by?  And now that that holiday is gone, we are racing at breakneck speed towards Christmas!!!

some of the new earrings going up in the shop today!

my Santa Barbara inspired necklace

And to help some of you with your Christmas shopping, Sense and Sensibility Designs is still running our Black Friday - Cyber Monday sale!  You can get 40% off your entire purchase with coupon code "BLACKFRIDAY"!  There are some new items in the store as well as some old favorites.  Check it out and keep an eye out for more deals as we get closer to Christmas!

Have a beautiful day and snag some good deals today!

an early thankfulness post

As my readers will have noticed this year, life has been...crazy, chaotic, congested, colorful (I admit it, I got stuck in alliteration there).  But some of the things that have happened recently have made me realize a few things.  Or rather, one big thing.

I am immensely blessed.

Regardless of what has happened in my life this year, I look at my situation and I can do nothing but praise a very gracious God for all His many blessings.  I have a healthy family, roof over my head, and a new baby on the way.  Oh and by the way, we are expecting #2 kiddo summer of 2013.  =)

Hito figured out how straws work and now wants to drink anything that has one - including dad's milk tea.  =)

How ungrateful am I that these thoughts only come to mind during holiday season?  And these are blessings that I have always had!

So I am going to leave these lyrics here as a little reminder for us to think of these things all year long!

If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep
Counting your blessings.

"Count Your Blessings" by Irving Berlin

Have a beautiful and thankful day!

Wine Wednesday :: Jean-Claude Lapalu 2011 Brouilly Vielles Vignes

Hello everyone!

I am finally getting back to my Wine Wednesday posts.  I'm sorry I have been so absent (if you've been following the blog, you know why) but I am very excited because in my absence, I have been stockpiling pictures and meals from some fantastic wines that I highly recommend you look for at a wine store near you!

What wine is it: 

Jean-Claude Lapalu 2011 Brouilly Vielles Vignes

What I ate with it: 

eggplant steaks grilled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper

How much is it: 

$19.99

Where to shop for it: 

Wine Exchange & Wine Searcher

Alright, folks, I am starting to build up a repertory of wines that have struck me as amazing.  And let me tell you, this is very easily at the top of the list.  Some wines that you drink are difficult to dissect, others are very simplistic and hit you over the head with how fruity they are.  This wine was so beautifully harmonized, balanced, and all together a make-you-wanna-cry type of wine.  

we did decant this wine (which simply means pouring it into another vessel that allows for the wine to come in contact with oxygen) but it did not need it.

this is the rest of our dinner: grilled eggplant & green bell peppers, baby back ribs, Louisiana style sausages, and garlic mashed potatoes

The eggplant with the caramelized balsamic vinegar off the grill complimented the apple cider-y quality of the wine so perfectly that I can only think of one food pairing that I have liked better in a long time.  As the wine sat in the glass longer, floral notes (one friend swears he smelled roses in his glass) became more prevalent.  But the subtle cinnamon spiciness of the wine balanced with deep berry flavors and the light scent of flowers made this wine sound weird in that sentence but taste absolutely phenomenal in the glass.  

Get a bottle and try it.  You will not regret it!

Have a beautiful day!