February 25, 2013 3 Comments
in the great abyss that is known as Etsy…
ombre plates
linen napkins
silver paper bowl
neon mini planters
vintage rainbow mugs
vintage cake stand
gold ceramic salt and pepper shakers
dipped wooden spoons
vintage seafoam plates
February 14, 2013 6 Comments
Lemon Raspberry Cake with Buttercream Frosting (GF)
Cake:
2 cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
1/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour blend
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
zest of one lemon
about 1 cup raspberries (I thawed frozen ones, then strained out the excess juices)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round springform cake pan and place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom (I traced it first so the paper would properly fit). Sift together both flours then add remaining dry ingredients and lemon zest in a large bowl. Mix together honey, vanilla, and eggs, then add to the dry ingredients, stirring until combined. Lastly, fold in the raspberries until evenly distributed.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Let it cool before attempting to frost!
Buttercream Frosting:
1 cup Spectrum organic vegan shortening
1/4 organic butter
approx. 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp vanilla almond milk
Beat together shortening and butter until fluffy then slowly add sugar, vanilla, and almond milk. If it’s too thick, add a bit more almond milk. Refrigerate any extra in an airtight container for up to a week.
To Decorate Cake:
1 cake stand
parchment paper
1 cake (see recipe above)
buttercream frosting (see recipe above)
large heart shaped cookie cutter
red sparkling sugar (I used this one)
Step 1: Place the cake on the stand, then tuck strips of parchment paper all around the bottom of the cake to help keep it clean while you frost.
Step 2: Drop a large spoonful of frosting in the middle of the cake, then spread it towards the edges. I found it easiest to start with the top, working my way out, then frost the sides. I don’t really think there’s a “right” way to frost a cake- I mean, it’s a cake, not brain surgery. Do whatever looks good and makes sense to you.
Step 3: Put the cookie cutter in the middle, then carefully fill it with sparkling sugar.
Step 4: Remove the cookie cutter and parchment paper… and voilà!
Heart Cake.
February 8, 2013 Leave a comment
Valentine’s Day cards from Banquet Atelier & Workshop
available here
February 1, 2013 5 Comments
My favorite picture from the shoot I did the other week in Malibu…
photo by Jeff Tomcho
January 23, 2013 3 Comments
nails by Whitney Gibson
A few days ago I had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot with the very talented nail artist/stylist Whitney Gibson of Pushy Nails. Although Whitney specializes in intricate nail design, due to the style of our shoot she ended up sticking to one color for the day’s looks: a creamy mint- reminiscent of glow stars before you turn off the lights.
On top of being one of my favorite colors, they also happen to match perfectly with this recent score I found at Forever 21.
gem collar necklace- Forever 21, nail polish- Glowstar by Floss Gloss
I’ll be posting pictures from our shoot soon, but in the meantime you can check out some of Whitney’s work on her Tumblr page and on Instagram @pushypushy.
January 7, 2013 1 Comment
I don’t like resolutions. Too often in the past I’ve made a laundry list of absurd goals around the beginning of the year only to end up totally depressed when I didn’t “juice every morning, go to the gym 5 days a week, start a daily meditation practice…”- you get the point. I think it’s a little unrealistic to try and change a bunch of habits in a day just because it’s the New Year, so for 2013 I decided against “the list” and opted for a mantra and a focus. My mantra is “the year of no fear” and the focus will be work. I want to work harder than ever and challenge myself daily by taking more risks, trying new things, and learning to become excited -not scared- of the unknown.
…oh ya, and I’ll juice when I feel like it!
To start the New Year off on a productive note, here are some pretty picks for the work space:
office supplies available here
gold agenda available here
January 2, 2013 Leave a comment
New Year. New Music.
I stumbled upon Springtime Carnivore back in December and was going to write about them, but then got caught up in holiday chaos and posts about Christmas trees and clothes. It was meant to be because I think a good music post is the perfect way to kick off 2013. To be honest, I don’t know much about this band- who they are, where they’re from… it’s all a mystery. What I do know is that they’re great and I am totally obsessed with their song “Last One To Know”:
(EP available here)
