Happiness...

Now that the holidays are slowing down, that means I get to finally slow down and the rain that is pouring down couldn't be more perfect for relaxing at home. Found some perfect pink peonies at the market yesterday which put a smile on my tired face.

Sparkly new necklaces I just made that are ready to sell on the site. I love these because of the little bling they will bring to your outfit. I can't wait to wear one myself...

Lentil soup and truffle cheese. On a rainy day, nothing makes me happier then settling in at the end of the day and eating a bowl of soup on the couch with a great movie on the tube.

Hand Ornaments

I made some hand ornaments exclusively for one of my favorite stores, Planet Blue, and they turned out so well, that I wanted to make one for my customers. I wore mine out the other day and it was a huge hit! It's a unique accessory that people don't expect. Everyone wanted to see it closely to figure out what I was wearing. Love it with some simple jeans and a tee and with a cute dress.

One of the styles available at Planet Blue.

Beach Wedding

Sorry it has taken me two months to blog, but I just got married three weeks ago, so I've been a busy girl. It was a small beach wedding in Malibu with our family and close friends. I've always wanted to get married in the sand and was fortunate to do so. It was a perfect wedding especially because the sun came out just as the ceremony was about to start.

My wedding necklace that I created for myself. Being a jewelry designer, I wanted to wear a statement piece.

I made every girl guest a personalized charm bracelet with their initials and charms that reflect their personalities.

Garden Gifts

My friend Tara gave me a bunch of goodies from her garden and I instantly knew that I wanted to make this zucchini pasta recipe that I stumbled on awhile ago. As I was making it, I was surprised to see that there are no garlic and onions in it and was tempted to add some, but I decided to keep to the recipe and was pleasantly surprised that I didn't miss those flavors.

Sauteing the zucchini. It seemed like a lot of zucchini, but it cooks down into a third of the size.

I added a little more parmesan cheese as I ate it. It was so good. It's a super light and refreshing pasta dish with a ton of flavor thanks to the mint and lemon zest.  Also, it tastes great both hot or cold.

What I'm wearing now...

I've been obsessed with this necklace combination lately. I layer a couple of gold chains with this black flower necklace. It's a great pop to jeans and tee outfit thanks to the black pendant. It is gorgeous up close because it has great texture to it. Also, I am loving these Nation LTD shirts. I bought a bunch of the burnout tees and they are so comfortable that I've been living in them for the past week.

Add a little color...

I've been a busy girl these days planning a wedding, but I wanted to blog about these new leather bracelets that I've been wearing non-stop. I love how they add a little color accent to jeans and a tee. The more bracelets the merrier!

I love the anchors!

Jen vs The Volcano

I have been a very busy girl, thus not blogging for a month, but being trapped in Spain due to the volcanic ash cloud didn't help things either. After spending eight blissful days in Barcelona and Seville, our flight was cancelled and we were rescheduled for six more days. My guy and I tried to look at the bright side (being stuck on vacation seems like fun) but I was desperate to come home to my dog and my job. We were able to get last minute seats the next day due to a LOT of luck and good timing and  made it home without missing a beat. Thanks to all my customers for waiting patiently for their packages. I don't plan on taking a vacation for a VERY long time!

I thought these little mujers were so cute in the window

Seville from a tower in the Cathedral. I climbed up 35 ramps to get there. My calves were so sore the next day!

One of my favorite tapas dishes from Inopia in Barcelona. It looks like ordinary pineapple but it is covered with cane molasses and lime zest and was KILLER! We loved this restaurant so much we ate there three times. I think the waiters thought we were crazy!

Ham legs everywhere. So delicious and fun to watch them carve plates of paper thin pieces by hand. We ate so much that my guy over dosed on ham and cheese. ;)

Life is a beach...

 

Sometimes I have to remind myself how fortunate I am to live in California, where the skies are blue for most of the year. I love to visit the beach off season because I don't have to worry about dodging frisbees and paddle balls nailing me in the head. Walking on the beach is my meditation. I'm not a sun worshiper, but one of my favorite sounds are of the waves foaming in and out on the shore. I dressed up my casual outfit with a little sparkle from this necklace that I make out of vintage shoe buckles. All are special and one of a kind.

 

Planet Blue

 

Planet Blue is one of my favorite stores in Southern CA because of the diversity of the labels they carry and because of popular demand, they reordered more body jewelry that I designed just for them. I love the way they styled the pieces with interesting tees.  Go to their site and check them out!

   

  

All pictures from Planet Blue.

Adding some sparkle...

I love earrings because they add so much to an outfit. These are some of my favorite earrings because they are such a statement. They are super simple so they can be worn with any outfit, dressy or casual. I have them now in two sizes. I started with the large crystals and now am offering them in a smaller size and soon, different colors. Amazing. They will become your new favorites...

 

Smaller size.

Getty

Crispin & Basillo Jumper, Twelfth Street Shoes, Gustto Bag, Oval Link Necklace

Last weekend, one of my friends visiting me from New York and as an architect major, she wanted to go and sketch at the Getty. I haven't been for a while and it was such a beautiful day, we all made a trip out of it. It's the perfect place to relax outside and sip an ice tea. They also had a great temporary exhibit of Rembrant's sketches and his pupils.

Tammy sketching...

One of the best parts of the Getty are the views. Also created a new necklace that I just had to wear. Look out for it on the site.  It's super delicate and adds a little pop of color to an outfit.

...another shot of Tammy still sketching... I don't think she moved positions for an hour...

Fresh Pasta

I love and can eat a LOT of pasta. I appreciate fresh pasta and after seeing a segment on The Martha Stewart Show it didn't look too hard, so I decided to tackle it. You can do it in a mixer, but I decided to try it the hard way, kneading the dough by hand. I would have to say that it was really easy and the results were delicious and worth it.

Rolling and cutting out the dough. This was really tedious because I don't have a pasta roller so I had to use my rolling pin. My palms got all red trying to get the dough paper thin. They say you should be able to see through the pasta after rolling it out. I'm definitely investing in a pasta machine.

One of my favorite pasta dishes inspired from Terroni. I make homemade turkey sausage with some fennel, sage, and a ton of garlic, dandelion greens and cherry tomatoes. The noodles take a minute to cook and were chewy and perfect.

Made to Order

Vintage Blouse, William Rast Jeans, James Perse Tank Top, Vintage Etienne Aigner Boots, Multi Strand Necklace

I get a lot of requests for special orders and I'm always happy to oblige. One of my customers requested a medium length, plain, multi-strand necklace. This is a piece that has always been on one of my to do lists and I was so happy with the results, I am going to add it to the site soon. I love how it looks with a simple jeans and tee outfit. Put some color into it with this polka dotted blouse I wear backwards that I found at a thrift shop.

 

Scored these boots at the Melrose flea market for $40.