Cinnamon Break

 

I've been working non-stop these days so over this three day weekend, I decided to stay away from my office and have a day of rest. A restful day for me was cleaning the house and making bread while watching Bridezilla re-runs and then cocktails with my friends later in the evening. I've never made bread before so while contemplating what flavor of bread I was going to make, I found a recipe for cinnamon raisin bread from my Joys of Cooking cookbook and became nostalgic of my memories of eating raisin bread that came out of that red plastic bag with my Mom.

 Finally using my wedding gift mixer for the first time. Big thanks to my in laws!!!

 Waiting for the first rise. I thought I screwed up the yeast blooming and almost threw away the batch when it didn't rise as much as I would of thought. I decided to bake it anyways and it rose a lot in the oven. Phew!

 Almost finished. This was my favorite part. Be sure to get the cinnamon mixture and raisins on the ends. Otherwise it becomes uneven when you roll it up.

 Resting it on it's side.

Delicious. A little dense, but otherwise perfect! I'm already thinking what kind of bread I'm going to make next.

More than words...

I just added these new word necklaces to my site and I am in love with them. You can choose up to three word charms to dangle on a chain. They make the perfect gift for a loved one or a little treat for yourself to add a little inspiration in your life. I think words are so powerful and these necklaces are a fantastic reminder about the great things in life.

Amalfi Coast

2011 has been such a great year! I have been so busy that I haven't been able to post a blog. I took some time off for my annual vacation to the Amalfi Coast to get some R&R and had a fantastic time walking through the picturesque towns and eating amazing food. Got some new inspiration and some natural material that I will hopefully be able to turn into some amazing necklaces. More to come about that later...

Had to pick up a new fedora because the weather was hotter than I thought.

  Alici Marinate (marinated anchovies in olive oil and lemon juice) We ate so much delicious seafood. Grilled king prawns was my favorite dish, but unfortunately I was so eager to eat them, I ate them before I thought to take a picture of them.

Homemade pasta with mixed seafood.

Didn't eat a lot of pastries because I was so full all the time, but we did stop here to get a profiterole.

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...