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. 

Put a fork in me...

Juicy Couture Sweater, Kain Tee, Genetic Jeans, Uggs. Charm Rings

December is always hectic for me so I didn't have any time to do my shopping early. I broke down today and went to the mall today to finish it all up. As a teen, I used to be able to spend hours and hours in a mall scouring Contempo Casuals and Bebe. Now, after stepping into one, I immediately get a headache. The only saving grace for me is Panda Express in the food court. I don't eat fast food that often, but the chow mein always tempts me. The noodles are thin and are perfectly chewy. To reward my long day, I bought a large order and scarfed it down as soon as I got home. (That's a lie, I actually ate half the box in the car on the way home. Not recommeded. It's dangerous and I dropped noodles in between my car seat.)

Cuddle time with my dog Stella.

Meals on Wheels

 

I made one of my favorite Korean dishes last night, Kimbap, which is basically a cooked sushi roll. I have fond memories of sitting at the kitchen table with my Mom, making roll after roll when our church was having a potluck lunch. There are a few different ingredient variations you can play around with depending on what kind of meat you want to use. (Ground beef, steak, crab, fish cakes...)

I decided to use steak which I cut into strips and marinated for a couple of hours in sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic before grilling. Egg omelette cut into strips, julienned sauteed carrots, blanched spinach and sweet pickled daikon radish. (You can get the pickled daikon radish at various asian markets. If you can't find it, pickled Japanese ginger might be a good substitute.

 

Spread the rice on 3/4 of the roasted seaweed and layer the ingredients in a row. Use a bamboo mat to roll up into a sushi roll.

Created a little "Korean" bento box lunch for some lucky friends. Strawberry pocky snacks for dessert.

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts

Now that things are calming down and I'm done with all my sample sales, I decided that it was time for a Christmas party for my staff. We went to the new Trader Vic's downtown at LA Live for a celebration of great food and drinking out of coconuts.

The drinks are soooo good and I requested my caipirinha to be served in a coconut. I loved them so much, I bought two coconuts for everyone to take home!

Wrapping up gifts...this year, my staff are getting a swarovski necklace, three charm rings, and a bottle of wine. The rings look amazing stacked together.