Like this...

And I'm off to Argentina--See you in 2 weeks!

Vacation!!...

Finally, only a week away and I'll be in Argentina!! I am so ready for a vacation- Today I was walking around at lunch, I saw some police officers on horseback...I started crying!! I was crying because I was so happy and can't imagine that I might be riding horses while taking in the beautiful scenes of the Andes!! Not to rub it in or anything, I'm just so fortunate to have this opportunity! I have been cramming in as much as I can to prepare for the trip- travel guides, brushing up on spanish( ehh, not so much!)...Guess we will be going with the flow, but we have decided to visit beaches in Uruguay, Buenos Aires and Mendoza, Argentina...And whatever else comes our way!!

Birthday Tulips!!...

A few pictures of my birthday tulips- thanks Susan, Michael, Dali and Beans! These tulips were so gorgeous and smelled like honey-- I never knew tulips smelt so good!!

A little tango please...

Sooooo......Ahhhhhhhh!!! I'm finally going to Argentina BABY!! I bought a ticket (Happy Birthday to me!) on a bit of a whim last week and just gonna do it and hope all works out! I have dreamed of this moment for a few years now and I can't even believe it is happening! I'm meeting one of my best friends and we are gonna explore Buenos Aires and possibly venture over to Uruguay, our plans are up in the air right now. I can't wait to walk the streets and hear guitars, accordions, sounds of tango dancers and Carlos Gardel!! If anyone has some travel suggestions please send my way!

Happy 2010!!

I had a great time over the holidays visiting family in Alabama, Florida and an awesome NYE in Savannah, GA.!! 2010 feels great so far- lots of new changes I'm super excited about! I'm really loving Atlanta right now. Chilly weather, new neighborhood, new places to explore and I'm feeling really inspired! Happy New Year everyone!

Summer thoughts on a cold winter day...

Well, hello again!...I found some pictures I took this summer in Orlando,FL. During the Disney World trip, my dad surprised us with an airboat tour! Totally a great time, wonderful breeze and warm sun while flying over still black water... I noticed how perfect and mirror like the water was. Luckily we went on a beautiful sunny day with lots of fluffy clouds. I took some pictures of the sky and trees reflecting from the water- I flipped some of the pics around and I love the eery look they created, almost alien/outer space like.

Michael and Susan's wedding...

What a wonderful wedding! My sister and I might need to go into the wedding business after all the fun we had working on her wedding. She did everything, with a little help from me... ;) ! We really realized some hidden talents!

1. Bridesmaids... Susan picked out the colors for her wedding Royal/Aqua Blue and Magenta

2. Flowers... We picked up tropical flowers from the Dekalb Farmer's Market and made our own bouquets and arrangements throughout the reception area.

3. Programs... Designed and printed wedding programs, attached to wicker fans so guest could cool off in the heat

4. Bridesmaids necklaces... bought supplies at a local bead show and made a small keepsake to wear during the wedding

5. The Bride in a beautiful Spanish lace gown

6. The Cake...yummy... I think my Dad did the decorating- Great Job!!

7. Reception... Tables were decorated with bright magenta orchids, submerged in water and topped with floating candles

8. The Groom and Groomsmen sported bright blue ties

9. Groomsmen corsage... Susan made these with seastars, sanddollars and ribbon

Photos: Norman Photography

Bargins...

Wanted to share some recent thrifting finds! I found a great felt hat, awesome brass belts ( check out the little bow- my fav!), black leather skirt, red high waist shorts, and some acid wash high waisted jeans ( perfect for cut-off shorts!) I'm lovin the acid wash these days!!?!!

Heading to Disney...

I'm heading to Disney World this weekend!! Whoop Whoop- I'm excited, I haven't been since I was four!? It will be an action packed weekend- first heading to my dad's company party where we get chased by older men and sip on Hennesy and Courvoisier in hottubs...yes, I'm serious... After that a wholesome stop at Epcot! Ah, memories... ;)




Here is my dream outfit for Disney... I would love to have this Gold Star Crown! How precious, I think I'll have to make one when I get home- Style o Sight

Next, a classic Mickey Mouse tee paired with some striped cutoff shorts (I think I had these in 4th grade) Turnedout

Finally, ahhh, my love, Jeffery Campbell blue satin ribbon shoes! Aren't these great- they kinda give me a Cinderella feel.

All this outfit is missing is a magic wand!

Georgia Campin...

Loving some Beach Boys lately... Country Air

Wow! Who knew camping in Georgia, in JULY could actually workout! Well I thought I was in Tennessee the whole weekend, heh...We had Amazing weather this past weekend, nice and breezy and even a little chilly- here are a few pics from Pigeon Mountain, Rocktown, a Woodland Glowstick Rave and some Camels near Dalton, GA!

Going Coconuts Again!!

I found two great Coconut Flour recipes this weekend- Coconut Almond Cookies and Coconut Carrot Muffins! Yummy! Well this is my second attempt with the cookies, they tend to come out a bit dry so I've altered the recipe a bit and added a bit of almond milk and dark chocolate bits. The muffins on the other hand are so freakin GOOD! I found this original recipe on Elana's Pantry, a gluten free blog, she has a ton of great recipes, I did alter the recipe a teeny bit, I didn't have butter, the syrup or currants but mine turned out just great! Any one know any good egg substitutes? Here are the recipes:

Gluten Free Carrot Mini Muffins
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
5 stevia packets
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
3 eggs
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ almond milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup carrots, grated
¼ cup raisons

In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking soda,
stevia and cinnamon
In a large bowl, blend together eggs, oil, almond milk and vanilla
Blend dry ingredients into wet, then fold in carrots and raisons
Grease a mini muffin tin with oil and then dust with coconut flour
Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of batter into each greased mini muffin cup
Bake at 350° for 18 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen mini muffins
Cool and serve


Coconut Almond Cookies
½ sifted coconut flour
½ cup chopped almonds, lightly toasted
5 stevia packets
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup coconut oil
¼ cup almond milk
4 eggs
¾ teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups grated or flaked coconut
2 tablespoons dark chocolate bits

Preheat oven to 175C (350F). Put almonds in an oven safe pan and bake for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Mix together coconut oil, stevia, salt, eggs, almond milk and almond extract. Stir in flour, coconut, chocolate and toasted almonds. Let batter rest for 4 to 5 minutes to allow it to thicken slightly. Drop batter in spoon-size mounds 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 190 Degree C (375F) for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Woodsy dreams ...

Ahhh...really craving a woodland adventure and photo op! Hopefully a hot summer camping trip will lend some opportunity. Anyone know of some cool Georgia campsites near Acworth??







On another note...I'm feeling more like myself again and I'm getting overwhelmed with some new ideas for projects! If I could only manage these brain waves and my time better! I'm REALLY excited though! More on that later...

Catching my eye...

Here is a collection of web findings that have inspired me this week... I'm really loving dry, sun kissed desert imagery and the pattern and colors of Tsumori Chisato. Also, I've been a bit obsessed with the Beatles love songs and Black Moth Super Rainbow lately-- I've got a broken heart and some newly opened eyes, turning some dusty pages over and hoping to find a new direction for my life- A bad experience, something right out of a movie, this happened for a reason, all I can do is laugh at the ridiculousness...

Remember this...

I can't explain it but I saw something here I need to remember...



richard misrach Untitled #517-02, 2002

Great idea...

This caught my eye today over at Red Jet Whistle- What a great idea!! I always run into tacky framed posters/paintings at the thrift store and this would be a great way to turn them into something cool and actually pleasing to the eye! I'm thinking of trying this in some neon hues, possibly pink or chartreuse- now I just need to find the perfect picture- I would love to find a tacky dream catcher or Indian themed print and splash it with a burst of electric paint!

Lovin Miami...

Just returned from an Excellent trip to Miami, and shall I say again... I FREAKIN loved it!! I loved the salsa sounds from every corner, the coconuts in the trees, the ocean breeze, the vibrant flowers, the spicy flavors, and of course the ART DECO!! Loved it...even though we happened to plan our trip during Urban Beach Week- I still loved it, and happened to witness some extra flavor and a few apple bottoms on screaming motorcycles down Ocean Dr.--Here are my favorite shots from wandering about...

Yes please! Green swimming pool...

Wooah! I stumbled upon these over at Inhabitat today... Just for a mental note, I need one of these one day!! Even just a tiny one will do. :) Apparently you can even change an existing pool into a green pool by adding the filtering rocks and plants to the sides! How cool!! Yes, must remember this...

Congrats Susan and Michael!!

My sister is definitely the star of my blog these days with all of the wedding preparations. It has been a blast and I can't believe the wedding is in 39 days! I've really enjoyed posting about it and hope I can continue to post more projects and pics while we all get ready for the big day! I was lucky enough to design a wedding logo for the couple that will be used on everything from invites, thank you cards, party favors and much more...Also, this past weekend I took some engagement shots and had a blast! I'm glad I got to work with such a fun couple on my first engagement shoot ever- Poor Michael had an allergic reaction to the grass but was a trouper the whole day! I have so many favorites, here are just a few!!

Yummies...

I'm totally coconuts for coconuts right now!! I've been researching natural healing techniques for over a year now and have recently discovered the power of coconuts! It's a magical fruit and has so many health benefits for skin, digestion, energy, and balancing your mood. I've been cooking alot with coconut oil and continue to discover new products to use everyday. Sorry, this is starting to sound like an ad but trust me it comes from the heart. :) Anyways, I've yet to post many findings on food and I love to cook so maybe every now and then I'll share a recipe.

Today I combined some recipes I found in a book on Cooking with Coconuts and Stevia... I've altered my diet a bunch in the past year and I'm ultimately leaning toward the Vegan side of things...I'm taking my time...I've stopped eating dairy, except for every once in a while- holidays kill me...Now I'm slowly limiting any meat in my diet and any overly processed products...I'm sure I'll still have a little of each again in the future- I love food and trying new resturants so I can't imagine religiously sticking to any particularly strict diet...soooo- enough ramblin, the recipe today was so simple and delicious!!



Quinoa Cake with Rhubarb and Coconut Spread

This was so easy and can be made with any fruit you like and Quinoa or Couscous.

First, I added a cup of Quinoa to a boiling pot of 2cups water, dash of salt, teaspoon Stevia powder tablespoon lemon juice.
After the Quinoa is cooked, place in at the bottom of a dish and sit aside.

And now for the Fruit Spread...
You can use any fruits you like, I chose:

1 cup chopped Rhubarb
1/2 cup Raisons
1/2 cup Raspberries
1/2 cup Coconut milk
Dash of Cinnamon
3 to 4 packets Stevia Powder

Saute ingredients in a tablespoon of coconut oil for about 7 min...
Add Fruit Spread to the set Quinoa, top with Coconut flakes and chill for about an hour...Enjoy!!

Damn I Love Chartreuse!!!

I love it! I love it!!! Aren't these gorgeous!? I picked them up at the Dekalb Farmers Market last weekend, bright chartreuse mums and some Bird of Paradise! I love these colors together. I was actually doing a test for my sister- FYI, the Bird of Paradise lasted about three days, I took these pics about five days after I opened the petals...