Did you catch this?

I love this DIY heart garland I saw over on design sponge* last week. It would be so fun not only for valentine's day but for a wedding or engagement party. And if you can't crochet (and who can) you can buy some on etsy.

Cooking Spaghetti Squash gratin

Ever since I saw this recipe for Spaghetti Squash gratin I've been looking for a chance to make it, and it did not disappoint. It does take about 3 hours, but a lot of that time is just waiting for the squash to initially bake and then for the gratin to bake.

The quick and dirty: Roast an entire spaghetti squash (after first making some small incisions)for an hour at 375, then remove the squash and let it cool. While cooling, chop up an entire onion, about 3 cloves of garlic, grate a few ounces of Gruyere, and rip up 2 tablespoons of basil. Once cool, you can remove all the seeds from the squash (and discard) and then scoop out the spaghetti squash. You only need about half the squash, so bag the other half and put it in the freezer for another time. Then start to sautee the onions for a few minutes, slowly adding in the garlic, spaghetti squash and some salt and pepper. Once everything is all nice and soft combine everything you've sauteed with 3 eggs and milk (beaten together) and the Gruyere and basil. Once everything is evenly distributed, pour the whole thing into a greased 3 quart pot and sprinkle shaved Parmesan on top of it all. Then toss it back in the oven for 45 minutes, take it out, and let it cool for 15...and voila!

Okay, so that was not so quick...or so dirty, but I do recommend the dish. I also recommend throwing in a little bacon or sausage (it only has 179 calories a serving, so you can do it and it will still be healthy).

Wednesday = Halfway

So after my first cruise experience, I still don't think I'm a cruise person, but I am definitely a sun and Mexican food person (oh and margaritas, please). While it was a bit windy and even rainy we managed to see the sun and eat some delicious mole and tortilla soup in Cozumel. And I definitely feel recharged for a few more months of winter. This weekend I'm looking forward to finally organizing a few areas of our apartment and starting back up some foreign language tutoring (that is, I'll be tutored). What are you looking forward to?

Parasols

You see them in so many outdoor weddings and they look so cool. But if you're like me, you think "Meh, do I really need this? Probably not." Well, about two weeks before the wedding, I started thinking about how our wedding was in an ENORMOUS park space and all the cute pinwheels and cranes we had labored over making could get lost in the vast, green expanse. I decided that I needed more big, colorful things floating around and parasols fit the bill. So, I ordered twenty parasols from Jadetime.com and bought a shiny red bucket at IKEA to hold them.

Guests milled around with a little sun protection

But let's just take a moment to enjoy a range of cute parasols looks and some other ideas for how to use them...

Color-scheme focused in this wedding on Ruffled

Eclectic and vintage in this wedding on Ruffled. Umbrellas from Bella Umbrella.

Include a small sign to encourage guests to join in, like this wedding on Ruffled

Sometimes, parasols are just plain practical, like in this beach wedding on Snippet & Ink

My Dream Kitchen (for the moment)

I love the antique woods and blown glass lights and they way they contrast against the stainless steel. But mostly I just love how open it is--even to the outside. It seems like the perfect place to host a dinner party...Something tells me that if I want a kitchen like that in DC, I'm going to have to build it myself.

photographer Nathalie Krag via Roseland Greene

Bright and Beautiful

It started when I asked my hairdresser to color my hair "ombre." Actually, I just wanted it to look like this, like grown out highlights. After having had very dark hair for the past 4 years, even a little lightness seemed like a big change. But now I've been wanting to change everything up, including my beauty routine (which is ridiculously minimal). I've all but abandoned using things like toner or multiple forms of moisturizer, but I also stopped really doing much make-up wise besides a red lip here and there. So I've been searching through the new Refinery 29 spring make-up guides and Into the Gloss (my newest favorite blog) for some ideas. I haven't made any new purchases yet, but here's what I like. Playing with a bit more eyeliner by lining the whole eye and experimenting with color or alternatively (because both at once could be deadly) peachy cheeks and lips.
And I may just be stealing these ladies' skin care tricks, because I'm loving the fresh faces they've got here. (all bottom photos via Into the Gloss)

What's your best beauty secret?

Inspired by Matt & Kim

When I lived in LA, I used to be listen to this show Morning Becomes Electic on LA's KCRW radio station while getting ready in the morning. But because of podcasts, I can still find out about new bands despite living in a city with...I'm sorry but the worst selection of radio stations in the country. But I digress, this is how I came across Matt & Kim, a two member band from Brooklyn who you may have heard on some beer commercial if you're not already familar with them. It sounds like your two (much cooler ) friends banging around in the basement, except they create well crafted pop songs that are devastating catchy.

The perfect space to listen to this kind of music is definitely not put together by an interior designer, or even a blogger, it's probably actually a dorm room. It's ammature, but stylish and comfortable. And it's definitely bright and colorful, because even though I'd love to hear them play in a dark club the music is unassailably happy.

And if you're listening to this kind of music, you're definitely wearing something you don't mind getting a little sweaty in so you can contribute to the handclaps and stomping that appear in almost all the songs (man I love me some handclapping). It's young, hip, and modern and doesn't take itself too seriously. Probably a lot of jersey, crazy shoes and sunglasses, and definitely layered.
What music is inspiring you lately?

via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

Wednesday = Halfway

Actually today is sort of my Friday. PB and I are actually going on a cruise with some of our best friends for 5 days. I was extremely skeptical about just sitting on a boat in the past, but it's been so cold and windy this winter, I can't wait to just let the warmth of the sun seep into my bones (with sunscreen on, of course). So, I've been playing around with Tumblr recently, I just like the idea of having a place to post some of my little pictures from throughout the week. Feel free to check it out.

What are you up to this weekend?

edit: originally, I linked this picture to my tumblr, but that didn't work so click here.

Pinwheels, Part 3

What would I do without GB? I love her weekly doses of DiY inspiration! She made the cutest pinwheels for her wedding, and here she offers instructions for pinwheel boutonnieres.

Did I mention that there are A LOT of pinwheel ideas out there? This time, we're going to talk about pinwheel boutonnieres. Since the girls would have pinwheels in their bouquets, it seemed like a wonderful balance to have the guys wearing a pinwheel on their lapel (or suspenders, in our case).

This wedding on Ruffled featured lots of pinwheel ideas, but in my notes its the only one with boutonnieres. And if you're not into making them yourself, this bride sourced from Twirlie Whirlies - yay! Etsy!

I found some neat, old-fashioned looking brass buttons in the discount section of Britex Fabrics, which also supplied the pin backings and an industrial strength glue. You can find my detailed how-to in my Ruffled DIY Contest entry.

Photo credit: Torrey M F

um, yes

Definitely my favorite dress of the night (and a little inspiration to keep the carb eating to a minimum).

Anything but wall-to-wall

We finally got our new couch in (we delayed it a bit until we were sure Grizz wouldn't kill it) and it looks great. But the first thing PB said about it was that it would look better on some great floors. So here's what I'm craving.

1) Hardwood floors: distressed, bleached, chevron, dark finishes, I'll take any of it. And I'd love to have a beach house somewhere with stenciled floors...

2) Tile. I love the look of tile when it's out of the kitchen and bathroom and brought into more formal spaces to give it just a touch of foreign flair.3) Concrete. I love how clean and urban concrete looks. At the same time, it can be very mediterranean looking and can also be stenciled or painted. 4. white floors. Oh so Scandanavian, nice and clean and dramatic.

via 1, 2, 3 (sorry!), 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (sorry!), 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15(sorry!), 16