I Love My Keurig!

My boyfriend, who loves all things electronic and gadgety, has been pining away for a Keurig coffee machine, which brews single cups of coffee and tea. At $250, I thought this purchase may be slightly unnecessary. Plus, I am a big coffee drinker (2-5 cups depending on my day), so I was a little skeptical about this contraption. I like having a big pot of coffee ready in the morning...

But one Sunday afternoon, we found ourselves at Bed, Bath, & Beyond armed with 20% off coupons and decided to buy one! And I must admit, I absolutely love this thing!

It's so easy to use. Looks great in the kitchen. And the little "k-cup"choices are endless (and adorable)! Regular, decaf, chai latte, organic dark brew, apple cider, hazelnut coffee, Wolfgang Puck coffee.. it's really so much fun.

Just thought I'd share... we love our Keurig machine and have been sipping happily ever after!

{the stainless steel Breville model that we got}

My Prayers Have Been Answered!

So I've been on the hunt for a good dealer.

Girl Scout Cookies that is...

Searching high and low for 9 year olds to slang me some Thin Mints! It seemed that everywhere I turned, someone was eating or ordering girl scout cookies! Friends, acquaintances, Facebook statuses! Even my boyfriend said "oh ya my boss' niece came into the office selling them the other day" to which I replied (screamed) "AND DID YOU ORDER SOME!!!!!?", "Oh. no. sorry babe.. I missed it, I was on a conference call". Ughhhh!!! (useless!!! anger face/disappointment/fatty).

I even heard a rumor that some girl scouts were going to be at the Whole Foods in the Pacific Palisades on Sunday... I was even willing to drive there to find out. Until...

I received a glorious email from my sister.

Subject: Alexis your prayers have been answered.

Email: fwd: Girls Scouts will be in the building lobby today from 2-4.

YESSS!!!!! Amazing! Finally!!! Now I have to meet up with my sis to get them. I know they'll be worth it!

Do you have a favorite Girl Scout cookie?

HeArt 2 Haiti

Last Saturday night, my friend Lisa invited me out to an event called HeArt 2 Haiti, an art opening at Gallery KM in Santa Monica. The party was to bennefit the orphans of Haiti by raising money via party tickets and art sales to buy food and art supplies (my two areas of expertise! hehe) for the children devasted by the natural disaster.

I bought a collage made by a young Haitian orphan. How could I not. For one, the piece is fabulous - could be worth millions one day, and two I had just spent a butt-load of money at my art supplies store without batting an eyelash (well, actually I did bat my eyelashes at the awkward teenage clerk to receive a 10% student discount - technically not a student anymore. I mean I am a student of life...but no longer have a collegiate email address). Anyway, I digress!

The hor d'oeuvres served at the gallery were from The Bazaar of The SLS Hotel (great restaurant by the way). My favorite was cherry tomatoes on watermelon with fresh basil and vinaigrette. Who would have thought that watermelon + tomato salad would be a great combination! Delish!

I was stalking the servers with their hor d'oeuvres trays like a lion on a mouse, following them around and constantly switching spots in the gallery to be sure to get new waiters (imagine Pacman eating the dots, that was me snaking in and out of the crowd to get to the food).

The evening was so much fun and tomorrow I will be stopping by the gallery to pick up my new mitzvah masterpiece. I can't wait! I think I will hang it in my studio for inspiration and as a reminder to be grateful for what I have.

Donut Seeds

hehe! this is thoooo cute!!!

(found the image on Pinterest)

Valentine's Treats

With no rhyme or reason, other than 'it's cute' and 'it's for Valentine's Day' check that these lovely items that I think are great:

Stila 'Make Me Blush' pink powder blush complete with conversation hearts, $14 at Stila

Red stretch headband with Swarovski crystal bow, $48 at LoveBerman

Sniff Tissues, $1.80 at Forever21

Lanvin 'Mini-Pop' bag in hot pink leather, $1,150 at Net-A-Porter

Heart-Shaped Measuring Cups (i die.), $10.95 from Paper Source

You guys! I LOVE LOVE!!!

Sweet As A Peach

Louis Vuitton Resort 2011 collection. = soul mate.

Silk scarf! Peaches! White leather trim bag! Honey blonde highlights! Monogram luggage.. The sunglasses!!! I can't contain myself!

To make this girly dream complete, add some Stila + Jo Malone perfume and we're all set.

Happiness.... like a warm summer day.

Still Convertible cheek+lip color, $25 at Stila

Jo Malone Nectarine Blosson & Honey, $100 for 100mL

Sweet Girl Gifts

Aside from the religious and spiritual meaning of the holidays (duh), there are so many little things that I love about this time of year. Twinkle lights, holiday music (playing on SiriusXM Love channel - so good!), a lit fireplace, and presents to name a few!!!

While I received these fabulous items (below) as housewarming gifts, I thought I would share with you some of my favorites, just in case you're in search of the perfect last minute stocking stuffer.

Voluspa crisp champagne double wick candle and 'Shine Eternally' matchbook (from my dear friend Brooke, now in our guest bathroom)

William-Sonoma Ginger Spice Cookies (from my friend Kat).

These are amazing!!! They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and come in cute little shapes like boots and Christmas trees. They're so thin it's like the calories don't really count, right?!

Henri Bendel peony scented travel candle (thanks Abbie!). I am a candle connoisseur and this candle is my new favorite. The fragance is heavenly and there is something about candlelight that is so relaxing and peaceful (especially in this rainy winter weather). I can't wait to try the other fragrances like Fig, Gardenia, Vanilla Bean, and Lavender Leaves.

Taschen Living In Morocco coffee table book.

My friend Tiffany knew how much my summer trip to Morocco had inspired me, and this book is filled with the most gorgeous imagery of Mediterranean interiors.

Below, Martha Stewart's Chunky Knit Throw (in Ivory from my friend Sara). The most scrumptious of blankets.

Also one of my favorites is Keiki Co.'s luxury throws. I have two. My mom has six. They're addictive.

And last but not least, from my seesther (sister) A POPCORN MAKER!!! Popcorn is my favorite snack and therefore sentimental to me. This gift was the best!!!

The Tread-Meal

My boyfriend and sister have long marveled at my pronounciation of the word 'treadmill' which they claim I say as 'treadmeal'. I'm sure Freud could decipher that in his sleep. Well now, there's a whole new meaning to the Tread-Meal.

My new favorite thing:

working out while watching cooking shows (is that weird?!!)

My favorite ladies of the FoodNetwork: Giada de Laurentis, Paula Deen, respectively my numbers 1 and 2, and Ina Garten and Rachel Ray tie for 3rd place. Giada at Home and Every Day Italian are Giada's shows - she's the best. Her kitchen is clean and pretty and she's just my favorite (pictured below).

If you don't know who Paula Deen is, she's also the best. She's essentially the fairy godmother of butter - she's hilar. And I love her pudgy fingers with all her diamond rings.

Ladies, lemme tell you cooking shows is where it's at! With so much trash/gossip on TV, I find cooking shows very relaxing and pleasant to watch. And if you can break out a sweat in the process, hey I'm all about it!

{Paula Deen. So sassy.}

Oh How I've Missed You

Hi everyone!

I'm back!!! By now you may have given up all hope that I would return to Once Upon A Shine blog, since I haven't written in AGES!!! I know. I've been bad. Truth is I have been so busy this holiday season! Between the holiday trunk shows where I sell my hair accessories, painting and keeping up with art clients and appointments, and getting our new house in order - I've been a hot mess! But believe me, I've missed my Bloggy McBloggerstein.

Here is a highlight from the past few weeks (more highlights to come):

I've been making some killer art, and thus have been covered in oil paint most days (manicures are a distant memory and I stay away from our brand new white Pottery Barn sofa as I am afraid that I will unknowingly have paint on my butt and then sit down).

One evening I had just come inside from the studio to make dinner. My boyfriend would be coming home soon from work. I washed my hands and arms really well and went at it in the kitchen. I was making barbecue salmon and stuffed baked potatoes with broccoli and cheddar cheese. The kitchen smelled really good! He comes home and starts laughing almost immediately upon seeing me. 'What!!' I say, suddenly feeling insecure, wondering if he is making fun of my potatoes. He continues to laugh - snot almost coming out of his nose he is laughing so hard. I am standing over the stove checking on my dinner creation and frustrated now that he's laughing at me and teasing me. Finally he says 'Babe. You have paint ALL OVER your face'. Oh. I think. I go to the mirror and upon seeing myself I chuckle-smile-laugh. There is paint all over my face. And smeared in all over my face. And not a sexy color like red.. or a deep violet. It's BROWN. Poo brown. Smeared ALL OVER my face. In my eyebrows. On my chin and lip. Forehead. A big chunk on my cheek. If you didn't see my Lululemon leggings and David Yurman studs, you'd think I was homeless.

{David Yurman ads, just for fun}

So then, I had to chase him around the house with my face trying to give him a kiss/get the brown doody paint on him. Hee Hee. Long story short, I washed my face and we had din din.

A Birthday BF

Today is my boyfriend's birthday! Happy birthday baby!

And tonight we're going to Red O for dinner. I keep hearing great things about the Melrose Avenue restaurant so I'm very excited to try it out! Mexican is my bf's favorite and this restaurant is fantzy-schmantzy Mexican fusion by chef Rick Bayless. A celeb-packed spot famous for their margaritas and small bites (pictured below).

I was trying to surprise him but the hostess called our house line to confirm the reservation and he picked up the phone..

I'll let you know how it is!

And just for fun... a picture of my gorgeous man..

Cooking For Two

Now that I've unpacked, and the house is more or less in order, I have been thoroughly enjoying my new big kitchen, and have been cooking fresh meals from scratch a few nights a week for me and my boyfriend!

Some meals I just whip up myself, like an arugula salad with sliced green apples, walnuts, and gorgonzola. For the main course: a white fish cooked with tomatoes, black olives, and capers seasoned with salt and pepper and served with toasty French bread. It actually turned out really delish! Well.. I almost started a small fire because I burnt the bread to a black brick on round 1 (I'm still getting acclimated to the oven), round 2 bread was much better..

Other times I watch Food Network shows so intently it were as if I were studying for the Series7 Exam (which my sis is currently studying for). I love Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals and Giada At Home.

Last week I tried this recipe for Carrot Ginger Soup.

I was recovering from dental surgery plus it was cold and rainy, so this was the perfect winter concoction. I was really nervous to cook a soup from scratch but it turned out delicious (and healthy!) and was really simple. In short put the veggies in the blender on 'chop', put the veggies in a big pot with chicken stock to a boil, then when the veggies are soft and cooked, it goes back in the blender this time on 'puree'. Add some cream and stir. And instead of using fresh ginger, I used ginger spice instead which gave it a kick.

Tonight I am going to make Spring Green Risotto. Keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out okay!