Lantern Love

I am a sucker for lanterns. I have a few but I always want more! I need a bigger apartment to support my obsession. More square footage would equal more lanterns.

Photos courtesy of: Google

Emmy's Beauties

This year at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Claire Danes was radiant. Seriously, gorgeous is an understatement! I'm usually not a fan of boyfriend stealers - especially when the couple being broken up are seven months pregnant - but I'll forget her indiscretions for a night and just enjoy her amazing dress.

The Glee girls were my other favs. Not only can these ladies sing, they can also get glammed up!

Claire Danes in Armani Privé

Lea Michele in Oscar de la Renta

Diana Agron in Carolina Herrera

Photos courtesy of: People.com

Make Yourself at Home

I have been in my apartment for a little over a year now. It's my first apartment and I did it big. I moved to Los Angeles (from a suburb less than an hour east of LA) by myself. I moved out of my parents' house and had to buy everything except bedroom furniture. In the beginning I only bought the essentials - a fridge, microwave, TV stand, and other miscellaneous things like cookware, a vacuum, and bathroom supplies that add up quickly. My parents gave me their old couches and I went without a dining table...even though I have a dining room.

Because rent isn't cheap in the city, I put off buying anything for the apartment in case I moved out with a roommate. While I may still very well find a roommate to save money, I couldn't wait any longer to buy couches or a table. I pushed aside the what ifs and bit the bullet!

My main goal was to get a couch that was comfortable and I def accomplished that mission. Along with my new baby blue sectional, I purchased a ottoman with matching wood trim.

I also spotted a dining set that matched the ottoman and the couch. I wanted to buy it but the sectional and ottoman maxed me out. Luckily my parents surprised me and bought it for me as a birthday gift! The best dang present ever!

Added bonus: while I was in Vancouver last month all of my furniture was delivered and my parents were here to accept all of it. Not only did they surprise me by cleaning my dusty patio that I didn't even want to sweep, my dad also transformed an ugly side table into a new, awesome piece.

This table was an ugly, warped brown hunk of wood. With a little black spray paint, it was transformed into a pretty awesome "new" piece! I wish I had before pictures. Thanks, dad!

While I still need to continue styling the place, I feel like this is now my home. I am relaxed here. I love lounging. I am proud of my possessions.

I Fall Hard for Autumn!

Every year as fall approaches I get extremely excited. Although living in Los Angeles doesn't provide me with a real color change - heck, we don't even have many tress here to see a change if there was one - I am still a sucker for autumn! There is a crispness in the air that hits come late September and lasts until Thanksgiving.

I am so excited that I had an opportunity to combine my adoration with fall and my love of meeting new bloggers thanks to a fall swap organized by Emma, author of Tales of an All American Girl. She paired me up with Single Mama in LA, Yolanda, who lives in a neighborhood very near mine. Since we follow each other's blogs, this was a great opportunity to meet in real life.

The swap consisted of purchasing a fall care package, whatever that meant to us. For me it means earthy/amber scents and Starbucks, so I got Yolanda a Starbucks gift card, Bath & Body Works products in Twilight Woods, an apple scented candle, and note cards that have a fall-ish look to them.

Check out these wonderful gifts that she gave me! A hoodie, scarf, cinnamon apple flavored tea with a mug to put it in, and Bath & Body Works candles in two new scents: Autumn and Leaves.

Side note: check out this adorable Skull & Crossbones Tote that they are selling at Bath & Body Works right now! It's super cute! I kinda love the site's SPOOK-TACULAR BOO-TIQUE!

I am beyond happy with all of the amazing gifts that Yolanda got me! They are pretty awesome! As I type I am catching myself sniffing the scent of apple in the air...you know the way dogs point their nose straight up and wiggle it when they get a scent of food? So me right now!

The great part about this season is that I get to live vicariously through all of your posts. I literally get giddy when all of you East Coasters, or just anyone, anywhere that has a real fall, post pictures and talk about autumn. Any of you care to tell me what you are excited for this fall? Share a little piece of your heaven with me, pleeeeeease!

Photos courtesy of: Wikipedia, Bath & Body Works, and my camera

My Latest Stila Purchases

For my birthday my friend bought me an Urban Decay Ammo eyeshadow palette, unfortunately I already have the exact one. I went to ULTA with the hope of exchanging these eyeshadows for another set with different colors but they were out. Instead I had $40 to spend. Not an easy tasks when there are so many products to choose from. I couldn't decide!

I wanted to get something Urban Decay because I adore their products and the fact that they are cruelty-free. I just didn't want to buy individual eyeshadows. Palettes offer much more bang for your buck, but they didn't have colors different than those I already have.

So after looking at the Stila, Too Faced, benefit, and Cargo counters, I went back to Stila and snatched up the products that initially caught my eye - backstage eye shadow palette and smudge stick waterproof eye liner.

The eyeshadow colors include:

- Chiffon - shimmery peach
- Flamingo - shimmery fuchsia
- Pacific - metallic navy blue
- Luster - metallic warm alloy
- Poetic - shimmery mauve
- Coal - cool metallic emerald

The blue, green, and even pink colors are beautiful but we'll see how they are on my skin tone. Because I have a pretty light complexion, often times bright colors make me look like a clown...or so I feel.

I've worn chiffon and poetic to work and they are great for daytime looks. I think I can work with the rest of the shades, too.

I wanted to get black liner because I just ran out of my favorite one, MAC Technakohl in Graphblack. Instead I chose the funky hue, purple tang. As you can see in the picture, it's pretty much black with purple glitter. I can't wait to wear it!

When I was in ULTA, I decided to get this Stila liner because it's comparable to the MAC one. I love how easily it is to apply and the smooth finish it provides. I'll have to see if it lasts as long, though.

Overall I did pretty well. I wanted to stay under the $40 mark but I knew it wasn't happening. In the end, I only dished out $10 of my own money and I got some great products!

I was thinking about getting one step correct, which is a, as the Stila site explains, "primer, color corrector, brightener and anti-aging skincare serum does it all..." The only reason I didn't buy it is because it was $36 and would have taken up my entire store credit. I may just order it online because Stila offers free shipping with purchases of $50.

Have any of you tried it?

Photos courtesy of: Stila

Online Target Sale

Target.com is having a pretty good sale right now and I wanted to share with all of you. While the sale extends to many items and departments.

As stated on the site:

"20% discount applies to purchases of $75 or more on select apparel, shoes and accessories based on merchandise subtotal. Merchandise subtotal based on one shipping destination per order. GiftCards, e-GiftCards, gift wrap, tax, or shipping and handling charges will not be included in determining merchandise subtotal and are not discountable. Look for the 'Save 20% When you Spend $75' logo on qualifying items. May not be applied to previous orders. Offer expires August 21, 2010."

Additionally, when you spend $50 you get free shipping on select items! Personally, spending $50 or $75 is no problem for me. Last week I spent $110...kinda wish this sale was going on at that time.

If you are shopping for trench coats, rain coats, rain boots, and/or umbrellas, this is a great opportunity to stock up for approaching fall! I have my eye on several items. Together they'd make the perfect outfit for any rainy day.

Totes Bubble Umbrella - Silver

$16.99

Coffee Shop Twill Trench Zipper Pocket Coat - Black

$27.98

Women's Merona® Zandra Flannel Rain Boots - Grey

$32.99

Women's Jersey Rain Boot Liners - Black

$9.99

Images courtesy of: Target

Missing the Lake

Last weekend (as in August 4-8) my family, my friend, and me headed to the lake for some birthday weekend R&R. We usually go to Lake Mead; however, the water levels are down so low that it's not safe right now. Instead we went to the lake that I grew up visiting - Lake Mohave. In recent years this lake has been overcrowded so we try to avoid it, but this time it wasn't too bad.

(my friend, me)

The weather was nice also. It was 110, instead of the usual 120. That didn't stop me from getting a pretty annoying sunburn the first day out on the water though. I hate how while you are in the sun you look like you have absolutely no color then as soon as you take a shower...BAM! That unwanted pain that tingles your scorched skin. Needless to say, day two I wore a shirt all day to try to shield myself from further burning.

While day one (my actual birthday) was spent tubing and lounging on the beach, the next day I was ready to wakeboard. I only get to go to the lake once a summer because I can't get much time off work. So whenever I get out on the lake I try to get in as much wakeboarding as possible.

(I make the weirdest faces when riding!)

I should have known better after last year's experience. When I do any rigorous activity the next day I get pretty bad muscle cramps. This year was no exception. In fact, it was a nightmare. Day three I woke up with a severe cramp in my back. Imagine those calf cramps you get...but in your back. At least you can try to stretch out leg cramps. Back cramps are debilitating. Then the shoulder and arm cramps followed. It was a nightmare. All I could do was cry. I couldn't even get in and out of a chair so I headed to urgent care.

There I was met with the meanest doctor ever! The dude asked if I was drunk. Um, no! If I were I probably wouldn't be in pain! He even had me do a blood test to check my "electrolytes". Whatever, he was checking my blood alcohol level. Of course I wasn't intoxicated and he saw that my potassium levels were low so he gave me some muscle relaxers, told me to pick up pain meds, and sent me on my way.

The cocktail of pills kept me under for the next few days - thank goodness because if I were awake I wouldn't have been able to handle the five hour drive home.

All in all, I had a blast. I am actually sad I only got to wakeboard for one day. Next time I will make sure to stretch before hitting the water sports!

In fact, I so wish I was playing in the water now as opposed to starting a new work week ;)

Golden State

This summer has been fairly cool down south in the Golden State. LA should be far warmer than it's been. We've been rocking in the range of 70s for awhile now. What's up with that Cali?

At the beginning of the summer I bought the perfect pair of espadrille wedges from Target. Only problem is I have only worn them once. They are the epitome of July/August and since July is long gone, I better make use of them for the remainder of this month.

In all honesty, I could be wearing them now. I just get lazy and wear my Rainbow Sandals every day...literally, every single day of my life that the weather permits. While I am complaining that it hasn't been a scorching summer, I can't fuss too much because our falls and winters in Southern California are mild. I can wear my Rainbows into late November and be just fine. Many people wear sandals year round - I'm just a sissy. When the temps drop to 60 I always convince myself that I am going to freeze to death. I would love to move to the East Coast, but if I can't handle 60, then I certainly can't do 10, 20, 30, heck even 40 degrees!

Photos courtesy of: Target and Rainbow Sandals

Rent the Runway

Have you guys heard about this? Renting designer clothing at a fraction of the retail purchase price? While watching E!News I was intrigued when Giuliana mentioned Rent the Runway so I had to look further into this site.

As stated on Rent the Runway, here's how it works:

LOVE

Find a Look: Search the dresses and accessories you love from the top designers in the world!

WEAR

Pick a Date: Schedule a delivery date. Select a FREE backup size for the perfect fit. The dresses and accessories are yours for 4 or 8 days!

RETURN

Send it Back: Put your order in our pre-paid package and drop it in the nearest mailbox. We take care of the dry cleaning!

*Love, wear, return description taken in its entirety from Rent the Runway.

For example, check out this haute little Hervé Léger Posh X-Front Dress - the same dress that Victoria Beckham has rocked. Instead of buying it for $1,250, you can rent it for a mere $125. What a steal!

It sounds like it's literally as easy as 1-2-3! I wish they had this back when I was in school. It would have been a great deal to do this for prom. I could have rented a dress from an affordable designer, paying only $50. As opposed to buying a non name dress for $150 and never wearing it again.

Would you ever rent a dress from this site?

Images courtesy of: Rate the Runway and google

Catching Up at Ketchup

Kate, Brittany, me, Amanda

I always love meeting bloggers, especially in person. The blogosphere is full of talented people and I like to think that the little community I am in is made up of amazing women that I'd love to be friends with in real life. Many of my blogging buds live on the other side of the country - or world - so our communication doesn't go past blog comments, tweets, or facebook interaction. The few times I get to meet up with these people, I get quite excited.

This week, Brittany, of LatteLoveMommy, flew into LA and I was dying to meet up with her! Along with three of her friends, and my pals, Amanda, and Kate of Nautical by Nature, we met up at Ketchup restaurant located on the famous Sunset Strip for dinner.

Side note: I shared a parking garage elevator ride with Jonathan Bennett, aka Aaron Samuels...the guy that Regina and Cady fight over in Mean Girls. That morning I also saw Tim Allen, yes Tim the Toolman Taylor!!! Should have asked him if he'd hook me up with JTT! ;)

The ladies were all so sweet, I only wish I'd gotten more time to talk with all of them! We mingled the best we could on a huge table with seven women as we sipped on martinis and nibbled on fries and ketchup (complete with five dipping sauces including chipotle, chocolate, and banana!).


This was my third time at Ketchup and of course I ordered the same thing I get each time: mac 'n cheese made with white truffle and crab (on left). YUM! This time I did try something new, the lobster bisque (on right)...not so good.

Here are the wonderful ladies. Thanks to Brittany, I got to meet two new bloggers, her friends!

Kate, me

Brittany, Kim, Brooke

Tia, Kate, me, Amanda

I'd love to meet other SoCal bloggers. If anyone is interested let me know and maybe we can arrange something!

Teen Choice Awards 2010

OK so a few days ago I turned 27 but that doesn't mean that I have to grow up! I am actually enjoying the Teen Choice Awards 2010 right now. A big congrats to Katy Perry for her hosting. I may only be an hour in but so far she's done an amazing job. She's always so adorable and fun.

The dresses were gorgeous - shimmer, shimmer. and more shimmer! You can never go wrong with a little (or a lot, for that matter) dazzle! Here are some beautiful numbers.

Did you love this little glittery number as much as I did?

Lea Michele sparkled as well!

No dazzling embellishments but Leighton Meester always shines!

And some eye candy, the guys from Vampire Diaries! If you haven't hopped on this train yet, what are you waiting for? Seriously! Hot dudes, mystery, romance, cliffhangers...it's amazing! And of course, I especially love Nina Dobrev's jeweled dress!

Best part of the night (even though I'm still watching, I know nothing will top this) Sandra Bullock and Betty White shaking their stuff after winning best dance category. Betty made a surprise appearance to join Sandra on stage and they were hilarious. Unfortunately all videos of the moment have already been removed, but check back and you may catch a glimpse of it!

Photos courtesy of: gossipcenter.com via Getty Images