An Etsy Wedding Affair

Happy Hump Day!  Sorry I'm a little late with Etsy Tuesday, but things have been super busy and I've been ridiculously exhausted.  I hope everyone is having a great week so far.

And finally, here are this week's Etsy finds left to right:

1. "Love" Wedding Invitations

2. "Just Married" Wedding Banner

3.  Bride & Groom Guitar Decorations

4.  A Fabulous Flower Bouquet of Brooches

5. A Sweet Wedding Cake Topper

6. Table Numbers

7. Wedding Veil

8. "Mr. & Mrs." Pears

9. Simply Chic Wedding Gown

10. Funky Save the Dates

11. Sparkly Pearls & Rhinestone Necklace

Emily Deschanel Weds

Photo courtesy of People Magazine

Emily Deschanel & David Hornsby were married this past weekend and had this photo to share with People Magazine.  Isn't she just adorable?  I love the dress - it's ethereal but vintage looking and her toenails almost look blue! Too cute.  Of course, most of us know Emily from Bones, but David is also an actor and has been seen in the TV show, Always Sunny in Philadelphia which he also writes for.  Cheers to a happy marriage!

But this makes me wonder, did we ever see a picture of Zooey & Ben Gibbard in their wedding garb?  I would love to see what Zooey wore on her wedding day, but I'm sure it was vintage looking and almost envision her looking something like Jenny in Forest Gump on her wedding day, barefoot with her long black hair down & a flower pinned somewhere in her hair.  Of course, Ben would have written a special song for her which he would play on his guitar and she would bat her big blue eyes at happen adoringly. What do you think?

Photo courtesy of Paste Magazine

Ramblings

What a ridiculously busy day.  I feel so exhausted that I debated blogging but let's face it, I haven't posted regularly like I should.  Of course, I also assume no one is actually reading this blog yet, so if I don't post, I suppose it's not a big deal.

The weather has been amazing in Texas - high of 78, low of 56 - it's like a summer day in Seattle!  All I have wanted to do is bask in the sun and read but instead, I worked a little yesterday, read in bed & watched Julie & Julia.  It was a great day even without having spent the majority of it outside.

Speaking of Julie & Julia, is Meryl Streep not amazing in that movie?!  I absolutely love her and secretly wish the entire movie focused on her.  Don't get me wrong, I think Amy Adams is great too, but it was the character of Julie that didn't appeal to me.  I found the character to be a little self absorbed, especially standing next to such a supportive and upbeat husband. 

However, I do remember a few things ringing true, especially when Julie said "What does it say about me when I don't like any of my friends?"  High school was definitely like that for me - I was very different from the majority of my friends, but then there's college and you get the opportunity to make all new friends and take control of your future completely. 

Then, FaceBook happened and now everyone's there with a friend request, even people you don't know, and it's hard to click "Ignore" despite your overwhelming desire to.  You just can't seem to find it in yourself to be rude.  But then you end up with 100s of friends, 80% of which you really don't keep in contact with.  Perhaps I should just delete my FaceBook account.  After all, Mark Zuckerberg has made plenty of moola from it, and he will only continue to as he sells our information over & over & over....500 million active users, each one clicking away while ads pop up everywhere, new games are created to consume even more of our time where you herd animals, feed pets, pretend to be a gangster, a pirate, a ninja - Wow, that's mucho dinero.

Wow.  I'm exhausted and rambling.  I deeply apologize readers, but I do hope you're having a great day & that you're enjoying the amazing Fall weather.

xoxo, me

Photo courtesy of Maranatha

[heart]

I am totally crushing on my boyfriend right now. Here's the email he sent me:

from [boyfriend] <****@gmail.com>

to Crystal Estrada <****@gmail.com>

date Sun, Sep 26, 2010 at 1:23 PM

subject: Various stuff I'm thinking of

1) Hug

2) Love you

3) Tomorrow is Jenay's Birthday

4) Tomorrow is Candice's Birthday

5) No work tomorrow or Tuesday, working Wednesday/Thursday, off for the weekend

6) Are we going to Dallas next weekend?

7) Is Jenay still trying to come visit us?

8) You should make arroz con pollo, and if not, I'm going to freeze the chicken broth

9) I will go to the grocery store tomorrow, getting:

        * Milk

        * Sandwich bags

        * Sandwich cheese

        * Lettuce

        * Enchilada Sauce

        * Jalapeno Chips

        * Anything else you need

10) hug again

11) If you need me to get anything done, please let me know.

Just chilling at work.

 

Isn't he amazing?!

Welcome to Fall

Fall is my favorite season - I love the colors, the fashion, the landscape, the weather - absolutely everything about Fall makes me feel warm & fuzzy inside. 

In case you're still thinking of summer days, here are a few pictures to make you fall in love with Fall.

Happy Hump Day!

Photo courtesy of Anthropologie

 Photo courtesy of Jennifer Skog

 Bon Appetit's Apple Fritters with Bourbon Ice Cream

a button wreath to welcome visitors

Photo courtesy of Anthropologie

Photo courtesy of Wood & Wool Stool

Photo courtesy of Spanki Mills Photography

Etsy with a British Accent

This week's Etsy finds are British inspired including vintage metal coasters and an adorable little teapot with blue shoes!  What can I say, I watched a lot of Jane Austen & BBC movies this past weekend ;)

1. Double-Decker Print

2. Vintage Book

3. Brown Leather Heels

4. Military Inspired Dress

5. Red, White & Blue Silk Scarf

6. 50s Striped Dress

7. Brownie Camera

8. Yellow License Plate

9. Retro Carry-On Bag

10. Blue-Shoes Teapot

11. Red & Black Striped Heels

12. British Flag Metal Coasters

13. Kraft Paper Gift Tags

Rue Magazine

Rue Magazine is here!  This makes me so happy because it kind of feels the void in my heart left by Domino Magazine (I'm still terribly sad that magazine was taken from us so soon).  However, Rue is current, in that it was founded by bloggers Crystal Gentilello of Plush Palate & Ann Sage of The City Sage and incorporates the help of other bloggers including Will Taylor of Bright Bazaar. 

The first issue is well designed and I loved the items they chose to feature in the "Shopping Cart" section, but my favorite part is their feature on Emily Henderson, HGTV's newest design star.  She is absolutely adorable and her design skills are off the charts.  I watched her first episode on HGTV and loved it - the mix of new & old with a few eclectic pieces - AH-mazing. 

Rue Magazine, I wish you the best in your adventure and hope you're around for years to come.

I hope you enjoy their first issue as much as I do!

Fall Foliage

 

The official start of Fall is five days away, and I can't help but be jealous of everyone who lives in the New England area.  Unfortunately, Texas is a long way away, but I will be thinking of the change of colors in your area and wishing for cooler weather.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!  xoxo, me



Plus, 5 Fall Finds:

• Fall Decorating Ideas by Martha Stewart
• Dinner Recipes by Southern Living featuring Fall's favorite ingredients
• Cute & Thrifty Decorating Ideas
• 10 Romantic Fall Date Ideas
• Autumn in New York

Pumpkin Shortage

Did you know there was a pumpkin shortage last year?  I am not a huge pumpkin fan and have only ever made a pumpkin cake roll from a recipe I found in an old Southern Living magazine by Libby, which probably explains how I missed the entire fiasco.

Apparently, there was too much rain and not enough sun in Illinois last year causing Libby (who has control of about 85% of the nation's supply) to lose their entire harvest.  And things went a little crazy.  Cans of Libby's pumpkin were going for $40 a can on Ebay (the remains of such a monstrosity can still be found on ebay) and the remaining 6 cans of pumpkin were locked up in their Marketing Director's office.  That's bananas.

 Left: Libby's Marketing Director and the last 6 cans of 2009's pumpkin harvest

Right: Libby's Asst. Marketing Director's son after he learned there was no pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving

(L Photo courtesy of Washington Post, R Photo by Colleen MacPherson via USASK)

So, how did I come to learn of such atrocities? A dear friend of mine was in the mood for some Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, which I must admit, sounds delicious - there is chocolate in it after all.  So, she went to our local grocery store to look for some of Libby's canned pumpkin and found none.  Saddened, she found the manager and asked if he knew when they would be getting in their Fall shipment, and much to her dismay, his answer was, Hopefully by Thanksgiving and then proceeded to tell her about the loss of Libby's harvest.

Our assumption until now, was that he was discussing this year and that a new crop was being planted, and would only by some huge miracle be canned & on grocery shelves in time for Thanksgiving.  However, after doing some hard-hitting research for hours on end (okay, I googled it and found the answer in 3.2 seconds), I found that this year's pumpkin harvest is okay and should be on the shelves next week.  Phew.

So, for those of you out there craving pumpkin infused desserts, rest assured, it is on it's way. Happy Baking!

(Photo courtesy of Redstone American Grill)

Booties for Fall

Booties are a big thing this Fall and have been on every runway the last few seasons.  I actually used to despise them and thought they looked a little strange, but they have since grown on me.  I still have not bought a pair, but I'm thinking I may buy the blue booties from Target shown above but in gray - I figure dropping $30 for a cute pair isn't horrible in determining whether or not its something I may wear in the future.  That way if I never wear them, I don't feel so bad about it since I've seen others go as high as $300.


What do you think? Are you a bootie-wearing kinda gal?


Shown above are:

• Blue Mossimo Booties via Target 
• Nude Booties by Vince Camuto via Piperlime
• Purple Gwyneth Venus Booties via Zappos
• Black Ash Egoist Booties via Piperlime

Fall Runway Fashion

 

*****

I am absolutely loving some of the fabulous things coming off of the runway, and these three collections are totally accessible.  Seriously brilliant work by these designers.  What do you think?

Hope everyone's having a great Wednesday! 

PS.  Top Chef's Just Desserts just started tonight on Bravo and Wow, these desserts look amazing.  I kind of feel scared and a little intimidated by them.  Can't wait to see more...

Also, Kevin won Top Chef - yay & congrats! 

  
(Runway Photos via Elle, Top Chef photo via Bravo )

Parenthood Returns & the Fall 2010 Lineup

Fall TV is back and last night, Parenthood began it's second season.  I'm so thrilled too because I am a huge Lauren Graham fan (I was addicted to Gilmore Girls & thought the show was ridiculously witty & charming) and Peter Krause fan (was also addicted to the first few seasons of Six Feet Under - I will never forget when Claire took a foot from a corpse and put it in Gabriel's locker - hilarious).

Sadly, I missed the show last night but just finished watching it online.  If you missed it, you can find it here.  For those who did see it, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  I love their family dynamics and it was really sweet  to see how Maddie came through for her little brother, Max.  The best part, though, was when their father would tell their mom, "I hear you and I see you" after getting all worked up.  I loved that!  Therapy is really working out for him.

Family dynamics aside, did you notice how they alluded to the recession?  I'm guessing we are going to see a lot of shows this season interjecting the recession into their episodes.  Just today I was reading bios of the new cast of The Apprentice and all of them have been affected by the recession in one way or another.  According to WSJ, Trump apparently starts off tomorrow's first episode of the season discussing the recession.  We shall see how this affects other shows in the coming weeks.....Maybe Michael will be laid off from the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company since this is his last season on the Office...

Ps. I can't wait for the Top Chef finale tonight on Bravo...I really hope Angelo doesn't win.  Is that bad?

Other shows returning/premiering this Fall:

Thursday, Sept. 16th - 

     It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) - 9pm

     The Apprentice (NBC) - 9pm

Sunday, Sept. 19th - 

     Boardwalk Empire (HBO) premiers - 7pm

Tuesday, Sept. 21st - 

     Glee (Fox) - 7pm

     The Biggest Loser (NBC) - 7pm

     Running Wilde (Fox) premiers - 8:30pm

Wednesday, Sept. 22nd - 

     Hells Kitchen (Fox)- 7pm

     Modern Family (ABC) - 8pm

Thursday, Sept. 23rd - 

     Community (NBC) - 7pm

     30 Rock (NBC) - 7:30pm

     Grey's Anatomy (ABC) - 8pm

     The Office (NBC) - 8pm

Sunday, Sept. 26th - 

     The Amazing Race (CBS) - 7:30pm

     Dexter (Showtime) - 8pm

     Bored to Death (HBO) - 9pm

For a complete list of shows and when they're starting, click here.

Tuesday's Etsy Finds

 

If you love Etsy as much as  I do, then you know that there are a number of amazing vendors on their website selling a wide range of things from vintage magazine racks to handmade ornaments & clothes.  There is a never ending array of things to look at, get ideas from, or buy.  

In fact, it's become so popular that items have been featured on Martha Stewart's website, Matthew Stephens had items picked up by Urban Outfitters at one point and is now featured on Jonathan Adler's website, and Blanca Gomez who has amazing artwork and does ad-work for many Spanish companies, has her own Etsy store where you can purchase prints.

Not only that, but it is the perfect place to go to now to find unique wedding supplies - there are invitations you can customize, cake toppers, flower bouquets, favors of all kinds, veils - the list is endless.

As a result, this is my ode to Etsy - a celebration every Tuesday of some of Etsy's amazing things.  Enjoy!

1. A Bamboo Clock - I never thought clocks could be so romantic. 

2. Hand-knit Neckwarmer/Scarf

3. Sequined Headband

4. Orange Bow-Tie

5. Assortment of Turquoise Frames - Wouldn't these be great hanging together on a wall?  Love it.

6. "Be Happy" Tote

7. A Vintage-Inspired Clutch

8. Flowers & Feather Necklace

9. Glass Bead Bracelet

5 Must-Have Kitchen Items

I love buying new things for the kitchen - absolutely love it. However, I live in a 2-bedroom apartment with a galley kitchen and space is scarce, but I still manage to keep stuffing things into the cupboards. 

Here are 5 of my favorites:

1. Progressive Salad Keeper - If you don't own this, you must buy it now, MUST. I love eating salad but hate the time it takes to wash the veggies & cut them up every day. This salad keeper was the answer - it is my Clark Kent, my Spiderman, my Mario rescuing me from Bowser's dungeon - it is seriously that awesome. Now, I wash all of the lettuce and cut it up and place it in this keeper.  After 2 weeks, the lettuce was still fresh & crisp - how amazing is that?! I've since bought another for carrots & spinach since it does have a nifty divider you place on the inside. This is my absolute favorite kitchen gadget & I will never live without it again. Now, there's never an excuse to eat healthy when a fresh salad is waiting for me in the fridge.

2. Juicer - Lemonade & orange juice are so yummy and when meyer lemons are in season, I can't get enough of them. My boyfriend's parents have a huge tree in their front yard and I pick them like crazy. Then, I get out this trusty juicer and make fresh lemonade - so good. Of course, it works just as well with oranges and when I have company, I love to make them a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice instead of buying the preservative-filled ones at the grocery store.  

3. Molcajete - What can I say, other than salsa time! As a little girl, I loved watching my Mom in the kitchen making salsa & guacamole or grinding up cilantro & garlic to spice up her frijoles a la charra. She used it for almost every meal, and I was thrilled the day she showed me how to grind the veggies & spices up myself and told me of the day my Abuela showed her. Now, the molcajete is a reminder of home, of home-cooked meals, family stories, of comfort & unconditional love and I can't wait to show my little girl how to use it and share our family recipes. 

4. Ice Pop Maker - This item is such a wonderful reminder of summertime and very useful in making fresh popsicles that are high on flavor and low on calories and added sugar. Growing up, we had the Tupperware version of this high-end model. Either or, it's a great way to get your kids in the kitchen and teach them how to turn fresh produce into something delicious and refreshing.

5. Oxo Good Grips Mandoline Slicer - I never thought of using a mandoline until my boyfriend received one two years ago for Christmas, and now, I don't think I could live without it.  It actually took me a year to gather enough courage to use it (I was deathly afraid of slicing off my fingers), but one day, I thought 'Why not?' and got it out. I was making potatoes au gratin and it was amazing. Seriously, it cut the potatoes in thin even slices making the potatoes au gratin look professional. Since then, we've used it for slicing cucumbers & carrots, and for making french fries & potato chips.

Happy Monday!

The Perfect Fall Sweater Coat

Available here.

Isn't it beautiful? Okay, seriously ridiculous pose by the model, but a fabulous sweater nonetheless.  It makes me think of sitting outside at a quaint bistro, sipping a cappuccino, and reading a classic book like Little Women or Pride & Prejudice.

Hope you have a fun weekend!

(Photo via Girlfriend Getaways)

I hope everyone has fabulous plans for the weekend.  My darling boyfriend is working all weekend, so I'm staying in, reading books, watching movies, listening to music (Meiko is currently playing in the background) & thinking happy thoughts!  Unfortunately our local theater is no longer showing Get Low, so I may have to revert to seeing a movie for the second time (Inception maybe...) or turn to it's next of kin, Netflix.

Have a splendid weekend, and if you find yourself bored, check out the following links.

What your lips say about you.

I [heart] Sprinkles & their strawberry cupcake recipe.

Absolutely adorable children's tea party print.

Miniature Indiana Jones.

I want to live on this sofa.  It's perfection.

Celebrity living rooms worth copying.

I love green, especially this statement piece.

Happy Birthday to my love, my sunshine, my best friend!  I love you more than yesterday, and I will love you more tomorrow.  Thank you for making me so happy and I hope you have a fantastic day doing all of the things you love to do. xoxo, me

(Photo by Brandon Warren)

Chic Street Style Looks for Fall

(Photos by Glamour via MSN)

Fall Look No. 1

I love Fall and all of the wonderful things that come with it including cool weather, the change of colors and the clothes!  Here's a look any girl could love and that I am currently crushing on.

•  Boucle De Souffle Jacket
• Wildflowers In Flight Top by Anthropologie
• Tour de Jewels Necklace & Filigreed Posts
• Nanette Lepore Skirt 
• Jimmy Choo Shoes

More Fall looks to love...

(madewell via Platinum Blonde Life)

And more....

• Adorable Chloe Sunglasses
• 10 Cardigans to Keep You Warm
• Classic Stripes by Ann Taylor
• The Perfect First Date Dress for Fall
• For Rainy Days

Oh, and be sure to check out J.Crew - a hand full of basics that together are classic, fun and could do no wrong.

Hope everyone's having a great Labor Day off and enjoying some barbecue, fun in the sun and/or family time!  I'm dreaming of the beach and watching movies all day since my love is working today (boo!).  Have any movie recommendations?

Also, if you want to know more about Labor Day, check out this from the Department of Labor's website.

Have a great day!

Fall beckons...

Fall is almost here and I can't help but be giddy - scarves, leggings, boots, coats - what's not to love about this time of year.  Tell me, what's your favorite thing about Fall? 

Photo courtesy of Anthropologie

Top 5 things I'm loving on today....

An Education Soundtrack - Listening to this makes me smile.

Top Chef - My boyfriend & I vowed we would stop watching when Kenny went home, but we're too addicted to stop. Now, we're hoping anyone but Angelo wins...Here's hoping.

Matte Stephens - I think I visit his Etsy shop daily. It's that good. Even Jonathan Adler can't help himself.

Max Dalton's Cocktail Party Cut Out Set Availabe Here. I wonder if I can take this to an architect and say Here, build this for me, please.

Pillows. Pillows. And more pillows. Remember in Along Came Polly where Ben Stiller tells his soon-to-be ex-wife this: "Oh and by the way, I threw away all your little throw pillows. Yea. Cuz throw pillows suck. They serve no purpose. They're purely decorative." (After Jen Aniston has him take a knife to all of them)? Well, that's me, the ex-wife. I love throw pillows. LOVE them and I just keep buying them. I think that's the one Ben Stiller movie moment in which my boyfriend can completely relate. He hates them. Despises them. In fact, I should go make sure he hasn't taken a knife to them right now.


Photos courtesy of Amazon.com [top left], BravoTV.com [top right], Max Dalton [bottom left] & Matte Stephens [bottom right].