Favorite Lunch

I can't stop eating this.  Seriously.  I've had this pasta salad for lunch for two weeks in a row. SERIOUSLY, that good! Just mix up the following ingredients to your liking and ENJOY!

(Tri-Color Rotini cooked, drained, and chilled)

PLUS

(Baby Spinach)

PLUS

(Grape Tomatoes)

PLUS

(Crumbled Feta)

PLUS

(Your Favorite Italian Dressing) 

AND YUM.

Kale Chips

Kale is in season! For those who LOVE potato chips, or salty, crunchy snacks, try this healthful alternative.

350 DEGREE OVEN 

PLUS

(KALE! MINUS Stems, Cut into chip-sized pieces)

PLUS

(Extra Virgin Olive Oil - just enough to LIGHTLY coat the pieces (1/2 tbsp-tbsp-ish))

PLUS

(LIGHT sprinkling of Kosher salt)

PLUS

10-15 MINUTES

Jessica Kagan Cushman

I'm IN LOVE with these "Nantucket" bangles from Jessica Kagan Cushman.  Each resin bracelet has on it either a quote, phrase, or quirky comment.  I love the Wizard of Oz quotes! Usually I find things like this too kitschy and not at all cute, but the simplicity and color (or lack thereof) of these makes them truly luxe.  This week, they're featured on Gilt Groupe for $60/each (reg. $130) or you can go to Jessica Kagan Cushman's website to buy ($99). Below are my favorites:

"Fashion can be bought, Style one must possess"

"After all...tomorrow is another day"

"Keep calm and carry on"

"Dim lights, thick smoke and loud, loud music"

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"

"We must be over the rainbow!"

"What, this old thing? I've had this forever"

Images from JessicaCushman.com

New Designer Love

One of my favorite things about Net-A-Porter.com is the 'New Designer' section.  While many established and well-known designers are often inspiring, new (and newly featured) designers always make my jaw drop with stunning new ideas, silhouettes, designs, and prints.  Here are designers (and their designs) that are inspiring me:

Easton Pearson's Printed silk-satin tunic dress, $1250

Designers: Pamela Easton & Lydia Pearson

Hail from: Australia

Launch Date: 1989

Dion Lee's Rorschach silk-crepe tank, $500 (above) & Rorschach Magyar silk-blend organza dress, $1080 (below)

Hails from: Australia

Equipment's Daddy crocodile print-silk shirt, $220 (above) & Aces stretch-silk shirt, $230 (below)

Designers: Serge Azria of Current/Elliot

Original Launch Date: 1975

Re-Launch Date: 2010

Thakoon Addition's Printed silk jumpsuit, $625

Designers: Thakoon Panichgul

Hails from: New York

Launch Date: 2009

The Beauty of White

There is nothing more beautiful in nature than snow.  The way it covers everything in a pure blanket of white is truly magical and undoubtedly poetic.  The recent (but brief) snow in the Dallas area has given me a new thrill for the color white... on the wall, on pillows, on linens, on canvas, on accessories, on everything.  I'm very inspired by these:

image from greatinteriordesign.com

image from flikr: baliboro

image from all-doing.com

image from inhometrend.com

image from newhomedevelopers

image from fe57.com

image from dec0r.com

image from myhomeideas.com

image from here

image from bizbash.com

Susanne Schanz 

Tien Kdjeldsen

Tine Kdjelsen

Domino

Light Locations

above images from www.desiretoinspire.net

Amazing.

At this website, you can create your own font.  No kidding. you fill out this sheet:

with your handwriting and then it makes a font.  Unbelievable.  I'm on this.

On the Bookshelf

Yesterday I mentioned that one of my continued goals for 2011 is to read more.  My new favorite unemployed hobby is to gather up what little money I have and go to Half Price Books ("HBP") and scour the shelves for great books I've "always been meaning to read."  Lately I've run across some recent first editions that are quickly climbing the list of my favored possessions.  In the past few months, I've found read some fabulous books that I encourage my readers to read.  They include:

Middlesex is the Pulitzer Prize winning novel I never made it around to reading until recently.  All hype about this book is deserved and maybe even falls short of how glorious and new and fascinating this story is.  If you've never read this, read it immediately. (buy here)

I hadn't read a Franzen until I picked up his 2006 memoir a few weeks ago.  With all the attention and praise surrounding 'Freedom' this past summer and 'The Corrections'/Oprah Book Club situation, I wanted to get my hands on something by this author.  I liked this memoir, but its brevity left me with wanting to read more... a Franzen novel.  Because my HPB did not have 'The Corrections' on the day I chose to visit, I picked up 'The Twenty-Seventh City,' which is Franzen's first novel.  It's currently in my "to read queue."  But, for now, read this memoir- it's like a little and delicious snack. (buy here)

While shopping at Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and various little boutiques and antique stores, I kept running across 'The Selby is in Your Place.'  Without fail, I would always pick it up, thumb through it and be wowed by the uniqueness of each person's home profiled in the book.  This is my hands-down favorite Design Book/Look Book of Other's Homes.  I'm inspired every-time I open it. (daily.)  (buy here).

2011

Happy New Year!
Goodness did it feel weird writing 2011 in the title of this post.  Perhaps because I'm not constantly taking notes or volunteering everyday I have completely lost track that yes, indeed, another year is here.  The turn-of-the-year never really means much to me.  I guess it's because for so long I've measured years in semesters and summers that the beginning of January just means the beginning of Spring Semester (or Lent Term).  Coincidently, I've never been one to make resolutions.  This year is really no different except for the continuance of deliberate changes/decisions made in 2010:
1. Vegetarianism.  I always scoffed at the idea of vegetarianism because I couldn't imagine a reason to give up a hamburger.  I would try giving up red meat for illusive "health reasons," but would always be drawn back by a blue cheese burger (note Spring Semester 2010 and the Winking Lizard).  But, after reading 'The Omnivore's Dilemma," watching Food Inc. and really thinking about where food (and meat, in particular) comes from, it just felt right to become a Vegetarian.  I've decided that unless I live on a farm and can see meat from beginning to food, I just don't want to eat it.
2. Eating Food. This decision goes hand in hand with the first "change."  This decision manifests itself most notably in choosing sugar over packets of "sweet"; butter over tubs of "butter-like substances"; and food over packages and boxes of "food." 
3. Being more creative.  Sewing, Painting, Quilting, Writing, Drawing, Decorating, Photography, and everything else that stimulates and encourages the right side of my brain.
4. Reading more.  After reading law books and cases, etc. the past three years and other academic texts the prior four years, my life has finally settled to a point where I can read more.  In a previous post, I noted some things I read in 2010, and will supplement it with a new post soon of books to read on my nightstand.  To tide you faithful readers over, however, I will let you know that I'm currently reading "Decision Points" and finding it Very Interesting.  I will save further comments until later, but I am liking this presidential autobiography a lot.
I am very excited about this year and confident that many wonderful things will happen!