a place to unwind

a place to unwind by luvnlullabies on Polyvore.com
If I had a large casa, this would be my dream cocktail room/lounge. A place to unwind where mid-century modern meets hollywood regency.

Ali MacGraw

Ali MacGraw by luvnlullabies featuring gold beaded bracelets
Still an inspiration.

Have a great weekend!

2 ingredient cake

Happy Tuesday. Today I wanted to share a super quick and easy recipe for Pineapple Cake that my grandmother always made when I was a kid. 

Ingredients:

1 box of Angel Food Cake mix

1 20oz can of crushed pineapple (do NOT drain)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and crushed pineapple.

Then pour cake batter in a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for about 25-30 minutes (until top is golden brown).

Fruit puree (optional):

1 1/2 c sugar

1 c water

16oz bag of frozen fruit (strawberries or raspberries)

Combine water & sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Heat until sugar dissolves into a syrup. Allow the syrup to cool off.

Combine syrup and thawed frozen berries in a blender to puree. The puree can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Slice, serve & enjoy.

I hope you enjoy! 

A room to grow into

A Room To Grow Into by luvnlullabies on Polyvore.com

Come and check out my dream nursery/toddler room I created in Polyvore!
I have always been attracted to Danish & Mid-Century inspired furniture, so when I saw these items I couldn't resist.
I love it when I see a nursery that has furniture and pieces that can grow with the child!

Have a great day!

My waistline grew a little

So here is a recap on what I made yesterday. There have been a couple of recipes I have been wanting to try and finally did.

I have been looking for a new Linguine recipe and found one from Tyler Florence that we really enjoyed! It was light and didn't require many ingredients like some do. I also made Ina's garlic bread which has now made me an addict.

Sorry I didn't take a pic of the final meal.

Finally, I made Ina's amazing chocolate cake! I am not even a big "cake" lover but this will be made again soon.

bon appetit

Take Care

Cookies, and Cakes, and Shoes! Oh My!

Cookies, and Cakes, and Shoes! Oh My! by luvnlullabies on Polyvore.com

I hope you like this set I created! Have a wonderful day!

Cookies please

Home-baked goods are always the best gift. One of my favorite cookies is inspired by family... the alfajores! These dulce de leche cookies are super easy to make and will surely hit the spot. I really enjoy Ingrid Hoffmann's recipe.

I would recommend keeping on eye on them so that the cookies do not burn. I find 15-17 minutes is just perfect.

Remember, you can add a little more cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves if desired. I find that it brings out the flavor of the dulce de leche all the more.

Stacking the cookies on a little plate with a final dusting is a great way to show them off. 

Hope you enjoy!

P.S. I love you...

Well, Valentine's day is just around the corner and thought I would first write that I have never really cared about this holiday (or the expectations that come with it). But I keep coming across fun and unique Valentine's day ideas and thought I should just have fun with it! So I wanted to do a last minute blog series on some cute Vday ideas to help make this holiday fun and cheerful.

To start off, I wanted to show you this fun & fashionable inspiration board that I came across on Polyvore!

Thanks to : A very, very, bad girl! by Starfish_mk

I love low-key clothing mixed with accessories that pop! You cant go wrong with red nails, a cat eye and some animal-printed pieces.

Have a great day! 

The New Miss Dior Cherie!

Natalie Portman really stands out from the rest in Hollywood. She is amazingly stunning and only will become even more beautiful as her belly grows (I LOVE pregnant mamas!!).

Well, it turns out she will be the new face of the Miss Dior Cherie fragrance. I love the simplicity in the makeup with just a cute headband to top it off!

Happy Hump Day!

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod (a Dutch Lullaby)

by Eugene Field (1850-1895)

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night

   Sailed off in a wooden shoe---

Sailed on a river of crystal light,

   Into a sea of dew.

"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"

   The old moon asked the three.

"We have come to fish for the herring fish

   That live in this beautiful sea;

   Nets of silver and gold have we!"

                     Said Wynken,

                     Blynken,

                     And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,

   As they rocked in the wooden shoe,

And the wind that sped them all night long

   Ruffled the waves of dew.

The little stars were the herring fish

   That lived in that beautiful sea---

"Now cast your nets wherever you wish---

   Never afeard are we";

   So cried the stars to the fishermen three:

                     Wynken,

                     Blynken,

                     And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw

   To the stars in the twinkling foam---

Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,

   Bringing the fishermen home;

'T was all so pretty a sail it seemed

   As if it could not be,

And some folks thought 't was a dream they 'd dreamed

   Of sailing that beautiful sea---

   But I shall name you the fishermen three:

                     Wynken,

                     Blynken,

                     And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,

   And Nod is a little head,

And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies

   Is a wee one's trundle-bed.

So shut your eyes while mother sings

   Of wonderful sights that be,

And you shall see the beautiful things

   As you rock in the misty sea,

   Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:

                     Wynken,

                     Blynken,

                     And Nod.

This is by far my favorite lullaby to read to my daughter! 

I love how Giselle Potter uses this lullaby to create such beautiful illustrations.

A New Year... New Accessories!

Happy New Year! Sorry it's been awhile, but I promise I will be posting frequently again. So this year I decided to break the "resolution" rule and not make any! I figured what's the point since I usually break them within a month. :)
Instead I decided I would like to treat myself to something cute... a new haircut (Thanks Gabby!) and a new accessory! So here are some of the things that I am drooling and dreaming about these days.

1. Check Rain Boot, Burberry $225

2. Warm Cowl, Etsy $40

3. Polka Dot Frame Sunglass Case, Etsy $30

4. Cognac Leather Rain Drop Purse, Etsy $180

5. iPhone Case, Etsy $26

6. Rebecca Minkoff 'MAB-Bombe' Satchel, Nordstrom $550

7. Moustache iPad Case, Etsy $28

Happy Tuesday!

Christmas tree o christmas tree

Here is an eco-friendly and fun christmas craft! All you need is a little bit of time and some old magazines laying around the casa.

start with a magazine

gently bend the magazine and loosen the binding without ripping any of the pages out

starting with the cover page, fold from the top right corner down towards the inside seam.

next, fold the same sheet again from the bottom right corner toward the inside seam again. 

turn the page over

now insert and fold the bottom tail up into the main fold.

make sure the fold is flat so the tree will stand up straight. now that you have mastered your first page, repeat with the remaining pages. Your tree will start to take shape naturally. 

Your final product! I left my magazine tree naked for now, but will decorate later with glitter. You can spray paint with your color of choice and make sure it dries completely. Finish by spraying the tree with an adhesive followed by glitter.

Here are some beautiful golden trees courtesy of Martha Stewart.

After this Christmas season, if you decide to discard these, you can recycle them!

Have a great weekend!

What to wear under the mistletoe

So the holiday madness has begun... and  if you are like me I find myself waiting to the last minute to find something to wear for the celebrations. Here are some options to get you ahead of the game.

1. Te Amo Dress, Modcloth, $132

2. Golden Tier Dress, Forever 21, $24.80

3. Whipped Butter Dress, Modcloth, $77.99

4. Sequin Bustier Dress, Victoria's Secret, $89.50

5. Closet Brown Dress, Dorothy Perkins, £ 38.00

6. Gold Sequin Dress, Dorothy Perkins, £ 40.00

7. Ruffled Dress, Etsy, $29.00

8. Pleated Flute One-sleeve Dress, Topshop, £ 46.00

Hope you like the selection!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Snowflakes and snowman on your mind? Here are some cute treasures to help you start thinking about what to decorate your pad with this season to "make your spirits bright". Hope you enjoy!

1. Vintage snowman, Etsy

2. Snowflake placecards, Etsy
3. Drink charms, Etsy
4. White ruffled wreath, Etsy
5. Christmas trio antique spoons, Etsy
6. 12 days of Christmas salad/dessert plates, Williams-Sonoma
7. Noel pillow cover, Etsy
8. Small felted snowballs, Etsy
9. Hushed night ornament, Anthropologie
10. Angelique stocking, Crate & Barrel
11. Angelique tree skirt, Crate & Barrel
12. Metallic border table runner, Target

Have fun decorating!

Library Love

Yes, you can have a library at home (even in the smallest spaces)! Here is a bit of inspiration:

(Apartment Therapy)

(kabmurungraya)

(belle maison)

(house beautiful)

(pepper)

Lack shelves? Simply stacking books mindfully can look just as great.

Have a great weekend.

Sweets for your little sweet

Babies, babies and more babies! I do believe there are time in your life when there is that "something in the water" going around. Here is a cute and inexpensive idea if you are throwing or attending a baby shower.
With some cookies cutters, fondant, food coloring, toothpicks (optional) and some rubber stamps ..... the possibilities are endless. I created some cute cupcake toppers.

 I used powdered sugar to dust the working surface and my rolling pin. I used old letter rubber stamps I had to spell out BABY. When using a stamp, dust it slightly with powdered sugar to prevent it from sticking to fondant when pressing.

I like to use a cheap eyeshadow brush I always use to clean out the letters if there is any sugar remaining on the fondant.

I brushed a little sugar water on the back of the top layer so they stick together. You can either have the toppers standing upright (with a toothpick) or simply place them laying down on top of the frosted cupcake.

Enjoy!

"Your love is better than chocolate..."

After watching the oh so delicious Chocolat (yes I would be referring to Johnny Dep) the other day, I decided to attempt my very first batch of chocolate truffles. They may not look the greatest, but my mouth didn't care.

Recipe courtesy of Linda Collister - "a passion for chocolate"

Recipe:

Ingredients

- 3/4 c heavy (double) cream

- 10 oz. plain bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

coating

- 8 oz. plain bittersweet chocolate, chopped

- 1/2 c good quality unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

- baking trays, lined with parchment paper

put the cream in a saucepan, bring to a boil and remove from heat to cool for about a minute. pour chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl. pour in hot cream and stir gently until mixture is smooth and let cool. 

when the mixture is cold but not set, beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until very thick and lighter in color/texture. scoop out marble-sized pieces and hand roll into balls. chill until very firm.

now time to coat. put the remaining chocolate in a heatproof bowl. place bowl over a saucepan steaming water (not boiling) and melt gently. remove from heat and stir until smooth. cool.

use 2 forks, briefly dip each truffle into chocolate until coated. return coated truffles to parchment paper. leave them until chocolate coating has set. roll in cocoa powder (do not go overboard on the cocoa powder)

package and chill. can be stored in a refrigerator up to a week. serve at room temp. 

ENJOY!

"Please allow me to introduce myself..."

Hello fellow bloggers. I am so excited to start this side project of mine. I have always enjoyed reading other fabulous bloggers out there and thought "why not?!". I hope you enjoy my blogs of randomness. My goal is to create posts on stuff that inspire me... fashion, FOOD, music, movies, DIY projects, art, etc. You might even find some blogs about my life with my "lil nugget" (my 2 year old daughter).

Thanks for letting me into your life (well for a few minutes at least).
Toodles,
Luv n' Lullabies