A Bella Life

{Married}

noreply@blogger.com (Bella Living) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:15:00 +0000

So, we're married! Wedding planning is officially over. Our AMAZING photographer Jen Huang has posted her fave pics on her blog. The photo above is obviously hers too :)

Almost Here

noreply@blogger.com (Bella Living) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:43:00 +0000

In honor of the wedding being just 20 some-odd days away I'm actually going to post something wedding related, even though I was going to try and have lots of the details be a surprise! Well this one is something I'm willing to part with because no one will really notice except my maids :) I did a 'trial' run of the bridesmaid bouquet making process since I (with my girls Deanna & Reena) have decided to put them together instead of hiring out and I am quite happy about the way they turned out! These Spray Roses have a blush of pink in them, something I don't mind at all actually... I think I may ask Alice at Mt. Williams Greenhouse in North Adams, MA for this color of Spray Roses instead of bright white!

New Look

noreply@blogger.com (Bella Living) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:26:00 +0000

If you're reading this in your RSS reader, you won't see the new background/design but I'm pretty psyched!! I won a contest from Mikeala Fisher, a very talented designer and a great entrepreneur, of Fresh Design Studio! She was amazing to work with, and just by barely answering a few simple questions about my style she totally nailed this look. I would recommend her services to anyone looking to get the most out of their blog layout without spending big bucks! You can find her blog at Fresh Design Studio and her Etsy page here! Didn't she do a fabulous job on A Bella Life? Now if I can just do it some justice by posting more regularly :)

{ Egg Curry }

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:15:00 +0000

"The act of putting into your mouth what the earth has grown is perhaps your most direct interaction with the earth.", originally uploaded by A Bella Life.

This morning I made egg curry. It actually turned out pretty good!

{ Blog Design Giveaway }

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 23:33:00 +0000

I so need a blog re-design. I don't know squat about all that stuff, but I wish I could just get someone to help me for free... but wait! I can! Or at least I can try and get them to give it to me for free, haha, and you can too :)

I was visiting the Busy Vee Activities Blog where she posted about Fresh Design Studio who is doing a contest to win a free re-design of your blog. So ......if you're like me and WANT a better design but have no time, money, or skills and are forced into using a template from blogger, Kaela from Fresh Designs can help you. And you know what? If I don't win, maybe when money things get better after the wedding I'll pony up some $$ (holy COW I just realized she sells her redesigns for a mighty affordable $50!) and buy a redesign from her etsy shop!

{ Waffles & Roses }

noreply@blogger.com (Bella Living) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Hi Internet friends :)

I'm off to the city to look for some things I need for our wedding reception - to fit my 'spring place-card' idea etc. Thank God for Nancy & Linda at Mezze Catering who recommended a couple of places for me to go in the Garden District as well as some fantastic reception/cocktail ideas!

Before I go, I thought I'd post 2 pics from this morning... I've gotta remember to put these flowers away so my cats don't try and eat them!

{ Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting/Filling }

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:22:00 +0000

I really felt like baking something today. How awesome was it that Martha Stewart had a little photo submission area on the site for favorite chocolate recipes! My two favorite things combined... making stuff and photography, woot! Anyway its good they wanted chocolate because it really narrowed down the stuff I could make (or that I know HOW to make, haha).

I searched online and throughout the Martha site for something interesting and a little different than I'm used to... then I found a great idea! On Marthastewart.com there was a recipe for Creme filled Chocolate Cupcakes... there were some mixed reviews (one lady saying that they came out pretty sucky), but it gave me a good idea. I made my chocolate cupcakes the way I usually do and then made a marshmallow creme filling/frosting with Fluff, Powdered Sugar, Butter, Milk & Vanilla. I'm submitted the photo below to the site, so... whoo hoo! My first submission of this type!

{ Even More V-Day Cards }

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:00:00 +0000

I'm having too much fun with all this felt stuff :) I had to finish up, because Thursday night I'll be at Twestival in NYC!

{ Great Design Folks on Twitter }

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:00:00 +0000

I'm sure you know of my Twitter obsession, and maybe you're on Twitter too! If you're not familiar with the increasingly popular micro-blogging & social networking tool (I know I know, I didn't want to say tool either but it kind of fit), here's a list of some cool people who pretty consistently tweet good design ideas, tech stuff, etc.

The Odd - my tech & music crazed fiance, a little nepotism never hurt anyone ;) - http://twitter.com/theodd

Emmaopeel from The 47th Precinct - http://twitter.com/emmaopeel

Jena Coray from Modish Blog - http://twitter.com/jenacoray

Design Milk - http://twitter.com/designmilk

Holly Becker from Decor8 & Haus Maus- http://twitter.com/decor8

Poppytalk (Handmade) - http://twitter.com/poppytalk

Michelle Verdugo from Design Evolution - http://twitter.com/vertigodesign

Patrick Norton from Tekzilla & Systm - http://twitter.com/patricknorton

Kevin Rose from Digg's Tea Tweets- http://twitter.com/goodtea

Enjoy fellow Tweeple, haha! Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Valentine's Cards

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:41:00 +0000

Woo hoo! I've never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day, but ever since I started baking/crafting I get really excited whenever there's an occasion to gift treats and gifts away :)

I want to make something to give away this year. Last year I made these Felt Fortune Cookies that I found on Martha Stewart's site and filled them with a happy valentine's day "fortune" and a pair of earrings I made. I'm into the idea of doing something cute like that this year too but I'm short on funds as you can imagine.

So what I did was go into my 'craft cabinet' haha, I'm such a nerd!! I have the following things already so I decided to do a little cut & paste (and very little stitch).

Mini Craft Cards & Envelopes from MUJI (you can use any kind of card stock)
1 Sheet of Red Felt
1 Sheet of Pink Felt
Craft Glue
Scissors
Needle
Yarn or Thread

I cut out hearts in both pink and red. I also cut out rectangles long enough to stitch the hearts onto. I tried different things too, cutting half a heart in pink and the other half in red. I tried sewing the heart to the card, and gluing them as well. I cut out conversation bubbles and put hearts in them. Here are 2 of the cards, I'll post more pics as I make more.

Now, I just need to do some baking so I have some treats to give away with these :)

Gift Guides on Etsy

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:18:00 +0000

I know this isn't news to a lot of people, but some of you may not know that the awesome handmade site Etsy has it's very own gift guide! Custom picks for the man, woman, parent or child in your life even specifying certain personality types (read: nerd, punk, tree hugger)... click here for the goodness.

Bonus! Click this link for their Home Interiors & Design guide! Some of my favorites are below...

Limited Edition Library $35 Print from Nesta Home

Pale Blue Kelp Pillow $20 from Apetite Home

Vintage Brownie Camera $35 from Thrush

Circles Table $350 from Michael Arras

Dip... Mid-eat

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:08:00 +0000

Oops!!! I forgot to post it before people started to eat but I guess
it's a good sign that it's half gone!

Super bowl Dip

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:59:00 +0000

We're going over to Wade's sister's place to watch, so I just put together a little layered dip to take. Super bowl food is SO yummy but most of it is pretty fatty, etc. I modified a recipe I found online a little bit to make sure it was just a tiny bit healthier! I'll be popping it in the oven when we get there so that it is warm when we end up eating it.

Ingredients:

1 small bottle salsa
1 1b ground turkey (97% fat free)
1 packet Taco Seasoning
1/2 onion diced
1 pepper (yellow, green, red or combination) diced
1 can low sodium cream of mushroom condensed soup
1 package lowfat cream cheese
1 packet Shredded Mexican 4-Cheese (2% milk version)
1 can fat free refried beans

Directions:

Brown 1 lb Ground Turkey & added Taco Seasoning

Mixed Lowfat Cream Cheese with Cream of Mushroom soup

Sautee Diced Red/Green/Yellow Peppers & Onions then mix in with salsa

Layers:

1/2 Cream Cheese Mixture
1/2 can Fat Free Refried Beans
1/2 Turkey Mixture
1/2 Salsa mixture
1/2 Packet Shredded Cheese

Repeat the layers then cover loosely with tinfoil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Uncover then bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve warm!

Assembled Dip (Pre-oven)... I. can't. wait.

little apple in the big apple

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:58:00 +0000

little apple in the big apple, originally uploaded by A Bella Life.

A photo from my lunch break last week. Don't worry, I washed the apple before i ate it.

I should try mobile blogging

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 21:01:00 +0000

I realize I'm not very good at this updating the old blog thing. This past week I attended a great event called "One night for Mumbai" that was being held simultaneously in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. The cause? To raise money for the victims of the attacks in Mumbai. I haven't yet heard how well it went but there were a lot of people in and out over the course of the evening, so I hope they did well.

At the event I realized that I should have been blogging, twittering, facebooking, etc to put the word out there (though you can still make a donation if you'd like).

That brings me to something I just bought a ticket for today. On February 12, 2009 I'm attending a great event being held around the globe called Twestival. This event (planned in 100+ cities) is raising money for a very worthy cause "charity: water." Some info from the site:

The mission of Twestival.

Right now 1.1 billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us. Many communities in developing nations often have a plentiful supply of clean drinking water just below the ground, but no way to get to it. This is where charity: water and their partner organizations come in. Drilling a well can cost from $4,000 - $12,000 USD and many living on less than $1 a day cannot afford one in their community, even if the money is combined.

On 12 February 2009, 100+ international cities will be hosting a Twestival to bring Twitter communities together in an effort to raise money for charity: water. Twestival is organized 100% by international volunteers around the world and 100% of the money raised from these events will go directly to support charity: water projects. By rallying together globally, under short timescales, for a single aim on the same day, the Twestival hopes to bring awareness to this global crisis.

Please get support the Twestival efforts for charity: water by making a donation, attending an event or participating in one of our many online fundraising activities.

Jennifer Connelly in charity: water Public Service Announcement from charity: water on Vimeo.

I'd love some company as currently I'm flying solo...if you go, give me a holler!

Sunday Attempt to Bake

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:21:00 +0000

Yesterday on our "all-day-date" I stopped at Pier 1 to return some stuff we didn't end up using at the Engagement party... but because I lost the receipt, I got store credit and picked up a few much needed kitchen items as well as as a $10 cookies in a jar thing. You know those jars that have layers of all the dry ingredients you need to make cookies? This one was by Sisters Gourmet, and it's called "Cookies for Santa"(and I won't even get into the whole Christmas starting so early thing).

Well, given the fact that I am not a baker... I had no idea what to do with this jar! I assumed when I opened it that there would be some instructions on what to add, and in what quantities but maybe I got a bum jar because there was no 'recipe' or directions on what to do to actually get cookies out of this jar. Then I thought, well - that's good, they saved paper! The recipe must be on the website and this must be some ploy to get more traffic to the site. No such luck. After about a half hour of scouring the internet for details on this Cookies for Santa jar, I decided to just look up random recipes for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I guessed on the measurements of the jarred dry ingredients and arrived at the conclusion that I was to add 1 egg and a half a stick of softened butter to it. The last time I made cookies 'from scratch' was 8th grade home ec, so I wasn't even sure once I added that stuff if the consistency was right!

I mixed the butter (unsalted) and the egg, then added all the jar ingredients. I mushed it around the mixing bowl with my fingers and then made little balls of the mix. Again, I sort of guessed (based on recipes online) on the oven temp and the baking time. I pre-heated the oven at 350, and decided to monitor the cookies at 7 minutes, and continue until I thought they were done, which ended up being 12 minutes. The first batch was a little overdone, but by the last batch I was at 9 minutes and a chewy yummy melty cookie, just the way I like them! Well, there's a really long story about the cookies, and here is a picture of them once they were done. They are delicious! They have oatmeal, crushed cornflakes, shredded coconut, light brown sugar, flour, regular sugar, chocolate chips and possibly salt and other stuff I didn't notice, haha. Anyway - now that I know what to do with the jar, $10 isn't too bad to not have to think about whether or not I have these items in the kitchen. I just wish that part of the $10 was invested in telling morons like me what to do with it!

Cat Show!

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:55:00 +0000

I got a great opportunity a few weeks back to photograph the CFA Cat Show at Madison Square Garden for Webvet.com!

The pictures were featured on their website, here. Here are just 2 moments of cuteness below. For more pictures and a great resource for pet information, head to Webvet.com.

Long Break

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:48:00 +0000

Took a long break, but here are some new pics from the local Columbus Day festivities! There was a carnival-like fair going on right outside my apartment! I promise to be posting more soon :)

I heart decor8 and Ikea!

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:15:00 +0000

Holly from decor8 posted this link recently (though I'm not sure when because I'm so behind on my blog reading!) and I had to pass it on to those of you who don't read decor8. Plus, I just went to Ikea today!

hehe click here!

Mind you, I don't understand a word, but still cool none the less... when are we getting a US site? I think its a fabulous idea and a great marketing tool for them! I always want to see how folks use different pieces of furniture/accessories and colors in their own places - people are so creative!!

In the meantime, if you're handy and not aware of the cool blog Ikeahacker you should check it out! Not related to the Ikea tv site in any way, I just figured while I was on the topic of Ikea I might as well share!

One last Ikea note, if you haven't seen it or received it in the mail yet, the Ikea 2009 catalogue is out! If I find anything interesting for any of your projects I know about, I'll be sure to post images/links this weekend! You can view the online version here or by clicking the image of it above. Like I said, I heart Ikea.

West Elm: How to create a gallery wall at home

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:46:00 +0000

I got my latest West Elm e-mail with a link to some of their new frames and art. The cool thing is that they have a link to a pdf that gives some cool instructions on how to create a gallery wall like the one in the picture above! The method they've posted can be used with their artwork alone or combined with your own pictures or artwork that you may have purchased via Etsy.

Click here for the pdf.

Warning, in their instructions they specifically say you have to buy their artwork and frames because they've include "patterns" with each frame. These patterns are basically a piece of paper the size of the frame. You can use any frame at home along with the blank side of some paper to create your own "pattern" and layout on the wall.

If what I'm saying makes no sense, try the following instructions:

1. take any frame you have and lay it over some paper (wrapping paper if its a big frame).

2. trace around the frame and cut that piece out.

3. then turn your frame over to show the back, and lay the cut piece of paper over it to make a mark where the nails have to be.

4. tape this piece of paper on the wall (with painters tape) where you want it.

5. nail through the mark you made on your paper.

Now you could do this with several different frames and pieces of paper to create a layout on the wall and just hook your pictures on and you're good to go with that gallery feel! I happen to like some of their art stuff and I know some of my Brooklyn peeps will like the Brooklyn print!

If you have a wall at home where you've displayed a collage of artwork like the one above, please share a picture or add a comment on how you curated your wall, where you found the artwork and how you hung it up!

$1 finds from Domino Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:03:00 +0000

Quicky post! Check out Domino Magazine's site to see their new $1 gallery!

Click here!

Ahhhh to blog

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:54:00 +0000

So I've been feeling design deficient lately. I guess its because I'm doing a million other things, and trying to learn photography at the same time. Anyway let's get back to basics for a minute shall we?

Blogs I've been following, click the pic to get to the blog:

Rang Decor: Ideas Predominantly Indian

Archana of Rang Decor has it right. This is one of my most favorite blogs to follow, she's always very inspiring, and in fact it was one of the few blogs that inspired me to start my own. Not to mention, hellloooooo - its all about Indian design!! How cool that someone has chosen to focus on the beautiful patterns, colors, and views of India.

Simply Photo

Jen from Simply Photo does exactly what I'd like to be diligent and creative enough to do every single day! And that is, share beautiful pictures with her readers. I love this blog for the beautiful images and her great eye.

Design is Mine

Summer from Design is Mine is another one of my faves. This blog is a must-visit as well, she includes all aspects of design from decorating to fashion to food!!! She even has another blog dedicated to food called Bread and Honey, which is filled with beautiful images and great recipe ideas!

I encourage you to visit these blogs to get your daily dose of inspiration! Trust me, you'll thank me!!

Mission: Breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:47:00 +0000

This morning I woke up with a mission in mind. My mission: Make a frittata. I looked up a few recipes and realized that the base is pretty much the same and I could make any kind of frittata I wanted! Here is the base I used:

6 eggs
1 cup of milk
2 tbsp butter (melted)

In the fridge (which has pretty much been empty for a few weeks) I had an onion, a tomato, a red pepper that had gone bad (and thus unusable), sliced chorizo, a tiny bit of leftover shredded cheese and a block of jalapeño jack cheese. And that is ALL i had in my fridge after I removed the milk, eggs and butter!!

Onion
Tomato
Sliced Chorizo
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Jalapeño Jack Cheese
Parmesan Cheese

I shredded the sliced chorizo and then sauteed it with diced onions and a diced tomato. I poured this mixture into the egg base and whisked it a bit with some parmesan cheese. I poured this concoction into a greased baking dish then topped it with diced jalapeño jack cheese, shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 tbsp), and more thinly sliced chorizo. This stuff appeared to sink, but when the thing came out of the oven it definitely helped to form a crust on top. Then I baked it at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. WA-LA, out came this beautifully golden crusted tasty creation... I know, I impressed myself. I highly recommend this as a brunchy type meal, or a "now i feel guilty for eating that" meal. It is mighty tasty!

Wordle

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:53:00 +0000

Liz from 20somethingknowitall recently posted about a cool site called wordle. She posted what her resume looked like all wordled, so I thought it'd be interesting to try it myself!! This is what happened when I put my blog into wordle!

image from http://wordle.net/

Thanks for sharing Liz! I love the way this looks, and the options to change the layout and colors are so cool and convenient! Try it and post links to your own wordle!

Now, off to opening night of johnpaulgeorgeringo, a one man show about the fab four that I've been involved with! If you are a beatles fan or would like to attend, tickets are available on ticketweb for $15 or through the FringeNYC website as it is part of the New York International Fringe Festival.

Decision 2008

noreply@blogger.com (A Bella Life) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 01:16:00 +0000

So the big question was... "How will we find a photographer?" Wade can attest to the fact that the search has been hard because I consider photography to be one of my favorite hobbies.

A little over a week ago, I met with the lovely Jen Huang. I've posted a few of her pictures on A Bella Life before, but she has just launched a gorgeous website so you should check it out here. You can see Jen's latest photos on her blog as well. If you enjoy her work, you'll be able to tell her yourself at our wedding, woo hoo! I'm so relieved!! She is bright, energetic, super talented and as you can tell I'm really excited that she will be shooting the wedding!