a bella life.

{ Cake }

2011-07-05T21:12:00.000-04:00

{ Wrapping With Tissue Paper }

2011-07-05T20:54:00.002-04:00

I always save the tissue paper (or packing paper) that shops wrap my purchases in so I can later re-use it to wrap presents. As for the knits, well... I start-and-never-finish a lot of projects.

{ Times Square Photo Walk With Rick Sammon }

2011-06-18T21:03:00.002-04:00

Here's an early favorite from the Times Square photo walk today. I was just waiting at the corner for the rest of the group to show up, when this amazing purple monte carlo pulled up. I ran out into the middle of the street (there was a red light) and took a shot. But then the driver gave me this little treat:

{ Baby Zack }

2011-06-14T23:27:00.002-04:00

{ Sarah }

2011-06-14T23:24:00.000-04:00

{ Tea Party }

2011-06-14T22:54:00.002-04:00

{ Congratulations Niki & Raju }

2011-06-14T22:53:00.002-04:00

{ Exploring By An Abandoned Cabin }

2011-04-26T22:24:00.000-04:00

{ Tabletop }

2011-04-17T22:47:00.000-04:00

What A Difference A (Red) Cabinet Makes

2011-03-14T22:31:00.000-04:00

I decided to take the plunge and buy the Ikea PS Cabinet I'd been coveting. At a more than reasonable price of $99, I'm not exactly sure why I waited so long to buy it but anyway the point here is, I so should have gotten it earlier.

It's amazing what it did for the room though. Really, the whole room was kind of a work in progress but this wall definitely feels a little more finished now. (not to mention I get to hide my junk INSIDE the cabinet)

I really hate before-and-after pics where the 'before' picture is so obviously taken to make something look crappy, but unfortunately the only 'before' picture I have looks that way. We took the picture as soon as we got home from Ikea, but of course it was late and dark and I was too excited to get started on building the cabinet to spend time properly lighting the pic.

Before:

After:

Archana & Fola Engagement Video

2011-03-02T22:38:00.000-05:00

I got some stray video footage while we were doing the photo shoot in D.C. and put it together for the happy couple. Thought I'd share here as well.

The song is "I'm Following You" by Annette Hanshaw. It was featured in a late 1920s movie called It's A Great Life.

{ archana & fola }

2011-02-27T21:44:00.013-05:00

{ Boutique Shopping In Park Slope }

2011-01-16T21:52:00.010-05:00

On Saturday I got a chance to finally hit up some of the awesome shops in Park Slope (Brooklyn) I'd been hearing about from a good friend who is lucky enough to live there. It wasn't really great for my budget, but it was fantastic for my wardrobe!

I got a really cool Marc Jacobs blazer from a shop called Two Lovers that sells previously owned items. The blazer's got this sweet velvet trim, and I know no one can see the inside lining of the jacket but me, but it's lovely. I kind of have a thing for what the lining looks like anyway :) It was the first thing I bought, so after that I looked for items that would pair well with it.

Next up, from Goldy Mac I got this ruffle peasant top, which looked pretty good with the blazer.

And lastly, I was looking forward to going to Flirt the most (especially after getting a super cute top from there for Christmas)... I picked up this silk floral top, which is my favorite of the two pairings with the blazer.

{ Sale & Antique Finds }

2011-01-10T00:00:00.006-05:00

{ Green crystal cup candle, felt flower, yarn & green tea solid perfume - Anthropologie }

{ Tea cup set, Kodak instamatic 324 - Jay's antique's }

While in Montclair on Sunday (January 9th) I made a stop at the Montclair Antique Center. Sorry Rutherford Antiques... I wasn't cheating, it's just that, well, you're closed on Sundays.

Anyway, I wasn't really shopping anyway, per se -- just looking around. I saw a pretty awesome stuff including a sweet Kodak Instamatic camera! Also, I found a cute little teacup set so I thought I'd photograph some of this stuff for the blog.

{ Kodak Instamatic Camera }

Wade's dad told me that the camera needs 126 film, so of course I went hunting for it online. That's when I found this commercial for the Instamatic + Flash Cube.

{ Anthropologie Love }

2011-01-09T17:39:00.019-05:00

I. love. Anthropologie.

I could seriously hang out in one of their stores for hours at a time and lose track of what's going on and where I have to be. There are just too many interesting things to enjoy looking at. It can sometimes (most of the time) be too pricey for my budget but they do have excellent sales.

Today I hit up the Montclair, NJ Anthropologie store, located in the Hinck Building -- a historic Spanish mission building. The space is gorgeous. Here are some pretty interesting nooks and crannies in the store.

{ Dad And Daughter Cover Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros }

2011-01-05T20:00:00.002-05:00

I guess you can tell when kids are pretty young what their natural talents are, huh? Oh, and is that whistler a pro or what?

Stumbled on this video online today -- enjoy!

{ Baby Elizabeth }

2011-01-02T18:30:00.003-05:00

I hadn't seen my baby cousin Elizabeth since this past Summer but we got to spend a little time with her and her big eyes and long eyelashes over the weekend. Of course I had to break out the camera :) The boy in the picture is her big brother Steven. Aren't those dimples adorable?

{ Moona & Yama Take Two }

2010-12-31T17:00:00.003-05:00

Here are some of my favorite photos from the shoot -- but much larger! I should have just posted them this way to begin with but I do love the collages :)

{ Moona & Yama }

2010-12-31T13:45:00.010-05:00

Moona first contacted me to chat about having a relaxed photo session to get some new, fresh photos for her and her fiance Yama to use on their wedding website!

I met them down in D.C. about a week ago, and we went to some of their favorite spots around the city. We started at the Dupont fountain, then went to a cute French place called Bistrot du Coin. We made a stop at the Khalil Gibran memorial garden in Normanstone Park and after that Yama took us to his favorite spot - The Spanish Steps. I think that is one of my new favorite spots now, so thanks to Yama for sharing it!

Even though there was a blizzard going on in NYC, DC only got hit with some gorgeous flurries and a few flakes with just the tiniest bit of wind -- which made for some dreamy photos. I have to thank Reena for dragging my stuff around DC and scouting some great spots and shots!

Hope you enjoy some of my favorites as much as I loved taking them :)

{ above right & left: dupont circle }

{ above left: spanish steps, above right: khalil gibran memorial park }

{ Instagram Love }

2010-12-31T13:36:00.005-05:00

Photo taken with iPhone, using Instagram filter Nashville

If you haven't downloaded the FREE Instagram app for iPhone, you're missing out on some seriously fun and inspiring times.

Instagram is like Twitter, but for mobile photos. I can't believe it took this long for someone to come up with a social site for sharing photos on the go! Of course there's Twitpic, and then there's Flickr and the like, but it's not the same because those sites are on the Internets. Instagram is not a site you can access online, which I like. You upload pics from your iPhone and have about 13 filters in the app that you can use to process your photos.

So that's what I love about Instagram: It's a great way to share and showcase photos taken on the go.

What I hate about Instagram?

Pet Peeve #1: People post photos taken on dslrs!
I'm only annoyed because I feel the entire point of this platform is to share pictures taken on a mobile phone. I personally like the challenge and had hoped others would as well. I don't think these people are trying to fool anyone, it's just that I feel they've missed the point.

Pet Peeve #2: People who follow you just to get a follow-back.

And then they un-follow you when you don't follow them! Listen, I'm all about getting followers to share my craft -- who isn't? But the thing is that I only follow people whose photos I want to see because I like the work they're creating - not because I expect anyone to follow me back.

I'm not going to end on a negative because I do LOVE this app, so here are the positives:

Instagram Love #1: The people on Instagram are SO NICE.
It's such a wonderful community, full of folks who not only take wonderful pictures, but encourage others with insightful comments.

Instagram Love #2: The games!

I've just recently been let in on a game or two. One user, @chrysti circulated a game called {with one image}. She took an unfiltered photo of three trees and posted it with a message asking fellow Instagrammers to edit the pic how they please and repost it with the game's name. She reposted some of her favorites and made it a goal to visit the pages of people who participated. A brilliant idea! Not only did I have fun looking at all the wonderful ways people edited her photo, I had fun editing the pic and sharing it as well.

Instagram Love #3: Teachers.

There are Instagrammers out there who want nothing more than to help aspiring photographers hone their skills and improve their shots. They'll post tips along with their photos to help others achieve the same results.

Instagram Love #4: All the new apps!

Wow, I thought I had a lot of photo apps before, but really I had nothing compared to what's out there. I've enjoyed learning about other apps and emptying my pockets to buy them all! In general I stick to the basics with PS Mobile, TiltShiftGen & the Instagram filters, but I now enjoy Diptic, PhotoStudio, Picture Show And TiltShift as well.
Instagram Love #5: Inspiration

Just as Flickr had provided me with endless hours of jaw-dropping reactions to the amazing things people do with their DSLRs, Instagram has done the same for the mobile photographer. It's amazing to see what people do with their iPhones and a few apps or filters -- sometimes with no filters at all! It truly goes to show you that the best camera to use for photography is whatever camera you have on you at the time you see an opportunity. I didn't make that up -- lots of people have said that and though I never truly understood it at first, I totally get it now.

The Rally To Restore Sanity

2010-11-01T21:58:00.011-04:00

We went down to the rally to restore sanity this past weekend (October 30th) in Washington, D.C. We didn't know what to expect but were pleasantly surprised at the number of people at the New Carrollton metro station when we showed up. The line to buy metro tickets was wrapped around and through the parking garage and even though I'm pretty bad at estimating the size of crowds, we all agreed there had to be at least 800-1000 people there.

The actual rally was awesome. There were lots of funny signs, nice people and great performances. According to reports there were around 215,000 people there!

I'm working on a little video of the rally, but in the meantime here are some pictures of fun signs and fun times.

( JoAnne & Jon }

2010-10-31T00:00:00.002-04:00

My close friend JoAnne is getting married in March, but when I went to Ohio for her bridal shower I got a few minutes to take some pics of the lovely couple on his Harley!

{ An Old Picture With A New Twist }

2010-07-22T22:59:00.004-04:00

This photo was taken up in the Berkshires while we walked along a lake. It's now the product of my experimenting with color, blending & cropping (in Pixelmator). I'm sure the wispy, dream-like result is no coincidence since I've been obsessing over the movie Inception. Off to bed, sweet dreams.

Niki & Raju Are Engaged!

2010-06-03T21:14:00.004-04:00

Well, I kinda... did it. My first real photography "gig." Everyone out there (especially my husband Wade) has been cheering me on for the past few years so, thank you so much for encouraging me!

Nikita and Raju recently got engaged and they wanted to do an engagement shoot to get some pictures for their wedding website and their 'Save The Date.' I think they picked one already but you won't see the picture here on A Bella Life in case any of you readers are going to their wedding. You'll have to be surprised!

I'm super lucky they chose me to take on this task and you'll see why soon. These two are adorable, and obviously so in love. It was no work at all to get sweet, fun pics from our day out in NYC!

Here are a few of my fave B&W ones. Click the picture for the full image.

Summer Time

2010-05-26T22:57:00.004-04:00

The warm (hot) weather has me thinking about last weekend when we roamed the city with Sujin and bbq-ed with Tina and Neeraj. In between all the fun, when we are just hanging out waiting for a bus, or sitting in a cab in traffic on the West Side Highway, I break out the camera instead of getting impatient with the wait. Thankfully, Wade's always super encouraging and ignores the camera in his face to let me play.

Present Wrapping Idea: For The Man In Your Life

2010-05-16T21:51:00.006-04:00

Today was our one-year wedding anniversary! In the spirit of our black and white theme from our wedding last year, I wrapped Wade's present in the same colors. After seeing the final product, I thought it might be something you could use as a wrapping idea for a Father's Day gift.

As you can see from the pic, I made the top of the box look like a gentleman's dress shirt with a tie. I used three different tissue paper prints: The first as the wrapping for the whole box (note: I wrapped the bottom of the box and the top of the box separately), the second as a tie, the third as a handkerchief to put in a make shift pocket I made.

If you're interested, it's pretty simple!

Materials:

Tissue Paper (A few different colors or prints)
Scissors
Double Sided Tape

1. Wrap the top and bottom of the box separately.

2. Make the following pieces:

Collar
Tie
Tie Knot
Pocket
Handkerchief

All pieces can then be assembled to look like a dress shirt. I used double sided tape to tape everything down, except for the handkerchief which I didn't tape down because it was a cute "removable" piece :)

Back... This time for good?

2010-05-09T22:12:00.008-04:00

If there's anyone left reading my blog, haha, I'm back! Lately, I've been obsessing over the idea of styling a photo shoot -- for fun! I think the best way to learn as much as I can about photography will be to practice with my own little shoots before going out there in the wild.

After trying to drag @tinamathew into it with no success, I thought I'd take a stab at styling something fun and colorful today. So, please don't call me weird for setting up little parties for no one in my front yard, because that is just what I did!

In case you're interested in what I did, I first opened up the Adobe Ideas App on my iPad. Not because I needed it, but these days it's easy to grab it and jot/sketch some ideas down. Once I made a list of possible shoot ideas, I opened up Pixelmator and designed 1. an invite to my make-believe party and 2. a menu. (Oh, and I've had the yellow/grey color scheme on the brain because my close friend Deanna is getting married very soon and those are her colors!)

Then I ransacked my kitchen for cute glasses, plates, and napkins to "set the table." Luckily on my way home Friday, I picked up some beautiful peonies (reminds me of my wedding, which was just about a year ago) and arranged them in a "ball jar."

Away I went to print, cut, make fake margaritas, salt the glasses, tie the napkins and make a few place cards.

Anyway, the result is some photos I think I can be proud of. Check out the board I created below. This was my first one, so I think that if I try more, I can perfect this art.

Thanks for reading, xoxoxo!

On The Road To Deanna's Wedding

2010-05-05T19:55:00.003-04:00

First stop... Bridal Shower!

Deanna's mom and maids chose a Mardis Gras theme for her bridal shower that included colorful masks, "Hurricane Dee" signature drinks, and even King Cakes to get everyone in the partying spirit!

Here are a few snaps from Dee's fun day, click the pic to enlarge!

{Married}

2009-06-13T18:15:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-22T22:43:00.005-04:00

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

2009-04-22T22:26:00.003-04:00

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 }

2009-03-14T14:15:00.001-04:00

"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 }

2009-02-21T18:33:00.003-05:00

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 }

2009-02-21T10:55:00.005-05:00

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 }

2009-02-16T18:22:00.007-05:00

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 }

2009-02-11T18:00:00.001-05:00

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 }

2009-02-11T06:00:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-09T21:41:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-03T22:18:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-01T19:08:00.001-05:00

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

2009-02-01T14:59:00.006-05:00

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

2009-02-01T14:58:00.001-05:00

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

2009-01-31T16:01:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-02T17:21:00.004-05:00

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!

2008-11-02T16:55:00.003-05:00

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

2008-10-12T22:48:00.006-04:00

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!

2008-08-15T20:15:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-15T19:46:00.004-04:00

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

2008-08-14T23:03:00.003-04:00

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

Click here!

Ahhhh to blog

2008-08-12T22:54:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-10T00:47:00.005-04:00

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

2008-08-09T14:53:00.005-04:00

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

2008-08-04T21:16:00.004-04:00

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!

3g White iPhone

2008-07-15T10:31:00.001-04:00

3g White iPhone, originally uploaded by A Bella Life.

Here's the new white iphone. It's HOT! Wade got his Friday but I am not into the line thing this year so I am waiting til there is no line. The new 2.0 software is rad though. I got it for my oldie phone and it works fantastically! The app store is the best, so far I've gotten scrabble, bejeweled, tetris, aol im, facebook, ipint, sketches, mobile flickr, twitterrific, pandora and weatherbug. Are you getting an iPhone 3g or have you gotten one yet? What have you downloaded in the app store?

Jen Huang Photography

2008-07-14T08:53:00.001-04:00

These images are so warm & pretty!! Right now Jen and I are in talks about getting her for the wedding. Visit her blog, Jen Huang Photography, for more eye candy!

Blue Room Decorating

2008-07-13T20:18:00.003-04:00

Update on the blue room!

The lamp is the big dipper lamp from CB2 and fortunately I got it while it was on sale! I used to stare at it for long periods of time when it was full price but knew I'd never buy it - and then all of a sudden like it was meant to be, the price dropped right before my birthday! Woo hoo!

What else.... I added the white frame on the wall - that I got from one of my favorite shops in town Jolie Zoe Deux. It was just hanging out on the floor of the shop and I asked if it was for sale. It was already wired to hang and everything. Jan Marie (the shop owner) gave it to me for $10. I love it, its one of my favorite things in the room. The last thing I got was a pillow cover for the pillow sitting on my mid century chair - that was $3.99 on sale from West Elm.

Yesterday I stopped by my favorite antique store, Rutherford Antiques, where Coby (the store owner) hooked me up with some cool looking driftwood that he got at a recent estate sale. He had a few different pieces including a really cool looking twisty one that was a little too large for the space I had in mind. Fortunately I got an equally cool looking smaller one. Wade looked at me like I had seven heads when I showed it to him. He asked me why I was trying to build a forest, ha! The truth is, though, that I started to see driftwood in a lot of home decorating magazines and pictured in blogs a while back and I really like that look! I sort of gave up on it because people were trying to sell this sort of thing for a lot of $$$ and I wasn't into that. Glad I held out! Anyway I took some pictures of the shelf I put it on, but I didn't like the way they came out - I'll wait for some better light and post one soon.

In the meantime, I am still looking for a coffee table! What do you think about the two I posted earlier? Do you think one will look better in this room than the other? Have you seen another coffee table you think will be cool? E-mail or post your thoughts!

Coffee Tables

2008-07-06T22:48:00.003-04:00

So far to the blue room, I've added a lamp from CB2, and a white frame from Jolie Zoe Deux (in Rutherford, NJ). The lighting was pretty whack this weekend but I'm hoping for a nice evening tomorrow to take a pic or two. I'll post updated pics of the blue room soon!

Now I'm looking for a coffee table for that room. I stumbled on the OFFI Scando Table at Design Public, but too bad its $600. But how great is it? Also ... i like the 'feel' of this setup, ya know?

Another coffee table I like, and half the price (literally), is the bridge table from West Elm.

As you can see I'm looking for something very low, the sofa I'm pairing it with is only about 13" off the ground. I've been looking for a while, but I don't mind searching longer for the perfect table with the perfect price tag :)

Wedding Dresses

2008-07-05T06:30:00.005-04:00

I've also been spending some online time looking at wedding dresses... its really annoying because I don't find many that I like (that are also within the budget, hehe). But here are some of the ones I was drawn to, for some reason or the other.

The first one, I found on Martha Stewart Weddings. It's by Romona Keveza. I think when I do go try on dresses, I want to try one on like this. I like the cut, color... everything. The only thing I don't like is the bouquet they paired with it.

This one is from Nordstrom, it's BCBG Max Azria.
This one is also Max Azria from Nordstrom.

Back from the break

2008-07-04T17:59:00.007-04:00

Oops! So I took an unexpected break recently. It's been busy around these parts!

Lately I've been trying to keep up with work but also keep an eye on wedding stuff. I have been looking for a photographer, which I found very frustrating because of the whole "digital negatives" and copyright issue. I took a break from it as a result. An unexpected product of this whole thing is that I would like to try photography myself! Wade got me a really nice lens for my birthday, and since that I've been staring at gear online and at B&H. There are two more things I'd like to get to be 'set up' to do some serious photography! I'm pretty psyched. I found a great class to take at the International Center of Photography but I'll probably have to take it after the wedding (funds and all).

Anyway, here are some new pictures I took with the lens. They are also on my flickr page (I think).

Batty facing the camera, Bella looking away.

Pete & Phil's Dierdra

Wade!

Finally a bit more traditional

2008-06-04T18:15:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I've been on polyvore a lot lately. I guess I forgot about how much easier it is to create sets there, than it is to do in Photoshop!!!

Anyway, here is a more traditional look at a wedding.... i do like the simplicity of the black and white wedding, I'll give you that. I still had to go with comfortable flats with the shoes though. Sorry people, but the chances of me wearing a pair of uncomfortable heels on the big day is extremely slim!

Let's try Indian this time

2008-06-03T18:15:00.000-04:00

This time on Polyvore I opted for an Indian bridal theme. I'll be honest though, this is probably last on my list of choices for the wedding! Any family/friend gathering we have pre wedding ceremony will probably be all Indian (for me) and I will be outfitted in a sari and tons of jewelry. I would also want to get Henna done, but surprisingly my mom is not a big fan!

MUJI

2008-06-02T21:23:00.006-04:00

I cannot describe how excited I am to see that the Muji store in Midtown Manhattan is open!!!! Apparently the grand opening was Friday. I don't know how I missed it, to be honest with you... but never the less, I was way giddy upon entering those glass doors!

What is Muji? A sweet Japanese store with simply designed products. The name "MUJI" is derived from the Japanese phrase "Mujirushi Ryohin," meaning "No Brand Goods." Some might kill me for saying this, but dare I say... it's like a Japanese Ikea in there, that's how much I think you will love it.

This store is all that and a bag of Doritos, for real!! 45 minutes and $45 later I emerged with a bag of goodies... I'm not even supposed to be buying stuff (saving for the wedding), but I've literally been walking past the Muji "coming spring 2008" sign twice a day since the sign went up so I HAD to go in. Right now, the only place to buy Muji items online is at the MOMA store, but that will only get you 11 pages of shopping and a mere glimpse of all that Muji has to offer. I am serious, if you haven't discovered this gem yet.... you should stop buy the new flagship store in the New York Times building across from Port Authority on the 40th street side. If anything, you'll enjoy the space and the view of the little forest they built inside the times building.

How Soon is Now?

2008-06-01T12:14:00.000-04:00

We're getting ready to head out to the Bronx Museum of the Arts for the opening of a new show called How Soon Is Now? that my friend Sujin Lee is a part of!

How Soon Is Now? features an array of work by 36 artists from Artist in the Marketplace (AIM), one of the most celebrated and competitive programs for emerging artists in the country.

We're so excited to see her new video piece: One Horse or Two Horses? (In a Hungry Voice). The exhibition runs from June 1- August 18, 2008. Woo hoo!

Casual Wedding?

2008-06-01T12:01:00.002-04:00

I've been pondering the issue of the wedding dress lately. A few people have suggested getting started with that soon because altering takes a long time. I had sort of planned on starting to look in December, knowing that I would probably change my mind another 15-20 times between now and May of next year. Anyway, lately I've been browsing online for dress ideas that are .... less gown-like, and more casual I guess. I don't really know what I want to do, but I know I haven't seen any dresses online that I love yet. Not to mention... I don't think (from what I've seen), that a traditional wedding dress is really going to be for me.

That said, I was playing around on Polyvore with some color themes and with a more casual look for a wedding and came up with this little collage. To family and very formal friends reading this: don't be afraid just yet about the short dress and the blue colors!! I know its scary for some people to see nontraditional looks, but I'm exploring some ideas here, ha!

I actually really love that dress.... and I just found out, that it is a Vera Wang Lavender dress! I adore the pockets, and that hair is super chic and cool! I looked for colors I like, and of course landed on this blue that many people know is right up my alley.

More Wedding Ideas

2008-05-22T23:53:00.004-04:00

Just a quick post tonight with some more pictures that I like!! This time, all the photos are from The Knot, which may I say, I was skeptical about, but might actually be pretty helpful for inspiring ideas as well as checklists to make sure I'm on track!

Posters

2008-05-20T23:16:00.005-04:00

Lately I've been thinking of selecting some art for the walls, so I've been browsing around the net on Etsy and the like. I have this new idea to collect posters from the concerts I go to. Like, last week I went to see Tegan and Sara and I was hellbent on buying a poster. Too bad they were sold out :( So now I think I am going to work on designing a few posters myself, then taking them to a printing shop! The problem is the part where I have to figure out the printing requirements and all technical stuff. I worked on two posters this weekend and I'll let these designs marinate and continue to try more. If and when I get them printed and framed I will be sure to share the final pictures of them on the wall! I kind of like a retro look and feel, so that is what I was going for. Comments? Suggestions?

Wedding Stuff

2008-05-19T21:50:00.003-04:00

I set up a meeting for next Wednesday with our caterer. I’m pretty stoked because I asked her what I should do to be prepare and her answer was to find photos from magazines that I like, that would reflect our (err... my) style for the reception. So, between now and next Wednesday I’m essentially putting together a digital inspiration board and I think it might be fun to blog my progression! Maybe at the end I will have a couple of cool little boards we can take to her! In this first round, I was going for rustic, elegant, and appropriate for the wooden interior of MASS MoCA.

All of these images are from Brides, except the top left image of the wedding card is from Etsy seller meleniemela and the bottom right images are both from a post on Style Me Pretty by Abby Larson (one of my favorite bloggers) on a DIY place card tree. I am definitely looking to do a lot of the DIY stuff, because, well.... I like making things :)

Iron Man's House

2008-05-15T20:57:00.007-04:00

I. Love. Iron Man. Specifically, I love Iron Man's house.

As soon as I got home from the movie, I started looking for those coffee tables in Tony Starks' living room. Of course I couldn't find them (not that I could afford it anyway) but I am curious as to where all this stuff comes from you know.

Here are some screen shots from the set tour they did with Jon Favreau. In two of the pictures I 'highlighted' something lovely! I wish the pictures were more clear but they are just screen shots from the Yahoo set tour they did, you can see it here. It's pretty cool actually.

Awesome, awesome, awesome.
I wish the above picture was more clear, if you've seen the movie then you've seen that amazing tree trunk looking coffee table. I went searching for something similar.
I found 2 coffee tables that looked similar, both pretty expensive. Also I'm pretty sure the lamp in the above shot is the 'Arco Floor Lamp' from Design Within Reach.

1. Freeform Table ($$$$$$)- Clipper Trading Company
2. Starfish Coffee Tables ($$$$) - From the Source
3. Arco Floor Lamp ($$$$$$) - DWR

I'm going to try and put together a more affordable room, similar to the one in the movie! Not necessarily in real life, but for the blog you know? What do you think?

And.... wasn't the movie the best ever? I really enjoyed it! If you haven't seen it, you might want to.

Antique Stores

2008-05-08T21:52:00.003-04:00

There's a really cool antique store in my neighborhood that I try to visit a few times a month. Sometimes I just go and walk around the store looking for something that will catch my eye, or some sort of inspiration for my decorating adventures. I stopped by this past Saturday and found a boatload of stuff that I liked. I browsed carefully, keeping in mind that I have a wedding to save for but at the end of the day, I actually made some small purchases!

One thing I got (and it makes me smile every time I see it) is this chair! A couple of my friends have said "I don't get it, its just a wooden chair" but it really isn't JUST a wooden chair. Its the kind of chair I've been seeking out for quite some time now. It has a super cool curved back, and tapered legs... reminding me of a lot of furniture from the 1950s and 60s that I really love.

That room is sort of 'on its way' haha! I like to really look around for furniture and artwork before committing. The living room in my last apartment took me almost 7 months to get to the point that I felt it was finished (I got lucky because it was really small). Anyway back to the antique purchases....

This little box was on a shelf with maybe a half dozen more similar to it.

Sounds silly, but I really spent some time picking out which box I wanted to take home! There was one with red writing, and blue... and they were all different cheese labels I guess but the above box is the one I settled on. I didn't know what I was going to do with it when I got it, but I knew I wanted to display it somewhere. Right now its holding some of the newest music we've gotten (and a few Polaroid pictures).

I bought some other cool stuff, but I don't have pictures that I'm happy with just yet, so those will have to wait for another post!

Lastly, I know I seem like a crazy cat lady, but I have to leave you with this picture of Bella flirting with the camera. It's just too cute to not share.

Looking for Photographers

2008-05-07T23:35:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd look through Craigslist for some wedding photographers in the Western Massachusetts area but the few photographers I found were just not my style. I am still in love with Punam Bean's site. I love her pictures, and I e-mailed her again to request a meeting. I can only hope that she is free next year on May 16th and that we can afford her amazing talents. I encourage you to visit her website and her blog where she showcases a lot of her photographs. She does weddings, engagements, headshots and all sorts of stuff. What a talented gal!

These are a few of my favorites, she has such a great eye.

Charles & Marie

2008-04-28T22:31:00.004-04:00

While reading last month’s issue of Domino Magazine, I came across the coolest little thing... it’s called the Sunjar, by Tobias Wong. It literally soaks up solar energy during the day and stores it for use in the evening. How awesome is that? Anyway, I immediately went online to find it, and found about 10 other things I want from Charles & Marie.

Here are some of my favorites including the Sunjar, and the “I am not a paper cup” mug.

1. Tobias Wong's Sunjar $44
2. Twice Once Clock by Jonas Damon $80
3. Sonicum by Art Lebidev $120
4. I am not a Papercup (PRESALE!) $20
5. Furoshiki Shiki Cardholder $15

CB2

2008-04-23T22:42:00.004-04:00

Oh how I love you CB2. For those of you unfamiliar with CB2, it is Crate and Barrel's better more affordable half (in my humble opinion). The design is modern, bright, and just plain cheery. CB2 one of those stores that I walk out of empty-handed because I want everything and can't bring myself to choose what to take home! I got a new CB2 catalog in the mail today and I must have dog-eared 90% of the pages, but I'll spare you the entire list and just include a few favorites here. I love #5, it would look so cute with a single Gerbera flower don't ya think?

1. Andy Warhol for CB2 Melamine Butterfly Plates - $1.95
2. Galvanized Square Planters - $9.95 - $24.95
3. Beaker Glass Decanter & Funnel - $2.50 - $14.95
4. Tiki Placemat - $3.95
5. Carton Vase - $6.95
6. Track Brass Wall Strips (3)- $129.00

Takin it back to the old school....

2008-04-20T20:17:00.008-04:00

I was makin' the rounds on my favorite furniture sites, when I landed on the following awesome barcode doormat (only $14!) at Chiasso.

That got me thinking about all sorts of cute and geeky items I have come across recently. I realize that all the stuff is pretty old school, hence the title of this post. See below for a list of the items and where to purchase them.

1. Cuff made of an old record - Wreckords By Monkey
2. USB “Mixtape” - Urban Outfitters
3. Lego Earrings - Etsy Seller Gr0glmann
4. Nintendo Controller Pouch - Etsy Seller BraveMoonman
5. Recycled Leather Ghetto Blaster Belt - Etsy Seller broundoor
6. Custom Scrabble Tile Magnet Box Set - Etsy Seller littleputbooks (choose your own word!)

Wedding Date!!!!!!

2008-04-16T22:50:00.009-04:00

It's official, we have a date and a location for the wedding! Wade and I will be getting married on May 16, 2009 in The Berkshires and our reception will be at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts! Here are a few pictures from the MASS MoCA Flickr page as well as their official website! MASS MoCA is housed on a restored 19th century factory campus.

The space for the reception

via Mass Moca on Flickr

The exterior

via Mass Moca on Flickr

Someone else's reception at Mass Moca

via MASS MoCA's Official Website

I'm so excited to actually start planning! I've already subscribed to a few bridal blogs (see the left column for some of my favorites) and magazines but now I get to take a serious look at photographers, lighting, rentals, etc. As soon as we found out that you could rent the space at MASS MoCA, we were pretty pumped about the thought of having it there. We've visited there together before, and I feel like it is such an appropriate location. Wade was born in North Adams and his dad grew up just across the street from the Museum's campus at what is now The Porches Inn. Plus, HELLO!!! It's an Art Museum, one of my favorite ones and I can't wait to have a big party there! I'll be updating the blog with all sorts of fun stuff soon :)

Spring

2008-04-13T20:27:00.005-04:00

I celebrated the 70-ish degree weather on Saturday by buying a few plants for the balcony! Then, I took a trip to Marshall's to buy some pots and a cute watering can... All in all, I bought 3 pots, the can, a cilantro plant, pansies, and some other kind of flower I can't remember. I'm pretty pumped for the weather to stay warm so that I can buy some more plants. Here's a pic of that watering can and one of the pots from Marshall's. The pots all cost me a mere $3.99 each.... I bought 3. The can was a little more expensive ($9.99) but considering the price I got for the pots, I was okay with it!

I'm pretty intent on keeping my winter coat put away, so let's cross our fingers for the weather to stay nice. Have a great week!

How could I not post this pic?

2008-04-08T21:40:00.002-04:00

Bella was just trying to get in on all the twitter/google reader action! I had to do a quick post of this picture to share how ridiculous this cat is. Love her. Now, back to getting caught up with all my favorite blogs ... and twittering, polyvoring, and hearting :)

I'm on Twitter

2008-04-06T11:55:00.003-04:00

I resisted twitter for so long, but it turns out that my inner geek has been dying to try it. So I'm trying it! If you haven't noticed, there's a little twitter section on the top right side of A Bella Life. Twitter is like We Heart it, but for updates on your friends, family, or favorite bloggers. Right now I' m "following" Holly Becker from Decor8. I know, it sounds sort of stalkerish, but only because I don't personally know her, hehe. I'm also following HGTVdecorating and EtsyFinds. But, it would be cool if some of my friends would twitter, hint hint. Who knows, we all might love it. So no harm in trying right? Check me out yo: abellalife on twitter.

We Heart It

2008-04-06T11:40:00.005-04:00

We Heart It is my newest and latest addiction. Don't worry I'm equally (sort of) splitting time between Polyvore and We Heart It! My Google Reader has 891 unread articles, so I can't continue this addictive behavior too much longer or I'll miss out on all the latest updates from my favorite bloggers ;-)

Anyway, back to We Heart It. It's a fairly new site that lets you bookmark images and video that you like on the web. You can also add someone to your contacts and see what they are bookmarking. It's like a visual Twitter (which has to be a whole new post in itself since I just started using twitter)! For an idea of how this works, you can go to my page on We Heart It to see what pictures I've added to My Heart. I think its a pretty neat site, especially if you're looking for some inspiration! I'm also a big fan of photography and art, so it works out nicely for me. Give it a whirl, you may like it too :-)

Small & Cool

2008-04-02T22:01:00.003-04:00

Is your apartment both small AND cool? One of my favorite sites Apartment Therapy is hosting their annual "Small Cool" contest. In order to enter the contest your apartment has to be under 850 square feet.

My favorite thing about the contest is looking through all the entries. People are so incredibly creative and talented, and its so neat to get a peak into their homes. So far my favorite entry is Lizzie's Cozy Chicago Hideaway. I'm sure there are some who would disagree, but to me it seems it would be really easy to make a small apartment cool if you have tons of expensive designer furniture and expensive architectural features as well. Lizzie's place is only 371 square feet, and t doesn't look (to me) like she had to spend a ton of money to make her home inviting, colorful, nicely furnished and nicely arranged. Here are my favorite pics of her place from her entry on Apartment Therapy.

For more pictures, visit Lizzie's Cozy Chicago Hideaway on the contest site.

And even though I don't know you, good luck Lizzie!!!!

Home Office/Creative Room

2008-03-23T20:34:00.003-04:00

I would love to dedicate a space in the apartment to all things creative. Even if its just a small corner of a room, or a space on one wall in the 'office' or living room, I think it will help to stay motivated and inspired to create. I decided to do a post about this because so many of my friends (you guys and gals) have creative hobbies and I think that if you don't already have a space like this (or a studio of some sort) that you might enjoy the thought of setting one up.

Anyway the first thing I needed was some inspiration, so I went to Flickr and did a search for some photos.

image via bitsandbobbins on Flickr

image by you can count on me on Flickr

image by Indeed on Flickr

I found SO many pictures that I wanted to post, but alas... I've selected just a few for your viewing pleasure. But now you know it's there, and you too can be addicted!

The next thing I did was look at a couple of my favorite stores online, like Ikea, Cb2, Chiasso, and West Elm. Even though most of this stuff (minus Ikea and Cb2) are out of my price range, they still have really great images and interesting arrangement ideas.

Of course, I couldn't leave out Polyvore. I imagine this space to have all my creative stuff, but also be a place I could paint, sit and knit, blog, and hang out with my kitties. I put together some furniture that I like, a few of my hobby 'tools' along with some posters, etc. Maybe when my room is done I can post pictures of it and we can see how close I got to this little collage, haha!

Google Reader

2008-03-22T15:26:00.008-04:00

A lot of people have asked how to "subscribe" to this blog. I like to keep up with all my favorite blogs with Google Reader. It's especially easy to adopt if you are a gmail user because when you're signed into gmail, you can easily load your Google Reader. Even if you are not using Gmail, you can set up a Google Reader account. Basically, you can add different blogs to your Google Reader and when you sign in, it will show you the latest articles or updates from the blogs you chose. You can add as many blogs as you want, and you can add them as often as you want. This is what Reader looks like when you open it for the first time.

On the left side you can manage the blogs you subscribe to. Just click "Add subscription" and enter in the name of the blog, the URL, or if you are looking for some new reading material you can enter a topic you like. For example, if you are trying to subscribe to A Bella Life, you can just type "www.abellalife.blogspot.com" into the search field, click 'enter' and Reader will automatically add it. Your reader will then look like this:

As you scroll through each article, it will automatically get deleted from Reader so you can keep up with what you've read and what is new. In addition, at the bottom of each article you have the option to "star" it which basically saves it so you can view it later. With a web application like this to keep tabs on your favorite sites, the only thing left to do is enjoy the content. I hope this helped!!

I'm obsessed

2008-03-20T15:04:00.013-04:00

Polyvore has taken over my life. I've since created 3 more sets! I've lost my mind for sure. Here is the latest one.

I like this set for so many reasons, but my favorite thing about it is the different price ranges. From Ikea to DWR, this set has something for everyone. If you click on the picture it will take you to my Polyvore page where you can find out where to buy this stuff. And I strongly encourage anyone who has a creative itch to play around with this site, it's incredibly fun!

Basically I want all of this stuff or I want you to have it so that when I see you, I'll get to enjoy it!

Getting excited about spring

2008-03-17T21:12:00.005-04:00

I just found this cool new site called Polyvore! I read about it in an interview with Ez from Creature Comforts on All Things Bright and Beautiful. So on Polyvore, I put together this inspiration board of pretty little things I would love to own! It was so much fun, I think I'll be going back to play often. If you like any of this stuff, you can click on the item on the board and it will redirect you to the site where you can buy it. Woo hoo! Shopping on line is fun :)

Back from a break

2008-03-09T12:27:00.005-04:00

It has been a while since I've posted something on "A Bella Life" but I'm back! I've been dabbling in a few different hobbies over the last few months, so I think that I am going to start blogging about these hobbies as well as my ongoing obsession with all things design.

Anyway, for a quick Sunday morning post I thought I'd share some recent pictures. Here's a winter collage...

I've been cooking a lot lately, and here is one of my favorite recipes that I made last weekend. I got it from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. They were SO yummy, and pretty easy and fast to make. I hope you try making them :)

Everyday Food's Salmon Burgers with Yogurt Dill Sauce

1 pound skinless salmon fillet, finely diced
1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, beaten
3 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
Romaine lettuce

To finely dice the salmon without crushing it, start by thinly slicing the fillet with a sharp knife. Cut the slices into lengthwise into strips, then crosswise.

Heat broiler with rack set 4 inches from the heat. In a medium bowl, combine salmon, horseradish, lemon zest and juice, egg, scallion, breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Mix gently with a fork.

Using your hands, form the salmon into four patties. Broil on a rimmed baking sheet until browned on top and opaque throughout 6 to 7 minutes.

While burgers broil, combine yogurt and dill in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers on buns with yogurt-dill sauce and lettuce.

Organize Your Shoes

2007-09-23T17:43:00.002-04:00

Briana wrote in:

I'm currently re-organizing my closet and was surprised to find that when i googled shoe organizers, i couldn't find much along the lines of a basic cubby-hole organizer. i currently have a vertical hanging shoe organizer but i need the hanger space. any creative suggestions?

Well, as a matter of fact - here are some ideas & where you can purchase them, as well.

This is the most affordable, most creative design I found. It's the shoe wheel from Rakku Designs!! Of course, I love the image of the color organized shoes as well.

The Shoe Wheel is a mobile shoe storage system with 20 expandable pockets that can hold up to 30 pairs of shoes depending on the type. Sneaker, stilettos and flats can all be inserted through elastic bands, which hold them securely in place. The Shoe Wheel comes with locking wheels and can be rotated for easy selection.

This solution is from Danish designer Lilian Adler ...but of course it's the more expensive one. But they're just so cute. It's the "Hotel Box". Oh, and I just realized - they used to go for $17 (really steep) but now they're even more expensive (insert sad face) at $25. They come in multiple really enticing designs.

You can find the Hotel Box online at Yoya Shop.

Earlier this year in Real Simple Magazine (April '07) there was an ad for this Shoebby system.

Shoebby clear shoe boxes are stackable, so you can arrange them just the way you want, no matter how small your closet storage space is.

Now you can throw out all those old cardboard shoe boxes and replace them with convenient, efficient see-through shoeboxes: Shoebby transparent containers.

This last one, is a list from Apartment Therapy's Chicago Site. You can check it out here.

Briana - I hope these solutions help! I will keep an eye out for more solutions.

Links to Vinyl Wall Art

2007-08-20T12:02:00.000-04:00

Hello - just a quick post to give you the links where you can order the wall art from my last post!

Tree
Paisley & More
Rolling Dandelion
Flying Birds
More Vinyl Wall Art can be found here & here.

Enjoy! If you order some, please send pics of how & where you used it!

Wall Art

2007-08-15T21:18:00.000-04:00

A couple of months ago when I became obsessed with decorating blogs, I noticed that everyone was always talking about wallpaper! I decided I wanted to wallpaper too...UNTIL everyone started talking about these removable, paint free, vinyl patterns you could add to your wall! How perfect for me, and all the renters out there who want to customize their walls without any hassle. Anyway, you can buy them in a number of places, and they're only getting cheaper! Here are some beautiful images of this sort of wall art. If you're interested in finding wall decals, just e-mail me or post a comment and I'll send links!

Good Question

2007-07-31T22:31:00.000-04:00

A Bella Life reader Tina, who also happens to be my cousin (wink, wink) wrote in with the following question:

I'm looking for creative, thrifty RUG solutions for a Moroccan or Indian-inspired room.... it needs to be kind of small, any ideas?

I thought it would be a great post, so here are some things I've found! I actually own this first one.

2' X 3' Red Woven Target Rug - also in Brown ($9.99)

21" X 34" Red Medallion Target Rug ($13.49)

3' X 5' Urban Outfitters Rug ($38.00)

2' X 3' Handmade Floorcloth from Etsy seller Mimiess ($75.00)

For all you environmentally conscious scavengers out there...

2007-07-31T20:59:00.000-04:00

When I sent the announcement out about the new blog, my friend Crystal e-mailed me asking if I'd heard of a site called Freecycle! Also, Clear Your Space just asked me about it as well. Now, here's an organization that's been around for a little while, but hasn't gotten quite as much attention as it deserves. Freecycle is a site where people give things away, instead of throwing them away! I encourage you to check it out no matter where you are because it looks like folks have set up little communities in tons of different places around the world! Who knows what treasures await you! Who knows, you could get some real cool furniture, or vintage type stuff. You know what they say, one man's trash, is another man's treasure! I really like the way they describe themselves:

It is a place to give or receive what you have and don't need or what you need and don't have -- a free cycle of giving which keeps stuff out of landfills...

Nicely put. Check it out here.

Spice up your Ikea sofa

2007-07-30T20:46:00.000-04:00

Did you know you can buy an Ikea sofa without the slipcover? You can, but you're probably wondering why you would. Well, during my search for a sofa, I discovered a wonderful site called Bemz. Bemz is a Stockholm, Sweden based company that sells removable, washable slipcovers for sofas, armchairs and cushions. The best thing about Bemz, though, is that they make said slipcovers for Ikea sofas! Bemz has a great, unique selection of fabrics. You can even request swatches and they'll send them to you free of charge! I have to admit, the swatches I received in the mail (see above pic) far exceeded my expectations as far as quality of the fabric is concerned. The site is interactive and you can 'preview' the specific Ikea sofa you have with the fabric of your choice. The picture below, is the Klippan Sofa, in one of the Bemz fabrics (using the preview feature). They have a lot to choose from too, so I would definitely recommend a visit to the site!

A peak at my place...

2007-07-24T22:22:00.000-04:00

My apartment is definitely still a work in progress, but I wanted to include some pictures to show the current state of things. Right now, I'm in the process of choosing a coffee table, some shelves for my living room, as well as artwork for the walls. I literally spent 7 months looking for a sofa and finally settled on the one you see from Room & Board. This is my living room below:

The chair is a classic "Poang" Ikea chair, and the rug is a clearance find from Target. I'll be sure to post more pictures as I add things to the room!

Below, is a reading corner I've set up in my bedroom.

The chair is actually covered in a sheet that I got from Urban Outfitters, because the cats got pretty far in scratching it up and I don't know what to do about it yet. It's actually a really cool chair that I promise to unwrap and take pictures of soon. The lucite "u-turn" table was a sale purchase from Chiasso. If you're into looking at things for inspiration, I suggest subscribing to the Chiasso catalog for sure, or at least browsing their site! Lastly, the lamp is from the Global Bazaar series at Target.

Summer Shelf?

2007-07-24T21:25:00.000-04:00

Ahh, more inspiration from the pages of Domino Magazine! I don't remember the specific issue, but the picture above is a clipping from the magazine that I added to my little 'inspiration book' (a whole other post in itself)! I call it a "summer shelf" because I honestly don't know if there are any hazards to putting a chunk of wood on a really hot radiator.

Anyway, the instructions were to go to a local lumber yard and get a really thick cut of wood. Well, I didn't know where to start with that one. Maybe I didn't look hard enough, but I didn't really find anything quite like Domino's lovely creation. So... I went to Home Depot and got a pre-cut piece of wood that was luckily the size I needed. It set me back a cool $7. Since I'm too paranoid to keep wood on top of the radiator in the winter, I figure I can go with a thin cut of wood. Until I can find the perfect piece of wood for this project, I'm enjoying the extra 'table' space... Especially since I haven't been able to pick out a coffee table yet! So here’s my version below...

Peel & Stick Window Shades!

2007-07-23T23:21:00.000-04:00

I was talking to my friend Jeni Fujita today, about the new blog, and she told me about these kick-ace window shades that can be found at your local Home Depot! She used them as a temporary solution when she first moved into her place, sort of like a place holder, while she decided what kind of window treatment she wanted. They're cheap, available in black and white, and for God's sake, they're peel and stick! Anyone can use these, and I think they're pretty sweet looking for about $5. If you're interested in buying them online, click here. Also, available in black, here. I just thought I'd share!

Handmade!

2007-07-23T22:32:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite places online to find handmade crafts and original art is a site called Etsy. It's cool because creative folks can set up "etsy shops" - little online stores where they can sell their work. It's actually a requirement of the site that the items for sale on it are handmade. The site is really interactive and kind of fun to browse! You can even search all the items by color! So, if you're looking for art, jewelry, scarves, or anything else really - chances are you will be able to find something one of a kind on Etsy. If you're crafty, you should definitely open an etsy store!

Here are some cool things I found on Etsy today! Click on the images to visit that artist's etsy store:

Like I said, you can get all kinds of things on Etsy. To shop Etsy right now, click here!

Awesome Color!

2007-07-22T16:10:00.000-04:00

Check it out! Santos, my newest Flickr friend, has allowed me to use her picture on my blog! I wanted to add this great image because it shows how you can incorporate some great color into your home by using things you may already have, whether it be books, CDs, or whatever! I have to admit, I personally don't have this many books but seeing this wall makes me want to start collecting. I saw this picture on a few of my favorite blogs as well as on Domino's Site, but I was shocked at how many of my friends hadn't seen it when I sent them the link! So here it is, for those of you who may be looking for some color inspiration. I did attempt to do this with my (very few) books, and the result is below!

A sweet coincidence...

2007-07-19T22:59:00.000-04:00

Friday, I left work early (Summer Fridays!) so I had lunch with Wade, then wandered down Park Ave in Rutherford (NJ) and found the cutest little shop, Jolie Zoe. There were some cool things outside, so I had to go inside and explore! Janmarie Dotoli (one of the shop owners) told me that Jolie Zoe is French & German for "Beautiful Life"! I felt like it was totally meant to be, with my new blog being called "A Bella Life" and all. Also, I happened to be searching for something to post about on my new blog! Anyway, I went back yesterday to take some pictures. I spoke with another one of the owners, Luz Bullock (who makes all the jewelry). They’re so sweet and the shop is adorable, I wish them all the best with Jolie Zoe!

For those of you interested, they're a hop, skip and a jump from NYC (walking distance from the Rutherford Train Station). Plus, it will give you an excuse to come see me!

Jolie Zoe
6 Franklin Place
Rutherford, NJ 07070
(201) 933-1988

Here are some pictures of the store front and some of my favorite stuff inside:

Welcome to "A Bella Life"...

2007-07-18T22:15:00.000-04:00

Well, I finally decided to start my own blog. I guess some of you know that I was contemplating this whole blog thing for some time! "A Bella Life" is going to be about many things, but mostly about trying to enjoy life in my new apartment, with my adorable but sometimes destructive cats. It's no coincidence that one of these little kitties is named Bella.