Glamping

I've never been camping. The girly girl in me isn't sure I could handle being in the wilderness, sleeping in dirt or possibly becoming the dessert course for a grizzly bear. Glamping however, is another story.  I love the idea of being able to explore and enjoy nature but retiring to a tree house (image 4) with a fluffy bed with down covers and other hotel-like comforts.  What would you prefer? Camping or glamping?

image 1 // image 2 // image 3 // image 4 // image 5

Palazzo Viviani

I've been getting a little restless lately and dreaming of a romantic getaway. The Palazzo Viviani fits the bill. Perfectly. Situated on a hilltop near Rimini, Italy, the Palazzo Viviani (a 14th century, medieval castle no less) would be a dream to stay in and play princess for a weekend.

(The amazing photos are from Jetsetter - speaking of which, the Palazzo Viviani is on sale at Jetsetter and the nightly rates are extremely reasonable. If anyone decides to go, I'd happily accompany you. In your suitcase.)

Paris: Favorite Food Shots

So sugar isn't exactly food but look at how CUTE these are!?

Macarons are everywhere... and they're all delicious
but my favorites are from Ladurée and Sadaharu Aoki
(unpictured but more on that another day)

Nutella and banana crepes

Pastries at Ladurée

amazing Berthillon strawberry sorbet
the best sorbet I have ever had... in. my. life.

delicious scallop salad at Ladurée
Ryan and I had lunch at the Ladurée restaurant and
the food is just as good as the decadent confections & pastries

The City of Lights

Ryan and I spent a glorious week in Paris, it was the perfect honeymoon - eating EVERYTHING, strolling alongside the Seine and sightseeing. The food was truly amazing, every meal we had was delicious. Also, I completely fell in love with pain au chocolat - something I always thought was good but since I'm not much of a chocolate person, I never thought of it as something I had to had daily. Boy, was I WRONG. I'm still dreaming about it. Bear with me while I sort through our pictures and of course, play catch up on work. In the meantime, happy first day of spring!

Happy Weekend

taken by me in Oct. 2009

image source: digitalgold's flickr stream

image source:{JO}'s flickr stream

Happy {almost} weekend, folks! Now that the website is all done, all I want to do is catch up on some sleep. We kinda have a hectic (but very exciting) weekend ahead of us - some family events AND Ryan and I are finally off to take a belated honeymoon before the chaos that is in store for us in the coming months. Between moving and wedding season, we just decided to bite the bullet and head out to... PARIS! I've only been to the city of lights once, but I have a feeling that there is no way you can travel to Paris too many times in one lifetime. We're staying near the eiffel tower which I'm certain we'll frequent - perhaps with a picnic basket and a bottle of vino. Oh and a few visits to Laduree? Yes, please! Have a fabulous weekend, friends! xo

El Rastro de Madrid

El Rastro, only open on Sundays and holidays, is Madrid's largest and most popular flea market and also, hands down, the most amazing flea market I've ever visited. It's packed with incredible finds from antiques to handmade textiles to delicious tapas restaurants along the way. I wish I had more time to scour the market though I did manage to get a vintage perfume bottle and a few skeleton keys (with a little bit of haggling, no less!). :) I could spend all my Sunday's antiquing at El Rastro.

a little peak of madrid through my lens // food

a little peak of madrid through my lens

tomate // tomato
I've been compulsively eating them like it's my job. So ripe and sweet.
Probably have had more in the past 4 days then the last year.
(raw, not including tomato sauces ;)
did you know: "Tomatoes are the biggest vegetable crop, and the single most eaten foodstuff in Spain. However, Spain is not even in the top 5 tomato producers in the world, which are, in order, the U.S.A,, China, India, Turkey and Italy." -Francis Barrett
jamon de madrid // madrid ham
ham is so widely consumed here (especially iberian ham) that it's basically found in every food market + restaurant in Madrid
a local favorite: french fries with a fried egg or two, topped with lots of iberian ham - variations served at from little pubs to luxe dining establishments

una vida hermosa

{ image source, photographer: Ira Chernova - found via }

Life is beautiful.

Months before the trips to LA and Salt Lake City (for Alt) were planned, my mom and I booked a vacation to Madrid. It's our first trip to Spain and I'm (quoting Rachel) pee my pants excited. We're leaving later tonight and for the next week, we'll be people watching in Retiro Park, browsing the Prado Museum for inspiration, walking Gran Via to finally see the Metropolis building for ourselves, going to Plaza de Cibeles to see the famous Cibeles fountain and consuming vast amounts of delicious food and vino. What makes this trip super special is the fact that I can experience this all with my mom! I'll for sure share our adventures when we return but in the meantime, I would love any suggestions on places to go, things to try, or could work some kind of a miracle and teach me Espanol in a couple of hours!

Off to Alt...

I'm super excited to be off to Alt {Altitude Design Summit} today. The schedule and speakers look inspirational and I'm also really psyched to meet up with Brandi, Erin, and finally get to meet Piper, Rachel and Lillian. We're starting off the summit with dinner tonight at a farm to table restaurant, Pago - a highly anticipated feast (at least by me) because the menu looks amazing and I simply cant wait to meet and catch up with these wonderful ladies!

Now please keep your fingers crossed for me... hopefully my flight out of NYC won't be delayed so that I make my connecting flight and arrive on SLC on time and in one piece. Happy Wednesday, friends!

Buffets, Blackjack and the Bahamas

Towel animals are one of my favorite things about cruises. It's always a fun surprise finding a new critter lounging in our room every evening after dinner.

Ever since Ryan and I met, we've gone on a cruise in late fall every other year. It was our first time on the Norwegian Gem (we've been on the Dawn twice) which departed from NY to FL and the Bahamas. Overall, we had a great time.

I don't think we'll be taking cruises any time soon, however, especially not on a NCL ship (unless it's the EPIC... maybe.) The food was disappointing, mediocre to decent at best - it seems like food and services have been getting progressively worse since 2006. But, buffets are always fun regardless. We spent some time playing blackjack, roulette and slots on the ship casino too. All in all, it was great. We had some quality alone time without all of our normal distractions like our computers, phones and tv. It was relaxing. I had time to read, and after being together for almost 5 years, Ryan, who is a die hard basketball fanatic, finally taught me how to play basketball. On a cruise ship basketball court no less. (And by play, I just mean dribble and shoot but hey, whatever.) :)









How was your weekend, friend?

Talenti - gelato e sorbetto

Proof that awesome packaging sells:



A while back, I purchased a pint of lemon sorbetto from Talenti - sure, I was in the frozen delights section looking for something cold and refreshing but it was the packaging that sold it. Talenti gelato and sorbet are packaged in plastic containers with screw top caps - so perfect for storing crafty supplies after you devour the delicious treat.