Smalls in the City

Tintic Blanket Wear

2009-07-13T10:50:00.003-04:00

This is an update to the last post, but deserves one all it's own.. It's too good! I was not joking around when I said that my aunt Karen made AMAZING blanket coats in the 90's! Kacie was kind enough to scan these amazing photos.. Here she is modeling for the lookbook...

Rachel and Lori modeling the variety of colors and lengths..

Aunt Kelly rocking an awesome 90's perm with her red smocking jacket version..

Best for last.. Grampa Bill looking tres chic. Like a real John Wayne in his coat.. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMPA BILL!!)

Fashion is not just a job for us McDonell's.. It's running through our veins!! haha. Love you guys so much!! Kacie, THANKS SO MUCH for scanning these amazing pictures for me!! Love them!!!

Pendelton Coats are back!

2009-07-06T11:36:00.003-04:00

Blanket Coats have been making their way back into fashion over the past couple years, but when I saw this new collab between Pendleton and Opening Ceremony, it gave me a total 90's flashback!! My Aunt Karen had a company called Tintic Blanket Wear and she used Pendleton fabrics to make coats and blazers in all these super amazing bright colors and patterns... I think for my like 12th birthday she gave me a teal aztec printed vest that I would rock on top of my oversized denim shirt! J'adore the 90's style!! lol.. I'm trying to get my cousin Kacie to send me pictures from their catalog, for which she was the model! I loved it and was super impressed!! Do you guys have any of those coats left that need a new owner? If so send them my way ;)) hehe. xoxo

photos from refinery 29..

Coco Avant Chanel- MUST SEE

2009-07-06T11:08:00.006-04:00

Alysson and I got to go see an early screening of Coco Avant Chanel a few weeks ago at the Sony building with our bestie Kelly.. It comes out in September and I highly recommend that everyone should see it- Chanel lovers and film lovers alike.. I love a good fashion film and have watched probably every documentary about Chanel up to this point, but this is not a fashion movie- it is Avant Chanel afterall, and really shows her life before Paris and her love affairs with two dashing french men... Audrey Tatou was brilliant and all I want to wear now are nautical stripes!! J'adore!

Watch extended trailor HERE .

Idea, Pencil & Paper

2009-04-14T22:06:00.002-04:00

Hi Loved Ones!! Everyone, please take a minute or two to check out Alysson's brand new website. It has all of his videos and sketches and an adorable bio that we wrote together.. **Also, once you're there, click on miscellaneous to see his new blog. click click click!!!

www.ideapencilandpaper.com

We have some exciting news! We found out a few weeks ago that Alysson has enough credits to graduate this year-- a whole year early!!!! We are beyond excited.. He already has an internship lined up at one of his favorite motion graphics firms that will begin right when his classes end in a month from now. I'm so proud of him and can't wait to see all the cool stuff he'll be working on!! If his website is any clue, then his future is bright!!! xoxoxoxo

iheartnyc

2009-04-10T15:01:00.001-04:00

"Everyone who lives in New York City says the same thing. It’s a harsh city, a city that can grab you, a city that’ll spit you out, a city that grips you, a city that’ll wear you down. Lots of people spent their first years here in tears.

But most of them just couldn’t leave. The energy is too insistent, the parties too crazy, the work too hard. And the dreams have no measure."

-Garance Dore

Dress like Coraline!

2009-02-10T14:50:00.001-05:00

Did anyone else go see Coraline this weekend?!? We saw it Sunday in 3D (recommended) and loved it!! It's very beautiful and inspiring.. I think Alysson's head was going to explode! I admit that like usual, I was caught up in the "costumes" throughout the movie, though these were tiny clothes created for a precocious pre-teen claymation girl. She is quite a dresser and the whole time I was thinking Where did she get that amazing captain's hat!?? I searched my favorite online sources and put together 2 looks channeling our new friend Coraline's edge... in a grown up human way of course :)

LOVE Coraline's captain hat and yellow rain jacket, perfect for stomping through the rainy garden mud.. Her friend Wybie had some cool clothes too but that's anotha post...
HUMAN VERSION:

leather greek fisherman's cap from The Executive Shop, butterfly hair clips and yellow wellies from Asos, striped gloves and clear umbrella from Urban Outfitters, rain trench from JCrew

The outfit her "other mother" gives to her is tre adorable..
HUMAN VERSION:

rhinestone star earrings, one shoulder star top and blue ankle booties from Asos; star sweaters all from ebay, black skinny pants from Urban, black ankle booties with blue studs by Sigerson Morrisson for Target; nail polish in "opening night" and "skinny jeans" by OPI for Sephora.

Go See it now!! xxooxxoo

Spring Hair..

2009-01-28T15:58:00.011-05:00

hi all! my hair is finally almost long enough to do these sweet heidi braids for spring. I love the messy look, it's so romantic!.. it's also good to keep my hair out of my way-- seriously i don't know what to do with all this long hair and i'm scared i'll get bored and chop it off again! (don't worry, alysson has already nixed that idea..) It took forevs to grow out my bangs, so i'm going to let them be long for now and just pull them back in a sweet little braid...

Nicole Richie's grecian braids were the inspiration for my wedding hair..

I love how these french braids look wrapping around the face.. un problemo.. Along with whistling and knitting, french-braiding is just not a skill that I've managed to pick up over the years.. i can use all the help i can get...........
Any tips on how to do a quick, easy french braid???

Spring Forward

2009-01-27T19:03:00.013-05:00

welcome to my spring wish list.. I have to say, i'm always on the hunt for a bargain so being a "recessionista" actually suits me quite well! the pictures below are from my fave go-to online stores where i can almost always find the things i'm looking for (and more) at super steals.. Now if the weather would only bend to my every command and warm up already! I'm ready for spring!!!
First up.. FLORAL PRINTS!! they are blossoming up all over the place, from ditsy florals to liberty's to wild colorful abstract prints.. I love to see a sweet little floral piece mixed with black while it's still cold and then with bare legs and boots for spring/summer.... pics from asos, target and ebay.SHREDDED DENIM will be a new staple in my spring wardrobe.. i've already taken my seam ripper to a few pairs of my old jeans and am living in them--with tights underneath for now.. I love super faded out vintage looking bell bottoms and bleached skinnies. pics from abercrombie, la garconne, oak nyc, and acne jeans.
WASHED LEATHER pieces are really making a statement in nuetral colors (also want to note that there are actually some great looking faux leather jackets out there for those of you with that preference). i think a tan or white leather moto jacket is totally "the new black" for spring.. i want to layer one over everything! pics from william rast, urban outfitters, acne jeans. i tend to believe that a girl can never have too many boots.. I spent all fall looking for the perfect ankle boot and then absurdly found 6 pairs at once. well, what could i do? for spring I think the sexy slouchy boot shape paired with dresses looks fresh.. pics from nine west, asos, isabel marant via style.com and ann demuelemeester via seaofshoes.

and finally.. anything in LACE or that LACES-UP seems to really be getting my heart rate going lately.. i love black gothic lace, and for spring light creamy romantic colors will be making an appearance for sure.. well, knowing me, it will probably stay black! pics from hot topic, asos, whowhatweardaily, forever21, target.

what are you all shopping for this spring???

Good Reads

2009-01-15T19:22:00.004-05:00

Here are a few great blogs that I've been digging lately...

Ok, who knew that Gwenyth Paltrow had her own blog?? Hurry click over to GOOP and sign up immediately for her newsletter. She sends out emails with delicious recipes, hotel and restaraunt suggestions, clothing recommendations and pictures of her wearing the pieces! Martha Stewart better watch her back! I have to admit I wasn't a huge fan before and thought she was a big snob, but now??... J'ADORE!!!
Sea of Shoes & Atlantis Home -- Mother and daughter, Judy & Jane Aldrige are a quite fabulous duo, with fabulous blogs to match.. Coming out of a small town in Texas, you wouldn't necessarily imagine finding people with such refined taste, let alone a whole family of uber stylish.. (actually I think Texas may have more to offer than I think-- have any of you been to Dallas or Austin lately?? i heard the art/music scene is great).. Jane blogs about shoes, clothes and art, while Judy mostly shares pictures of inspiring home design and her remodeling projects-- their home is beyond gorgeous by the way.. I'm taking notes ladies...
The Selby -- Todd Selby is a photographer who shoots artists, designers, stylists, and celebrities in their homes. He gets many of the shots published in magazines, but posts the rest of the pictures and behind the scenes interviews on his blog. Maybe I'm just nosy, but I find it fascinating to see the way creative people live and how they decorate their own spaces..

Cup of Jo-- I just found her blog yesterday and me thinks me loves already.. She writes about all sorts of fun things from home design, to new hair styles to celebrities. She also writes a blog for Glamour.com called Smitten about love & romance, it's quirky and cute. She is getting married and gives lots of cute inspiration and awesome photographs (reminds me of Veronica's photos..) Super cute!

Last but not least, My Daily Style is written by Spanish fashionista M*.. This girl takes being fashionably pregnant to a whole nother level - She makes it looks so easy and chic! I swear I want to dress just like her but without the baby growing inside! haha not yet anyways.. But for you pregnant girls, she is a great inspiration!

I have tons of other blogs i check up on daily (mostly fashion related which doesn't help my online shopping habits..) But I thought these 6 would be interesting to share.

What blogs are you reading right now??? xxooo

got MLK?

2009-01-15T18:49:00.006-05:00

Not only was I super happy & surprised to find out that we get 1/2 day off Friday and Monday off work for Martin Luther King Day, but i've been I've been so excited and looking forward to the Inaguration for months!! I think it's pretty incredible that Obama becomes the first African American President in history the day after MLK's birthday. I have dreams of the great things to come for our country. The pride is overwhelming.

What are you all doing for the long weekend?? xxoo

JUST MARRIED!!!

2008-08-10T23:46:00.007-04:00

We are now officially Mr. and Mrs. Castro!!

We had the best day of our lives yesterday. It was everything we ever dreamed of with great thanks to our families for all their help love and support, Nicole & Joel for giving us their beautiful house for the reception and to Kedma & Adna for organizing and designing everything, and our best friends for being amazing and loving and giving their never ending support. Thank you to all who were there, and we missed everyone who couldn't make it!

We are off to Brazil tomorrow and will have many many pics to post when we get back! For now, go to the McDonell Family blog and/or Hess Family blog (on list to the left) to see some more pictures/slideshows of the wedding!

I love you my husband!!!!!!

Even Cooler!!!

2008-06-06T11:38:00.004-04:00

Aly's video is up on Complex's website!!!!! (It's the Nas video)

CHECK IT OUT

*Warning: There is some adult content on the Complex website.

Wanna See Something Cool?

2008-06-04T01:57:00.005-04:00

Idea, Pencil & Paper

Alysson's new website!!

Eating My Words

2008-05-27T12:49:00.014-04:00

Hi All,
I need to make a funny confession, and offer some advice based on my previous post about "shady shopping secrets".. Advice #1-- DO NOT ATTEMPT PICS in the dressing-rooms at Kitson in LA!!

Let me explain... Up til now in my career of shopping, I had yet to get caught taking secret pics in the dressing room (which always surprised me greatly)..... That all came to a crash and burn halt during our LA shopping trip last month while shopping at Kitson.. My boss handed me a shirt to take in the dressing room to "try on" and take a picture because she liked the graphic technique but it wasn't worth buying for $100 bucks or whatever... So I was in there snapping away, and through the slit in the curtain I see the sales girl running up and she pulls open the curtain and yells "You can't take pictures in here!!" So playing dumb, I was like "What oh really? Ok, sorry I'll stop.." And I thought it would end there... But nooo, she ran over and got the security guard who came over and told me I had to leave the store.. So at that point (and now reading back through this), I felt like a complete criminal--> because they treated me like I was a big huge shoplifter like Winona! I mean seriously, I worked in retail for years and people always wanted to take pictures in the dressing rooms to show their friends.. But anyways, they wouldn't let me buy anything, and the manager came over and demanded to see my camera, and I said nope because it's my property, and he told me I was "really creepy and weird for taking pics of myself" and needed to leave the store pronto. Ha! The nerve.. Maybe it felt even worse/more humiliating because there was no way I could fake that I didn't speak english or the native tongue like i would if I was in another country! I felt like a total shopping pariah the rest of the day and was convinced they had called all the stores on the street to warn them about us! aaah, the backlash..
The event turned out to be the highlight of our trip (once we got over the embarrassment of being walked out of the store) and we laughed about it for days. But after thinking about it a lot I realized it could have been worse and I need to be more respectful and careful! I understand that they have to protect their merchandise and their store, but I still don't think they needed to be so mean about it!
One bright side to the humiliation is that Kitson is actually my LEAST FAVORITE store in the world (well, tied with Walmart whose bad lighting and messy displays give me major anxiety) so being officially banned from the store is actually kind of a perk. I won't have to go in there on the next LA trip which is a good thing! No more Paris Hilton brand jeans, and pretentious sales workers that make me wanna puke. (Now I'm just being immature).....
I wanted to share my funny/humiliating story because admitting all my inner most embarrassing moments is somehow very liberating and humbling to me. It sucks getting caught and having people call you a freak! It's like the bad feeling in your stomach you get when your caught doing something you shouldn't (like using someone else creamer in the office fridge) or talking about someone who is standing right behind you! haha... well, maybe that's worse!

Does anyone else have an embarrassing situation you wanna share??? xoxo

Abc with a capitol A-MAZING...

2008-05-24T14:55:00.004-04:00

Hi All! I mentioned in the my post below that Aly had gotten some big praise for his video projects and was asked to show this one at the Art Director's Club of New York.

So here it is, the ABC's of What I Wanted To Be.

**Also, see updates to the below post with more pictures!! xoxo

Life Keeps Passing Me By..

2008-05-14T22:32:00.019-04:00

Hi All!! Sorry I've been totally missing in action lately... I have almost completely dropped off the face of Blogger Planet, and I'm determined to get back in the game, but I have been completely overwhelmed with life and the days are flying by so fast that I feel like I'm missing out on so much! I have been so busy the past few months to the point of near meltdown status, but a lot of great fun things have happened too. With everything going on, I haven't had time to do my usual blog posting/reading at lunch time.. Shocking, as it's usually my favorite escape during the day.

I worked on this post for a while to try to cover all the things that have happened since my last post in March! And I have a feeling it may be a while until my next post, so this one is long and lengthy to hold myself over ;)

1. Went to California twice:

1a. Once in April for work:

(i got to sneek some fun in there too.. Got to stay with Mikala all weekend and hang with all my friends and fam!)

1b. Once with Alysson in May for Kedma's wedding:
What a dress!! She was a gorgeous bride. It was a super fun event and the dancing went on all night long. I really admire Kedma. She has married an amazing man, Paul, and now combined with her 2 kiddos, she has 5 total! I am so lucky to be marrying into such a great family!

*While we were there, we worked on our wedding plans...

(this is Heritage Park, location of the ceremony!)

*We also got to have a super fun BBQ at Pop's and Mary's house with Carne Asada galore and Wii Guitar Hero action.

2. In March my cutest baba sis Claire came to town for the weekend:

3. At the end of April my Mom and Alysson's Mom Marluce came to town for a major fun Mom Weekend:

Hung out in Dumbo.. Sup Manhattan Bridge

Ate our fave Gyu Kaku..

Saw all the sights.

Walked over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Played b-ball in our basement gym.

Danced Rave style at Fuerza Bruta.

4. Kelly & Zak Erwin and the Mueller clan came to New York for one day during their trip to Boston! They did great navigating their way around the city and even made time to take a snooze on the grass in central park. Like locals already... Sadly they were so tired by the time we met up for dinner in Chinatown, that we forgot to take any pictures!

5. Officially joined the long hair club for women--My hair is now 3" below my collar bone.

6. Had surgery to remove a benign tumor in my left breast... All is good now, no worries. Here's the scoop: Finding a lump in my breast last year was very scary and stressful. I had a sonogram and biopsy that showed it was benign tumor called a Fibroid Adanoma, which is apparently common in young women. They said it would be fine unless it started growing bigger. After it doubled in size within 6 months, the doctors needed to remove it. I'm very grateful that it's all over now and everything was benign so I have nothing else to worry about.

7. Designed Spring 09... I was a couple days late because of certain reasons listed above.

8. Celebrated Kelly's 27Th birthday 3 nights in a row last weekend and there is another party tonight! Happy Birthday Kels!!! We Love you!!

Alysson Updates:

1. The week after our Mom's were here, Alysson finished his Spring semester and started an internship at Alien Kung Fu, a motion graphics firm in Soho run by some young fun guys. They have already put Alysson in charge of designing and animating TV spots for FX channel, MTV2 and Comedy Central. He is having a blast there! One of his bosses is a sky-diving instructor, so we are seriously considering doing it. haaaha, scary..

2. During school Alysson gained an award for special recognition for his video "The ABC's of What I wanted to Be" and was asked to show it at the prestigious Art Director's Club of New York.

3. He designed and hand made his portfolio and several books which are beautiful and could easily be sold in art stores. Word on the street is that all his teachers were totally blown away by his final projects!

4. Alysson designed our wedding invites that are being printed now, so cute! And he is busy working on a video project for Complex Magazine online.

5. He is gorgeous as ever and I'm so proud of him and all his accomplishments..

Hopefully that wasn't as overwhelming to read this as it was to write it, (it took me a couple weeks to complete this post!!). There are so many exciting things happening in our lives this year and I wish I could just slow down the tape to make sure I capture it all. I think once we get through the wedding and honeymoon (In Brazil!), life will be much simpler.. Except by that time Alysson will have started back at school and will be busier than ever. So, scratch that notion of a simple life! I guess this is what we asked for ;)
Love you all! Miss you millions!! xoxoxoxoxoxo

europe shopping march 08

2008-03-20T14:23:00.004-04:00

I realized that I didn't come home with any pictures of myself with the beautiful surroundings in London or Stockholm-actually i didn't take many pics of the scenery at all which is kinda lame, but then again i guess it wasn't a vacation. I was on a mission for fashion!.. What I did take, however secretly, are a million plus pictures of myself and garments that either we couldn't afford to buy, or that had a small detail that we wanted to remember but wasn't worth buying, in the confines of many a fitting room.. Taking secret pictures is a technique that professional shoppers must master. It was a little hard getting good shots without flash (my flash went off a few times nearly blowing my cover). Here are some examples-i know it looks like I'm posing super hard, but I'm just trying to capture the details of the sleeves promise! haha..

The point of these trips is "market research", which basically means shopping like mad in stores from high-end to low-end to vintage and in between, walk circles around the city seeing what people are wearing/buying/doing, buy tons of samples to bring back to the office to share the new concepts in the world of fabrics, silhouettes, techniques, prints, and trims, and get inspired for the coming season. Taking pictures of garments is to remember the key ideas and to be able to refer to it later- NOT to copy it! We also shop locally in NYC to see what people are buying different times of year. Here is a scan of my sketch book from the trip.. it's full of quick messy sketches and ideas. (and a lot of sketches of things i want to make for myself or save up to buy!)
This is a picture of my fun shopping partners Melody and Kevin, director of design and president of the company respectively, standing in front of the soon to be DKNY jeans store in London. I am too embarrassed to put up the pics i have of the pretty city cuz they're all taken from inside a cab! No time for legitimate sight seeing :(

But I did manage to steal a few good shots of scenery in Stockholm. I really love that city. I'm so glad I convinced my bosses to go there this trip because although Kevin referred to our hotel as a "hostile" on numerous occasions, he fell in love with the stores and street style and announced to the whole company that designers will be traveling there regularly from now on! yay!! I j'adore Scandinavian designers! Next trip, I really want to conquer Helsinki and Copenhagen! We'll see how that idea plays out with the bosses..

a lighter note..

2008-03-19T19:36:00.018-04:00

Here is a pic of a cute railroad striped wide leg jean that I did for dkny jeans.. Summer 08 was the first collection I worked on, so it's starting to show up in mags (does that mean Summer is almost here??? hope so...) It will be in stores/online in May.. I like how the stylist mixed the mini stripes in the pant & wide stripes in the top, and the red toe on the shoes the cuteness.. I extra love it that the mag has Claire in the title :) love ma baba girl claire xoxox

*Update. This next one showed up in today's issue of WWD. Jacket that I designed for Fall! Fake leather ya'll.. sorry so small, i'll get a bigger pics asap..

We will miss you Buzz Dog

2008-03-19T19:36:00.006-04:00

I'm so sad today after hearing last night that our family dog of 10 years, Buzzy, died on Monday night. I have so many great memories of him like Claire wrote on her page. He was her dog and she got him with a big bow on his neck for her 8th bday. I remember that day so well! Even to the end he was the epitimal puppy, always with so much energy and playfulness, I guess that's why it came as such a shock to me that he is gone.
My favorite memory of Buzz is how he loved playing soccer so much that whenever possible, he would escape from our house and run immediately down the street to the elementary school and steal the ball from the kids in their soccer games and run around the feild with all the parents chasing him. He was the best dog! He was so cute with one big black patch over his right eye. My Mom told me that when they moved to the farm, he decided it was his job to take care of the horses and would sit with them all day, monitoring them and nipping at their heels. I will miss seeing his friendly face when I go home to Wyoming. He was a great dog and a great friend to all of us. RIP Buzzy. I hope to see you again.

Hello from Stockholm!

2008-03-14T14:33:00.003-04:00

I just got into Stockholm and I can't go to sleep because I'm so excited. I love it here! I was here a couple years ago and was always dying to come back. It's a beautiful city with beautiful people and great shopping and street fashion. There are tons of great young designers coming out of Scandinavia and they have started leading fashion. The people here just have an effortlessly cool vibe to them and wear their clothes really well, so for me it's really inspiring. I've been in London since Monday shopping for work with my boss Melody and our president Kevin. It's been a fun trip so far! In London, we did LOTS of shopping, walking around the city til our feet were aching, and LOTS of EATING! More about the yummy details later, but I was glad that I got to know London a lot better on this trip. I'm going to post some pics when I get home and tell u some secret shady shopping techniques for collecting ideas and inspirations and bringing them back to the team in NY.

Ps. Hmmm.. I know it sounds like it's all fun, and maybe even a bit pretentious traveling around Europe shopping.. (Ok, it's pretty fun) But, believe me when I say that it is really hard work and super exhausting. And not to mention that spending 24/7 with work peeps isn't always hunky dorey.. thank heavens we have a super fun group on this trip, but we HAVE run out of stuff to talk about after so many meals together! hahaa.. Anyways I better go to sleep.. It's now 2:26am Swedish time. Goodnight!! xoxo

2008-03-04T19:57:00.005-05:00

Eric Gingerich, 36, a junior high social studies teacher, normally votes Republican, but voted Tuesday for Obama at an elementary school in Hilliard, Ohio, near Columbus. "I like how he can bring the two parties together and the country together," he said.

I read this today on MSNBC and have heard similar stories of crossover voting from friends. The range of support that Obama is pulling in, from new young voters to old folks, to republicans crossing the line, to people who never cared about politics before, shows that his message has hit deep with many Americans. He has given people the awareness that we can make a difference in our country and live in a place that is inspiring and full of promise. Everyone has been throwing around the word "hope" like it is a false pledge or perhaps something only for the naive or to be ashamed of. To me, it's not just a word. It's an emotion. Obama has provided me with overwhelming HOPE, excitement and emotion for what's to come in my country. I know I'm young, and this is the first presidential race that I have followed really closely, but I feel like there hasn't been a candidate like Obama, maybe ever.

To be quite honest (and emotional), I have such a great hope in Obama, that I, among others, have an inward fear for his safety. Losing him would be devestating to me. It reminds me of the kind of leader that JFK was and why it was such a dark day when he was lost. He conjured up hope in regular people. I feel inspired to work hard when I listen to Obama because he is a regular man who struggled all his life to make it just like everyone else.

NAIVE OR NOT, I like to be hopeful and inspired to do more in my life for my country and community. And that is what Obama has triggered in me. Go Obama!!

Docinho Surpresa! (Sweet Surprise!)

2008-01-27T22:05:00.000-05:00

Diet Buster Alert! This one is worth it!!

Tonight Alysson and I decided to experiment and make a yummy Brazilian dessert that he used to love as a child. He said the last time he had made it was 15 years ago. It's a traditional treat at birthday parties and family gatherings in his native Bahia, Brazil. It's called Docinho Surpresa, or Sweet Surprise, and it's made of grapes wrapped in a condensed milk candy coating. So delicious! It reminds me of a caramel apple because of the rich sweet outside and the sour and juicy inside that pops in your mouth. Here is the recipe.

What you'll need: Green grapes, 1 can condensed milk and butter.

Pour the condensed milk and butter into a pan and heat up to a low boil. Stir continuously until the mixture becomes thick like caramel.

Take it off the heat and spread it on a plate or pan and let it cool until it's not too sticky. Put it in the fridge for 10 minutes if you want to hurry up the process.

Grease your hands with butter so the mixture doesn't stick to your hands. (I said Diet Buster!!)

Grab a grape and a spoonful of the condensed milk caramel. Wrap it around the grape and then roll it in your hands until its totally covered and in a nice shaped ball.

Set them up on a dish and let them cool in the fridge.

...And enjoy!

YUM!

Trends & Deadlines

2008-01-24T22:31:00.000-05:00

We are in our design cycle for Holiday 08 and working late is the usual to meet our deadlines (It's 10:09pm and I'm finally going home from work!). We've gotten almost all of the drawings done, and today I presented the first delivery of our collection to my bosses- it went really well and they loved everything! Phew! Tomorrow we will finish- hopefully it will go smoothly so we can have a stress free weekend. I thought I would share some of the key trends for the coming year, since it's all fresh in my mind.

*70's inspired shapes: Maxi coats, A-line leather trenches, Faux leopard fur swing coats, high waisted flare leg jeans, Mens inspired tuxedo jackets and pants and sexy printed silk dresses. Just think Sears catalog from '77 as your inspiration. -Oh yeah, the fluffy hair is coming back too ;)

*Color blocking: it's all about mixing bold colors. My favorite combos are neutrals mixed with pop neons, i.e. khaki with bright melon as below pic. Jewel colors and brights will also be important- I'm wearing lots of colored tights lately to try to get out of my Black box!

--How cool is it to colorblock your house??? WAY COOL.

*Mixed Prints! The runway pics seem crazy, but I really like this trend when its done right. You can do mini stripes mixed with plaids or florals, or 2 floral prints in complementary colors. Or do a nuetral print with a bold black and white sandals-like balenciaga on the below right :)

*Sheer Madness. Sheer chiffon pieces are majorrr next year. They are all over the runways- Even sheer pants which is suprisingly cute (I've been looking for a vintage pair from the 50's/70's on ebay!). Seriously. But if you don't want your panties hanging out, try a sheer sleeve or a sheer jacket or trench.

Ok, that's all for now, I'll share more trends forecasts as I get into them. My brain is going to explode so I gotta go home to my sweet Alysson. Wish me luck on presentation round 2 tomorrow! xoxo

Serial Case of the Mondays

2008-01-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else get super bummed out when Monday morning rolls around? (I suspect that Sarah shares my dread.. On Monday mornings our daily phone call is spent lamenting over the end of another perfect lazy weekend **And some Road Rage on her end).

I feel strongly that life would be much better for everyone if the weekend was 3 days instead of 2. Saturday is made for brunch and shopping. Sunday is made for sleeping in, sitting on the couch and trying to make it downstairs to the gym. Just imagine the stuff I could get done with an extra day at my disposal.. Errands, grocery shopping, laundry, more movie watching.. [Ok, those are things that normal people probably get done in 2 days, but it's just not working out for me.]
I'm not even close to being productive on Mondays. I sit here staring at the wall wishing I was still on the couch watching democratic debates (new obsesh).. I don't particularly enjoy talking to anyone or answering questions on Mondays. Maybe there is a hat I can wear that says "not today, back away" to softly hint that it might not be the best time to approach me.
Mondays are extremely uninspired, and I have so many colorless thoughts rolling through my head... "maybe i really suck at my job; maybe i should get a NEW job; maybe i should move on to London; i wish i knew how to design something cool like gadgets and furniture; i wish a job existed that was pure fun time all the time, no boring work work.." Oh see how ungrateful I am? It's all Monday's fault!!..
I'm going home now and will start fresh tomorrow. Tuesday is going to be amazing!!! I promise to post a very uplifting and happy blog tomorrow about our plans for 2008! 2008=great xoxoxo

Currently playing: Kylie Minogue "Speakerphone"

First Snow!

2007-12-02T16:18:00.000-05:00

This is what we woke up to this morning...

Oi Peixinho Bonitinho!

2007-12-02T16:07:00.000-05:00

Please say hello to our new pet Peixe (pronounced Pay-shee), which means fish in Portuguese. He is a beautiful orange iridescent beta- I think he is posing as a goldfish to appear sweet and innocent, but I know better. At first he was a little afraid and pretended to be sleeping every time we went to look at him, but now he does laps around his tiny globe house at lightening speeds (it was hard to catch a good pic of him). Even though he is probably the most low maintenance pet around, Alysson has so politely informed me that I'm a very bad fish owner [and Christmas tree owner] and they would die if Aly wasn't here to feed them! hahaaa.. sad but true.. But I love them still.

A New [York] kind of Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T18:55:00.000-05:00

We had a very New York holiday weekend. We have had tons of fun (if it weren't for the horrible cold we ALL caught! -Thanks Aly! haha..). I love the new traditions we are making here, but also miss being close to the rest of our family and eating an amazing dinner and tons of leftovers! MMmmm pie...This weekend we were supposed to be at my Mom's house in Star Valley, Wyoming. I love it there! Its so far away and beautiful and so completely opposite of where we live which is so AWESOME. My Mom, stepdad Curtis, and little bro Ian live on a farm where they have an organic store and make their own herbal products. They have horses, dogs and a million cats! I was so jealous that Elliot, Rochelle & Josh and Kendra were going and we wouldn't be there to eat too much and snuggle up to watch Elf after dinner. Instead we free styled our own New York version of a cozy family holiday.

Aly and I couldn't afford to fly to Wyo, and neither could little sis Claire, who goes to college in Virginia, so she came to spend the long weekend with us. After about 9 hours in a car, metro, and greyhound, she made it to NYC at 3am on Wednesday morning. I took Wednesday off so we could hang all day. So nice to have my little baba sis with me.
Thursday we got together with our New York family- Chris, Michael & Kelly. We went to a tiny cute restaurant in the east village called Knife & Fork for a prefix Thanksgiving dinner. It was really yummy, but we were sad for no leftovers to make turkey sandwiches later in the night.

After dinner we headed up to Central Park despite the sprinkles that were dropping on our faces. We got to the ice skating rink after it was dark and thankfully the rain had stopped. I was PETRIFIED, but ice skating was actually really fun! I didn't even fall until our very last lap. My toe pick hit and I went sliding on my belly for about 10 feet. Kelly was laughing at me so hard that she flipped and fell too! haha. I wish we got a picture of us both on the ground soaking wet.. Well, at least I have the bruised knees and hips to prove it! Aly looked so cute with his skinny legs in the skates! After that adventure we went back to M & C's house to make snacks and watch movies.

Last night we went out to dinner with the fam again to a yummy brazilian place in the east ville and on the way back to the train station we found a tiny christmas tree lot on the corner of Houston street. Aly bought me the smallest one in the lot (I've been talking about getting a Christmas tree for days so he totally made my night!!!) Aly named it Florenzo. hahaa. Here is the "before picture". We are going to mish out to Target in a while for decorations and I'll post an "after" pic :) I'm sure it smells so great in here- wish I could smell anything (stupid cold!!). We downloaded some christmas music this morning and got out our favorite Hanson christmas album- its a tradition at my Mom's house to dance and sing to Hanson on repeat!

It's been a great weekend, I'm so bummed that tomorrow is back to reality and baba girl has to head back to VA. But, the best part is that Christmas is only 3 weeks away!!! Or 4, who's counting?? Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!! I'm so thankful for my family and friends and can't wait to be with everyone again soon. Love you!!

It Feel like Atlanta, it feel like LA, it feel like Miami, It feel like N-Y

2007-11-12T21:58:00.000-05:00

Here's a list of some goods & bads about living in N to the Y
Pro: Living with deebs and our mini family- Michael, Chris, Kelly & Abby [dog].
Con: Living so far away from all our family and friends in Cali, Wyo, Utah :(
Pro: Don't have to drive.
Con: Mean cab drivers who try to ruin my day.
Pro: Everything is close by & convenient
Con: Why are plane tickets to Cali for xmas so expensive????
Pro: We're closer to Europe!
Con: Why are plane tickets to Wyoming so expensive??? (seriously more than a flight to Europe?.. come on!!!)
Pro: People love to come visit us here!
Con: It's sooooo expensive here!!!
Pro: Being around people of all different cultures who all accept eachother (mostly).
Con: Hot wing leftovers on the sidewalk, subway, etc. what????? who does that..
Pro: Love my job!
Con: Life is ALL about work.
Pro: Girls in my office who have Valley Girl accents even though they're from the east coast..
Cons: Not getting to hear my favorite linguistador's Sarah & Nicky talking real Cali valley everyday..
Pro: Great food, so many cute little restarants to try! mmm... sushi, latin, BRAZILIAN!
Con: Mexican food here is either really disgusting or really expensive (and not really mexican)..
Pro: Get to dress for all 4 seasons
Con: It's FREEZING!!!

...To be Continued

Wish List Pt. 1

2007-11-06T02:38:00.000-05:00

My family always tells me I'm the hardest person to shop for. Weird, I've never had that problem myself..?? haa.. When gift time comes, they have no idea what to get me and I can never think of anything I want.. I can come up with all the boring things I need, i.e., proactiv, a vacuum, a swiffer, underwear, snow boots (cute ones if possible) & i can never have enough [black] tights.. But that's no fun- who buys proactiv or swiffers as a gift?? (I seriously did ask my mom for a swiffer for my bday cuz hey, Target is not so easy to get come by in New York!! ..Not in Wyoming either, so uh, that was dumb..).
The truth is, at any given moment, I have a about a million dream items in my head, and listed allover my little pocket journal things that I really want to get for myself! (I'm not completely selfish, Alysson can share too :) I daydream about them all the time and pretend I'm saving up for them...
So, I decided to put it out there in a new series called Wish List with the idea that maybe this will work like The Secret.. You know, where you put out the ((positive vibes)) and talk about things you really want/need and then they come to you! Yay, oh, i hope it works. Here goes..
Part 1
1. Make my house look like the Park Hyatt Seoul, Korea. See pic above. I stayed here last July on a work trip and was in **heaven**. The whole place is amazing- I walked around taking pics of every corner and like a million of the shower- weirdo! Oh well, then, I stalked the girls at the front desk until I got all the info about the beautiful space chair by the window.
1a. Cassina 123 Verdana Lounge

*completely obsessed. It folds up too. And it's soo comfy!! I'll be saving for this for a while.. maybe forever.....

1b. Cool gradient rug I found on Allmodernfurniture.com.

I already got this pretty light from DWR that looks like the tall ones they have in the room.. haha.. obsessio overboard? maybe.. For some reason, I really love feeling like I'm in a clean hotel room with soft white sheets! Maybe it's because our apartment is the size of a HOTEL!!! haha, that's it. I'll post pics once it's all finished. Oh, and.. I'll post pics of our rooftop to try to entice all of you to come visit us! It's the most beautiful view of the city!

Coming soon on the Wish List series..
Part 2. *Chanel boots*-Must find knock off's asap. Infact, shopping for knock offs on ebay and in Hong Kong might become a whole series of it's own..
Part 3. *Neon Light Sign* for my wall- What should it say? "Abbie <3's> Alysson"? "Open"? Or just a picture of a parrot? haha..

Love you All xoxoxoxoxo...........Mariah Carey

**UPDATE**As Chris, my style manager, put it "that rug is sooo ugly".. So that idea is out.. good.. that will save me some money. Our shiny black coffee table arrived and now the warm lodgy feel like the park hyatt hotel is not working since our house is all black and white.. hmm.. we're thinking maybe NO rug, and we just need to get some decorations like pictures and stuff.. but i'm still saving up for my dream cassina chair!!!PS.. THANKS MOM FOR THE BEAUTIFUL VACUUM!!!!! I've been using it everyday :))) yay!!

1 Day To Go...

2007-11-01T21:00:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends & Fam!

I've almost made it through my Fall 08 deadline which is tomorrow!!! It's gonna be a late one tonight!! My new job is like quadruple the amount of work than I had at Oakley. We're designing a huge line, AND doing all the development with the over seas factories. That means 100+ emails a day from Asia on top of all the drawings and fittings.. Not to mention we do 4 seasons/year instead of 2. I'm not complaining! I totally love it!! But it keeps me so busy and at work until 11pm a lot of nights. Alysson is getting used to it, which is SAD! But I'm learning so much and work with the best people! See pics of me and my work besties Jenna and Ramon. Our new fave thing to do at work when we are delirious and need a break is to pose for pictures in our oh so beautiful midtown office.

There is so much I've been wanting to write about. I'll start posting this weekend once I have time: Alysson just finished 2 new animations that are HELLO GENIUS! so good, I can't wait to share them (I'll be acting as "proud mom" and posting all his work until he makes his own blog!).. Also, need to brag on my bestie Michael and show some pics of his beautiful collection.. Libs is coming to town next week! Can't wait to see her mini bump and her proud hubby Peter..... When are the rest of you coming to visit???

Love & Miss you all!! xxxooo

Life of a Revolutionary Thinker

2007-10-26T00:15:00.000-04:00

One of the many fun things about living with the genius that is DB (dreamboy) is coming home every night to behold his latest creations on paper and computer. He is a creative mastermind! I'm in constant amazement of how he visualizes his ideas thinking of every tiny detail that will make the image authentic adding his signature quirkiness and style in every corner. Did I mention he is hilarious? I was cracking up when i saw this and watched it 10 times!! Entitled "Bad Manners in the Dining Room"

Yeah.. Maybe trying to get a girl tipsy and lookin her up isn't gonna fly.. haha, I'm loving the sound effects!!! Not to mention the music is one of my fave songs ever- Kings of Convenience, "I'd rather dance with you".
We are twin nerds so we're constantly showing eachother our new tricks, shortcuts and skills on the computer and critiquing eachothers drawings. I'm thoroughly impressed at how quickly he acquired maaaajor skills with animation! Soon he will be going to work in the blossoming industry of motion graphics. The next 2 years of art school life will surely be exciting and inspiring, but I can't wait to see who snatches him up after graduating.. MTV? Bravo? Hope so.. Loves me a bit of Top Chef! hehe. . Or maybe have a small firm of his own art directing all sorts of projects. Fascinating :)

"The Family that Blogs Together, Stays Together"

2007-10-25T17:07:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends & Family!!!

I had to get in on the blogging fun!! Yay! I love reading all your blogs: Dad & Mary, Grampa, Claire, Aunt Kelly & Michele, cousins Rachel, Kathryn, Joyce, Lizzie, Lori, friends in Utah Kels, Libs & Vern! So much great entertainment when I need a break from work..
My dad helped me decide on the name Smalls in the City.. My nickname is Smalls (since I look like the little boy from Sandlot.. yeah, i said little boy..) and I'm living in New York City, far far away from my precious family and all the things I love in California..

I'll be blogging about my life here and all the "interesting" experiences that come along with this crazy city, working long exhausting hours (fashion is not as glamorous as you think people!), yet loving my job, my progress I'm making furnishing our apartment o' love (i'm obsessioo with it..), karaoke with the twins and kels (weekly event), life with my sweetheart genius twin nerd boyfriend Alysson, and sharing all my latest obsessions- furniture, fashion, ebay and beyond!

In my head I'm always thinking "I wish I could write a blog about what just happened to me and see what everyone thinks". That's how I knew it was time to blog baby.. We'll see if anyone even reads this! haha..

Now back to work.. I have a long night ahead of me!!

xoxoxoxo