THE PEAKS...and the pits.

THE PEAKS...
- Work it ladies!
Having your Pilates instructor, who's name is Ricky Harlow, call you and all the other ladies in the class "Maria". Work it Maria's! - Andrea
- Catching Up
Getting to see one of my dear friends at her baby shower this past weekend. I love that its just like old times and it feels like no time has passed. - Andrea
-Party Time!!!
Getting ready to celebrate my niece, Annika's 1st birthday! So crazy how time flies and how darn cute she is!!! Happy Birthday Annika!!! -Rebecca

...the pits

- Training Day

OMG! Training a puppy is hard work! Don't they just come already trained? - Andrea

-Dirty Thief!!!

My iPhone was stolen...enough said!!! But got a new one so all is well in the world again, sigh -Rebecca

Put A Ring On It

If you know anything about me, you probably know that I love me a pretty cocktail ring. For me, rings can totally set my mood. For instance, if I am feeling extra girly, my ring of choice would probably consists of pretty stones and be very colorful. Below are a few that I am currently coveting. I can't wait to get my hands on #1 below, isn't is awesome?
xx,
Andrea

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

We owned the night...

Last night, Andrea and I had the pleasure to see Lady Antebellum in concert at the Staples Center which was so much fun!!! We started off the night with a pre-concert happy hour dinner at Rosa Mexicano at LA Live that was delicious. We enjoyed some of their amazing Sangria, chips & guacamole and tacos. We then made our way to the Staples Center to take our seats for the concert where Lady Antebellum killed it!!! I am a big fan of their music so I guess "I'm a little bit country..." because I enjoyed every minute of the concert. Their amazing voices and overall stage presence was so amazing and they did not disappoint at all! Great concert! Here's a couple of pictures of our night with Lady Antebellum and some of their music for you to enjoy on this Wednesday...

...Rebecca...

Me sipping on my Sangria...

Andrea gulping down her Sangria...

Lady Antebellum rocking out...

Lady Antebellum owning the night...

Andrea and I getting down with ourselves to the country beat...

"Need You Now" Music Video

"We Owned the Night" Music Video

What I Like

I'm often asked which blogs I follow and who is my favorite. Although there are too many to list on this one blog post, I thought I'd share a few that I follow on a daily basis. Check them out for yourself, you might like them.

1. Favorite blog for fashion inspiration: Atlantic-Pacific
- Bee, who is based in San Francisco, gets her ensembles right every time. 

2. Favorite blog for words of wisdom: Cup of Jo
- Jo is one of my favorite bloggers. She writes effortlessly and puts subjects on her blog that you would sometimes feel embarrassed to talk about.

3. Favorite blog for the "I wish I lived her life, she is way cool!": Designlovefest
- Bri Emery seems like an all around cool girl. Her posts range from food to fashion. She also teaches, which seems like the Harvard for bloggers, Blogshop. I can't wait to take her course.

4. Favorite lifestyle blog: Cupcakes and Cashmere
Emily Schuman's blog is so seamless. Everything she posts about is clean and crisp. She makes it look so easy.

5. Favorite foodie blog: Oh Joy!
Even though Joy posts about more than food, she always knows the next spot to try. She is also good friends with Bri from Designlovefest.

xx,
Andrea

Put a Pin in it...

After my pre-Spring cleaning last week, I found some things I had completely forgotten about. If it's out of sight then it's out of my mind until I dig it out after some cleaning is done. I had purchased a very simple black clutch some time ago with the intention of using it but never did. So it was just a little too simple for me and thought it could use a little detail. I have several heirloom pins I had yet to really use so I figured it would be cute to add a pin to the clutch to give it something special. I was able to put the pins to use and it gave my plain clutch some extra detail which is always nice for going out. Enjoy this little DIY project to start your Monday...

...Rebecca...

Plain Black Clutch

Pins

Black Flower Pin

Gold Flower Pin

Panther Pin

Alligator Pin

THE PEAKS...and the pits!

THE PEAKS...
Play time:
Spending time with my nephew & niece just being silly and playing around with them always puts a smile on my face and makes life even better. So much fun! -Rebecca
Joie de Vivre:
Having a puppy in your life brings so much joy! Why didn't anyone tell me of the love that puppys give you?! Love me some Madeline :) - Andrea

...and the pits!

Fashion Faux Pas:

Finding old pictures of myself and feeling a sense of utter embarrassment over what I was wearing, seriously not cute! -Rebecca
Don't be Tardy for the Party:
 Picture this, you are running later for a meeting. Seriously, you are actually running a breaking a sweat to get to this meeting. You get there, and its cancelled. Yea. Enough said. - Andrea

24 hours with Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld

Are you curious to know what the man with the white ponytail, dark sunglasses, and the leather gloves really does in 24 hours? Well Harper's Bazaar was able to satisfy that curiosity by getting Karl Lagerfeld to open up about what a full day is like for him in the article "My List: Karl Lagerfeld in 24 Hours." For a man who is the head designer and creative director for the incredible Chanel fashion house, he has quite the daily schedule. He details everything from when he wakes up, to the moment before he goes to sleep and to even his most quirky habits. He is a man of few words so being able to read what it's like in the day of Mr. Lagerfeld was really fascinating and far more interesting than I imagined. Learning about his extreme addiction to Diet Coke, how he doesn't eat lunch and his routine for working on his sketches and art was really insightful for someone of his caliber in the fashion world so read up and get to know Karl...

 ...Rebecca...

Photo of Karl Lagerfeld's Home & Choupette his cat...

Photo of Karl Lagerfeld's Bathroom...

More photos of Karl Lagerfeld's home...

(Article and Images Via Harper's Bazaar.com)

Get the Look

While browsing the internet world the other day, I spotted this photo of of Miranda Kerr and became inspired. Love how her pop of color looks polished, yet put together. I've picked out some items below so you can get the look as well.
xx,
Andrea

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Welcome to the Jungle...

Leopard!!! It's making quite a roar in this jungle we call fashion and I'm loving it! Leopard print has been around for awhile but I feel like it's really making a come back for this spring season. I'm seeing a lot of leopard from the stores to the streets in clothing, accessories, and shoes. It's fun to add to your wardrobe by rocking some cute flats or high heels, working a cute flowy top or even going as far as dressing up your phone with a leopard case. A little animal print can never go wrong in fashion. Although I do believe some animal prints at times overshadow you if too much is worn at once but keeping it in moderation and wearing it right can really make a great outfit. I like to throw on my leopard scarf when I think my outfit could use a little extra something plus I'm all about making it flow with the rest of my outfit too. I don't want the print to consume me so when I wear it I like to add it here and there with a statement piece in a subtle way. 

Check out the leopard pieces I've found that I'm really into below...

...Rebecca...

Target Mossimo Flats

Forever 21 Top

Target Mossimo Platform Pump

Tory Burch iPhone Case

Old Navy Scarf

The Point and Flex

Sometimes there are days when I am just not feeling the high heel. Yes, I want to look polished and put together, but I also want to be comfy. The other day I saw a woman walking down the street, she was wearing all black (skinny ankle pants and a turtleneck) but looked so put together. Her outfit was finished off with a pointy flat and she looked fantastic. Try it out for yourself, I promise it will pull  everything together and you will walk around feeling amazing. Click the corresponding link below to find where these cute shoes are from. I especially like #2 because they have an awesome stud detailing in the back.
xx,
Andrea

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

THE PEAKS...and the pits

THE PEAKS...
Pre-Spring Cleaning:
Getting a head start on the spring cleaning with tossing out a lot of useless things and feeling like I'm on my way to a less cluttered and organized life. -Rebecca
When life hands you lemons, make lemonade:
Yes, being sick at home sucks but I just happened to have a slew of unwatched DVDs waiting for me to view. Sick Day = Productive movie watching day. - Andrea

the pits...

Caught in the Act:

Getting caught in the middle of singing along to Adele just when you thought there was no one listening, pretty embarrassing.-Rebecca 

Driving Miss Daisy:
Seriously, I am thinking of riding my bike to work. Gas is SO expensive!!! - Andrea 

Irish Coffee

With this Saturday being St. Patrick's Day, I had originally planned to go out with some friends and enjoy that green beer. Well, things changed when I saw that we are going to have a rainy weekend here in LA. Whenever it rains I usually take it as an excuse to stay in, watch movies, and sip hot chocolate. So that I can stay in and still celebrate the holiday, my usual hot chocolate will be replaced with Irish Coffee. If you stick to the same motto of being a homebody during rainy days, try this recipe I tested out for you. It's such a great alternative to the norm. Wouldn't some Irish Coffee taste amazing with the treats Rebecca showed on yesterday's post? I think so!
xx,
Andrea

St. Patricks Day Treats!!!

St. Patrick's day is just days away and what better way to get in the spirit than to make some DIY treats. I wanted to make some goodies to share with my family and friends so I made two of my favorites, chocolate chip cookies and a brownie cake. I figured if I'm going to make treats I might as well make treats I like too. I made the chocolate chip cookies using the infamous Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe which is really easy to follow plus it's the best recipe I've ever tried! 

Well it didn't stop there...

I started off with the cookies and then I moved on to make the brownie cake. I really wanted to try out this recipe I found in People Magazine over the weekend for a Cream Cheese Frosting and made the cake a brownie cake instead of the chocolate cake on the recipe. So to make the frosting more exciting, I added green food coloring to fit in with the St. Patty's holiday color theme.

With the extra frosting left over, I got a little creative in the spirit of baking so I grabbed a few of the cookies and added some four leaf clovers on them. Although the shape of my frosted clover isn't the best it tasted pretty darn good if I do say so myself! Also made a cookie sandwich and added frosting in the middle which was a challenge to eat but so worth it! These treats were a great hit with my family and friends plus I really enjoyed them too!
Hope you have a jolly St. Patrick's Day!!!

...Rebecca...

Ingredients used...

Chocolate Chip Cookies...Yum!!!

Brownie Cake with Green Cream Cheese Frosting!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie with Four Leaf Clover Frosting...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich with Cream Cheese Filling...

DIY: Twig Necklace

After seeing this necklace the other day, I immediately got inspired. With just the pick of a twig from the tree outside our house, I got started. Check out the easy steps below and try it out for yourself.
xx,
Andrea

1. What you will need: 

2. Pick your twig of choice and get to spray painting. I found this one in Gold Leaf at Michaels.

3. After the twig has completely dried, get your thin wire. On each side of the twig, twist the wire 3 times around the twig. On the 3rd turn, place the jump ring on the wire and continue to turn the wire another 3 times.

4. After you have completed step 3, your twig should look like the below.

 5. Now open one of the jump rings, attach the gold chain and twig to it and close. Repeat this step to the other side.

6. Attach the lobster claw clasp to the gold chain and your done! Pretty, huh?

All images via Andrea

Revamp it...

Thanks to the unpredictable weather changes, allergies and time change, I was indoors most of the weekend trying to recover from this cold. So to occupy my time I started organizing my sweaters and coats which had piled up on my coat rack. After digging under a few coats, I found a dark green sweater I had completely forgotten about and had barely worn. It's a cute plain sweater but I thought it could use a little revamping so I decided to change the buttons on it with cute gold shank buttons I bought months ago at Joann's. All I really needed were scissors, buttons and the thread plus it was really easy to do and it gave my sweater a new look just by changing it's buttons. Also it's perfect timing with St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, now I can wear my revamped sweater to avoid getting pinched...

 ...Rebecca...

Sweater pre-vamp with small matching buttons...

Gold Shank Buttons...

Needle and Thread...

Sweater post revamp with new gold shank buttons...

Close up of the gold shank button...

THE PEAKS...and the pits

THE PEAKS...
Just like old times:
- This week I had dinner with 2 long time friends. Don't you love when you haven't seen a friend in a really long time and when you do, its just like you had never stopped seeing them? It's the best feeling. - Andrea
Stepping outside the box:
-Breaking the routine to venture out to new places and enjoying a good funky cocktail with some funny conversations makes for a damn good night! -Rebecca

and the pits...

Funky Times:

Do you ever just get in a funk that you just can't shake? I hate that feeling! - Andrea
Damn weather!!!:
Seriously, the weather! Do I need to say more, it's hot then cold and windy then cloudy. It's like I'm having hot flashes! I can't keep up and neither can my sinuses! -Rebecca
Getting nailed:
Discovering I had 2 nails in my car tire and having to go thru the whole repair patching process! Bummer and waste of time! -Rebecca

DIY: Get Wired

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of cute and simple wired jewelry pendants around in stores so I thought I would try to see if I could make my own for a fraction of the price. So I made a quick run to Joann's Crafts store for some materials and tools so I could get started which you can also get a Michael's too.

Tools Needed:

Rounded Tip Pliers

Thin Wire

Small Jump Rings

Necklace Chains

First step for me was thinking of what I wanted to do which was the initial "R" for my name. After I knew what I wanted to make, I cut enough wire using scissors then I started with the edges using my rounded tip pliers and worked my way to make the shape until I was finished. There are no real steps it's basically just bending the wire as you go along to make the design you want. I just went with the flow of the wire and did my own thing until I felt it looked good as shown below so do what you want and wired...

...Rebecca...

Thin wires in gold and silver...

Use rounded tip pliers to twist and bend your wires...

Twist ends towards which ever side you want so the edges are curled...

Voila!!! The edge is curled and now I can finish working on the rest of the letters shape...

Continue twisting the wire until you get your end product which for me was "R" and I made it in gold and silver...

To link the wire pendant onto a necklace I added these small jump rings...

Final pendants and tools used...

I got extra inspired and made an infinity symbol pendant...