Etsy Tuesday: Ika Bags

I just found Ika Bags when I was browsing another etsy user's treasury and I was surprised at how perfect they are for spring and summer! Feyza is a textile designer and uses scandinavian (gotta love it!) fabrics in her bags. She lives in Paris where she creates super cute things! Love those bags for a sunny day out on the town! You can find all her cool bags here and at her other store, MadameHoux, right here

Snack Time

Ah...today is over, school-wise. I can now catch up on all my homework that I've slowly let pile up and can breathe easier knowing tomorrow is ANOTHER friday (these weeks are flying by!!). I just made a pitcher of iced tea and threw in some chopped strawberries, so refreshing. Heres a little something I made up for a nice, light and healthy snack.

Broke Girl's "Granola" (Cereal) Parfait

few scoops of plain yogurt (I buy Mountain High plain yogurt in huge tubs)
cereal of your choice (I love Special K Vanilla Almond)
Honey
fruit of your choice, chopped. Good standbys are bananas, strawberries or mixed berries.

Layer yogurt, fruit and cereal (crushed up in your hands) in a bowl or glass, drizzle with honey. Its so satisfying and you didn't spend $3.50 for it somewhere else!

Positano and the Amalfi Coast

Positano is one of those little towns tucked into a nook that look like a dream. I'm still reading Under the Tuscan Sun and can remember in the movie when Diane Lane finds her dream Italian man in Positano. Its myriad of houses sprinkled against the mountain are so charming, I can't wait to make a trip there some day. Positano is situated along the beautiful and winding Amalfi Coast. Just imagine sipping Limoncello on a hot summer day on one of the beaches and scoping out gorgeous, tanned Italians. A girl can dream!

Photos courtesy: CiccioNutella, serdir, NileGuide,

Etsy Tuesday: Lara Lewis

Lara Lewis is a super talented jewelry maker on Etsy. Her style is estate jewelry decadence and pure vintage girliness. I love the deep rich jewel tones she uses and her photographs of her items are always flawless! You can buy her jewels here and peruse her blog right here. Great work!

(click photo to enlarge)

Friday Faves: Colors of Spring

Spring has sprung in Portland, with a comfortable mid to high 70s in the forecast, I'm busting out my tank tops and slippers. The look for this spring is bright, clean, fresh (when is it not though?). I searched around Etsy and found these lovely items to share with you all! Have a great weekend!

(Click the photo to enlarge)

Santorini...

Its incredibly sunny outside, but that could change any minute! Fortunately the clear blue sky reminded me of Greece. One day I'll be strolling down a narrow lane among bright white buildings and looking out into the impossibly blue sea...ahhh. But, for now, I must dream a little while longer. Heres some eye candy of Santorini, Greece.

photos courtesy ehpien, kdludwig

Etsy Tuesday: Miniature Rhino

Today's post is one I'm eager to share with you. I just happened upon Miniature Rhino while browsing through Etsy's Treasury section (which is one of my guilty pleasures-people make great collections!). Miniature Rhino is a curator of tiny curiosities and little treasures. I love the custom embroidered initials and constellations. I'm quite taken with their little collections of tiny objects-its so Borrowers meets attic finds. You can take a peek into the world of Miniature Rhino here, and find their Etsy goodies right here.

Travels...

Right now I'm reading Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. Yes, I'm probably the last person to read it (I've seen the movie a million times), but I can't help but find out the real story behind her acquiring an old villa in the hills of Tuscany and its renovation (how romantic is that?) That made me think that someday I will wind up on a dusty street in Italy, trying to figure out my way to a market or a cafe. My new posts for wednesdays will be travel based, to keep me wishing that someday I won't be doing the same old routine and be in a different world. So...first up is Tuscany.
Bramasole, the house that Frances Mayes bought and renovated.

It just looks like a painting, I can't believe places like this exist.

One day I'll end up in a little nooked town near the Mediterranean..

Etsy Tuesday: Dinosaur Toes

This weeks lovely post is from a fantastic jewelry maker, Dinosaur Toes. Her work is so feminine and romantic-I love staring at her beautiful fabric rosettes on chunky chains and headbands. I've just commissioned her to create me a custom bracelet, I'm so excited! Dinosaur Toes' goodies can be found here. Enjoy the weather!

Quiche!

This weekend was gorgeous! In the 70s and cool, clear sky..it was perfect. Saturday I decided to bake some quiche, because I haven't cooked in a while and I had the apartment to myself. So I created a turkey bacon (my bf is jewish...and its healthier!), potato, onion and cheddar quiche. They turned out perfectly and can be customized any way you like.

Quiche
2 unbaked 9" pie crusts
6 eggs
2 tbs flour
2 tbs milk
mix ins, which can include: bacon, onions, potato, broccoli, ham, spinach, whatever!
cheese! I reccomend cheddar. Something fancy could be used quite nicely.

Cook your mix ins, dump them in the pie tins, pour over the egg mixture and bake at 350 for around 40 mins. Voila-instant breakfast/lunch/dinner! Ah...quiche.

photo courtesy Joyce Loo

A walk around

Today was GORGEOUS in portland, its around the 70s, clear, super sunny skies, its just like being back at home in Hawaii on the beach with a nice breeze. So after work I got some photos of cherry blossom trees nearby and some of the waterfront.

What a great day for a picnic! Hopefully this weather stays through the week so me and the bf can have a little picnic on the waterfront. Ah..better buy some sunscreen, I'm in the mood to get a little tan.

Friday Faves part II

Dare I say I love this new something so much I just have to share with everyone? YES. Is it a little sad that its ice cream? Not at all! Haagen Dazs has just released their new line of flavors called Five-each ice cream is created with five all natural ingredients and they come in amazing flavors such as mint (minus the chips! finally!), ginger (I bought this one today, its creamy with a hint of that spicyness, super good), passionfruit (SO glad someone has made one, its an addiction), brown sugar, coffee, milk chocolate and vanilla bean. Each spoonful is a little bit of heaven, and the Five line has less fat than their regular ice creams (amen!). Enjoy the weekend and buy some ice cream!

Friday Faves

This week I keep seeing beautiful cherry blossoms blooming all over the city. Some trees are like little white cotton balls, while others look like pink popcorn. Its such a treat, I am trying to photograph them when I get some time and before they all lose their flowers. Heres to a new season!

New Developments

Hey there everyone, sorry for being so lazy about posts this week, its the start of my third term of school and its going to be a busy one. Im taking 4 classes, working part-time and trying time to hang out with friends and have a life in between! I'm taking a painting class which im extremely hesitant about-theres something about it that I'm scared of, maybe because I love being a perfectionist about my artwork and painting seems so...well...permanent. It will be a learning experience to say the least. Drawing Concepts II is another class that seems to be interesting, I will be developing my own plan for a body of work that works around a central theme. I can't wait to start this, I want to develop my thoughts about mapping into a big multi-part project! The third class is Spanish and lastly an American Studies class. Theres nothing like a class that makes you write papers that makes me feel like a real college student with deadlines.

In the meantime, let me share with you a fantastic website that just launched TODAY: www.pacificweddingguide.com. My older sister Tara has been blogging about all things wedding related, and now her official website is up! If you or anyone you know is thinking about getting married in New Zealand or Hawaii (or perhaps a honeymoon!), you must check it out, its full of resources and great things to do in the Pacific. Some of my photos are also used on her site! Hopefully I'll have a friday faves this week- stay tuned!